Horseshoe Crabs By the Full and New Moons

horseshoe crabs spawning   (though I object to "invade" as the description)

Horseshoe crabs are commonly found along New Jersey's Delaware Bay beaches, particularly in May and June when they come ashore to spawn. The most significant concentration of spawning horseshoe crabs occurs in the middle reaches of the Delaware Bay. Beaches in Cumberland and Cape May counties are known for high horseshoe crab activity during this time. 

May 12 is the Full Moon, and the 26th is the New Moon and next monthJune 11 is the Full Moon date this year, with the New Moon on the 25th.

New Jersey is known for its sandy beaches, and horseshoe crabs can be found spawning all across the state. The most activity by far is found on the Delaware Bay coastline, in Cumberland and Cape May counties. (A map of spawning beaches) 

reTURN the Favor is a collaborative effort that enables organized volunteers to save horseshoe crabs stranded on New Jersey’s seasonally closed and open beaches. Since 2013, reTURN the Favor volunteers have been rescuing horseshoe crabs along New Jersey’s Delaware Bay beaches. The program has grown significantly over the past decade, substantially contributing to horseshoe crab conservation.

Fishing Education Instructor Training March 16

Are you an angler who wants to share your passion for fishing by learning how to assist our education staff at workshops, events, and programs? 

The NJDEP Fish & Wildlife's R3 Fishing Program is offering a Fishing Education Instructor Training on Sunday, March 16, 2025. The training will cover an overview of fishing programs and volunteer opportunities, the standards and best practices used, knot tying, casting, regulations and more!

As a fishing education instructor, you will help teach parts of the workshops and keep the event running smoothly. Participants must be 18 years or older and willing to volunteer at more than one fishing education program. You don’t need to be an expert angler to help others learn basic fishing skills, and you don’t need any teaching experience. This training will provide you with what you need to help get people fishing.

This free  4-hour training will cover an overview of fishing programs, volunteer opportunities, the standards and best practices used, knot tying, casting, regulations, and more.

When:  Sunday, March 16, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 
Where:  Assunpink Wildlife Conservation Center, Eldridge Rd.; Robbinsville Twp., NJ 08691

REGISTRATION AT https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx

Reporting Rare Wildlife Sightings in NJ

I get emails and comments at this blog fairly regularly when people sight what they believe is an endangered, threatened or rare species. Some of those contacts have led to posts, but this is not an official blog, so I can't always get the information to the people at the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife or the Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

Fisher - via wikipedia commons

Just this week, a commenter reported sighting a fisher. The state agencies are understaffed and really need accurate information, so that conservation action can be focused on NJ's most important natural areas. If you have information on the location of an endangered, threatened or rare animal or plant and would like to help, you can report the sighting. This data will helps develop critical habitat mapping and look at habitat and population trends, and ultimately helps to develop conservation strategies for endangered and threatened species.

TO REPORT A SIGHTING

• Look at the information at www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/rprtform.htm 
• Complete a sighting report form OR, for marine wildlife, please use the Marine Wildlife Sighting Report Form Complete this form in its entirety - anonymous submissions cannot be incorporated into the database.
• These reports are for first hand field observations only. DO NOT COMPLETE THIS FORM if the source of your information is a report, news item, email, conversation, or other document. If that is the case, send the documentation instead.
• Only report one species at each location per form and map.
• Mark the location of the sighting on a map. When submitting a report, a map is necessary to help our biologists determine if suitable habitat is present at the location. Once the suitability of the area is determined the map provided aids in the delineation of land to be protected.

Mail completed surveys to:
Endangered and Nongame Species Program
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
P.O. Box 400
Trenton, NJ 08625-0400
or send it as an e-mail attachment to: Gretchen.Fowles@dep.state.nj.us

In order to maintain the validity and integrity of the database, each record will be reviewed by an ENSP biologist. NOT ALL SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Click these links for a listing of the current New Jersey Endangered and Threatened Species List or Special Species of Concern.

If you have any questions please contact ENSP at 609-292-9400.

Citizen Scientists in New Jersey

I read a post celebrating the "citizen" in citizen science. There are many people who like to say that citizen science is about citizenship as well as science.

