Holiday Fun That's For the Birds!

Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter
to makea festive energy bar
for the birds in your backyard.

So... the children are home all week on their holiday break, the wind is whipping up all the snow that fell yesterday so it feels too cold to play outside for long and you want to do something with your family that makes the spirit of the season last through this entire week.  We've got just the activity for you! 

You can stay indoors where it is warm and whip up some treats to share with the birds that are searching out nutritious food now that the insects that remained in our region for the winter are in hiding and the berries left on trees and bushes are buried under drifting snow.  You'll have a great time making these treats, and it will be even more fun to watch the birds flock to them once you've put the treats outside in a spot you can view from your windows.  Over the last several days we've spotted cardinals, juncos, chickadees, blue jays, mourning doves, various finches and sparrows and even bluebirds at feeding stations we've set up around our house.

Use half a hollowed-out orange
to hold your energy bar mixture. 
It makes a very attractive bird feeder!

You don't have to go out and purchase lots of fancy ingredients for these treats.  Chances are good that you've got the necessary supplies right in your kitchen.  Energy bars are all the rage for humans these days, and it turns out that birds love them too.  To make a batch, combine 1 cup chunky peanut butter, 1 cup vegetable shortening, 2 ½ cups coarse yellow corn meal, seeds, raisins or other dried fruit, and roasted peanuts. Mix the peanut butter and shortening, then add cornmeal to thicken the mixture. Stir in seeds, raisins or roasted peanuts. Make energy bar "muffins" by placing your mixture in muffin tins. Sprinkle seeds on top. Place a pipe cleaner in each muffin to act as a hanger and place the tin in the freezer. Once hardened, hang the muffins or place in feeding stations. Hang the cakes from the tree with string, in a suet cage, or in mesh bags like those in which oranges and grapefruit are sold. You can use orange grapefruit or even coconut halves to create a feeder by stuffing your mixture into half of a hollowed-out rind. Poke three holes in the edge of the rind and run string through the holes. Sprinkle seeds on top. Place in the freezer to harden. Once hardened, knot the strings at the top and the bottom to secure and hang outside near a window. You can also gather cones from evergreen trees like pines and spruce, stuff shortening and peanut butter into the crevices, and then roll them in seeds.

For more recipes to make this week and throughout the winter, please visit URWA's Creature Feature web page at http://urwa.org/education/creatures.html.



Appointments to Council: Some Good, Some Not

The Highlands legislation was created to protect the water of the Highlands region. The Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, made up of both elected officials and public members is the body responsible for implementing the protection.

The members are appointed by the governor, and in the past have all demonstrated, for the most part, an understanding of their role as protectors of our water supply. Governor Christie recently appointed seven new members to the Council to fill vacant seats. Two of these appointees Michael Sebetich, an aquatic biologist and Professor at William Paterson University, and Tim Dougherty, the Mayor of Morristown, have backgrounds advocating for the protection of Highlands resources.

We are concerned that the remaining appointees have in the past called for the repeal of the Highlands Act and/or the disbanding of the Council. These are not the characteristics that we want in Council members charged with protecting the water supply of 5.5 million New Jersey residents. The Governor makes it clear by these appointments that he does not appreciate the work of the Council, and wants to cripple its effectiveness.

Take a stand with URWA. The Senate Judiciary Committee must approve all of these nominations to the Council. We urge you to reach out to the Committee Chairperson Senator Nick Scutari at senscutari@njleg.org 908 587 0404 or the Vice Chair, Senator John Girgenti at sengirgenti@njleg.org 973 427 1229. Urge them to oppose the appointments of Highlands Act opponents Roxbury Mayor James Rilee, former West Milford Planning Board Chair Michael Tfank, Sussex County Freeholder-elect Richard Vohden, and White Township Committeeman. Tell them that you want people who will honor the intent of the Highlands Act and who will protect our water supply appointed to the Council.

