November, 2004

Edited by Eric Stiles, Vice President for Conservation & Stewardship

Delaware Bayshore Birding and Wildlife Trails Update (by Lillian Armstrong)

The Birding and Wildlife Trails project is up and running in the Delaware Bayshore counties of Cape May, Cumberland and Salem.  Now, there must be some sympathizers out there who will understand when this author says, “Agh!  There’s so much to do!  We haven’t gotten enough done!”  But the fact is, we’re off to a fine start.

August and September were devoted primarily to planning and meeting with our strategic partners at the NJ Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Environmental Protection (DEP).  We had productive sessions during which we talked about our respective roles and assigned key contacts at each agency.  The NJAS team was particularly encouraged by the energy and enthusiasm the DOT’s Information Management and Technology Planning department brought to our discussions of the GIS and map creation processes – they already had prototypes for our consideration!  What was probably a relatively small gesture on their parts, given their extraordinary talents, was a tremendous boost to our collective spirits as it really brought our end product to life.

The DEP has generously offered Laurie Pettigrew’s talents to the Birding and Wildlife Trails project.  A Principal Biologist with the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Laurie is a Cumberland County resident who works out of the Millville WMA.  In addition to her intimate knowledge of the Delaware Bayshore region, she brings unique insights to the publication process as the compiler of the New Jersey Wildlife Viewing Guide published in 1998. 

As we approach the end of October, we’re also approaching the end of the planning phase.  Much of our documentation is complete, or near completion, including a Strategic Plan, our Site Nomination Form, content for our web site, and more.  November is nearly upon us and that begins several months of aggressive outreach within the three counties.  We will be seeking trail site nominations as well as identifying businesses for inclusion in our ecotourism brochures for each county.  And we will welcome our new Project Associate, Gina Ewald, a May 2004 graduate of University of Delaware with a degree in Wildlife Conservation.

By the time you read this article, we hope to have received the bulk of our site nominations and then we’ll be rounding the turn to the site assessment phase.  A year from this very moment, you should have a Delaware Bayshore Birding and Wildlife Trails guide in your hands.  Perhaps you’ll be planning a long weekend, or adding a few days to your Autumn Weekend visit!  See you then, if not sooner.

The Fight AGAINST Open Space (by Ted Korth)

There are many facets of a statewide, coordinated open space planning and preservation initiative.  One key component to open space preservation in New Jersey has been the ability for lands held for open space to be exempt from local property tax.  If certain criteria are met, open space property may be enrolled into the Green Acres program and removed from the local tax rolls, whereupon the municipality receives payments from the state in lieu of tax receipts.  Time and again, New Jersey voters have approved bonds to provide the funds for this program, and have reaped the benefits the program provides.

New Jersey Audubon Society has a vested interest in this fight.  We play a leadership role in securing public funding for open space acquisition and conservation initiatives.  We have worked to secure passage of every Green Acres bond issue since 1961.  We currently apply our efforts in both Washington D.C. and Trenton to secure funding for several federal and state acquisition and conservation programs.  

Unfortunately, the ability of open space lands to receive tax exempt status is under assault.  Assemblyman Doug Fisher (D 3rd) has introduced a bill (A2923) with Senator Nick Asselta’s (R 1st) companion bill (S2923) that would allow municipalities to i) prevent open space property from receiving municipal tax exemption, and ii) prohibit the state from making land purchases within its boundaries. 

The bill not only increases the direct cost of open space preservation, but would effectively prevent any long term, state wide open space planning.  Local politics changes almost yearly.  However, time investment in planning, negotiating and funding open space purchases can extend well beyond the municipal mindset of the day.  It becomes very risky to invest time and money in an open space acquisition if you have no guarantee that once the transaction is completed the property will be held tax exempt.

It is true that some communities have very limited tax bases, and thus believe that land is better off of their tax rolls.  It is also true that the issue of municipal fiscal health might be a problem of which open space preservation is a part.  But whether or not a modified open space policy might be appropriate, placing the existing open space process in jeopardy without any attempt to directly solve local fiscal problems or design an improved is not the way to the answer.  A2923 is simply not sound law.          

Wind: It’s Not Just for Sailing Anymore!  (by Ted Korth)

NJ Audubon has for some time recognized the obvious need to decrease reliance on fossil fuel derived energy, and move towards use of renewable energies.  Of the many renewable energy forms now available for commercial and residential application (solar-photo voltaic, solar-thermal, geo-thermal and wind), wind power has the potential to become a main supplier to New Jersey’s electric grid. 

