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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Everittstown Grasslands
Hunterdon CountyCoordinates: N 40.55643
W 75.03222
Skylands: PiedmontArea: 4,174 Acres Habitat: Mix of cultivated and fallow fieldsSite Description: Spanning Alexandria, Kingwood and Franklin Townships, the Everittstown Grasslands is a shifting mosaic of agricultural and fallow fields. Scrub-shrub habitat characterizes a portion of the site. These high priority grasslands extend from Frenchtown to Everittstown along County Route 513 in Alexandria Township. 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 (NJDEP) Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act (Highlands Act).IBA Criteria:
| Criterion | Species |
| Conservation Concern – State-endangered (B) | Vesper Sparrow |
| Significant Congregations - Exceptional Diversity (B) | Grassland Birds |
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| Glossy Ibis | Michael Hogan |
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Birds: The grasslands of this site provide important habitat for an exceptional diversity of breeding grassland birds. Nesting birds include state-endangered Vesper Sparrows, state-threatened Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Savannah Sparrows and American Kestrels, and state-special concern Eastern Meadowlarks.Conservation: As many as 50 Northern Harriers and equal numbers of Short-eared Owls once roamed the grasslands of this region. Over the last 20 years, however, development has severely fragmented the formerly contiguous habitat. Expanding residential development, succession of fields to shrub or tree-dominated habitats, noncompatible agricultural practices and invasive plant species continue to be the greatest threats to the Everittstown Grasslands. Invasive plant species include multiflora-rose (Rosa multiflora) and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata). Agricultural practices such as intensive row cropping provide little or no benefit to wildlife. Outreach to farmers and landowners should promote state and federal incentive programs that compensate landowners for grassland restoration or management of hayfields for increased productivity of grassland birds. Several landowners from the area, participating in the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program, have successfully baled hay from native grasses to feed to their livestock herds. In addition, one farmer in the area manages significant acreages of hayfield for late mowing to produce mulch hay for mushroom production facilities in Pennsylvania. This practice provides habitat for nesting grassland birds as hayfields are not cut until very late in the year, well after the nesting season has ended. Outreach should also encourage implementation of a variety of grassland management techniques, including delayed mowing and haying, grazing and prescribed burning. Delaying mowing until mid-June allows young birds sufficient time to fledge. Beneficial habitat management may also include the creation of buffers, filter strips and native warm season grasslands. Protection of privately-owned parcels can also be achieved through acquisition, easements and enrollment in NJ’s Farmland Preservation Program. Many parcels in the area are currently preserved through the Farmland Preservation Program. Though not yet acquired, other parcels in the region have been earmarked as additions to the Hunterdon County Park System. The combined efforts of Alexandria, Kingwood and Franklin Townships, Hunterdon County, NJ Conservation Foundation, NJ Audubon Society, the Hunterdon Land Alliance, NJDEP’s Green Acres Program and other partners have contributed to the amount of protected land in the area.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Grassland Habitat | John Parke |
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