Learn more about this issue and other Highlands news at http://www.njhighlandscoalition.org/

Food for Thought as We Approach the New Year

An interesting Op-Ed piece appeared in The Boston Globe a few days ago.  Written by John P. DeVillars, who served as the New England administrator of the EPA from 1993 to 2000, it reminds us that we’ve come a long way as a society in terms of environmental protection, that as a country full of people with many different viewpoints and opinions it is possible for us to work together to resolve problems and that it is everyone’s job to protect the natural environment.

We encourage you to follow this link to read Mr. DeVillars' comments.  He offers some valuable food for thought and hope for a brighter future!

It's Time to Treat the Birds

As autumn winds down and Mother Nature makes the transition into winter, wild birds that have been successfully foraging in the woods, fields and suburban areas will begin to scout out locations where they’ll be able to find a source of food through the colder months. If you enjoy attracting birds to your yard by putting out birdfeeders, now is the time to make sure that they are ready!

Before you set your feeders out, wash them thoroughly. It is important to start the season with clean feeders, and to keep them uncontaminated by washing them every three weeks or so. This is because birds can get sick if they eat moldy or decomposing seeds and hulls that accumulate on feeder trays and in the base of tube feeders. In addition, bird droppings that land on feeders can spread infectious avian diseases. To clean your seed feeders, wash them in hot, soapy water and then soak or rinse them in a solution of one part white vinegar to nine parts water. Be sure to give them a final rinse and let them dry completely before you fill them with seeds!

As the bird feeding season progresses, be sure to clean the ground below your feeders each week. This will prevent uneaten seeds, hulls and other waste from accumulating and becoming moldy. Left on the ground, this debris is quite appealing to pets such as dogs, which can become ill if they consume it. The debris is also likely to attract unwanted rodents to the area.

With your bird feeders in place (try to spread them apart so the birds aren’t all crowded into one small space), you will see more and more birds using them as the weather cools down and their food sources diminish. If there is not a natural water source nearby (a pond or small stream), your feathered friends will appreciate a birdbath or other water feature that you keep clean and filled with fresh water throughout the winter.

Next week, we'll offer some tips and recipes for making special treats for the birds as the holidays approach!

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A Salute to Heather Gracie-Petty

It was a privilege to participate in the Somerset Hills YMCA Volunteer Recognition Event last Thursday evening. It was so incredibly inspiring to understand the level of volunteerism that is thriving in our community. The stories and experiences shared by recipients literally left you teary-eyed. URWA was proud to be there and even prouder of our “volunteer of the year” - Heather Gracie-Petty.

Heather is the Chair of our Stewardship Committee. As a certified forester, she brings sound science and professional expertise to a key component of good conservation. When you understand that Heather is a wife, mother, champion marathon runner and that she and her firm are responsible for the sustainable health of over 34 thousand acres of New Jersey’s woodlands…you might wonder…how and when does she find the time to volunteer for URWA? Well she does…all year round!

Some of Heather’s contributions to URWA include:

• She runs our annual Winter Tree Identification program 
• She assists with countless high school and community volunteer events – working just this last year with Bernards High and Pingry students, numerous boy and girl scout troops, corporate “days of caring”  
• Heather has completed surveys and created forest stewardship plans for URWA’s Preserves  
• She spends countless hours helping with the details of implementing our stewardship initiatives; resourcing plant materials and coordinating hands-on projects including the removal of thousands of invasive shrubs from public preserves around the watershed region, followed by the planting of native species  
• Heather has created experimental projects like deer exclosures for the long term study of forest health  

Most importantly, Heather is a strong advocate for sound policies that protect natural resources – she is an effective voice in New Jersey.  In summary, you can understand why we were proud to honor Heather Gracie-Petty as our Volunteer of the Year.

If we didn’t say it enough that evening…THANK YOU to the YMCA for putting together such a special evening and to Recorder Newspapers for giving hard working non-profits an opportunity to showcase their important missions and contributions to the community.

