Eric Stiles
Vice President for Conservation & Stewardship

May, 2003

Shorebird/ Horseshoe Crab Conservation Victory

One year ago, New Jersey Audubon Society and its partners launched a campaign to halt the harvest of horseshoe crabs for bait in Delaware Bay.  We have made great strides towards success – in April 2003 the states of New Jersey and Delaware instituted more conservation-minded rules for the 2003 horseshoe crab spawning season.  The improved rules include 1) closing all horseshoe crab harvesting and restricting access to state and federal beaches from May 1 to June 7 to maximize available horseshoe crab eggs and allow migratory birds to feed unmolested, 2) capping the harvest at 150,000 crabs per state (a 50% reduction), 3) requiring the use of bait saving devices (NJ only) and 4) restoring and enhancing additional horseshoe crab spawning areas.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has formally endorsed these measures.

A resolution in the Delaware legislature that would have scrapped these rules and opened the season on horseshoe crabs was defeated, thanks largely to a strong, rapid response by NJ Audubon and other groups.  We expect continued legislative and legal challenges to the new regulations.  NJ Audubon and our partners will fight to uphold the regulations, and to renew and improve upon the harvest restrictions in 2004.  This is a critical time for Delaware Bay’s horseshoe crabs and shorebirds, and the coalition will continue to strive to protect these fragile populations.

This harvest threatens the survival of this ancient animal and the one million migrant shorebirds that depend on its eggs.  Both the horseshoe crabs and the shorebirds—especially Red Knot—have shown alarming declines over the last two decades.  Significant action is needed to reverse these declines and save both crabs and birds.  Studies also indicate that horseshoe crabs are worth more alive than dead, thanks to the money brought to the area by bird watchers.  This is not a case of wildlife versus economics; it is wildlife and local economies versus short-term gain for a few.

Federal Wildlife Conservation Funding

New Jersey Audubon continues to advocate for strong federal funding for wildlife conservation.  The State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program provides annual federal funding to state wildlife agencies for wildlife conservation projects.  NJ Audubon and other conservation groups encouraged our representatives in Washington to support an increase in SWG funding to a minimum of $125 million in fiscal year 2004.  This would bring approximately $2.3 million to New Jersey for conservation.  Funding for SWG was cut to $65 million in fiscal year 2003, threatening the success of this vital program.

Congressman Jim Saxton continued his strong leadership on this issue, authoring a letter asking his colleagues to support this increase in funding.  This year all New Jersey senators and congressmen supported the increase; New Jersey was the only state whose delegation voiced such universal support.  Saxton’s letter was co-signed by Congressmen Andrews, Ferguson, Garrett, Holt, LoBiondo, Menendez, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, and Smith.  Senators Corzine and Lautenberg signed a similar letter.  Congressmen Frelinghuysen and Rothman, who do not sign such letters due to committee memberships, also acted in support of the increase.  NJAS would like to thank the entire New Jersey congressional delegation for their support of State Wildlife Grants and for their strong work on environmental legislation.  We hope the rest of Congress will follow New Jersey’s example and restore healthy funding to this vital program.

To find out how your congressmen vote on conservation issues, visit the League of Conservation Voters website at www.lcv.org.  For more information on State Wildlife Grants, visit www.teaming.org.

Wind Turbines and Wildlife in New Jersey

Wind-generated power is currently one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources nationwide.  Thanks to new technology, wind power is becoming more feasible in the eastern United States, an area previously thought unsuitable for wind farms.  This growth is getting a boost from grants awarded by the state’s New Jersey Clean Energy Program for development of renewable energy.  New Jersey’s first commercial wind power generating facility, in the Atlantic City area, may be completed by this fall.  A number of other projects are in the planning stages.  NJ Audubon Society is working to limit the impacts these projects have on wildlife populations and habitat.

NJ Audubon strongly supports the development of environmentally responsible renewable energy sources.  Because traditional energy sources contribute to global climate change, habitat change and degradation, smog pollution, mercury contamination in our waterways, and radioactive waste, NJAS recognizes the importance of developing emission-free sources of energy.  However, NJAS is concerned about the effect that large-scale wind farms may have on wildlife and habitat. 

The greatest potential for wind farms in New Jersey lies on ridge tops or in coastal waters.  These prime sites are also along critical flyways for migrating birds.  NJ Audubon is working with other conservation organizations, the NJ Board of Public Utilities, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and power companies to ensure that new wind-power generating facilities minimize impacts on wildlife and on New Jersey’s treasured open spaces.