Citizen science is sometimes called crowd science, crowd-sourced science, or civic science. It can be the volunteer monitoring of a habitat or species. It can be doing scientific research conducted voluntarily, in whole or in part, by amateur or nonprofessional scientists. It is public participation in scientific research, and by conducting this research, people are likely to become a better citizen. It may cause you to become involved in the cleanup of a waterway in your area, or get you to become involved in protecting a species. You will certainly be learning more about your physical world.

My own entry into citizen science began when I volunteered for the state's Wildlife Conservation Corps in 1990.  I began by working on educational programs along with other volunteers at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Education Center. I was able to develop and present some programs on tracking, map and compass and even nature writing. I also participated in fishing instruction, visitor services, trail maintenance, and bird house and butterfly garden maintenance.

Away from Pequest, I also volunteered at deer check stations, went on dead deer exccursions with NJDEP biologists to monitor how and why deer were dying or killed over winter (unrelated to hunting).

I also have participated in the Speaker's Bureau giving presentations to community groups and schools.

My focus over the past decade, as you might guess from this blog, has been working with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP).

All volunteers for the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife are members of the NJ Wildlife Conservation Corps (WCC) which is the largest natural resource management volunteer group in the state. WCC citizen science activities can assist in a wide variety of Division activities: operation of turkey, beaver and otter check stations; spring, fall and winter trout stocking programs; operations at the Rockport Pheasant Farm; fishing instruction at the Pequest facility; upkeep of hunter training ranges located in Wildlife Management Areas; and various activities with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

And there are a good number of other opportunities to volunteer in NJ.

The NJ State Forestry Services Volunteers in Forestry Program provides an opportunity for individuals and groups to help improve and enhance our forest resources. These citizen scientists are stewards of the land and value conserving our natural resources. If you'd like to donate your talent and time, go to state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/

The NJ Audubon Citizen Science Program aims to develop information datasets through citizen participation, on the abundance distribution, and demography of avian species. Using information collected through the contributions of Citizen Scientists to provide the basis for managing bird populations at multiple spatial and temporal scales, to improve our knowledge of the ecology of New Jersey, and to promote habitat preservation.

The American Littoral Society was founded by scientists and naturalists who believed in the value of citizen science. They also engage members of the public in field research to increase the data collected and to connect our volunteers more closely to the natural world. This is a way that you, your kids, your students and your friends can get involved in science that will help the coastal environment by working with programs such as their Fish Tagging Program and Spill Spotters Network (reporting oil spills or other severe pollution events).

I also volunteered for several years in the National Park Service's Volunteer in the Parks program at Sandy Hook. I worked summers on the beaches monitoring and trying to protect nesting shorebirds from beachgoers by educating them about the species there.

There are probably many programs in your county or hometown. Citizen Science in Newark, New Jersey might mean helping the EPA monitor air sensors to help the Ironbound community. The Ironbound neighborhood is surrounded by a number of industries and a dense network of roadways and other transport routes. Residents of the community are getting a technological boost from EPA in their efforts to learn about sources of harmful air pollutants and improve public health with portable air sensor developed by EPA researchers to monitor levels of particulate matter and nitrogen oxide – pollutants that cause short- and long-term health effects and are regulated under the Clean Air Act.

You can even do citizen science from home. One example is WhaleFM which helps marine researchers understand what whales are saying. Volunteers listen to recordings of Orcas and Pilot Whales on your computer and help match them to like recordings. This project is sponsored by Scientific American, Zooniverse, and marine scientists from around the world. This is great for ocean lovers who don't live near an ocean or are limited in their ability to get outside.

banding osprey chicks  - NJDEP

American Littoral Society Seeks Volunteers

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

TO HELP MAKE SHELL BAGS

Saturdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 25 & Mar. 25 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 8779 Berry Ave, Port Norris, NJ Google maps:  https://goo.gl/maps/xLCtydDE1Ey Foul weather dates: Sundays Jan. 29, Feb. 26 & Mar. 26 The American Littoral Society needs your help to bag shell for two new intertidal reefs to be built in the Delaware Bay this spring. We have the materials in place, but need some helping hands to fill the bags. The bagged shell will be used at one of the horseshoe crab beach restoration projects along the Delaware Bay. Reefs off those beaches provide calmer waters for horseshoe crab spawning, as well as habitat for juvenile fish and invertebrate species. The work will take place on the docks of the Maurice River. It will involve cutting and tying bags, filling mesh bags with shells, and stacking the bags. The shell bags will weigh approximately 20 pounds each. The task will be dirty and a bit smelly, so be sure to dress appropriately. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers. For more information, please contact Quinn Whitesall at Quinn@littoralsociety.org or (856) 825-2174. Quinn will also be bagging shell on the following Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (Lunch not provided): January 24-26 February 1, 2, 7-9, 21-23, 28 March 1, 2, 14-16, 21-23 Bagging will be weather dependent, so please contact Quinn if you plan on attending any of the weekday bagging days.

