November, 2003

Federal Conservation Policy Updates
Jennifer Mattice

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has played an essential role in helping communities acquire over seven million acres of parkland, water resources, and open space nation-wide.  This year’s overall LWCF funding levels are disappointing, but NJAS will continue to work for increased funding for these crucial programs.  Funding for FY 2004 includes $177 million for land acquisition in National Parks, Forests and Wildlife Refuges, down from $317 million in 2003; and $95 million for a state grants program providing funds for state and local land acquisition, with $2.5 million earmarked for New Jersey.  2004 LWCF funds include $4.9 million for vital land preservation in the N.J. Highlands through the Forest Legacy Program.  We thank Congressman Frelinghuysen for his efforts in securing funds for LWCF and the Highlands, and Congressman Rothman for his continued work to bring funding for Hackensack Meadowlands preservation.

State Wildlife Grant (SWG) funding for 2004 is set at $70 million, with approximately $1.24 million for New Jersey.  This is an increase over the 2003 level of $65 million, but far less than the $125 million level supported by NJAS and all New Jersey congressional delegates.  This important program provides federal grants to state wildlife agencies for wildlife conservation initiatives.  Congressman Saxton continues to play a leadership role in securing funding for SWG. 

In January 2003, the federal administration issued new guidelines that would exempt “isolated” bodies of water from protection under the Clean Water Act.  This would remove federal protection from an estimated 20 million acres of wetlands, and could threaten existing protection of small streams, ponds, and other waterways. These areas provide essential habitat for migrating and breeding birds, and are necessary for the survival of many reptiles and amphibians.  Removing protection could also jeopardize drinking water quality in many areas.   NJAS and other groups are working with our delegation to close this loophole and guarantee that the Clean Water Act continues to protect all water resources.  Fortunately, most New Jersey waters are further protected under state law and will not be threatened by these changes.  We would like to thank Congressman Saxton for his leadership in defense of the Clean Water Act.

Establishing Standards for Wind Power
Matt Dufort

NJAS is appealing a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) permit issued for the state’s first planned wind turbine facility.  This decision was not made lightly, as NJAS strongly supports the development of renewable energy sources.  NJDEP has not yet established specific standards for evaluating wind power projects, but has already begun approving them.  In September, NJDEP approved permits for a wind turbine facility near Atlantic City.  The site in question provides habitat for several threatened and endangered bird species and sits along a major migration corridor.  NJAS feels the applicant provided insufficient information to assess the potential threat posed by the proposed facility to birds and other wildlife.

Traditional energy sources have documented population-level impacts on wildlife and habitats.  Wind power holds great promise for reducing our reliance on these sources, but also has the potential to harm wildlife (click here for more details).  NJAS is not opposed to wind power, but wants to minimize its impacts on birds and bats.  We are working to ensure that the state develops a framework for evaluating project siting and design before allowing construction to move forward.

Franklin Township and NJAS Partner in Open Space Stewardship
Troy Ettel

Franklin Township in Somerset County is a unique corner of New Jersey. Although located in one of the state’s fastest growing counties, a little luck and a lot of foresight from township leaders have ensured that Franklin will be different.

Franklin Township claims one of central New Jersey’s most successful open space initiatives, with over 31% of the township’s 28,049 acres preserved. Open space in the township includes over 2000 acres of township-owned lands and the state-owned D & R Canal and 6-Mile Run State Parks, as well as county land, preserved farmland, and other private lands.

With its ambitious preservation initiative, Franklin Township quickly learned the day-to-day realities of a large landowner. “As we began preserving these parcels of land, we quickly realized that acquiring and ignoring them was not a sufficient strategy,” said John Loos, an environmental consultant with the township and a key advocate for open space. Franklin Township turned to New Jersey Audubon Society to help devise a land management and recreational plan for two township natural areas. “With its strong history and conservation ethic, NJAS seemed the perfect organization to turn our dream of an open space plan into reality,” Loos said.

NJAS will be developing the master plan for these two Franklin Township sites through June 2004. The master plan will include recommendations for passive recreation as well as development and maintenance of important habitats for wildlife. Biodiversity inventories will be conducted to gather information on resident plants and animals, with an emphasis on endangered, threatened, and special concern species. This information will be critical to the development of the management plan. Free, facilitated outings and training workshops will allow the public to participate in the data collection process with NJAS naturalists and on their own. Public meetings will also provide a forum for township residents to provide input on the plan.

Voters Approve Open Space Funding Measures
Matt Dufort

In November, New Jersey voters approved a $150 million increase in the bonding capacity for the Garden State Preservation Trust, the funding source for state land acquisitions.  This increase will allow the state to take advantage of low interest rates to preserve more land now.  According to statements made by Governor McGreevey, $50 million of these funds will be used to protect priority lands in the Highlands region, which contains outstanding habitats and the water supply for over half of New Jersey.  $50 million will be used for urban parks, to help protect islands of habitat in developed areas and improve the quality of life in urbanized communities.  NJAS has played a leadership role in passage of state open space initiatives since the 1960s.  To support this referendum and other ballot questions, New Jersey Audubon and other groups formed the Coalition for Conservation, a new organization that will advocate for open space preservation.

A number of municipal open space tax referendums also passed in November.  These programs provide dedicated funds for land acquisition and preservation.  Through matching grants from the state Green Acres Program and other sources, municipalities can leverage these dollars to preserve important open space in and around their communities.  NJAS worked to support the open space tax referendum in the Borough of West Cape May, which failed by a narrow margin.  Our efforts in West Cape May highlighted the need for municipal open space funds to preserve crucial wildlife habitat in Cape May County, and laid the groundwork for successful open space initiatives in the future. 

