Habitat Restoration Projects
We are involved with several unique habitat restoration projects focusing on specific habitat types or species. From reforestation in southern Cape May County to freshwater wetland enhancement in eastern Burlington County, CWF is committed to reversing trends in habitat loss to prevent the loss of rare species in New Jersey.
Zoom+ Asphalt and debris line the edge of an old cranberry bog inside Bass River State Forest in Bass River Township, NJ. © Ben Wurst
Ballanger Creek Habitat Enhancement Project
Location: Bass River State Forest, Bass River Township, NJ
Partners: US Forest Service, NJ Forest Service, NJ Division of Parks and Forestry
Activities: Grassland enhancement, scrub-shrub habitat creation, freshwater wetland enhancement, and invasive species control, installation of interpretive signs, and mounting wood duck boxes.
Benefits: Restores and enhances migratory and breeding bird habitat; creates more suitable habitat for other wildlife including small mammals, invertebrates and other wildlife; create optimal foraging habitat (along freshwater wetland edge) for long-legged wading birds.
NOTE: this project is being funded in whole or in part through a grant awarded by the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, U.S. Forest Service, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Zoom+ Tree seedlings are planted on an old fairway at an old golf course, named "Ponderlodge" inside Villas WMA. © Ben Wurst
Ponderlodge Habitat Restoration Project
Location: Cox Hall Creek Wildlife Management Area, Lower Township, NJ
Partner: NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Activities: Reforestation, Grassland enhancement.
Benefits: Provide stopover habitat for migratory birds to "rest and refuel", create passive recreational activities, and educate the public about wildlife habitat and habitat restoration.
Zoom+ Phragmites dominates the perimeters of an old man-made brackish-water impoundment along the Wading River in Bass River Township, NJ. © Ben Wurst
Petrecca Shorebird and Waterbird Habitat Enhancement Project
Location: Wading River Wildlife Management Area, Bass River Township, NJ
Partners: NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited
Activities: Install water control structures
Benefits: Enhance foraging and wintering habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and long-legged wading birds. Control the spread of Common Reed (Phragmites australis).
Zoom+ An 8 ft. high deer exclusion fence allows Atlantic white-cedar seedlings grow in Bass River State Forest, Bass River Township, NJ. © Ben Wurst
Bass River Atlantic White-cedar Project
Location: Bass River State Forest, Bass River Township, NJ
Partners: NJ Forest Service, NJ Division of Parks and Forestry
Activities: Atlantic white-cedar reforestation
Benefits: Restore migratory and breeding bird habitat, improve stormwater retention, filter pollutants, and capture carbon.
Zoom+ A nestbox for America kestrels is placed in a large field behind the Oyster Creek Generating Station in Forked River, NJ. © Ben Wurst
Oyster Creek Wildlife Management Project
Location: Oyster Creek Generating Station, Forked River, NJ
Partner: Exelon - Oyster Creek
Activities: Work with station employees to maintain certification with the Wildlife Habitat Council's "Wildlife at Work" program; Monitor nestboxes and nesting platforms for Bald Eagles, Kestrels, and Osprey; develop habitat enhancement and management proposal; create and/or enhance wildlife habitat on site.
Benefits: Restores and enhances migratory and breeding bird habitat; creates more suitable habitat for other wildlife including small mammals, invertebrates and other wildlife.
Zoom+ Elliot Hodge put in a hard day's work with his mom Anne and brother Calvin. © MacKenzie Hall
Hillsborough Parks Diversity Project
Location: Hillsborough's Farm Park and Otto's Farm Park, Hillsborough Twp, Somerset Co., NJ
Partners:Township of Hillsborough, Conservation Resources Inc., Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Activities: Clearing well-established invasive vegetation; replanting the parks with native forests and meadows.
Benefits: Restores natural shelter, nesting cover, and food sources for songbirds and other wildlife who depend on a variety of open and wooded habitats. Hillsborough holds regional significance for its expansive grasslands as well as its connection to the Sourland Mountains.
Proposed Restoration Projects
Zoom+ Chain link fence surrounds degraded habitat inside Malibu Bech WMA. © Ben Wurst
Malibu Beach Habitat Enhancement Project
Location: Malibu Beach Wildlife Management Area, Egg Harbor Twp.
Partner: NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Proposed Activities: Restore coastal maritime forested habitat to a site that has little to no benefit to migratory birds and other wildlife.
Benefits: Restores and enhances migratory bird habitat by providing cover and food; creates more suitable habitat for other wildlife including small mammals, invertebrates and other wildlife.
Zoom+ The old fallow fields at this site are dominated by autumn olive (a highly invasive tree) in many areas. © Ben Wurst
Tuckahoe WMA Habitat Restoration Project
Location: Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area, Upper Twp.
Partner: NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Proposed Activities: Remove and control invasive species, enhance grassland habitat, restore forested habitat, and create early successional habitat.
Benefits: Provides habitat for migratory songbirds and other wildlife. Controls the spread of invasive species.
Find Related Info: Habitat Restoration