Volunteer to be part of the 2016 Sandy Hook BioBlitz, September 23-24, 2016

Gateway National Recreation Area and the American Littoral Society will team up again this year to host a BioBlitz at Sandy Hook on September 23-24, 2016.

The 2016 Sandy Hook BioBlitz is one of more than 100 being held throughout the National Park System to celebrate the National Park Services’ centennial. This 24 hour event will start at 1pm on Friday, September 23, 2016 and conclude at 1pm on Saturday, September 24, 2016.

A BioBlitz is a biological inventory where volunteers work alongside scientists and expert naturalists to find and identify as many species as possible over a short time period. It is an opportunity to increase awareness of the diversity of organisms that exist within our park; to become more connected to our surroundings; to increase our understanding of biodiversity; to become empowered to protect the places and spaces where nature exists; and – most importantly – to have fun!! It’s a celebration and exploration of biodiversity!

Gateway National Recreation Area and the American Littoral Society are teaming up again this year to host a BioBlitz at Sandy Hook on September 23-24, 2016. A BioBlitz is a biological inventory where volunteers work alongside scientists and expert naturalists to find and identify as many species as possible over a short time period. It is a celebration and exploration of biodiversity.

The 2016 Sandy Hook BioBlitz Opening Ceremony is on Thursday, September 22 from 7-8 pm at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. Thomas Brown of the College of Staten Island Biology Department will present "Sandy Hook - A Biodiversity Rest-Stop for Landbirds" at the Samuel Hays Magill Commons, Room 107. Mr. Brown will explore the importance of the Sandy Hook Peninsula as a stop-over site for migratory landbirds. Since 2009, he has applied mark-recapture techniques to study the diversity of birds that use Sandy Hook to rest and refuel.

The BioBlitz itself will begin on Friday, September 23 at 1 p.m. and the closing ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 24 at 1:30 p.m.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to work alongside scientists and expert naturalists to conduct biological surveys and provide a snapshot of biodiversity in the park. Volunteers are also needed to assist at the "Base Camp" with general information, registration, food preparation, GIS, photography, and social media. Base Camp is located at the Fort Hancock parade ground, 18 Hartshorne Drive, Highlands, NJ 07732.

You can also join in interpretive programs that will be held throughout the 2 day event to explore the marshes of Plumb Island, discover the plants and animals living in Sandy Hook Bay, view the Sandy Hook night sky, and experience the park's maritime holly forest.

All events are free and open to the public. Additional information and registration is available at the event website bioblitz16.ciesin.columbia.edu/home. 

You can also follow the progress on social media by following both GatewayNPS and/or LittoralSociety on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Volunteers Needed for Fish Study

Hackensack River

If you love fishing, and fish the Hackensack River, here's another reason to cast your line out. A Montclair State University student seeks volunteers to assist with collecting fish from the Hackensack River. The fish are being collected as part of a study looking at the transfer of contaminants throughout the aquatic food web. The study area includes the towns of North Arlington, Secaucus, and Lyndhurst with the aim of obtaining 10 fish from each of the species listed below:

• Bluegill
• Pumpkinseed
• Carp
• Catfish
• Largemouth bass
• Chain pickerel

chain pickerel

Volunteers are required to have a valid NJ Fishing License and must abide by all fishing regulations for the specific species and waterways.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact Natalie Sherwood for more details at sherwoodn1 [at]  montclair.edu

 

More information on the river at http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org

Learning About New Jersey's Great Swamp

The Great Swamp was created approximately 15,000 years ago. The Wisconsin Glacier pushed its way during the Ice Age and in its melting poured into the natural basin known as the Passaic Valley to form Glacial Lake Passaic.

What we call the Great Swamp is what remains of that huge lake which has continued to drain via the Passaic River and many other smaller rivers and creeks.