Eating Local for the Holidays

Eating local in New Jersey is a piece of cake throughout late spring and summer; peaches, blueberries, apples and winter squash cycle through my personal menu as the growing season progresses. But as we approach the holiday season, a time to eat drink and be merry (in excess), I’m finding it a bit more challenging to find local sources for my favorite holiday indulgences. It’s my own personal goal to buy as much local produce this winter as I can, and in my research (and through word of mouth), I’ve found that some things are still easy to find once you put your head to it. Fresh eggs, butter, turkey, popcorn, cheese, potatoes, fresh baked goods and fruit preserves from the summer are still around in the local farmers market’s that stay open all year.

If you hurry up and buy a half bushel of apples from Melick’s Farm or Riamede in Chester, you can make about 12 pints of this easy applesauce recipe to keep you warm through the cold weather. It’s great on pumpkin pancakes!

Easy Baked Applesauce (cooked in small batches)

6-8 Apples (I prefer red apples like Macoun, but they all work!)

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

1 Tablespoon of light brown sugar

2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 Teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/8 Teaspoon ground cloves

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Peel, quarter and core the apples. Toss juice, sugar and spices with apples. Pour apples into a deep glass baking dish or corning ware, and dot pieces of the butter around the top of the apples. Cover the dish with a glass lid or aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Once removed from the oven, the apples can be easily mashed. If you scoop the applesauce right away into clean mason jars (while it is still hot), the jars will seal themselves as they cool and the sauce will keep for a few months.


isit JerseyFresh.com to find great local places to find just what you need for the holidays, to support the farmers and other merchants that hail from New Jersey, and to reduce your carbon footprint by eating from your neighborhood. Each listing of roadside markets will give you the location, hours and dates that the stand is open throughout the year, as well as what types of produce you can find there. I recommend Griggstown Quail Farm (Princeton) or Ashley Farms (Flanders) for fresh turkey, and Bobolink Dairy (Milford) for some great cheese and bread!

Alstede Farms

84 County Route 513 (old Rt. 24), Chester

(908) 879-7189

http://www.alstedefarms.com/

Preserves, winter vegetables, cider, baked goods


Amwell Valley Organic Grains

81 Dunkard Church Rd., Ringoes

(609) 397-4583

http://www.farmersteve.com/

NOFA Certified Organic Popcorn


Ashley Farms

25 Hillside Ave., Flanders

(973) 584-7578

http://www.ashleyfarmsonline.com/

Turkey, preserves, winter vegetables, cider, baked goods


Griggstown Quail Farm

986 Canal Rd., Princeton

(908) 359-5218

http://www.griggstownquailfarm.com/



Melick's Town Farm

170 Oldwick Rd., Oldwick

(908) 439-3888

http://www.melickstownfarm.com/








Valley Shepherd Creamery

50 Fairmount Road, Long Valley

(908) 876-3200

www.valleyshepherd.com

Floating Debris

Tuesday was another great day for the Stewards of the Upper Raritan Watershed Association. Early yesterday morning we received an urgent call from former Mayor of Bedminster Joe Metelski, who reported seeing a huge plastic pipe in the North Branch of the Raritan River. Lauren Theis, URWA’s Stewardship Program Manager and I arrived on site just hours after we got the call and found the giant piece of trash located just north of where the AT&T exit ramp crosses over the North Branch. There was no evidence of where the pipe originated from -- it was most likely washed downstream during one of the recent storm events. The pipe was too large to drag out of the river in one piece (it measured eight inches across and was 100 feet long), so we sawed it into seven pieces and then removed them all from the river.

Most of the pollution in our local rivers and streams is in the form of non-point source pollution, which occurs when rain or melted snow moves over and through the ground, absorbing and assimilating any pollutants with which it comes into contact. The pollutants in this runoff can be quite harmful, and their sources numerous. We usually can’t point to one discreet location of nonpoint source pollution like we can with a discharge pipe from a factory or garbage that is casually thrown into a river or stream.

