Falconry in NJ

  

On NJ.com, I found an interesting article about how a small band of NJ hunters are carrying on the 4,000 year old practice of falconry.

Hunting has its opponents, especially amongst some people who might read this blog. In my years as a volunteer, I worked with hunting programs and fishing programs and have been more often positively surprised by synergies between those groups and environmentalists.

Falconry seems so odd in our modern world. Hunting in NJ is often controversial and the practice of hunting with trained falcons or hawks for small animals like rabbits, squirrels or pheasants must seem even stranger. And yet, it has some kind of appeal and connection with a time of nobles and gentleman hunters.

Check out the article. What's your opinion on the sport of falconry?

READING LIST
Falconry: The Essential Guide
Falconry & Hawking
The Falconer's Apprentice
Art of Falconry; Being the De Arte Venandi cum Avibus of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen
Falconry Manual

Endangered Species and a Tax Check-Off

Did you know that New Jersey residents can help secure the future of the State's threatened and endangered wildlife by making a dedicated donation when they file their State income tax returns this year?

"Despite being the nation's most densely populated state, New Jersey has an incredible diversity of wildlife, including some of the world's most beautiful and rare animals,'' said NJDEP Commissioner Martin. "These are special creatures that need our protection, and which we'd like to preserve in the Garden State for our children and future generations. We can support this important effort by making a simple check-off for wildlife on our State income-tax returns."

Residents should look for Line 58 -- the New Jersey Endangered Wildlife Fund -- on the NJ 1040 income tax form, or remind their tax preparers they want to make a contribution.

Each donated dollar goes directly to the DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife, enabling its Endangered and Nongame Species Program biologists to continue their work to restore, conserve and enhance New Jersey's populations of rare species.

Each contribution is matched by an equal amount of federal funding, which further strengthens efforts to protect imperiled species.

The Endangered and Nongame Species Program manages nearly 500 wildlife species, including 73 species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, mammals and fish currently listed as endangered or threatened.

When I have done talks as a volunteer for the ENSP, one thing I have always emphasized is that the program is funded almost entirely by federal grants, which require matching state funds from the state income-tax check-off and sales of New Jersey's distinctive Conserve Wildlife license plate.

No, it's not paid for by your tax dollars. What a way to fund a program!  And what a time to ask for donations - when people are paying their income taxes!

Nevertheless, those two revenue sources, which generated $292,000 in 2010 and $1.8 million over the past five years, help finance efforts by DEP biologists to prevent some rare species from becoming extinct in New Jersey, and to make sure other creatures do not have to be added to the state's list of endangered and threatened species.

What are the "dividends" that your investment makes?

New Jersey biologists restored our bald eagle population from one nest in 1979 to 82 nesting pairs today.

New Jersey biologists have led the international effort to prevent the Western Hemisphere extinction of the red knot, which depends on the eggs of spawning Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs they devour in New Jersey each spring to fuel an epic migration from their South American breeding grounds to Canadian Arctic nesting grounds.

The bobcat was reintroduced in New Jersey 30 years ago, and research and protection efforts since then have allowed this secretive cat to establish a foothold in the northern third of the state.

More than 30 years of intensive management and cooperative efforts with coastal communities have prevented the State extinction of three New Jersey beach nesting birds, the piping plover, least tern and black skimmer.

Peregrine falcons disappeared from New Jersey in the 1960's but through a reintroduction project and intensive management we now have a stable population of 20 nesting pairs statewide.

Learn more about New Jersey's endangered species:
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensphome.htm
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/tandespp.htm

For information on the Conserve Wildlife license plates:
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensp/plates.htm

Princeton Battlefield Park

General Washington rallying his troops at the Battle of Princeton.

The first inhabitants of the Princeton area were the Lenni Lenape Indians. Europeans founded the settlement in the latter part of the 17th century. The first European to find his home in the boundaries of the future town was Henry Greenland who built his house in 1683 along with a tavern. It was in that tavern that representatives of West and East Jersey met to set boundaries for the location of the township.

Princeton was to be divided into two parts: a borough and township. It was founded from pieces of Middlesex, Burlington, Somerset and Hunterton counties which were divided by the central “King’s Highway.” The King's Highway is today's Nassau Street which eventually turns into Princeton-Kingston Road to the north and Stockton Street to the south.

Even though New Jersey's capital is the city of Trenton, the governor's official residence has been in Princeton since 1945. That is when Morven became the first Governor's mansion. It was later replaced by the larger Drumthwacket, a colonial mansion also located in the township. Morven is now a museum property of the New Jersey Historical Society.

Princeton Battlefield State Park is a 200-acre (81 ha) state park located in Princeton Township. The park preserves the site of the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777.

On the night before the battle, George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek in Trenton. That night, he evacuated his position, circled around General Lord Cornwallis' army, and went to attack the British garrison at Princeton. Brigadier General Hugh Mercer, of the Continental Army, clashed with two regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood of the British Army.

Mercer and his troops were overrun and Washington sent some militia under General John Cadwalader to help him. The militia, on seeing the flight of Mercer's men, also began to flee. Washington rode up with reinforcements and rallied the fleeing militia. He then led the attack on Mawhood's troops, driving them back. Mawhood gave the order to retreat and most of the troops tried to flee to Cornwallis in Trenton.

In Princeton itself, General John Sullivan forced some British troops who had taken refuge in Nassau Hall to surrender, ending the battle. After the battle, Washington moved his army to Morristown, and with their third defeat in 10 days, the British evacuated southern New Jersey. With the victory at Princeton, morale rose in the ranks and more men began to enlist in the army. The battle was the last major action of Washington's winter New Jersey campaign.