If the name Great Swamp doesn't sound like an appealing place to visit, you need to look beyond the name. It is not entirely swampland but rather a mixture of marshes, meadows, dry woods and brush-covered swamps.

These four habitats are what make the Great Swamp unique and allow the area to support a wide variety of plant and animal life.

The Great Swamp is one of NJ's 5 National Wildlife Refuges. Their website offers this advice to visitors:

People are encouraged to observe, study, photograph and walk with nature in designated public areas. The best times for observing wildlife are early in the morning and late afternoon. Because of large number of visitors in the spring and fall, wildlife viewing on Sundays is often less rewarding. The refuge has close to 10 miles of foot access trails, with varying difficulty from which wildlife can be viewed. There are also three wildlife observation blinds and one wildlife overlook. Pleasant Plains Road is a good place to view wildlife from your vehicle. The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge also recommends that you visit the Raptor Trust (for information please call 908-647-8211), the Somerset County Environmental Educational Center (for information please call 908-766-2489) and the Morris County Outdoor Education Center (for information please call 973-635-6629). There is also the Watchung Reservation, Morristown Historical Park, Sherman Hoffman Aubudon Center and several other outdoor recreation areas located close to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

If you visit, there are well maintained trails and even boardwalks that allow you to observe without doing harm to the habitat. (This is not a place to bring pets.)

Plants vary in size from the tiny duckweed to the towering red oak. As the seasons change, so does the color of the area - yellow marsh marigold to the blue iris.

One way to learn more about this living, breathing botanical and zoological resource is with a visit to the Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center. which is part of the Morris County Park Commission and offers many environmental programs for all ages.

 If you live in the area, you may want to become involved in the volunteer opportunities there too.

Download the refuge brochure (pdf)

Student Conservation Association

The Student Conservation Association is an organization that offers real world job opportunities for kids in high school and college to maintain and improve our state and county parks, trails, cultural landmarks and other outdoor areas.

Their mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.

In New Jersey, chances to serve this past year being a Shorebird Intern at the Gateway National Recreation Area at Fort Hancock, and being a Biological Technician at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville.

These interns may well become the next generation of environmental caretakers from their hands-on service.

To learn more about the Student Conservation Association, visit http://www.thesca.org

Volunteers Needed for Pequest Open House

The Pequest Open House and Sportsmen’s Flea Market is March 23 -24, 2013 from 10-4 daily.

This annual event attracts more than 10,000 visitors a year and with this being our 30 year anniversary of the hatchery, we are expecting a very large crowd.




We rely on the volunteers to help make this event the success it is.

Assistance is needed for the following activities:

• Kids Fishing in the Education Pond (for kids 8-16 years old)
• Kids Fishing in the Kiddie Trout Tank (for kids 3-8 years old)
• Kids Craft and Activity Tent
• Parking
• Monitoring Visitor Attendance
• Grounds Maintenance

If you can assist us with any of the above activities, please email Jessica Griglak at jessica.Griglak@dep.state.nj.us

Be sure to include the following information

1. Activity you will be assisting with
2. Day(s) you plan on assisting
3. Start and end time for each day if assisting on multiple days

Volunteers Needed for Cox Hall Creek WMA in Cape May County

Volunteers are needed to help plant native trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers for wildlife inside Cox Hall Creek Wildlife Management Area in southern Cape May County.

October 10-11th from 10-2pm. (possibly the 12th if needed)
Cox Hall Creek Wildlife Management Area, Villas, NJ

This site is the former location for an old golf course named “Ponderlodge.” It was demolished last year and we need your help to install a series of gardens that will be used to demonstrate what people can do to help provide habitat for wildlife in lower Cape May County.

The entrance for Cox Hall Creek WMA is at the intersection of Bybrook & Delview Rd. We'll meet in the parking area. The area where we'll be working is right next to the parking area. Restrooms are on site. We'll provide some light refreshments.

Please bring some landscaping/planting tools, shovels, work gloves etc...that you can use to help plant.

We will have light refreshments. There is a bathroom on site. Please bring a pair of work gloves and dress accordingly.

Please RSVP by emailing Ben Wurst. 

Heavy rain will postpone till the following day.
 