While we doubt that anyone purposely dumped the pipe we found into the river, the fact that it was there means that someone somewhere was, at best, irresponsible because they did not secure the pipe in its intended location. While Lauren and I were happy to be of service in removing the pipe and disposing of it properly, we are much happier when we get to fish, paddle or swim in the great streams and rivers found throughout our watershed!

Keith Bologno is the Property Steward for the Upper Raritan Watershed Association.  An avid fisherman, he was recently named runner up in the First Annual NJ Fly Fisherman of the Year tournament!

Better Deer Management is Needed

URWA has joined a coalition of diverse groups to work together for more effective deer management in the state. The goals of the coalition are to manage the deer herd for the ecological and economic health of our natural areas, farms, and working forests, and for human safety considerations related to Lyme disease and auto collisions. The following is an excerpt from a letter that the coalition sent to the Governor on September 23rd.

We are writing as a coalition of stewards of New Jersey’s natural heritage. We are non-profit groups, farmers, foresters, naturalists, gardeners, nurserymen, and sportsmen conservationists. Our work improves habitat for New Jersey’s wide range of plant and animal species, enables residents to experience both the common and uncommon as they explore the State’s natural places, and restores the function of the ecosystems which sustain us.  

We are writing to offer our assistance with an urgent but remediable problem that is degrading our forests and farms and reducing their ecological quality and productivity: the severe overpopulation of white-tailed deer.

The effects of deer overabundance are destroying the capacity of our forests to produce the next generation of trees, and jeopardizing the many benefits we receive from healthy, functioning ecosystems. Exotic plant invasions, agricultural losses, incidences of Lyme disease, and automobile accidents are all negative effects caused by deer overabundance.

The Coalition asked the Governor for immediate action to manage the New Jersey deer herd to bring it into balance with our natural habitats and human landscapes. The group specifically asked for improving access for hunters on large preserved properties owned and managed by non-profit organizations and to allow private landowners to qualify for differential tax assessment if they incorporate deer management plans into their “forest stewardship plan”. They also called for legislative and programmatic reforms including asking that the Fish and Game Council could determine necessary Game Code changes and that the “Hunters Helping the Hungry” program should be fully funded and enabled in order to supply venison to the needy on a statewide basis. This program allows hunters to harvest more deer while benefitting the neediest.

URWA was happy to join this proactive coalition which advocates for the health of our natural habits and therefore the health of our vital water supplies.

Have You Seen This Plant?

Japanese Clematis
(Clematis terniflora)

Clematis terniflora flowers
Photos: ©2008 by Will Cook

This member of the buttercup family is native to Japan. It is a semi-evergreen vine that can grow as long as 40 feet in one year. Japanese clematis does best in forest edges, floodplains and stream and shorelines that receive full sun to part shade, but it can grow in full shade.

Clematis terniflora seeds

You can see this plant in flower now in our watershed. Its fragrant white four-petaled flowers are abundant, and will bear showy clusters of seeds with long feathery styles later this month. Japanese clematis looks similar to our native Virgin's bower (Clematis virginiana), but you can distinguish them from one another by looking at their leaves. Japanese clematis leaves are smooth, while those of Virgin's bower are toothed.

Although it is not widespread in New Jersey, Japanese clematis is a plant species we need to watch for and remove whenever we see it growing here. It grows so quickly that it easily tops native shrubs and trees, preventing them from getting the sunlight they need, and it can form dense mats that prevent sunlight from reaching the ground where young plants are sprouting. Our Central Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team has identified Japanese clematis as one of the invasive plant species that needs to be stopped in its tracks before it gains a foothold (roothold?) in this part of the state. If you see a plant that you think might be Japanese clematis on your property, or on property that you walk or drive past, please let us know. Call (908) 234-1852 or email Melissa Almendinger, our Invasive Species Project Coordinator -- we'll help you confirm its identity and determine the best way to remove it.

