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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Hoffman County Park
Hunterdon CountyCoordinates: N 40.63772
W 75.02479
Skylands: PiedmontArea: 4,818 Acres Habitat: Grassland and deciduous forestSite Description: This Hunterdon County Park consists of 353 acres of hardwood forest, grassland, scrub-shrub habitat and several ponds. The site is intersected by the Mulhockaway Creek, a tributary to the Spruce Run Reservoir. Hoffman Park was previously owned and farmed by Albert and Joyce Hoffman, who began acquiring tracts of land in the 1930s. This site is located within the Highlands Preservation Area, a region of exceptional natural resource value designated by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act (Highlands Act).
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| Eastern Meadowlark | Jim Gilbert |
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Birds: This site is particularly valuable for its grassland habitat. More than 30 state-threatened Bobolinks have been observed in a single breeding season. State-threatened Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows and state-special concern Eastern Meadowlarks also breed at Hoffman County Park.Conservation: Potential threats to the habitats of Hoffman Park include recreational overuse and development of the adjacent lands. Recreational activities have the potential to disturb nesting grassland birds. Access to nesting areas should be prohibited during the breeding season and park visitors should be required to keep pets on a leash. Development of parcels near the Park will likely contribute to increased nonpoint source pollution within the area. In addition, changes to the surrounding landscape has the potential to alter the viability of this site for breeding grassland birds by changing the landscape level cues that grassland birds use to select nesting sites. Preservation of the adjacent parcels through acquisition, easements and improved development planning is recommended. Opportunities to work with local landowners to reduce nonpoint source pollution, conserve water and restore and improve habitats on their properties should also be identified. In an effort to improve water quality at the Spruce Run Reservoir, the NJ Water Supply Authority (NJWSA) has implemented a stream restoration project on the Mulhockaway Creek in Hoffman Park. Various structures will be installed to repair eroded stream banks and deteriorated culverts and to restore the natural water flow. Deer overbrowse has also limited habitat structure and diversity of forested habitats at the Park. Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation Department allows hunting in some sections of the park as a management technique to control the deer population.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Hoffman County Park | John Parke |
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