More info about the project: conservewildlifenj.org/protecting/habitat/restoration/ponderlodge/

Looking for Volunteers at Rockport Game Farm

This request was sent to NJDEP WCC volunteers by Paul Ritter, Supervising Biologist at the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife. If you're unfamiliar with the WCC, it is open to anyone 18 years of age and older. It is the largest natural resource management volunteer group in the state. If you are interested, you can obtain an application form along with more information online at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/wcchome.htm

The Rockport Pheasant Farm is a 492-acre facility (within the 1,202-acre Rockport Wildlife Management Area) operated by the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife. The facility produces approximately 55,000 ring-necked pheasants each year for the sporting public (no pheasants are sold to the public). Acquisition of the property began in 1912 and was completed in 1925. The first release of Rockport pheasants was made in 1923. Since 1923 over 2 million pheasants have been raised at Rockport.

The volunteer request:

As you may recall the Rockport Game Farm sustained catastrophic damage during the October 2011 snowstorm. Since March, the Rockport crew has been working on production of this year's pheasant crop for stocking in the fall starting with egg collection, hatching, brooding and range pen operations. They have completed demolition of the damaged pens and along with assistance from the Bureau of Land Management, have partially completed reconstruction of new pens and runways. Much work still needs to be completed before the upcoming pheasant season and we need your assistance to complete this monumental task on time!

We are looking for volunteers who have specific skills in carpentry, plumbing and grounds maintenance. The ideal candidates for this request should be self-motivated and willing to work on their own with limited supervision.

Carpentry skills required include load bearing wall construction and door installation on load bearing walls.
Plumbing skills needed include sink and toilet repair / installation.
Grounds Maintenance skills include the operation of riding mower equipment and gas powered weed trimmers.

This work will need to be performed between the hours of 8:00 am and 2:00 pm.

If you have the required skills for any of the above listed types of work and are interested in volunteering your services at the Game Farm, please leave your name and a telephone number on the answering machine at 908-852-3461 by September 14th with your interests. Because the staff is generally on the Farm and not in the office, leave your contact information and Rockport staff will call you back.

Endangered or Just In Danger Amphibians and Reptiles

A yellow spotted salamander changing lanes

If the unusually warm weather and crocuses blooming in your garden haven't been harbingers of spring, then note that the amphibian migration has begun across a good part of New Jersey.

With the rain yesterday being just about the right temperature, some eager salamanders and frogs are moving to their breeding pools.

Unfortunately, our "Garden State" is also a highway state and crossing is quite dangerous for those creatures. There are some people out there helping out, but keep a watchful eye when driving on rainy nights if you can.

An article in The New York Times, "Bucket Brigade Gives a Lift So Salamanders Can Live to Mate", describes one group of "salamander people" in Mississippi  are out on these rainy, early spring nights scooping up salamanders to help them cross the road. These "herpers" who search for and aid the amphibians or reptiles do their part to try to protect endangered, threatened and just plain in danger creatures.

Some salamanders can live up to 30 years, so they have been down this road (well, really, across this road) before. But they procreate only once a year.

I have written earlier here about similar projects in New Jersey. Saving other, more lovable species might be easier to get attention, volunteers and funding.

The NJDEP, Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP), the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, and the NJ Audubon Society have been partners on the Amphibian Crossing Survey Project. Since 2002, they have been working to protect early-spring breeding amphibians like the wood frog, spotted salamander, jefferson salamander, and spring peeper during their annual migrations, which often lead them across perilous roadways. Volunteers help monitor sites in northern NJ (resources are limited, so that has been the focus area) particularly Warren, Passaic and Morris County. But they also help to identify additional crossings throughout the state.

A single vehicle can crush dozens of the slow-moving animals as they try to cross the road during migration. For example, some major amphibian road-crossings occur in West Milford in Passaic county. On rainy evenings from late February through March, teams of volunteers will be serving as “Crossing Guards” - slowing traffic, moving amphibians across the road, and collecting data about the migration.

According to the ENSP, amphibians are regarded by many scientists as indicators of a region's health and as the first indicators to harmful environmental changes such as pollutants and higher aquatic temperatures. Basically, if we see problems in the amphibian community, it’s just a matter of time before larger organisms (such as birds, mammals, and humans) will be affected as well.

Amphibian populations are declining worldwide as a result of a number of factors, including water pollution, increased pesticide use, and habitat loss, which is the most significant factor for all of New Jersey's species of conservation concern.