For more information about exotic invasive plants and URWA's efforts to eliminate newly emerging species from our region, please visit our Central Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team web pages. You'll also find out how you can become involved in this important effort!

Feed Your Family with Local Produce

Farmer’s markets and farm stands have croppes up all over New Jersey.  Food tastes best when it is fresh, and fresh is exactly what you’ll get when you buy produce, meat and eggs that have been grown locally and harvested just before they are brought to your local farmer’s market or farm stand!  Many farmers who participate in local markets use sustainable farming practices and thereby help to protect and preserve natural resources.  There are a number of farmer’s markets within and close to the Upper Raritan watershed.  If you haven’t yet ventured out to one, we encourage you to do so - most will be open through late September!  To help you locate one near you, follow these links:

Hunterdon County:
Lebanon Farmers’ Market
Corner of Main Street and Cokesbury Road, Lebanon
Open Saturdays month from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
mmlogan9235@gmail.com

Pottersville Farm Market
2090 Black River Road, Pottersville Reformed Church, Pottersville
Open the fourth Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
pottersvillefarmmarket@embarqmail.com

Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers' Market
111 Mine Street, Flemington
Open Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
http://www.hlta.org/dvoor_market.php

Morris County:
Chester Farmers’ Market
Chester Village Square Parking Lot
Open Sundays month from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
http://www.ilovechester.com/

Somerset County:
Bernardsville Farmers’ Market
Route 202 and Clairmont Road, Bernardsville
Open Saturdays month from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
christahat@comcast.net

If you are travelling and would like to find a farmers’ market while you are away from home this summer, check out these web sites. They’ll help you locate a market or farm stand so you can eat fresh food wherever your travels take you, in state or out!

New Jersey Department of Agriculture Jersey Fresh Campaign

Local Harvest

Wastewater Facilities Want NJ to Relax Measures Designed to Protect Water Supplies

Wastewater treatment companies recently asked the Christie administration to allow more pollutants to be discharged into New Jersey's rivers and streams.  URWA and a coalition of 17 other groups are opposing the proposed change in state Surface Water Quality Standards because we believe such a change would violate both the federal Clean Water Act and our state Water Pollution Control Act.

The wastewater facilities want to discharge effluent that exceeds human health criteria for nitrates and total dissolved solids as long as the health standards are met at the point of intake for drinking water use. In New Jersey, rivers are a supply source for major drinking water. By extending the "mixing zone" where pollutants exceed potable limits from the wastewater facility discharge pipe to drinking water intake points, the proposal would make longer stretches of rivers and streams unsuitable for swimming and fishing and would threaten the aquatic life that lives in these areas.

Nitrates are known to cause "blue baby syndrome", which can be fatal. Cumulative discharge of nitrates also has significant downstream ecological effects on bays, estuaries and the ocean, contributing to excessive eutrophication and oxygen free "dead zones".  Besides nitrates and dissolved solids, the proposal will also increase the amount of pesticides and other chemicals as well as un-metabolized pharmaceuticals, none of which are screened out of treated wastewater.

Under the state Administrative Procedures Act, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has 60 days from its July 19 publication in the New Jersey Register to grant, deny or seek an additional 30-day extension to render a decision on this wastewater petition, which was submitted by the Association of Environmental Authorities.  We urge all of our members and friends to read the petition and our letter of objection to the DEP, and then contact DEP to offer your own comments regarding the inadvisability of granting the petition and allowing more of our state's waters to become polluted.

URWA Supports Full and Dedicated Funding for The Land and Water Conservation Fund

The U.S. House approved the CLEAR Act late last week, including full, dedicated funding for The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Historic Preservation Fund!  URWA is grateful to the following Representatives from New Jersey who supported the CLEAR Act:  Adler, Andrews, Holt, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Rothman and Sires.

