Eric Stiles
Vice President for Conservation & Stewardship

September, 2002

Highlands Stewardship Act

The Highlands Stewardship Act (H.R. 5146 or S. 2749) was recently unveiled in Washington. The bill will provide desperately needed funds for land acquisition in the Highlands. In the past magazine issues, we have reported the dire need to help conserve land in the Highlands which stretches from Easton, PA through the Connecticut Housatonic River Valley. The recent US Forest Service Highlands Study found that 100,000 acres of high conservation value lands are being immediately threatened by development. NJ Audubon Society has been actively working on this legislation, originally crafted by Rep. Ben Gilman (NY), through the Highlands Coalition. The bill authorizes $250 million over ten years from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to be spent on land acquisition in the Highlands. It also provides $49 million over seven years for technical assistance. New Jersey typically does not get its fair share of LWCF funds which goes disproportionately to land purchase in western states. We would like to thank the following New Jersey delegates for sponsoring the legislation: Rep. Mike Ferguson, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, Rep. Rush Holt, Rep. Marge Roukema Sen. John Corzine and Sen. Robert Torricelli. Land acquisition is a crucial tool for preserving the area's wildlife, recreation, forest and water resources. It is important to encourage your representative to co-sponsor this bill. Information on the bill is available at www.highlandscoalition.org.

A Big Step Forward in Species Protection

In the summer 2002 magazine, we reported that the state was considering using its Landscape Project data to protect endangered and threatened species through its regulations on Freshwater Wetlands and Coastal Zone Management. We applaud the DEP Commissioner Campbell's decision to adopt the new Freshwater Wetlands regulations and we anticipate a similar adoption for Coastal regulations. The Landscape Project represents a quantum leap forward in delineating critical habitat for endangered species. More information on the Landscape Project is available at www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensphome.htm. The data is available as a free download for groups or individuals. In the same proposed regulations, the state had considered adopting Takings (defined as government action assuming ownership of real property by eminent domain) regulations which would have severely threatened the integrity of land protection and wildlife conservation. NJ Audubon Society and several other conservation groups urged the Department to rewrite the regulations, which we are happy to report was also done. The new regulations, if adopted, will help establish better standards for protecting our natural resources. We would like to thank the Department of Environmental Protection for their actions on these matters.

Open Public Records Act

Through the recently passed New Jersey Open Public Records Act, state government is required to make its paper and digital documents, including information on threatened and endangered species, available to the public. While we strongly believe that natural resources are better protected through sharing information with the public, certain species could be harmed by this disclosure. Some species like the Timber Rattlesnake (state endangered) may be harmed by persecution and others like Northern Goshawk (state endangered) are collected for falconry. However, too often endangered species, like the elusive Bobcat (state endangered), disappear because the information is not readily available. NJ Audubon Society is working with the state and other conservation groups to make information on threatened and endangered species more available to groups without compromising the safety of these fragile species. The NJ Endangered Species Program's Landscape Project (www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/landscape/index.htm) offers public access to critical habitat maps for rare species. A similar product is in development for endangered plants. We are looking forward to working with the state to better protect rare species through making appropriate information readily available to decision makers including municipal planning boards.

Pine Snakes at the Sanctuary Development, Burlington County

State biologists located Pine Snakes (state threatened) in 2001 and 2002 on the Sanctuary Development in Evesham Township, Burlington County. Their findings included a juvenile (dead), eggs and an adult female pine snake in a nest den. Critical habitat to threatened and endangered species is protected under the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan. This new information gave rise to question the dubious settlement crafted around Timber Rattlesnake (state endangered). Based upon scientific studies of Pine Snakes, the rest of the undeveloped areas on the site should be considered critical habitat. Pine snakes use primarily upland habitat and have very large (120+ acre) home ranges. NJ Audubon Society, the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (www.pinelandsalliance.org) and professional herpetologists have asked the Pinelands Commission to re-examine the development site plan based on this information. We also requested that extensive surveys and telemetry studies be conducted to determine the size and distribution of Pine Snakes on site. We are hopeful that the Pinelands Commission will make a biologically sound rather than politically expedient decision in this important, precedent-setting matter.

