…and learn about threatened and endangered species.
by Larissa Smith; Biologist/Volunteer Manager
For the second year in a row 5th graders at the Ocean City Intermediate school adopted a species from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ. The 40 students are in two of science teacher Mrs. Rosander’s classes. They earned the money through chores and donations to adopt the Bald Eagle. This year they chose to adopt a bald eagle which is one of the species that I work with so I was glad for the opportunity to talk about NJ eagles.
Students learned about threatened and endangered species as well as the NJ bald eagle project. The students asked a lot of great questions and I’m pretty sure they’ll now be on the look out for eagles!
Thank you to the students for their donation to CWF!
Hi Everyone! My name is Jorge H. Ruiz, I am a New Jersey City University student working with Conserve Wildlife Foundation as part of the USDA Internship Program for summer 2012. A little background on myself, I am a full-time student majoring in Biology and Political Science, President of the Biology Club, owner of small pet-care business, and I educate people about the benefits of renewable energy with support from Viridian Energy. Now, I am more than happy and honored to be able to finally put my experience to support my involvement with Conserve Wildlife Foundation.
Peregrine falcon chicks May 24, 2012
Right from the start of my internship with CWF I was introduced to the mission and wildlife encounters that rarely I have ever seen. On May, 24, 2012 I had the joy to be able to witness banding of three peregrine chicks by wildlife Biologist Kathy Clark. The day was filled with heavy rain and thunderstorms; however, it did not deter the group of people that all gathered at101 Hudson Street, the tallest building in Jersey City, New Jersey to be able to observe up close a rare experience with peregrine falcon chicks. Executive Director, Margaret Gorman, Supervising Zoologist, Kathy Clark, Department Chair of Geology, Dr. Montgomery of NJCU as well as myself and others ascended over 40 floors to reach the habitat/nesting grounds of the mating pair of peregrine falcons. Once we reached the last floor, we all eagerly waited as Kathy Clark went out to the roof where the nest of the peregrine chicks was located and brought them back in a box for banding. I was astounded to learn how large the chicks were! The purpose of the visit was to count the number of young, determine age and sex, and check for any other issues that may troubling the chicks. There was one female and two males and all were in great health. I also learned from Margaret that peregrine falcons hunt pigeons and the chicks are totally dependent upon their parents until they are ready to fledge or leave the nest
I personally did not even know that Hudson County had peregrine falcons until that day. The whole experience made me aware of how the efforts of non-profits like CWF are really making a difference in keeping rare wildlife as part of our state. Peregrine falcons are an endangered species in New Jersey, and I learned that the population is steadily increasing all over NJ since efforts to stabilize the population began in 1993. The experience was amazing and I hope other young people get the opportunity to experience wildlife because people might think no wildlife exists in Jersey City, but now I can educate them and prove them wrong.
By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
The rusty-patched bumble bee, a species believed to be extirpated within New Jersey.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (CWF) has just launched several new web pages devoted to those species which have been lost from New Jersey (and the world in some cases). Ten species are profiled – five which are extinct and five which are extirpated from the state. Although their stories are sad, they are also warnings for what may happen to other species which are currently struggling to survive within the state, especially those already on the state’s endangered species list. CWF’s wildlife conservation projects attempt to avoid more species becoming extinct or extirpated in New Jersey.
CWF would like to thank Joseph Wotasek, a junior at Centenary College majoring in Graphic Design, who volunteered his time and skills in creating images of the ten profiled species for the new web pages.
NATURE WATCHING ISN’T JUST FUN, IT CAN BE USEFUL TOO
By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Like many birdwatchers, although I still enjoy seeing the neighborhood cardinal in my yard, it’s the sightings of rarely encountered species, especially those classified as endangered, threatened, or special concern, which really keep my eyes scanning around during a hike.
Observations of Special Concern species, such as this Eastern Box Turtle, may be reported to the NJ Endangered Species Program. Photo by Mike Davenport.
Many birdwatchers, or nature enthusiasts of other species groups such as reptiles or butterflies, share their encounters with rare species on websites or bulletin boards. In addition, several organizations, such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or NJ Audubon, recruit “citizen scientists” who collect species observation data and submit that data electronically via websites such as eBird. That data is important for those organizations’ scientific research and assists scientists in analyzing population trends over years. However, more often than not, it never finds its way to New Jersey’s state biologists nor the state regulators whose task it is to protect rare species habitat in the state.
The New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) collects data for, not just rare birds, but all of the state’s endangered, threatened, and special concern species. A Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form is available on ENSP’s website for download as well as instructions for completing the form. A complete list of all of the species tracked by the state can be downloaded here.
A map of the location of your observation, such as this one, should be sent with your Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form.
Rare species data within the state’s database plays a critical role in wildlife and habitat conservation. It is the foundation of the NJ DEP’s Landscape Project, a GIS product that maps critical areas for imperiled species based upon species locations and land-use classifications. The resulting maps allow state, county, municipal, and private agencies to identify important wildlife habitats and protect them in a variety of ways. This information is used to regulate land-use within the state and assists in preserving endangered and threatened species habitat remaining in New Jersey.
Reporting your rare wildlife observation is easy. Simply complete the form, attach a map of where the animal was observed, as well as any photographs taken, and then mail or e-mail the form and map to ENSP at the address provided on the form. For more details about the state’s rare species mapping, please visit our webpage.
The recovery of New Jersey’s bald eagle population is a great success story for the state and for the many biologists, conservationists and volunteers involved in the effort. This recovery has been over 20 years in the making with over 100 pairs now breeding in New Jersey, a huge increase from the late eighties when one pair remained in our state.
While we celebrate the success of our eagle population, we must now begin to deal with the fact that eagle nests are increasingly located in places where more people can view them and get close to these magnificent birds and who wouldn’t want to observe these iconic species?
But close observation can be dangerous to these birds and damaging to the continued recovery of the population. Bald eagles do not react well when people or pets get too close to their nests. They can be easily disturbed by humans in close proximity and this disturbance can cause them to expend valuable energy when flushed or, at the extreme, to abandon their nests leaving eggs to fail or newly hatched chicks to die. Continue reading “Keep Your Distance”
The New Jersey Young Birders Club seeks youngsters who share their love of all things feathered.
By Nathaniel Hernandez, Great Meadows, NJ
CWF is happy to turn over the blog to Nathaniel to promote this new groups efforts to learn more about NJ’s incredible biodiversity.
Harlequin Ducks (c) David Tattoni
New Jersey may be known as a state with the most people per square mile in the US, but it also ranks an incredible 12th place for bird diversity. It holds some of the most important migration points in the Eastern US. Places such as Cape May, Barnegat Bay, Old Mine Road in Warren and Sussex Counties, and other hotspots make this one of the best states for birding. It also hosts the famous World Series of Birding, where hundreds of birders come from around the world for the Garden State’s diverse birds.
Unfortunately, the young birders scattered throughout this birdy state have not united into an organized group that will help in raising New Jersey’s next generation of birders and ornithologists. The newly formed New Jersey Young Birders Club wishes to change that. Our club has trips all over the state and has interactive meetings to help its members learn more about birds and conservation.