Amphibians depend on both terrestrial and aquatic habitats throughout their life cycles. The loss of forests and wetland habitats, including clearing forests, filling in vernal pools, and development that leads to changes in the water table that dry out critical wetlands, only add to these critters’ plight.

Finally, fragmentation of habitat can also play a critical role in the demise of an amphibian population as they attempt to travel from one area to another. Amphibians become easy prey targets in open habitats (lawns, driveways, roads) and at barriers such as curbs and fences that are often impossible to cross.

A spotted salamander being helped across a road.

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey has assembled a resource package to help teachers educate students about New Jersey's reptiles and amphibians. The package includes the Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of NJ and Calls of NJ Frogs and Toads CD, and a teacher's guide full of activities and lesson plans for grades 5-9. The activities are correlated to the state's Core Curriculum Content Standards.

Resource Package Flyer and Order Form (pdf)

Project PORTS Seeking Volunters for Oyster Restoration

shells with spat

Project PORTS (Promoting Oyster Restoration through Schools) is a community-based restoration project that engages school children in activities associated with the enhancement of oyster habitat at the Gandy's Beach Oyster Restoration Enhancement Area.

Students construct shell bags, which are deployed in the bay to become a settlement surface, and home to millions of young oysters. Participating schools, PORTS Partner Schools, receive a truckload of clam shells, which are placed in stretchy mesh bags by students on site at the school. The bags are then transported to a lower Bay Cape Shore site where they are deployed for two months in the summer to capture the settling oysters known as spat.

According to the Littoral Society, the oysters have set a bit late this year, but they are growing nicely on the shell bags that were deployed in June.

They need volunteers to help with the oyster transplant on August 23rd and 24th in Green Creek, NJ. The estimated start times are: 8:30 am on the 23rd 8:00 am on the 24th. The work on the 23rd will be consolidating the bags into a few piles (min. age: 10). The work on the 24th will be moving, transporting, and emptying the bags onto the oyster boat (min. age: 15).

If you can assist with this project please email bill@littoralsociety.org

The oyster spat (a baby oyster or larvae) and shell are transplanted to the upper Bay Gandy's Beach location where they grow, thrive, and provide important ecological benefits to the Bay ecosystem.

This work complements the State and Federal fishery-centered restoration efforts and demonstrates a way that local citizens can invest in the Delaware Bay and feel a personal commitment for its stewardship.


These young oysters are transplanted to upper bay conservation and fishery areas in early August.

Mature oyster

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica is one of, if not the most important species of the Delaware Estuary.

Dating back thousands of years, the oyster has served as a keystone organism in the estuary, positively influencing water quality and providing food, habitat, and refuge to countless organisms.

Challenged by disease, habitat deterioration, and overfishing, the resource is presently a fraction of what it once was.

Long Pond Ironworks Museum

Steam-powered sawmill on Longhouse Rd. - early 20th Century

The Long Pond Ironworks Museum is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays between 1pm and 4pm April through November. Organized groups and schools may arrange Museum visits by appointment all year.

The museum, operated and staffed by volunteers, opened for its first season on Saturday, April 10, 1999. Inside the renovated Old Country Store are interpretive displays, artifacts and relics from the furnace area and ironworkers village. Photographs and artifacts help illustrate how the area looked and what life was like in this industrial complex. There are also a limited number of items available for purchase.

Take a virtual tour of the Ironworks 

Long Pond Ironworks was founded in 1766 by the German ironmaster Peter Hasenclever. With financial backing from British investors, Hasenclever purchased the existing Ringwood Ironworks as well as huge parcels of land, including the 55,000-acre Long Pond Tract. He also imported more than 500 European workers and their families to build ironmaking plantations at Ringwood, Long Pond and Charlottenburg in New Jersey and at Cortland in New York. From the wilderness they carved roads; built forges, furnaces and homes; and created supporting farms. At Long Pond, they dammed the river in order to provide water power to operate the air blast for a furnace and a large forge.

Long Pond Ironworks today tells a fascinating tale of ironmasters who built and developed the iron industry in the Highlands. Their contributions to history in times of peace and times of war reach far beyond the local economy. These nearly forgotten chapters of history need to be retold and remembered. Within the 175-acre Long Pond Ironworks Historic District lie the ruins of three iron blast furnaces, including the original Colonial-era furnace constructed in 1766, and two larger furnaces built for Civil War production; evidence of iron forges; remains of waterpower systems; and a variety of workers' homes and commercial buildings that were critical parts of the ironworking village. Long Pond also illustrates the evolution of ironmaking technology, as shown in the remains of the three successive furnaces, the ore roaster and the hydropower systems. The continual search for more efficient operations and materials is a story of industrial ingenuity at its best.