Cape May County College Green Acres Diversion

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has approved a diversion application to convert Cape May County parkland into a community college site. This diversion, expected to be approved by the State House Commission, sets an extremely dangerous precedent. Diversion is a process through which open space lands are abandoned for public and commercial use. The site should never have been selected for a college campus. The land contains critical habitat for four threatened and endangered species, is part of a larger greenway and contains excellent recreational paths. Worse yet viable alternatives exist off-site; the town of Woodbine is doing everything in its power to attract the college campus. We feel this diversion blatantly violates almost all of the standards set forth in regulations by the NJ DEP. Once this diversion is permitted, no acre of open space in New Jersey is safe from development. In anticipation of the diversion approval, New Jersey Audubon Society will be represented by the Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic to challenge this reckless decision. We are working to safeguard New Jersey's open spaces for the future.

Shorebird/Horseshoe Crab Update

Thanks is deserved to the over 1,000 NJ Audubon Society members who wrote Governor McGreevey calling for a moratorium on harvest of horseshoe crabs. The 2002 shorebird/horseshoe crab data continues to paint a grim picture. The number of Red Knots (state threatened) and horseshoe crab eggs are still declining. This is occurring in the face of some marine fisheries interests who claim there is not enough information to take action. However, we and other conservation groups know better. We are intensifying our efforts for a complete closure of this ecologically bankrupt fishery in 2003. Please visit our website at www.njaudubon.org/conservation for more information on how you can help.

Reptile and Amphibian Conservation

The New Jersey Audubon Society and the NJ Endangered Species Program (www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp) co-hosted a conference on reptile and amphibian conservation in the northeast. Reptiles and amphibians, referred to as herps, are facing similar declines to birds. Herps are being threatened by habitat loss, water quality degradation and road expansion - all of which are occurring in New Jersey. Over 70 academics, conservationists, land managers and educators attended the meeting on August 13 & 14. The group focused on developing strategies to better protect these species through habitat management and education. New Jersey Audubon is an active member of the Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile protection. For more information please visit their website at www.parcplace.org.

Southern Gray Treefrogs at West Cape May

NJ Audubon Society has joined the town and citizens of West Cape May in a partnership to better protected its wildlife. This is the first partnership of its kind between a municipality and conservation group in New Jersey. NJ Audubon completed a road-side survey of fall 2001 migrant birds in West Cape May, New Jersey. The work, conducted by world-famous author and biologist Clay Sutton, was given to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and local citizen groups to help protect critical habitat on the Cape May peninsula. During the bird survey, Clay Sutton heard Southern Gray Treefrogs, which are a state endangered species. NJ Audubon launched a second study in spring 2002 with Herpetological Associates to survey for these endangered treefrogs in West Cape May. The report was provided to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and the Borough of West Cape to help protect wetlands critical to this rare species. Special thanks goes to local citizens and the Borough of West Cape May for helping fund this study.

Photo Credit Correction

In the Summer 2002 issue, many spectacular photos donated to New Jersey Audubon were incorrectly credited to Eric Stiles. NJ Audubon Society is fortunate to receive donated images and artwork from its generous members. In particular, many of the terrific shots were the work of Kevin Karlson. NJ Audubon would like to thank the many photographers and artists who help us with images for conservation, education and research.

Conservation Internship Program

NJ Audubon Society would like to thank Anthony Bedell, the Conservation Department's first intern. Anthony helped with open space management, Highlands' projects and plant community inventory work. The Conservation Department is seeking applications for interns in policy, land management, open space acquisition and landscape ecology. Students may qualify for college credit. For more information write the NJ Audubon Conservation Department at PO Box 693, Bernardsville NJ 07924.