Shorebirds along Delaware Bay: photo by Shorebird Steward Bob Bocci
May is wonderful time of year at the Delaware Bay. Horseshoe crabs are spawning and shorebirds stopping over on their migration to feed on the eggs. One of these shorebirds the red-knot, is a federally threatened species. Beaches along the Delaware Bay in New Jersey are extremely important stops in their migration. Many of these beaches have been restricted from May 7th to June 7th to allow the shorebirds to feed undisturbed. They need to gain enough weight to be able to fly non-stop to their breeding grounds in the artic.
photo by Shorebird Steward Dom Manalo
People come from all over to view this natural phenomenon and the Delaware bay is a popular tourist destination. It’s important to have Shorebird stewards on these restricted beaches to educate the public about the crabs and shorebirds. Shorebird stewards support beach restrictions by being present at closed beaches during shorebird season to ensure that resting and foraging shorebirds are not disturbed. This job includes educating beach visitors as to why the beaches are closed and the importance of the beaches to horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds.
Stewards are needed short term in May at beaches along the Delaware Bay in Cape May County from the Villas north to Reed’s Beach and beaches in Cumberland.
Please contact Larissa Smith at Larissa.Smith@conservewildlifenj.org for more details.
Dryophytes “Pine Barrens Treefrog” andersonii, State Threatened, #10 seed, hailing from the Atlantic white cedar swamps of the Pine Barrens vs. Scaphiopus “Eastern Spadefoot Toad” holbrookii, Species of Concern, #7 seed, straight from the Pygmy Pine Plains, also of the Pine Barrens. Who will reign supreme?!
If this query has you thinking, please read on…
Introducing Critter Chaos! The CWF team got together and selected 40 species that spend at least part of their lives in New Jersey to compete in a series of simulated battles to determine the most adapted (or luckiest) of the bunch. Call it a game of natural selection or simply of chance- contestants each represent one of four divisions; Shorebirds & Raptors, Mammals, Reptiles & Amphibians, and Grassland Birds & Invertebrates. We’ve given each contestant a rank within their division, based on their defense mechanisms, predatory techniques, camouflage, parenting style- anything that we felt would be relevant in fictional combat. The top competitor from each face-off will advance until we discover the worthy winner of the symbolic 2022 CWF Darwin Award.
If this is sounding a bit familiar, then yes- this competition is based on the NCAA basketball tournament “March Madness” and inspired by March Mammal Madness, a fun and educational alternative for those who are more (or equally) interested in springboks than sports. And if you’re most interested in spadefoots, then I’m pleased to tell you that the Eastern spadefoot toad is making an appearance as the #7 seed in our Reptiles & Amphibians division.
CWF Biologists (left to right) Sherry Tirgrath, Christine Healy, and Ethan Gilardiplant new greenery in the Trailside Nature Center Garden.
This fall CWF worked with the staff at the Trailside Nature and Science Center at Watchung Reservation in Union County, New Jersey to restore their Certified Wildlife Habitat. A Certified Wildlife Habitat must include sources of food, water, cover and places to raise young, and must be maintained using sustainable practices. Their garden had suffered from years of neglect and had become overgrown and choked out by weeds.
The first task was to tackle the major cleanup with the goals of opening the garden up to more sunlight, making room for new plantings, and giving the garden a fresh and clean appearance. CWF staff, interns and volunteers joined the Trailside Center’s staff and spent a day pulling weeds, digging up unwanted and overgrown plants, trimming shrubs and trees, clearing vines from trees, and raking and blowing leaves. Dead, dying, or damaged trees and shrubs were cut down. We left the healthy and beneficial trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants that will be the backbone of the refreshed garden. At the end of the day, the result of cleanup was remarkable. Sunlight can now reach the ground, and the garden became a clean slate to add new plantings that will benefit birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife.
Trailside garden before and after cleanup.
The next step was to install a new deer fence around the garden. The Trailside Center lies within a wooded area and deer are drawn to the garden to munch on the shrubs and plants. In order to keep deer from destroying the garden, while allowing birds and other wildlife to utilize it, we installed a new eight-foot-high deer fence around the garden to replace one that had fallen down years ago. At the same time, we planted some new trees and shrubs in the garden that will be able to grow without the pressure of deer browse. We planted only native species that will attract birds, hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies to the garden.