The Friends of Long Pond Ironworks, Inc. (FOLPI) is seeking additional volunteers so the hours the museum is open can be expanded. They also give monthly and special tours of the Historic District as well as educational-outreach programs for schools, Scouts, clubs and other organizations.

A Master Plan for the Long Pond Ironworks National Historic Landmark has been developed by the N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry, with help from the Friends of Long Pond Ironworks. The plan calls for the restoration of structures within the Historic District; stabilization of many of its ruins; ongoing archaeological excavation and research; and interpretation of the site to the public. You are welcome to become part of this process by taking advantage of the public tours and by becoming a member. Non-members are welcome to attend monthly meetings to learn more.

North Wheel - 1909

GeesePeace

Essex County is looking for volunteers to participate in GeesePeace, a county-wide program that uses humane methods to control the Canada geese population.

The program is geared to limit the birth of goslings and is endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States.

Training will be provided through an “on-call” system based on the number of volunteers who are interested in participating.

“The growing population of Canada geese has affected our residents’ quality of life, and we are committed to continue our partnership with Essex GeesePeace to help control the goose population in a humane way,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. “Participating in this volunteer program is a great way for individuals, families and organizations to get involved and contribute to your community,” he added.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to combine our resources and work together toward humane, effective solutions to wildlife conflicts,” Essex GeesePeace Volunteer Coordinator Del DeMaio said. “Community schools, private property owners, golf course managers, public works officials and others should be calling on us for assistance to learn how they can coordinate efforts to improve effectiveness and efficiency,” she added.

If you want to volunteer, contact Essex County Environmental Affairs Coordinator Tara M. Casella at tcasella@parks.essexcountynj.org or 973-228-8776.

Trail Work That Doesn't Work

Though volunteers spend many hours each year maintaining trails in NJ and other states, not all "trail work" is useful.

In Essex County, the Hilltop Conservancy has been finding evidence of un authorized trail work that is destroying wildlife food sources and habitats. The volunteer group helps maintain a 240-acre reservation in northwest Essex County that spans Caldwell, North Caldwell Verona and Cedar Grove.

They discovered that someone had cleared a new trail through a meadow that’s part of a 10-acre habitat restoration project the conservancy has been working on since 2005 with the county and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The new and unplanned "trail" would bring increased traffic that will damage or destroy the new native prairie grasses and wildflowers there.

What they find isn't generally isn't vandalism and may even be done with good intentions, but the group has taken to posting signs to tell the rogue trail workers to stop.

In the case of new trails appearing, mountain bikers often create their own trails and move objects in the way that may have been placed for trail preservation and don't offer a hazard for hikers and walkers. Mountain bikes, dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles are not allowed on many reservations (including the Essex Hilltop) because they can cause significant damage to trails.

For example, fox grape and Virginia creeper vines are being cut out through the woods. They may look "invasive" but they are a food source for deer, birds and other small animals. The group would only remove it when it hinders an established trail.

Anyone who has done trail maintenance knows that logs and branches along steep trails are not "in the way" but often a way to prevent runoff and erosion.

It's a problem in many parks and wooded areas. If you want to volunteer and help maintain public lands, you should always work with established conservancy groups.

• Hilltop Reservation map (pdf)
• http://hilltopconservancy.org
• Star-Ledger article

Pyramid Mountain and Tripod Rock

The Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area is a good day trip hike (it's more than a "walk"). I think it's best known for Tripod Rock. The rock is a huge, 160-ton boulder naturally balanced on three smaller boulders. Here's a nice spot for a geology lesson if you are with children. The four rocks were deposited there by the Wisconsin Glacier over 18,000 years ago. The park also has the less well known Bear Rock which is one of the largest glacial erratics in New Jersey.

Go ahead and climb on top and join the thousands of people who have taken photographs there. Take a snack break, and think about how the glaciers pushed through New Jersey during the last ice age. It's pretty awesome (in the true sense of awe) to think of the huge chunks of sedimentary rocks there that were split and carried by the glacial movements.

