Conserve Wildlife Blog

Posts Tagged ‘restoration’

CWFNJ Returns to Blue Acres Tremley Point for Fall Planting

Monday, November 13th, 2023

by Sherry Tirgrath, Wildlife Biologist

Restoring floodplains and protecting urban communities may not sound like a typical workday for the biologists of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (CWFNJ). However, multiple staff and board members of CWFNJ were present at the annual Blue Acres Floodplain Restoration Fall Planting and Clean-up Day on October 27th, clearing weeds, trash and planting new trees and shrubs at the Tremley Point restoration site in Linden. Blue Acres, a program created by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, helps residents in low-lying areas that are subject to repeated flooding by buying out their properties and aiding in homeowner relocation. The acquired properties eventually become buffer zones, such as floodplains, that protect surrounding communities from the impact of storms and rising sea levels by acting as natural floodwater storage. The land purchased through the Blue Acres program may also be restored into functional wetlands, habitat for wildlife and open green space for the community to enjoy. Blue Acres not only provides disaster relief for residents whose homes have been destroyed or damaged by flooding and surges caused by large storms, but also contributes to the NJ Climate Change Resilience Strategy by proactively creating wetlands and floodplains to lessen the severity of future flood events.

From left: Christine Healy (CWF Wildlife Biologist), Leah Wells (CWF Assistant Wildlife Biologist), Liz Silvernail (CWF Executive Director), Sherry Tirgrath (CWF Wildlife Biologist), Nancy Sadlon (Phillips 66 Public Affairs Manager), and Marty McHugh (CWF Trustee) at the Blue Acres restoration event.
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The Complicated History of Our Marshes and an Update on Restoration Progress

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023

by Caroline Abramowitz, CWF Biological Technician

When looking at the expansive mudflats along the marshes of the Delaware Bay, it is hard to imagine that the area was once densely vegetated and home to a variety of bird species. This spring, CWF began work on a new marsh restoration project funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and led by Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). CWF was contracted to assist with biological monitoring at sites targeted for marsh restoration along New Jersey’s side of the Delaware Bay. Restoration efforts for our sites are being directed toward mudflats that exist due to significant physical alterations made to the marsh in the past. The story of how these mudflats came to be lies in the area’s history and roots in salt hay farming.

As early as 1675, settlers arriving on the Delaware Bay built dikes in salt marshes to protect land from saltwater inflow and create an environment more conducive to salt hay farming and development. One of the most important types of salt hay harvested along the Delaware Bay was Spartina patens, a crop that was widely used as bedding and feed for livestock due to its high nutritional value. By the mid-1800s, at least 14,000 acres of marsh were impounded in Salem County alone with comparable areas altered in both Cumberland and Cape May counties (Cook, 1870). Impoundments restricted tidal flow within the marsh, which stopped the natural process of marsh accretion in which sediment is consistently added to the marsh to increase its elevation. Additionally, drier conditions exposed marsh soil to too much air, resulting in the breakdown of soil and further loss of elevation.

Salt hay farming circa 1940’s.
Photo retrieved from”From Marsh to Farm: The Landscape Transformation of Coastal New Jersey,” by Kimberly R. Sebold.
Retrieved through https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/nj3/contents.htm
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Barnegat Light Habitat Maintenance – Prepping for Piping Plovers

Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

By Todd Pover, Senior Wildlife Biologist 

When the Barnegat Light habitat restoration was completed to benefit piping plovers several winters ago, the partners anticipated it would need periodic maintenance to keep it in optimal condition. As it has turned out, the inlet beach site has needed more frequent attention, an annual winter “touch-up” to prep the site for the nesting season. With this in mind, earlier this month, Todd Pover, CWF Senior Wildlife Biologist was on-site for nearly a week to oversee the habitat work. 

The maintenance this winter primarily focused on the two foraging ponds, as those features have proved critical to the success of the plovers utilizing the site. Thick vegetation was mechanically removed from about three-quarters of the perimeter of the large pond. Excessive vegetation can obstruct piping plovers, especially their chicks, from using the pond’s edge to feed. The heavy vegetation can also provide cover for predators. Meanwhile, the smaller pond was filled in with sand due to late fall/early winter storms and tidal surge. Although the small pond has needed to be “refreshed” each winter, this was the first time it had to be entirely re-dug. Experience has shown that having two ponds present at the site – giving plovers alternative feeding options if one pond is not accessible or as productive during a portion of the season – has been a key element in boosting productivity, especially as more plovers chose the site to nest. In addition to the pond work, some vegetation thinning or removal was also completed to enhance the suitability of the nesting areas as plovers prefer sparsely vegetated areas to lay their eggs. 

Invasive vegetation being removed from the edge of the large piping plover foraging pond.
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2022 Upland Sandpiper Survey Results

Tuesday, January 17th, 2023

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

The results are in! It wasn’t a great year for upland sandpipers at the McGuire Airfield. Numbers of breeding pairs at this location have decreased to an estimated two pairs. Numbers can be variable from year to year so there is still hope for better news in 2023.

Upland sandpipers typically require a minimum of 100 acres for breeding habitat and so large expanses of open, grassy land is a high priority. Over the past five years, long term efforts have been ongoing to complete a large-scale grassland restoration at the McGuire Airfield. So far, roughly 500 acres have been converted to native warm season grasses with another 100 acres to be completed by next spring. Our goal is to help create and maintain grassland bird nesting habitat for Upland sandpipers and other species.

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Protecting Flood-Prone Communities Through Wetland Restoration

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

by Christine Healy

Hurricane Ida. Hurricane Irene. Superstorm Sandy. These weather events represent three of the four most devasting storms recorded in New Jersey history. Though data dates back 218 years, all 3 have occurred within the past 11, substantiating concerns over the effect of climate change on tropical cyclone severity. Therefore, taking measures to safeguard communities from devastating floodwaters is more important now than it ever has been. But who said helping people can’t, in turn, help wildlife?

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