Hunters and birdwatchers alike will come together for the first annual New Jersey Wildlife and Conservation Conference on April 26, 2013 in Eatontown, New Jersey. Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (CWF) is partnering with the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife to host these expert panels at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel at 6 Industrial Way East in Eatontown, N.J.

“Working together for wildlife was the catalyst that blurred the lines between the Federation camouflage and Conserve Wildlife green, enabling us to partner together and tackle the complex fish and wildlife issues facing New Jersey today,” said Frank Virgilio, President of the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.

The inaugural conference will feature panels of wildlife experts from New Jersey Audubon, the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, and many other organizations, exploring timely and controversial issues ranging from invasive species and wildlife disease to our declining forest health and conservation advocacy.

“The many conservation enthusiasts in New Jersey owe a great deal to sportsmen, who practiced wildlife conservation long before it entered national consciousness,” said CWF Executive Director David Wheeler. “Today our shared interests have led to countless success stories, protecting New Jersey’s valuable habitat and wildlife species during a time when we face more challenges than ever. This conference will tackle those issues with the most timely and meaningful information available.”

Individuals or companies seeking to register should visit www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org.  Discounted rates for attending are as low as $20 for the all-day panels.

By Larissa Smith, Biologist/Volunteer Manager

Shark River © Dennis Ruffe

Every January NJ participates in the National Midwinter Eagle Count.   Volunteers surveyed for eagles statewide during the weekend of January 12th & 13th.    Due to dense fog the visibility was poor in many of the survey areas but despite this the total count was  297 bald eagles.  This is 38 less than 2012′s high count of 335 bald eagles.  Four golden eagles were also counted during the survey.

2013 Midwinter Eagle Survey Results

• Southern NJ: 264 bald eagles
• Northern NJ: 33 bald eagles
• Total bald eagles: 297

Thank you to all volunteers who participated!

February is a great time to get out and view eagles in New Jersey.  So far twenty-one pairs of eagles are incubating (on eggs) while others pairs are busy getting ready for the season.  Not only can you spot resident birds this time of year but wintering eagles as well.  The Cumberland County Winter Eagle Festival takes place this Saturday the 9th. This is a good opportunity to see eagles and other raptors and learn more about them.  I’ll be there at the CWF table so stop by and say “Hi”.

For more information on the festival: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/events/v/011/2/2013/09/

Join us for a Night Hike this Saturday!

Celebrate the coming of the full moon!

Join CWF for an evening night hike at either Allaire State Park or Island Beach State Park. 

At Allaire, we will go for a short hike alongside the canal exploring the senses and how they adapt to the night.  Program begins at 6pm at the Nature Center.  To register for the night hike at Allaire, please call Charlene at 732-567-3675.  Cost is $5/person.

At Island Beach, bundle up and join us for a hike to the beach. Roast marshmallows over a campfire and listen to ghost stories of the Atlantic!  Program begins at 6pm the Nature Center.  To register for the night hike at Island Beach, visit here. Cost is $5/person.

The first National Moth Week (2012) will occur this week, July 23-29! 

The purpose of National Moth Week is celebrate these amazing insects and bring people together to learn about their importance.  Groups and individuals from all over the world will spend some time during National Moth Week looking for moths and sharing what they’ve found.

With more than 10,000 species in North America, moths offer endless options for study, education, photography, and fun. Moths can be found everywhere from inner cities and suburban backyards, to the most wild and remote places. The diversity of moths is simply astounding. Their colors and patterns range from bright and dazzling, to so cryptic that they define camouflage. Moth shapes and sizes span the gamut, with some as small as a pinhead and others as large as a hand.

Most moths are nocturnal and need to be sought at night to be seen, but others fly during the day. Finding moths can be as simple as leaving a porch light on and checking it after dark. Serious moth aficionados use special lights and baits to attract them. Popular interest in moths is rapidly growing, as noted by recent publications and web-based resources. The new Peterson Field Guide to the Moths by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie, moth caterpillar guides by David Wagner,  and a vast number of moth-oriented Internet resources such as the Moth Photographers Group and BugGuide are just some examples of moth’s growing popularity. Moths are also featured widely in literature and art providing a different angle for enjoyment and study. “Moth Nights” are often held by nature groups, and provide an opportunity for either an introduction to the creatures, or a venue for more serious pursuits.

