The Everglades of Central Jersey

Image via appliedeco.com

Well, the marketing people weren't called in when they named Dismal Swamp in Central New Jersey. The Dismal Swamp Conservation Area is anything but dismal, in the same way that the "Pine Barrens" is not barren.

David Wheeler, Director of Operations for Edison Wetlands Association, (EWA) did several posts on the G.R. Dodge Foundation blog on protecting the Dismal Swamp.

Known as the “Everglades of Central Jersey,” the 1,240-acre Dismal Swamp Conservation Area is the largest natural area remaining in northern Middlesex County, spanning portions of Edison, Metuchen and South Plainfield. EWA is leading a number of coalitions to preserve, restore, promote, and transform this natural oasis from a long-overlooked area in one of New Jersey’s most overdeveloped regions into a nature sanctuary treasured by the public and immensely valuable to wildlife. EWA’s vision, leadership and collaboration resulted in the creation of the Dismal Swamp State Preservation Commission in 2009, with EWA’s Bob Spiegel continuing to strengthen this state oversight as Chair of the Commission.

The Dismal Swamp serves as a natural oasis holding United States Environmental Protection Agency Federal Priority Wetlands. The Dismal Swamp is home to over 180 species of birds, and two dozen species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles, as well as a dozen threatened and endangered species, such as the American bittern, bald eagle, and spotted turtle. The Dismal Swamp also provides natural flood control and wildlife habitat, while its forests produce oxygen, and its wetlands clean and purify water. 

EWA has worked since then to preserve many other key Dismal Swamp properties, partnering with groups like NY-NJ Baykeeper and New Jersey Audubon Society, and agencies like the Middlesex County Freeholders and the NY/NJ Port Authority to save over 800 acres in Edison and nearly 100 acres in South Plainfield from overdevelopment.

EWA is also working on a number of trails projects to expand opportunities for hiking, birding, and wildlife viewing in the area.

• In 2011 the Middlesex Greenway just opened the newest leg of its trail connecting hikers and bicyclists from Perth Amboy, Woodbridge, and Edison with Metuchen’s portion of the Dismal Swamp. EWA continues to work with elected officials and the Edison Greenways Group to extend the greenway into the heart of South Plainfield’s Dismal Swamp.

David Wheeler is the author of Wild New Jersey. David also posted on the restoration of the Raritan River. 

Wild New Jersey: Nature Adventures in the Garden State

David Wheeler's book, Wild New Jersey: Nature Adventures in the Garden State has just been published by Rutgers University Press.

David is the Director of Operations for the Edison Wetlands Association and the founder of the Wild New Jersey blog which (like this blog) looks at environmental and wildlife news from around the state and often features videos.

The book is a through-the-year sweep of New Jersey from the mountains to the beaches. It's a reminder of how diverse our state is in its habitats. The Pine Barrens and other spots in our state have an incredible diversity of wildlife that surprises even NJ residents - and just might shock outsiders.

David @DavidHWheeler and the Wild New Jersey blog @wildnewjersey are both on Twitter too.

A New Jersey Autumn Story

Guest Post by David Wheeler

Dave's book, Wild New Jersey: Nature Adventures in the Garden State, is being published in January 2011 by Rutgers University Press.

He is the founder of the daily nature blog WildNewJersey.tv




The gold and crimson palettes of oaks and maples. The refreshing chill to the air after so many months of heat and humidity. That timeless first night of wood smoke from fireplaces down the street. And the crunch of freshly fallen leaves underfoot.

Fall outdoors in New Jersey is special for so many well-known reasons, but dig a little deeper and you'll find that we humans aren't the only ones appreciating autumn in all its glory.

The great fall migrations in the birding world are well underway, but will go strong until late November. New Jersey is hard to beat for bird spotting during these times. Large raptors like hawks, falcons, and eagles fly south in hard-to-believe numbers on their way to winter warmth. Millions of songbirds add color to the New Jersey skyscape each fall, with neotropical songbirds like Baltimore orioles and scarlet tanagers flying as far south as South America. And along our coasts, great blue herons, egrets, and waterfowl ascend from our waterways en masse to reach more temperate nesting grounds.

Many fish like Atlantic salmon and bluefin tuna migrate south as well this time of year, as do those strikingly delicate butterflies that color our meadows and wildflowers. Monarch butterflies famously winter on mountains in central Mexico, and with their short lifespans, entire generations of Monarchs do little more than fly south from birth to death.

Many mammals are feverishly at work during this period in preparation for their winter rests. Beavers stockpile food to last through the winter, while our black bears feed rapaciously each fall to get them through hibernation. The red fox enjoys a few more months of consuming insects and berries before changing its diet over to a more carnivorous diet of small rodents. Fall offers a great chance to spot these often reclusive animals.

Our cold-blooded reptile and amphibian friends like turtles, snakes and toads soak up those last radiant rays of sunshine before most of them retreat to their cozy shelters underground, not to permanently surface again for many long months. New Jersey's most melodious singers - spring peepers and other tree frogs - simply bury themselves under dead leaves to make for quick returns on a warm day.

Yes, fall is a time for New Jerseyans to savor, to pack in the dwindling daylight hours with all that must be done before the coming winter. But we're not the only ones. Look outside your window - those cardinals at your birdfeeder and chipmunks gathering seeds are not so different after all. Feathers and fur for them, and a regular Octoberfest for the rest of us, best explored outdoors amidst nature.