I have heard and read (but with no confirmation) that Tripod Rock was a place used by the Lenape, NJ’s Native Americans, for summer solstice celebrations.

Pyramid Mountain is located in Kinnelon, Morris County and is about 1500 acres of trails, forests and wetlands. It has several unobstructed views of the New York City skyline.

Though people have been visiting the area for thousands of years, it was only established in 1987 as the Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area to protect it from development.

Along the way (depending on the trail you choose), there are old stone ruins, a seasonal waterfall, 100 species of birds and 30 species of mammals including black bears, beavers and the very elusive and endangered bobcat.

Comments on several websites by birders list eagles, herons, egrets, vultures, red hawks, scarlet tanagers, yellow warblers, indigo buntings, red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers and black-capped chickadees.

There is a nice diversity of habitat including blueberry patches, rhododendrons, chestnut oaks, American beech trees, and holly shrubs.

The area is important for supplying water to downstream reservoirs and replenishing area aquifers.

You can do hikes that loop around for about 3-5 miles that are moderately difficult - mostly because of a few steep and rocky sections like Lucy’s Overlook and the actual Pyramid Mountain. Otherwise, I would consider it good for beginning hikers. For a longer hike, you might connect with the trails on  Turkey Mountain.

There is a visitor center, a small parking lot and a trail kiosk that should have trail maps. 

If you live in the area, you might consider some of the volunteer opportunities at the park.

There is a map online to get you started.

For more details on a 4 mile-3 hour loop hike that passes the Taylortown Reservoir (popular fishing spot too), Tripod Rock and Bear Rock and has two panoramic viewpoints, look at the page on the nynjtc.org site.

Calendar of Events at Pyramid Mountain




Video by http://www.njhiking.com

Volunteers Needed For Oyster Restoration on August 16

NJ Audubon's Nature Center of Cape May The Cousteau Center at Bridgeton is seeking volunteers on August 16, 2010 to assist with the Project PORTS (Promoting Oyster Restoration through Schools) project.

Project PORTS is a community-based restoration project that engages school children in activities associated with the enhancement of oyster habitat at the Gandy's Beach Oyster Restoration Enhancement Area.

shells with spat

Students construct shell bags, which are deployed in the bay to become a settlement surface, and home to millions of young oysters. Participating schools, PORTS Partner Schools, receive a truckload of clam shells, which are placed in stretchy mesh bags by students on site at the school. The bags are then transported to a lower Bay Cape Shore site where they are deployed for two months in the summer to capture the settling oysters known as spat.

The oyster spat and shell are transplanted to the upper Bay Gandy's Beach location will they will remain to grow, thrive, and provide important ecological benefits to the Bay ecosystem.

This work complements the State and Federal fishery-centered restoration efforts and demonstrates a way that local citizens can invest in the Delaware Bay and feel a personal commitment for its stewardship.

This year students at partner schools constructed 2700 shell bags. The shell bags were placed in the lower Bay in late June and have since been collecting thousands, if not millions of oyster spat.

These young oysters will be transplanted to upper bay conservation and fishery areas on August 16.

PORTS needs at least 30 volunteers on August 15 and 16 to help prepare and load the bags onto skiffs for transport.

Mature oyster

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica is one of, if not the most important species of the Delaware Estuary.

Dating back thousands of years, the oyster has served as a keystone organism in the estuary, positively influencing water quality and providing food, habitat, and refuge to countless organisms. Challenged by disease, habitat deterioration, and overfishing, the resource is presently a fraction of what it once was.

Volunteers Needed for Coldwater Conservation School

The NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife and Trout Unlimited are hosting the first Coldwater Conservation School for youth between the ages of 11-15 years old. This program will run June 24-27 at the School of Conservation in Stokes State Forest.

Volunteers are needed to help make this program great. We need help every day that we will be at the School including setting up, registration, dorm sitters, chaperones, program assistants and monitors, fly tying, fly fishing and other free time monitors, etc.

Because we will be working closely with these youths, there are several forms that need to be filled out and returned to the Division of Fish and Wildlife by April 30.

If you are interested in helping part of a day, one day or all four days, please contact Jessica Griglak, School Director, at 908-637-4125 or via email at Jessica.Griglak@dep.state.nj.us, so that she can get you the required paperwork to fill out.