Stewardship

As part of forest stewardship activities at the site of the Northern Bobwhite Restoration Initiative, prescribed fires are being implemented this winter as a tool to maintain forest health, habitat and to ensure public safety. Fire in the NJ Pinelands plays a vital role in the ecology of the region’s…...

Hiking in a meadow in Sussex County over the weekend, I came upon a small semi-hard grayish-yellow mass attached to a goldenrod stem. This “foam-like” cube was an egg case of a praying mantis.  However, I was not as excited as some may think, because the majority of mantids in…...

This past week NJ Audubon’s Stewardship Department presented an overview of the Bobwhite Quail Restoration Initiative and the project’s tie in with the National Shortleaf Pine Initiative at the 4th Biennial Shortleaf Pine Conference in Galloway, NJ. According to the 2016 Shortleaf Pine Restoration Plan, “Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinate) has…...

For the third time in four years, the New Jersey Audubon Stewardship Department has won the prestigious “Firman E. Bear Ecological Excellence Award,” given by the New Jersey Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society in partnership with Pinelands Nursery. The award recognizes excellence in an ecological restoration project…...

Bill Haines, Jr. owner and CEO of Pine Island Cranberry Company (PICC) of Chatsworth, NJ was the recipient of New Jersey’s first ever National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative’s (NBCI) National Fire Bird Conservation Award. The award, presented at the NJ Fish and Game Council Meeting by James Sloan, New Jersey Division…...

“Inspiration” was the word of the day as NJ Audubon lead a special outing with friends and members to the much celebrated Hortulus Farm and Garden. Set amongst the diverse habitat and rolling hills of Bucks County, PA, Hortulus Farm and Garden is a Master Gardener and horticulture enthusiast’s dream!…...

As I mowed the lawn in my front yard a commotion of chirps and squawks filled the air above me as I passed under a “snag” tree  that I had purposely left standing upon the tree’s demise. As I stared up the trunk, scanning each hole and crevice for movement…...

Forests in New Jersey have experienced the negative impacts of pathogens, pests, and diseases over the years, many of which target specific species or genus of trees. One pest that has arrived over the last three years in New Jersey is the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). First identified in Somerset…...

When thinking of what is “common”, it suggests things that one perceives as being familiar or ordinary or perhaps even not special in any kind of way. Sometimes these things that are considered common are taken for granted or overlooked because of their perceived abundance. Sometimes even how they are…...