Princeton hosted the first Legislature under the State Constitution of New Jersey to decide the State’s seal, Governor and the organization of its government. In addition, two of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence—Richard Stockton and John Witherspoon lived in Princeton.

In 1783, Congress fled from Philadelphia to Princeton, fearing a mutiny by some of the soldiers. General Washington took up residency at Rockingham in Rocky Hill, where he wrote his Farewell Orders to the Army.

On September third, he rode to Nassau Hall to receive news that the Treaty of Paris had been signed, which officially recognized America's independence. Princeton, thereby, became the first Capital of the new nation.

The Battlefield Park is maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, and is located on Mercer Road (Princeton Pike), about 1.5 miles south of Princeton University and 3.8 miles north of Interstate 295/95.

Besides the battlefield itself, another stop is the Mercer Oak named after Hugh Mercer, a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. During the Battle of Princeton, Mercer was stabbed by an English soldier's bayonet. According to legend, he was unwilling to abandon his troops, and rested on the tree's trunk while they stood their ground. After the battle, Mercer was taken to the Clarke House where he died from his injuries nine days later.

The tree was about 300 years old when it was torn by strong winds in March 2000. It is the emblem of Princeton Township and appears on the seal of the township and is an element of the seal of Mercer County, New Jersey. For public safety reasons, arborists cut off the remnants of the trunk the day after the tree fell and several scions from the tree were planted around the battlefield. In May 2000, an 8-foot sapling grown from a Mercer Oak acorn was planted inside the stump of the former tree.

The Thomas Clarke House Museum, built in 1772, was built by the third generation of Quakers at Stony Brook. The house is furnished in the Revolutionary period and contains military artifacts and battle exhibits, as well as a research library. During the battle General Mercer was brought to the Clarke House and treated unsuccessfully by Dr. Benjamin Rush.

There is also an Ionic Colonnade designed by Thomas U. Walter (architect of the US Capitol Building)and a stone patio marking the grave of 21 British and 15 American soldiers killed in the battle. A poem was written for the site by Alfred Noyes, Poet Laureate of England.

The park's hiking trails lead to the Delaware and Raritan Canal and to the adjacent property of the Institute for Advanced Study.

The Princeton Battle Monument is located near Princeton University on park property at Stockton Street and Bayard Lane.

The Historical Society of Princeton uses the Bainbridge House which had previously been used once for a meeting of Continental Congress in 1783, a general office and as the Princeton Public Library. The House is actually property of Princeton University and is leased to the Princeton Historical Society for one dollar per year. The house has kept its original staircase, flooring and paneled walls and is 70% unaltered.


Take a virtual tour of the Princeton Battlefield Park

Princeton Battlefield State Park official site

Planning Your Garden State Vegetable Garden

There is nothing like a few warm days in this cold month and the arrival of some seed catalogs to get me thinking about the garden.

Even if you have never planted a vegetable garden, you can consider a few crops for this season to support our Garden State of mind.

Mother Earth News did a story on planning a first garden with ten easy crops that offer great eating possibilities.

I started getting seed and plant catalogs in January and started folding over pages. Now you can even order seeds online through Amazon!

So here are 10 to start out with in NJ.

Radishes do well even in not-so-great garden soil and are ready to harvest in only a few weeks.

Salad greens like lettuce, spinach, arugula and corn salad are available in mixed packets. People plant in spring and fall, and you can pick salads almost year-round.

Green beans are easy to grow and prolific. If you get a big crop, they freeze well, and they’re also delicious when pickled as dilly beans. Start with seeds after all danger of frost has passed.

For onions, you can do seeds and bulbs, but you might try small plants if it's your first time. If they do well, you can harvest onions. If not, you might get small bulb onions and you can always eat the greens.

Fresh-picked ripe strawberries are unbelievably sweet, and the plants are surprisingly hardy. Buy bare-root plants in early spring. Put this perennial in a sunny spot and keep it well weeded.

Both hot peppers and bell peppers are easy to grow. You can try seeds, but plants give you a jump on the season. Let peppers from the same plant ripen for different lengths of time to get a range of colors and flavors. Did you know that the green peppers eventually go red?

Zucchini squash won't take up as much room in your garden as many other types, and it’s very prolific. Start from seeds or plants. You won't need more than a few plants for a bumper crop. Have you ever tried the breaded and fried flowers?

Basil. Many herbs are easy to grow, but basil is a good choice because it’s a nice complement to tomatoes. Basil is easy to grow from seeds or from transplants.

Jersey tomatoes. It's required. There’s just no substitute for a perfectly ripe homegrown tomato. I still have to take those pale things that you get in a salad (even in NJ!) that they call tomatoes. Seeds are great but you need patience and some technique. It's hard to go wrong when you start with strong plants. Do seeds when you want some heirloom or a variety not available in the garden center. Maybe you can support an old Jersey heirloom - the Rutgers tomato. Cherry tomatoes come in several sizes, are easy to grow and produce lots of fruit for those salads. Even the fried green tomatoes are good come fall when it's too late to ripen. Don't even bring up that ripening in a brown bag method...

Let's end with potatoes. You might be surprised that they are an easy-to-grow staple that stores well when kept cool. There are simple and low-maintenance approaches like planting potatoes in straw rather than soil. I planted one year in a large black garbage bag of composted soil and gut great, easy to harvest potatoes. I've seen people use an old garbage can with the bottom cut out.  "Seeds" for potatoes are actually whole or cut sections of potatoes. Don't use ones from the grocery store because they have been treated.You can buy them from catalogs or at good garden centers in early spring.