Some of the best wind for making electricity in New Jersey can be found zero to three miles off the lower Jersey coast.  This is the same general area through which many migrating shorebirds/waterbirds fly - NJ Audubon’s Avalon Sea Watch program regularly counts 800,000 sea birds passing over Avalon point alone.

Unfortunately, commercial wind turbine facilities have the potential to cause severe, adverse impacts to bird and bat populations – particularly when these facilities are placed in the migratory flyway.  For better or worse, the reality of large commercial wind turbine facilities has come to us faster than reliable biological information that would assure such facilities are sited and constructed in the least ecologically obtrusive manner.  The current demand for wind power together with the technology to supply that demand place our avian friends at great risk.

Recognizing the need to gain better biological information to identify areas appropriate for wind power facilities, NJ Audubon and Community Energy, a commercial wind power developer, are pursuing means to study a small wind facility to be located in Atlantic County.  The study of that facility could provide information important to the development of an avian risk assessment model that will inform and direct the location of future wind power facilities in the state. 

Though NJ Audubon’s relationship with Community Energy did not begin on friendly terms (NJ Audubon had sued to stop the NJ DEP from issuing a permit for Community Energy’s project based on a lack of avian impact information), we now agree that it is better for birds, for wind mills and for the energy consuming public to work together to do what we can to negate the potential for adverse avian impact as wind power becomes part of New Jersey’s renewable energy portfolio.  We look forward to a productive relationship.     

Piping Plovers and Cats – Oil and Water (by Ted Korth)

As you know, our endangered beach nesting birds have a rough go of it: less food, more people, poorly planned development, vehicle traffic, … and now cats too.  State endangered species biologists have identified an alarming trend of cats (the domestic/feral kind) invading beach nesting bird colonies, and killing birds.

We are all familiar with the problems caused by feral cat colonies (not to mention free roaming domestic cats).  For more information, Click Here.  Feces, odor, disease, bird/mammal kills - feral cat colonies can be quite a problem.  But what to do.  Shelters are full, euthanasia destroys animals which are victims of human abandonment, and trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs have not proved to be overly successful.

For communities like Stone Harbor, the problem has become acute.  Stone Harbor, with a very small year round resident and a large summer population, is home to beach nesting bird communities and rookeries.  It is the beneficiary of federally funded beach restoration programs (programs that bring obligations on the part of Stone Harbor to protect endangered shorebirds), and has an exploding feral cat population, which is now impacting these rare birds.  A large and complex problem and minimal resources, confronts Stone Harbor (and many other shore communities).

To its credit, Stone Harbor has taken on the task of attempting to design a program to address the feral cat problem.  An advisory committee has been created to explore the problem and identify potential solutions for the township to consider.  The committee is expected to work with professionals, elected officials and stakeholders, including NJ Audubon, throughout the process.  The process has just begun, and we hope to bring a positive report to you in the next issue.    

Ugly Ducklings - NJ Grasslands (by Troy Ettel)

Legislation such as the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act, the Pinelands Preservation Act, and the recently adopted Highlands Water Protection and Preservation Act has made New Jersey a national leader in environmental protection.  We also have one of the best funded open space acquisition programs in the country, the Garden State Preservation Trust.  NJ Audubon Society played a leadership role in passage of all these initiatives.  Despite landmark legislation and open space protection, New Jersey has done little to protect one of its most endangered habitats – grasslands.

Over 20% of New Jersey’s rare wildlife is at least in part dependent on grassland habitats.  Forty-one percent of the state’s endangered birds, 29% of its threatened birds and 16% of special concern birds are grassland species.  Grasslands are typically embedded within working agricultural landscapes.  These areas are specifically targeted by developers as prime project areas because, being flat and open, little or no land clearing is needed, making them much easier to develop. 

New Jersey Audubon is developing a large-scale, statewide initiative to collect information on grassland species statewide and identify the most significant grassland sites that need to be targeted for protection.  By working with state and federal partners, NJAS will reach out to farmers and landowners within these critical landscapes to improve conditions for grassland species and steer development from critical areas.  Pilot surveys (thanks to generous funding from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation) were conducted in 2004 in the Alpha and Wantage Grasslands in Pohatcong (Warren County) and Wantage and Vernon Townships (Sussex County) to identify critical concentrations of grassland birds.  NJAS will be working with partners to expand the emphasis on grasslands in the coming year. 

