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Posts Tagged ‘Stone Harbor’

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Emergency Osprey Nest Surveys in Cape May, Wildwood and Stone Harbor

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016

What you won’t hear on the news!!

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Matt Tribulski places a young osprey back in its nest.

Matt Tribulski places a young osprey back in its nest.

It’s osprey season. Osprey Survey Season, that is. However, we never like to start the season off with these types of emergency surveys, but with the increase of strong storms and extreme straight line wind events, they are becoming an annual event. Ospreys nest on platforms in open areas near water, so their young can easily become victims during these types of storms. After receiving a text message from my colleague Kathy Clark yesterday evening about the intensity of the storms, she said we should try to do a survey of the affected areas. I had other plans but I knew that those could wait. (more…)

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Posted in osprey, Wildlife News, Wildlife Protection | 7 Comments »

A Resilient Shoreline in Stone Harbor for Birds and People

Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
Conservation Partners Collaborate to Improve Beach Habitat for Birds and Provide Flood Protection for Stone Harbor Residents

By: Lindsay McNamara, Communications Coordinator

Oystercatchers © Dr. Larry Niles

Oystercatchers © Dr. Larry Niles

Beach nesting birds and New Jerseyans who live along the coast both depend on a resilient shoreline — and plenty of sand.

 

This season, thanks to a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (through their Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grants Program), a team led by New Jersey Audubon worked with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, The Wetlands Institute, New Jersey Division of Environmental Protection, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to make the beach community of Stone Harbor Point more resilient for birds and people alike.

 

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey collaborated with New Jersey Audubon to improve beach habitat for Piping Plovers (endangered in New Jersey), American Oystercatchers and the colonially nesting Least Terns and Black Skimmers. Sand from the southernmost tip of the point was moved to create three areas of higher elevation. The new landscape is expected to benefit Red Knots, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers and others.

 

Stone Harbor, a small beach town along the New Jersey shoreline will see added coastal resiliency benefits and flood protection due to this innovative project that combined the needs for shorebirds with the needs for shore residents. The Stone Harbor project also included the construction of a wide berm of sand near the beachfront parking lot at the far south end of the town. This aspect of the projects aims to increase flood protection for the residents on the developed area of the island.

 

Learn more about this project on New Jersey Audubon’s blog and in the ShoreNewsToday.com article “Working for the Birds.”

 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is a non-profit organization created by Congress to preserve and restore our nation’s native wildlife species and habitats. NFWF is one of the largest funders of wildlife conservation in the world. They fund science-based projects and community-driven solutions.

 

Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Coordinator for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

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Posted in American oystercatcher, Beach Nesting Birds, Habitat Restoration, Marine, Shorebirds, Wildlife News, Wildlife Protection | Comments Off on A Resilient Shoreline in Stone Harbor for Birds and People

Springtime Resources for New Jersey Educators

Thursday, March 12th, 2015
Environmental Education Workshops, Field Experiences and STEM Contests

By: Lindsay McNamara, Communications Coordinator

 

Green Eggs and Sand Curriculum Workshop

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A Green Eggs and Sand Curriculum Workshop will be held May 29-31 at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, Cape May County, New Jersey.

The workshop will delve into the ecological connections between horseshoe crabs and shorebirds, human connections to horseshoe crabs, and the challenges encountered in managing this resource via presentations, field trips and hands-on activities.

 

Sedge Island Summer Experiences

Kayaking at Sedge Island (c) Stephanie Feigin

Kayaking at Sedge Island (c) Stephanie Feigin

The Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center offers week long experiences in the heart of Barnegat Bay.

Three programs will be offered in 2015:

  • Sedge Island Fishing Experience: June 25 to 28, 2015 open to students entering grades 8 and 9 in the fall of 2015. Application deadline is March 31.
  • Sedge Island Field Experience: July 28 to 31, 2015 open to students entering grades 7, 8, and 9 in the fall of 2015. Application deadline is March 20.
  • Sedge Island Field and Research Experience: July 8 to 14, 2015 for students entering grades 10 and 11 in the fall of 2015. Application deadline is April 17.

For more information, visit Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s website.

 

Species on the Edge 2.0 Multimedia Contest

An American kestrel. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert.

An American kestrel. Photo courtesy of Jim Gilbert.

The Species on the Edge 2.0 Multimedia Contest combines high school students’ expertise with technology and their love for nature. Students show why New Jersey’s wildlife is important by creating a video, app, podcast, webpage, or other multimedia project.

But best of all, its FREE and offers all New Jersey high school students the opportunity to win scholarship money!

Special thanks to Species on the Edge 2.0 Multimedia Contest sponsor PSE&G.

All entries are due before April 30, 2015.

For more information and to learn how to enter the contest visit our website.

Questions?
Contact Stephanie Feigin at stephanie.feigin@conservewildlifenj.org.

 

Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Coordinator for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

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The End of Another Terrapin Season

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014
An Intern’s Perspective

By Derek Noah, CWF Intern, Summer 2014

Derek Noah, CWF Intern, collecting patron surveys at Stone Harbor, New Jersey.

Derek Noah, CWF Intern Summer 2014, collecting patron surveys at Stone Harbor, New Jersey.

My name is Derek Noah, I was an intern this summer for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF). I am a wildlife and nature enthusiast who likes to kayak, bike, and hike . I live in Monmouth County and I go to the beach during any extra time I have.

The Northern diamondback terrapin is a small to medium-sized species of turtle that lives in coastal salt marshes, including the marsh near the Stone Harbor Boulevard Causeway. Adult terrapins are commonly struck by vehicles while attempting to cross causeways, and terrapin eggs are eaten by raccoon and other mammalian predators. Currently, CWF’s Wildlife Biologist, Stephanie Egger, is working with other researchers and organizations on the best way to protect wildlife and satisfy people’s needs that visit, live, or work in coastal communities in New Jersey. I collected information from visitors, residents, and employees of Stone Harbor about their understanding and perception of terrapins and management of terrapins along roadways through a patron survey. I worked on this project in July and August and surveyed nearly 500 patrons! I conducted the surveys on the beach as well as local stores and shops. The survey introduced general questions of terrapins and ideas on how to limit terrapin road death through different road management practices.  The patron survey can be viewed here.

As a thank you for their participation each person surveyed received our newest “Be Terrapin Aware” decal and our “Be Terrapin Aware” Brochure. (more…)

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Posted in Reptiles, Wildlife News, Wildlife Protection | 2 Comments »

Overview of piping plover flight behavior research

Thursday, September 19th, 2013
CWF alumni guest blog

By Emily Heiser, Piping Plover Research Technician

Emily Heiser (l) and Lauren Gingerella (r) with piping plovers in hand for banding.

Emily Heiser (l) and Lauren Gingerella (r) with piping plovers in hand for banding.

Call me crazy, but the combination of piping plovers and New Jersey are just too much for me to resist! Over the last six years, I have spent the majority of my time working for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife protecting piping plovers on their nesting grounds. Most recently I worked on a research project with the State University of New York-ESF that dealt with piping plover flight behavior in Stone Harbor, Avalon and Strathmere, New Jersey. The project’s graduate student, Michelle Avis conducted the other half of the study on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The project was specifically designed to look at piping plover flight patterns across their breeding grounds. The results of the study could have implications for the management of coastal wind turbine development. (more…)

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Posted in Beach Nesting Birds, Shorebirds, Wildlife Protection | Comments Off on Overview of piping plover flight behavior research

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