Important Bird and Birding Areas (IBBA) Program Update
Jennifer Mattice

New Jersey Audubon’s Important Bird and Birding Areas (IBBA) Program is now in full swing and has made great progress in the few short months since its inception (see our winter 03-04 issue for details).  This program will identify sites in New Jersey that are essential for native bird populations (Important Bird Areas) and sites that are exceptional for bird watching (Important Birding Areas).  The project is funded through State Wildlife Grants.  Important Bird Areas will be incorporated into the N.J. Endangered and Non-game Species Program’s Landscape Project (www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/landscape), adding to the map of critical wildlife habitat throughout the state.        

Our Conservation Department has been working closely with state biologists to develop science-based criteria for selecting IBBA sites.  These criteria will expand on those used in other states, by incorporating the goals of existing large-scale conservation initiatives, including the Partners in Flight Landbird Conservation Plan.  New Jersey will be the first state to use Important Bird Areas as a tool for addressing global objectives, specifically outlined at the state level.  Committees composed of experts including ornithologists, state agency personnel, and conservation organizations will be responsible for reviewing nominated areas and determining their eligibility for IBBA designation according to the established state criteria. 

Our outreach campaign has begun, introducing the IBBA Program to the public and conservation groups through various events and speaking engagements throughout the state.  The IBBA web site is now online here, with background on the initiative, N.J. program updates, and ways to get involved (special thanks to Dimitri Kokkinos for help in developing the web site).  The IBBA site nomination process will likely begin during the spring of 2004 with online submission of nomination materials.  Your help is needed to gather information for and nominate potential IBBA sites.

For more information on this new conservation initiative, and to find out how you can help, email Jennifer Mattice.

NJAS Kicks Off Stewardship Program with Mushett Grant
Troy Ettel

Although New Jersey is setting a national standard for open space acquisition and protection, little attention is being given to post-acquisition planning (see NJAS Opinion this issue). In areas where development is the most urgent threat, habitat newly protected from development is left vulnerable to exotic plant and insect invasions, overbrowsing of vegetation by white-tailed deer, and habitat succession. This process, often called benign neglect, results in the unintended deterioration of habitat quality in the absence of active stewardship and land management.

A generous grant from the Mushett Family Foundation has allowed New Jersey Audubon to join other conservation organizations in addressing stewardship on protected lands. John Engelhart, Vice President of the Mushett Family Foundation, remarked that "the Foundation was impressed with the concept of land stewardship and its importance to the biodiversity of New Jersey's fauna and flora, and with New Jersey Audubon's methodical plan to move this concept forward.”

NJAS is initiating a program that focuses on developing comprehensive stewardship plans for four sites over the next year. The sites include NJAS’ Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuary and Plainsboro Preserve; the municipality of Franklin Township, Somerset County; and a corporate campus. Development of these stewardship plans will require conducting biodiversity inventories to gather information on rare plant and animal populations at these sites. A number of facilitated outings will allow the public and volunteers to participate in data collection and plan creation. Look for updates on these outings in future issues of New Jersey Audubon magazine.

Threat of Plantation Forestry Looms over New Jersey Pinelands
Troy Ettel

Plantation forestry has decimated natural, pine-dominated communities and the plants and wildlife dependent upon them throughout the eastern United States. Tree plantations are intense forestry operations that grow trees like farmers grow agricultural crops. The rows of trees in plantations bear a striking resemblance to row crops like corn. In many southeastern states, acreage of pine plantations now exceeds that of natural pine habitats. Conversion of natural pine stands to intensively managed pine plantations has put many pineland species on the federal endangered species list, including notable species like the red-cockaded woodpecker, eastern indigo snake, and gopher tortoise.

Now, plantation forestry may be on its way to the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Landowners in the region are beginning to express an interest in converting acreage from natural pine stands into pine plantations. The arrival of plantation forestry to the pine barrens poses many threats to the ecosystem because pine plantation management is very different from forest management of natural pine stands.

Double-crested Cormorant Update
Matt Dufort

Despite the strong opposition of NJAS and many other organizations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released a rule that will allow many state and federal agencies to kill large numbers of Double-crested Cormorants without meaningful oversight.  USFWS estimates that under this rule 159,600 cormorants will be killed each year (about eight percent of the continental population).  This does not include losses due to egg and nest destruction.  Cormorants are being persecuted for collapses in fisheries due to overharvesting, water pollution, and habitat loss and degradation.  Any conflicts with aquaculture should be resolved with site designs that more effectively exclude fish-eating birds.  This rule establishes a dangerous precedent that could be extended to other fish-eating birds, such as Osprey, Royal Tern, and Great Blue Heron.  These species, which we have struggled so hard to restore, could be threatened by perceived conflicts with human use of resources.

Highlands Update
Matt Dufort

New Jersey Audubon continues to work to preserve open space in the Highlands.  The Highlands contains large areas of exceptional wildlife habitat and provides drinking water for half of New Jersey’s population.  NJAS President Tom Gilmore has been appointed to Governor McGreevey’s Highlands Task Force, charged with recommending a Highlands regional conservation strategy by Spring 2004.

New Jersey’s entire congressional delegation are now co-sponsoring the Highlands Conservation Act (HCA; formerly the Highlands Stewardship Act), which would provide $100 million over ten years for land acquisition in the Highlands from Pennsylvania to Connecticut.  The Act was passed by the House Resources Committee and the Senate but still needs to be passed by the full House.  We would like to thank Congressman Frelinghuysen and Senator Corzine for their key leadership roles and Congressmen Pallone, Rothman, and Saxton for their efforts in support of HCA.