The Senate was expected to consider similar legislation this week. Senator Majority Leader Reid announced late Tuesday (August 3rd) that consideration of oil spill legislation (which includes full funding for LWCF) will be postponed until after the August recess.  This provides more time to continue to build support and momentum for passage of legislation that includes full, dedicated funding of LWCF (and the Historic Preservation Fund).  We encourage all of URWA's members and friends to thank the NJ House members who supported the CLEAR Act and Senators Lautenberg and Menendez for their leadership on this effort, and urge them to finish the job when they return in September.

Water Conservation is Always a Good Idea

After a very dry start to our summer, most areas in our watershed have received at least a few inches of rain during the last two weeks. Even so, water levels in area streams, ponds and underground aquifers are reduced, prompting some local governments and conservation organizations to call upon residents to think about using water wisely. Tewksbury Township adopted a resolution urging residents to adopt voluntary water restrictions earlier this month. Low water levels can contribute to higher concentrations of pollutants. Using water efficiently helps maintain supplies at safe levels, protecting both human health and the environment.

In the United States, water consumption generally reaches its annual peak in July or August. According to the EPA's WaterSense program, peak water usage in the average American home spikes to 1,000 gallons per day, about four times the amount used during the other seasons. The spike is use is largely attributable to outdoor uses including lawn and garden watering and filling swimming pools.

It isn’t hard to cut down on how much water you use – it pretty much boils down to making a conscious effort not to waste it by taking some common sense steps. Tips for reducing your personal use water abound on the internet. Here are a few to get you started:

• Replace spray nozzles on outdoor hoses with rotary nozzles and cut your water use by 30 percent. Rotary nozzles apply water more slowly and uniformly than spray nozzles, and this helps reduce runoff and wind drift while saving water.
• Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to water trees, gardens and flower beds.
• Cover your swimming pool when you are not using it. Pools lose significant amounts of water through evaporation.
• A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons every day. Test for leaks by adding food coloring to the tank water. If the colored water appears in the bowl, the toilet is leaking. Toilet repair advice is available at http://www.toiletology.com/index.shtml.
• Install a rain gauge and monitor rainfall amounts. Your lawn and gardens probably only need one inch of water each week. By monitoring how much water Mother Nature provides, you can determine how much additional water, if any, is needed.
• Buy or make a rain barrel to catch rain water from your roof. A rain barrel collects water and stores it for you to use when you need it to water plants, wash your car, or even to top off a swimming pool. It puts the water to good use when it would otherwise become stormwater runoff that would be diverted to storm drains and/or streams.

Join URWA for a Day Trip to the World Famous Rodale Institute on Wednesday, July 21st

The Upper Raritan Watershed Association hosts lots of fabulous programs for its youngest watershed stewards each summer, and this year, the association added something for its grown up members and friends. Gardening enthusiasts, budding organic farmers, nature photographers, native plant advocates, eco-citizens and environmental commission members: URWA has organized trips with you in mind!

On Wednesday, July 21st, URWA and its guests will head to the Rodale Institute, which is located on a 333-acre organic certified farm in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The farm is devoted to research, education and certified organic production. It is best known for its Farming Systems Trial (FST), the longest running U.S. experiment designed to compare organic and conventional farming practices. FST was established in 1981 and attracts interest from scientists, farmers and lay visitors from around the world. In addition to the research experiments, the farm’s production and demonstration areas offer visitors an opportunity to learn how agriculture can either contribute to environmental problems or be a significant solution in solving global warming, improving human nutrition and preventing famine.

After carpooling (participants will meet at Fairview Farm on Larger Cross Road in Bedminster at 9:00 a.m.) to the Institute the group will take a one-hour guided tour of the farm to learn about some of the interesting projects being carried out there this summer. Participants will get lots of ideas for small-scale projects to bring home to their own gardens.

