We recently decided to have a photo contest to choose a new cover photo for our Facebook page. We wanted to do this as a way to engage people with our work and generate some conversations around the wildlife photographs we received.
Black Skimmer by Zachary Kirby.
We were thrilled to receive an amazing response to the contest and today we opened voting on 89 photos submitted from across New Jersey. Yes, we received a lot of photos of ospreys which speaks to their photogenic quality and the fact that many photographers are down the shore this season. We also received photographs of a wide range of species – mostly birds but also reptiles, amphibians, insects and a mammal.
The album of 89 photos represents New Jersey’s biodiversity in all its glory. The album also represents New Jersey’s geography and clearly illustrates how habitats occur across the state from the busiest beaches to urban parks and from National Wildlife Refuges to suburban backyards.
Check out our Facebook page and the cover photo contest album. Be sure to LIKE our page and cast your vote for a new cover photo (just “like” the photos you want to vote for). You can vote for as many photos as you want.
The photo with the most likes becomes our cover photo. Voting closes on Friday at 12:00 pm.
EAGLE SCOUT LEADS WORKSHOP, DONATES HOMES FOR BATS
By MacKenzie Hall, Private Lands Biologist
Josh Kravitz holds a completed bat house alongside Susan Buffalino (Rancocas Nature Center, left) and I.
A giant “THANKS!” goes out to Josh Kravitz, a NJ Boy Scout who earns his Eagle Rank this summer for a project that will benefit the state’s bats. Josh wanted his Eagle project to help bats because he’s always been interested in wildlife conservation, and bats are in dire straits right now. Meanwhile, we at the ENSP and Conserve Wildlife Foundation get all kinds of calls through the spring and summer from people who have bats/want bats/want to get rid of bats…basically, we have a lot of opportunities to use bat houses as replacement roosts for “evicted” bats and as added roosting space for those who are more welcomed by their human landlords. We tend to go through our bat houses pretty fast and are usually in short supply.
Josh’s bat house kits are painted with elf-like efficiency!
So Josh and I decided that the end-result of his project would be a donation of bat houses to CWF for our use, as-needed. But we also wanted the public to be involved. The more people understand and appreciate bats, the less time I spend on the phone convincing people that bats don’t want to nest in their hair. And moreso, we can gradually change the paradigm of fear and misinformation that bats have suffered for so long.
Josh put himself to work getting materials donated and helpers lined up. Morrestown Hardware, The Home Depot, and Lowe’s were generous to provide donated or discounted plywood, caulk, paint, screws, screening, and other raw materials for the bat house kits. Josh and his team of kit-builders cut and painted the pieces that would later be assembled by people from the community at our April 14th workshop. The Rancocas Nature Center in Mount Holly graciously hosted us and our max-capacity group of screw-gun-wielding bat fanatics. When we were done, everyone walked away a little wiser…and CWF went home a dozen bat houses richer. Right on schedule, too – we’ve already installed most of the houses.
Bat houses getting the finishing touches.
“It was amazing to see over 40 community members actively participating in my Eagle Project,” Josh said. “Throughout it, I really learned a lot about the issues with the bat population and efforts being made to conserve them.”
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 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.
Interested in the environment? Want to learn from local and regional environmental experts? Then become a Rutgers Environmental Steward! There is still room (& time!) to register to become part of the Class of 2012 for the Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program!
The Rutgers Environmental Steward program provides training and experience which equips participants to contribute effectively to the process of finding solutions for environmental problems in the communities of New Jersey.
Graduates become knowledgeable about the basic processes of earth, air, water and biological systems. They increase awareness of the techniques and tools used to monitor and assess the health of the environment. They gain an understanding of the research and regulatory infrastructure of state and federal agencies operating in New Jersey that relate to environmental issues. They are given an introduction to group dynamics and community leadership.
They learn to recognize the elements of sound science and public policy based on that science. They acquire some sense of the limits of current understanding of the environment.
Training takes place regionally – in the northat the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Warren County in South Belvidere; in the center at Duke Farms, Hillsborough; and in the south at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) in Egg Harbor Township.
As the season of giving begins, consider becoming a monthly contributor to Conserve Wildlife Foundation and sustain our work with your subscription.
It’s easy to join and it gives you a simple way to support our work a dozen times a year. As a monthly member, you will help stop species loss in a real and tangible way.
For $10.00 per month you will help us to build and install an osprey platform
For $20.00 per month you will buy 24 feet of fencing to protect terrapins
For a dollar a day, or $30 a month, you allow us to deploy a steward on Delaware Bay beaches to protect shorebirds from dangerous disturbances.
And, as a thank you, we will send you a Conserve Wildlife Foundation baseball hat to wear and show your support for species in New Jersey. Sign up today! It’s quick and easy to set up.