Franklin Township Stewardship Implementation Underway! (by Troy Ettel)

The stewardship plan prepared by NJAS for two natural areas in Franklin Township, Somerset County was approved by the Open Space Advisory Committee in September.  The OSAC also approved an expanded contract with NJAS to implement the plan.  The two new natural areas, now open to the public, have been renamed the Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve and the Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve.  Active restoration work was initiated on the sites in October 2004.  The Negri-Nepote restoration will include restoring native grasslands to an area planted in row crops for decades.  In addition, a drainage system created to dry the site and make it more productive for agriculture will be removed and the seasonal wetland condition formally present of the site will be restored.  On the Griggstown site, pastures planted to exotic grasses for horses will be replaced with native grasses.  For more information about the progress onsite, please visit the NJAS website or the township website at http://www.franklintwpnj.org. In addition to the ongoing restoration, a full series of outings have been planned for 2004-2005 to the sites.  Please check either website for updates on these great upcoming trips.  

Stewardship Mission Expands with Help from Mushett Foundation (by Troy Ettel)

On the heels of a successful first year partnership with the Mushett Family Foundation, New Jersey Audubon has expanded its stewardship emphasis for 2004-05 with the help of a generous grant from Mushett.  In 2004, the funding from the Mushett Foundation allowed NJAS to complete stewardship plans for two of its largest sanctuaries (the Plainsboro Preserve and Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuaries), plan and organize the well attended 2004 New Jersey Grassland Habitat Symposium, and produce the “Guide to Incentive Programs for New Jersey Landowners." The Mushett grant also allowed NJAS to participate on a variety of projects such as the Forestry Advisory Committee for the Pinelands, Atlantic City Airport Grassland Advisory Committee and other critical statewide initiatives.

In 2004-05, through the Mushett grant, NJAS will expand its work with private landowners in model project areas such as Franklin Township, continue promoting native grass restoration statewide, and work to identify focal areas containing critical grassland habitats including working on stewardship plans for airports such as Atlantic City Airport.

IBBA focuses on outreach to NJ Citizens (by Jennifer Mattice)

Public outreach continues to be at the forefront of our Important Bird and Birding Area Program effort with events, workshops, and presentations inviting NJ citizens to participate in the site nomination and data collection process.  We have received dozens of site nominations from many organizations and individuals, but we still need more help to make the program a success!  If you have questions or you would like to volunteer, please contact Jennifer Mattice, IBBA Program Coordinator at (201)-891-1240.  Also be sure to visit our website at Here for updated lists of nominated sites and to give us more information about your favorite site. 

Our September Cattus Island IBBA Kick-off Event was a resounding success, with hundreds of people coming out to enjoy a beautiful day of nature walks, boat tours, and presentations, and to learn about the wonders of Barnegat Bay.  We publicly recognized the Barnegat Bay Watershed as New Jersey’s first “Important Bird Area” because of its extensive habitat for nesting and migrating birds, especially waterfowl and shorebirds.  NJAS also presented Paul “Pete” McLain, a local conservation hero and former Deputy Director of the NJ DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife, the “Barnegat Bay Champion” award for over 50 years of dedication to preserving the natural resources of the region.    

Many state and local officials attended and coverage in local and regional newspapers helped us get the word out about IBBA and habitat protection to thousands of people.  "New Jersey's residents and many visitors are incredibly fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated organizations like New Jersey Audubon Society helping to preserve and manage our state's remarkable natural resources," said John Watson, Assistant Commissioner for DEP's Office of Natural Resources.  "The Important Bird and Birding Areas effort will further promote New Jersey's status as a world class destination for bird watching and eco-tourism, while enhancing public awareness of the ongoing need to protect critical habitats throughout the state."

Our funding success continued with the receipt of a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Delaware Estuary Grants Program to identify critical Delaware Estuary bird habitat and to develop conservation strategies for IBBA sites in the region.  This generous grant will allow us to begin implementing on-the-ground bird habitat conservation by working closely with South Jersey landowners, state agencies, and other local stakeholders.  Funding for this grant was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the BP Foundation.  

NJAS Honors Dennis Miranda as 2004 Conservation Award Recipient

Dennis Miranda has been a citizen activist and effective conservation advocate for more than two decades.  He co-founded (along with NJAS President Tom Gilmore) and served as Vice-Chair of the Highlands Coalition, an umbrella organization comprised of 90 groups representing 4 states working to protect and conserve the region’s critical treasures.  He was also Founder and Chairperson of the Arthur Kill Coalition, co-founder of the Camden Greenways, Inc., and in 2001 was appointed by Governor Whitman to the Board of the Meadowlands Preservation Trust.  This year Dennis agreed to serve as Chairperson of the Sierra Club – Northwest Group.