After the tour, the group will have a yummy lunch prepared with food grown at the farm and spend time browsing in the bookstore and gift shop. Participants will be back in Bedminster by 3:00 p.m. The price of $70 per person (for members of URWA, $90 for non-members) includes transportation, tour and lunch. Reservations are required. Please contact Susan Brookman at 908-234-1852 ext. 20 to register by Wednesday, July 14th.

We Are All Stakeholders in the Highlands Regional Master Plan

URWA has been closely monitoring the progress of the Highlands Council to develop and implement the Highlands Regional Master Plan since the Council was created.  82% of the Upper Raritan watershed is in the Highlands region – 27% in the Preservation Area and 55% in the Planning Area. 17 of our 19 Highlands municipalities are either completely or partially in the Planning area.

Over the last several years we've reviewed many, many reports and made recommendations to strengthen policies and encourage actions that we believe will provide the best protection for the precious water and other natural resources of the Highlands region.  Earlier this month, we made the following observations to the NJ DEP when it held a Highlands Stakeholders meeting:  

• URWA wants to see as much authority as possible given to the Highlands Council.
• We strongly support the current 88 and 25 acre zoning.
• We want all Water Quality Management Plans in the Planning Area to be reviewed by the Council.
• We look forward to land values in the Highlands increasing in value, just as protected land in the Pinelands has.

It is in the best interest of all new Jerseyans to support the Highlands Regional Master Plan and work with the Highlands Council to strengthen the Plan. We all depend on clean water resources for our homes, industry, and agriculture; therefore we each rely on the success of this Plan.

It's Green Frog Season!

Despite its name, the Green Frog can actually be more brown than green in color.  They are found in any body of freshwater in New Jersey.  Their voice sounds like a loose banjo string with each note becoming less and less loud. Young Green Frogs issue an alarm call when frightened, making a high-pitched peep as they jump into the water.  Folks at URWA are happy to see healthy Green Frogs in the pond at Fairview Farm.  In some parts of the watershed frogs are threatened by non-point source pollution caused by substances such as, lawn fertilizers, road salt and pharmaceuticals that get into the streams. 

To learn more about how you can protect our water supplies for humans and wildlife, visit URWA’s website www.urwa.org.

Celebrate National Trails Day® at Fairview Farm with a Guided Walk on Sunday, June 13th

National Trails Day® is a celebration of trails that evolved from the report of President Ronald Reagan's President's Commission on Americans Outdoors. In 1987, the report recommended that all Americans be able to go out their front doors and within fifteen minutes, be on trails that wind through their cities or towns and bring them back without retracing steps. The recommendation, dubbed Trails for All Americans, became the impetus behind National Trails Day® in 1993.

To celebrate National Trails Day the Upper Raritan Watershed Association will host free guided trail walks at Fairview Farm on Sunday, June 13th. The walks will be a great opportunity to breathe fresh air, get your heart pumping and escape from stress! Guided walks will begin at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., noon and 1:00 p.m. and each will last approximately one hour. The terrain is not challenging, but the trails will be muddy if it rains beforehand, so be sure to wear appropriate shoes (sneakers, walking shoes or other closed toe footwear is recommended). No reservations are necessary, and participants are welcome to stay after the guided walk to explore more of the trails at Fairview Farm.

National Trails Day Guided Walks at Fairview Farm
Sunday, June 13th
10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., Noon and 1:00 p.m.
Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve, 2121 Larger Cross Road, Bedminster

Fore more information about the Guided Walks at Fairview Farm, please call Lauren Theis at (908) 234-1852, ext. 12 or email ltheis@urwa.org.

The Burnt Mills Floodplain Preserve: Visit it This Spring!

The Burnt Mills Floodplain Preserve was established on December 21, 1989 when Ken & Yvonne Schley and Anne & Floyd Stradling deeded three parcels of land totaling 11.32 acres to URWA. The parcels had been in the Schley family and were bequeathed to Ken and Anne in 1944 upon the death of their father, Kenneth B. Schley. A grist mill was built on the floodplain shortly after the Civil War, and was taken down by Mr. Schley after he purchased the property in 1928. Its ruins still sit on the site today, adding historical interest to the preserve.