To date, National Moth Week has more than 160 events planned all over the world in 16 countries and 46 US States. Participating countries include Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Czech Republic, French Guiana, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela.

National Moth Week was spearheaded by the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission.  National Moth Week’s partners include Butterflies and Moths of North America, BugGuide, Discover Life, The Lepidopterists’ Society, the North American Moth Photographer’s Group, The Pollinator Partnership, Project Noah, What’s That Bug and Wild New Jersey.

Join CWF at the Allaire Nature Center for a Moth Night this Friday, July 27th at 8pm. 

For more information, call Charlene at 732-567-3675.

CWF is excited to partner with NJ State Parks and offer incredible programs about New Jersey’s natural world.  Programs are taking place at both Island Beach State Park and Allaire State Park.

Become a WILDCHILD, take a sunset kayak tour, try your hand at surf-fishing, go bird watching, or discover the night. Whatever you decide, you will be guided by professional educators and naturalists who have plenty of natural and wildlife stories to share with you.

At nearly 10 miles long, Island Beach is New Jersey’s most expansive stretch of undeveloped barrier island.  Our programs help you to connect with the beauty of this ecosystem and its ample natural resources.  Have your kids participate in a WILDCHILD program including surfing, surf-fishing, and island exploration. Try and catch the big one during a surf-fishing class or discover the beauty of Barnegat Bay through kayaking.

Allaire State Park covers almost 3,000 acres within the coastal plain of New Jersey.  An extension of the Pine Barrens, Allaire has sandy soils and forests of oak, cedar, and pine.  The Manasquan River flows through the park, creating floodplain that serves as habitat for many species of wildlife, including the barred owl, wood turtle, and bald eagle.  Discover moths, take a quiet bird walk, or splash around in the pond and stream during one of our summer programs.

For more information, visit CWF’s Parks Programs section on our website.

What is the best thing you get to do?   I LOVE working with teachers and get to do that on a regular basis…I will almost never turn down a professional development workshop.  I LOVE working with other staff at NJ Audubon – we have such an amazing group of creative people and the discourse is great, but I guess the coolest thing I get to do is lead occasional eco-tours to places that I would not otherwise be able to visit.  Getting out of the US and visiting these places, learning a little bit about other cultures and how people live, really broadens one’s world view and helps put things in perspective.

What has been your biggest success in your current job?  I became VP for Education at NJ Audubon after my predecessor Pat Kane retired.  She was (and is) a mentor and friend.  Under her guidance and vision we created a strong foundation for NJ Audubon’s environmental education platform.  I’ve had the pleasure of working with talented people to strengthen the work we do in urban environmental education and reaching people who don’t have access to our vast open spaces.  This part of the NJ Audubon education platform continues to grow and mature, but it is very exciting to be a part of it as that happens.

 What delights you in your daily work?  I really like the diversity of tasks that the VP for Education is responsible for.  I could be planning teacher professional development or working with staff to write a grant to help them realize a programmatic goal or cutting out photos to go on an exhibit board. I could be developing assessment tools or leading a bird field trip or talking to people in our bookstore about bird sightings.  While sometimes this diversity makes me seem schizophrenic, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 What is the one tool or resource that makes your job easier? The resources that make my job easier are the other professionals that I work with – both at NJ Audubon and in the environmental education community.  I am constantly amazed and humbled by the commitment to this field and the broad experience and vision that people bring to the table.

 What wildlife “lives” in your office? I don’t have anything the lives in my office…except for the occasional mouse passing through, but I have a world of wildlife right outside the window.  One of my favorite things is that when I am on a conference call (and those are numerous!), I can stare out over the marsh and watch Osprey or Bald Eagle fly by or pick my binoculars up and see Indigo Buntings or Orchard Orioles in the back trees.
If you could be one animal (that lives in NJ of course!) what would you be and why?  Box turtle!  I have always had a soft spot for box turtles and when I found out that they live so long and their home range is about the size of a football field that just amazed me.  I keep a photo library of “my” box turtles in the yard and am up to about 7 individuals.