Stone Harbor Point – Piping Plover Update

NJ Audubon continues to monitor the progress of habitat protection for the federally endangered Piping Plover on Stone Harbor Point.  Stone Harbor Point provides crucial nesting habitat for the plovers.  As reported in the Summer 2003 magazine, the town of Stone Harbor allegedly failed to comply with its Army Corps of Engineers permit to deposit clean sand on the point, and instead deposited unsuitable silt and muck, threatening the Piping Plover habitat.  In February, to resolve a suit filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the town agreed to remove the spoils and create 4.4 acres of additional plover habitat in a timely matter, or pay fines to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). 

This settlement set an excellent precedent for correcting damage to endangered-species habitat.  Stone Harbor completed creation of the additional plover habitat before the plover breeding season, and six pairs of plovers returned to Stone Harbor Point in spring 2003.  To avoid disturbing the birds, a minor problem with sand depth in the habitat will be corrected after the plovers have finished nesting.  The town also installed a fence around the dredge spoils to keep nestlings out of the site.

Stone Harbor did miss two deadlines for removing the dredge spoils, and paid fines of $150,000 to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund projects that benefit shorebirds in Stone Harbor and New Jersey.  Stone Harbor is working hard to complete the project, and all dredge spoils should be transferred to the new site by mid-June.

The success of this habitat restoration will be a historic victory for this endangered bird species.  It could demonstrate that violating environmental protections comes with more than a slap on the wrist.

NJAS Launches Cats Indoors! Project in New Jersey

NJ Audubon Society is coordinating the American Bird Conservancy’s (ABC) Cats Indoors! —the Campaign for Safer Birds & Cats—in New Jersey (see feature article and NJAS Opinion, this issue).  Domestic cats kill millions of birds and other small animals every year in New Jersey.  Through this campaign, NJAS is working to reduce that impact.

NJ Audubon, ABC, and other partners have begun educating the public on the benefits of keeping cats indoors.  All NJAS centers now have Cats Indoors! information and pledge stations where visitors can take the Cats Indoors! pledge.  NJAS is contacting animal shelters, veterinarians, and local environmental commissions throughout New Jersey to inform them of the importance of keeping cats indoors.  NJ Audubon is also working with partners to identify target areas, including beach-nesting bird sites and locations with large bird concentrations, where wildlife is particularly vulnerable to domestic cat predation.

Major partners in this campaign include the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife.  NJ Audubon’s role in the campaign is supported by a generous grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.  For more information or to get involved, visit the new Cats Indoors! web feature.

Smart Growth in NJ – BIG Map Style

New Jersey Audubon Society and many partners are working with state agencies to combat sprawl and promote smart growth.  NJAS and a number of other organizations submitted joint comments to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) supporting the concept of the Blueprint for Intelligent Growth (BIG) Map and recommending additional factors to consider in refining it.  NJAS and partners also held a joint press conference on April 10 to support the BIG Map, call for stronger implementation, and correct myths about the BIG Map spread by defenders of sprawl.

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, and solving its sprawl problem presents big challenges.  This problem requires big solutions, and the BIG Map, already released in draft form, offers an exciting approach.  Unfortunately, the BIG Map is being opposed by many developers, builders, and other sprawl defenders with big pockets, who are spreading misinformation about the map’s potential impacts and the reasoning behind it.

The draft BIG Map, part of Governor McGreevey’s anti-sprawl plan, was created by NJDEP using information on natural resources, existing development, infrastructure availability, and other factors.  It depicts areas of the state that have been identified as suitable for development (“green light”), areas where development may be conditionally acceptable (“yellow light”), and areas where environmental resources will severely limit development (“red light”).  Even when the map reaches final form, “green light” areas will not be wide open to development, and “red light” areas will not be completely closed.  The designations merely provide guidance, not firm rules.  The BIG Map introduces a state-level approach to controlling sprawl, and prioritizes areas in order to promote smart growth.  After revisions, it could become part of state smart growth policy by this fall.

The governing principles used in creating the BIG Map unite and support a number of environmental regulations already in place.  Many New Jersey environmental organizations including NJ Audubon are strongly supporting the BIG Map concept.  This plan shows the broad vision required to solve the sprawl problem.  It is an excellent starting point, and NJAS is working to ensure that this vision is properly realized.