In the spring, we will return to plant native herbaceous perennial plants that will also benefit birds, hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. We will be sure to plant some host species for native butterflies, such as milkweed for monarchs. We plan to make a corner of the garden that caters specifically to hummingbirds. The garden is already home to a beautiful man-made creek flowing into a pond that draws birds and frogs. Several types of bird feeders, squirrel feeders and nest boxes are scattered throughout the garden as well. The restored garden will be unveiled this spring for visitors to observe through the viewing windows inside the Trailside Center.
Trailside staff install deer fencing around the garden with help from CWF staff, interns, and volunteers.
Healthy New Jersey wetlands feature a gorgeous explosion of colors each summer as wildflowers, including the Ironweed (purple), Joe Pye weed (pink), and Jewelweed (gold), displayed here, come into bloom.Photo by Kristen Meistrell, NJ Audubon.
We’ve all heard the expression “you can’t have your cake and eat it too”. For example, as a wildlife biologist, I can’t be promoted and still expect to spend most of my time in the field playing with turtles and salamanders- that would simply be too good to be true! The same phrase could probably be applicable to land; your property can’t simultaneously be profitable to you, the landowner, and beneficial to rare wildlife… right?
Well, in this case, I would have to disagree with the proverbial wisdom.
For many years, CWF biologists have worked with private landowners, other nonprofits, and the state and federal government to spread the word on programs that make wildlife conservation not only accessible, but economical. Why? Because >80% of New Jersey is privately owned. This gives residents a unique opportunity to be a part of the success story for every endangered, threatened, and at-risk species that, like us, call the garden state home. In the words of everyone’s favorite ‘90s superhero, Captain Planet, “The power is yours” – truly.
Prescribed grazing by livestock, like the cows pictured above or water buffalo below, can help improve hydrology in certain types of wetlands. If your property fits the criteria, NRCS can assist with the maintenance or installation of fencing as part of your restoration plan.Photo by Kristen Meistrell, NJ Audubon.
Our website offers a unique look into the lives of at-risk wildlife species that our viewers may otherwise never see, like watching the birth of the season’s first baby osprey in real time on the Barnegat Light Osprey Cam.
Connecting people to nature through our website is a vital part of Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s mission.
That’s why we have been thrilled by the record numbers of scientists, students, educators, and wildlife enthusiasts of all ages who have used this resource, especially since the start of the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people like you are inspired and enlightened by viewing our species guide, our wildlife webcams, and our conservation project pages each year.
Our custom management system was ‘cutting edge’ when it was launched over 10 years ago, but it relies upon software that will be unsupported by the end of this year.
This fall, we must redesign our website and finally make it mobile-friendly! Viewers like you will benefit in many ways.
Whether you are at home or on the go, more people than ever are accessing our website on your hand-held devices.
You have asked us to make it easier and quicker to report rare species, to access wildlife lesson plans, to register for events, to enter our contests, and to easily access our timely updates.
People of all ages can be inspired and educated by our compelling new videos, thought-provoking podcasts, vibrant photography, and insightful blog stories.
Generous supporters have offered to match the first $10,000 in gifts received, dollar for dollar, which means we need to raise $10,000 to reach our $20,000 goal.
Our new custom-designed website is a major,
long-term investment, and one we don’t take lightly. Even though $20,000 is a
very fair market price, it’s still a huge outlay for a nonprofit like ours! But
it’s a step we need to take.
Our website offers a great wealth of information
to visitors like you – webcams, videos, podcasts, photos, field guides, and
blog posts. But those expansive contents also demand an ample “back end” – the
portion of the website that programmers code and manage. These thousands of
files and countless lines of code make transforming our website especially
challenging.
We can’t wait to better showcase our incredible wildlife photography and video to tell the stories of our work protecting species like bald eagles, diamondback terrapins, ospreys, bobcats, pollinators, and beach nesting birds.
Posted in Get Involved, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Help us to create a new website before time runs out! – Donate today and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar!