 Why did you decide to protect or educate people about NJ’s wildlife? I grew up on the edge of the Great Swamp in Morris County.  The more time we spent outside the better life was…climbing apple trees, catching frogs, picking blackberries, roaming the sandpit nearby, catching toads, getting muddy, building forts.  With this kind of background, I had no choice but to go into the education field. I wanted to make sure that people – especially children – have access to having a similar set of experiences.

Laurie Pettigrew enjoying a kayak adventure.

What is the worst thing you have to do for your job?  Paperwork.

What is the best thing you get to do?  Play with power tools!

What is the one tool or resource that makes your job easier?  My big girl truck! Just kidding. It is one of my favorite tools even though I hate to admit it. My most useful resource is ArcGIS.

If you couldn’t do what you are doing now, what profession would you attempt?  Cookie baking.

What is the best thing anyone ever taught you?  Always carry a pocket knife.

What wildlife “lives” in your office?  Mice, black snakes, and a few spiders!

 What were you doing before you answered these questions?  Training my dogs to find shed antlers.

Fight or Flight. © Tricia Zimic

“Essential Life,” a new art exhibition at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton is one artist’s response to the decay of our environment and its impact on the indigenous wild creatures that once lived there.  Tricia Zimic champions these animals, both in her exquisite sculptures and paintings and through her work on an ambitious conservation project on a 2,110-acre site in New Jersey. Zimic creates pieces that are startling and provocative. Through painting, clay, fiberglass, and found objects, she depicts creatures that have been displaced by urban and suburban sprawl: a black bear and its cubs foraging for pizza in the meadowlands, a red wolf traversing a highway or owls inhabiting a metal beam. Zimic offers viewers examples both of animal resourcefulness and population collapse.

Short-eared owl & northern pine snake sculpture. © Tricia Zimic

Tricia Zimic trained at the Parson’s School of Design where she studied with artists including Maurice Sendak and Frank Giorgini. Her ceramic work is installed in public and private collections worldwide. Prior to starting her career in fine arts, the artist worked for many years as an illustrator of young adult books including the iconic Nancy Drew series. Through her current work in narrative art, Zimic seeks to communicate a message of renewal and conservation. We hope you will have the opportunity to view Ms. Zimic’s 35  inspirational sculptures and paintings. The exhibition will run until February 19, 2012, at the New Jersey State Museum, located at 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ.  Open Tue- Sat. 9 am – 4:45.

• Visit her website to view more of her work

by Karena DiLeo, Assistant Biologist

The Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest Awards Ceremony was May 6th at the New Jersey Education Association in Trenton.   We had a great turn out and would like to thank everyone who attended and submitted entries into the contest.  We received over 2,000 entries this year!  Winning artwork is currently on display at NJ Audubon’s Plainsboro Preserve and will travel to Liberty State Park on June 6th.

Angela Guo from Mercer County received her First Place certificate from CWF Executive Director Margaret O'Gorman and Board Member and sponsor Bob Coleman.

by Larissa Smith, Biologist/Volunteer Manager

Matt Klewin and Liz Silvernail at the CWF table.

Rebecca and Tari Clark with their new eagle birdhouse.

On Sunday May 1st Liz Silvernail, CWF Director of Development, and I spent the day at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority Earth Day celebration. The weather was gorgeous and we were busy all day talking to people about CWF and the different projects that we are working on.  Kids especially stopped by to see the mounted Barred Owl, Peregrine Falcon and turtle shells. Also helping at the table were volunteers Matt Klewin, Margaret  Klewin-Atack and their daughter Rhianna. Their team the, Wrending Talons, which has been together for 18 years, will be participating in the World Series of Birding on May 14th and CWF is the recipient of their pledges.

We also had a free raffle for an eagle bird house made by eagle project volunteer Kevin Buynie. The winners were Tari Clark

and her daughter Rebecca. They were thrilled to be the winners and were excited to see if any birds would nest in the house this year.