The site, on the Lamington River near the confluence of the North Branch, supports diverse wildlife including great blue heron, long-tailed salamanders, red shouldered hawks, barred owls, and freshwater mussels, including the threatened triangle floater (Alasmidonta undulate — learn more about this mussel in the “Creature Feature” on URWA’s web site at www.urwa.org). Each spring, under a canopy of sycamore, black cherry and ash, Virginia bluebells carpet the forest floor – it is a sight not to be missed!

Unfortunately, another plant also awaits springtime visitors – the Lesser celandine, a small yellow buttercup-like flower, is an invasive plant that is spreading across the site. Lesser celandine spends much of the year underground as thickened, fingerlike tubers or underground stems. During the winter, leaves begin to emerge and photosynthesize in preparation for flowering. Flowering occurs from late winter through mid-spring, and afterwards, the above-ground portions die back. The plant spreads primarily through abundant tubers and bulblets, each of which is ready to become a new plant once separated from the parent plant. The tubers of Lesser celandine are prolific and may be unearthed and scattered by the digging activities of some animals, including well-meaning weed pullers, and transported during flood events. It is difficult, but not impossible, to control invasive plants like Lesser celandine, and URWA is committed to stopping its spread (see our web site about efforts to stop the spread of invasive plants at http://www.cjisst.org/).

The preserve has been part of New Jersey’s Green Acres tax exemption program since 1990, and as is the case with all of URWA’s preserves, the Burnt Mills Floodplain is open to our members and the public for passive recreational purposes.  The preserve is used by fishermen, photographers, walkers, kayakers and people who simply enjoy observing the natural world.  We invite all of URWA’s members and friends to explore the site.  For directions, please visit URWA's web site at http://urwa.org/land/bedminster.html.

What is Happening to Our Bats? Find Out at URWA's Wake Up Call Breakfast Program on May 5th

Despite their spooky reputations, bats are tremendously helpful to people. All nine species of bats found in New Jersey are insectivores. They feed at night on flying insects, including mosquitoes. A single little brown bat can eat 3,000 mosquito-sized insects a night, and a colony of 150 big brown bats can eat enough cucumber beetles to save farmers almost a billion dollars annually in crop damages and pesticide costs!

Bats are fascinating creatures that are just beginning to be appreciated by the general population in our country. They are the only true flying mammals, and they use echolocation to locate and catch their prey. Bats are particularly vulnerable to pollution and pesticides, so their presence or absence can tell us a lot about the overall health of the local environment. Unfortunately, bat populations are declining at an alarming rate. As is the case with many species of wildlife, bats have been on the losing end of many real estate deals as native habitats have been transformed into homes, shopping centers, office parks and roadways for humans. In recent years, a new threat to bats has emerged.
In 2006, hibernating bats in a cave west of Albany, New York were found coated with a chalky fungus that caused them to interrupt their hibernation and burn up their fat reserves. Since then, the condition has killed more than 1 million bats in the Northeast. The U.S. Geological Survey has called the bat die-off "the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife caused by infectious disease in recorded history." The affliction has been named "white nose syndrome" due to the white fungus observed around the nose of some of the affected bats. Infected bats often emerge too soon from hibernation and are often seen flying around in midwinter. These bats usually freeze or starve to death.

MacKenzie Hall, a Biologist with the Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, will speak with interested community members about New Jersey's bat populations at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Upper Raritan Watershed Association on Wednesday, May 5th. She will also explain how residents can become "citizen scientists" by participating in summertime research to gather information about roosting areas. Information collected will help biologists document roosting locations and help to create a range map for some species of New Jersey bats.

URWA's  Wake Up Call Breakfast: What is Happening to New Jersey's Bats?  will take place on Wednesday, May 5th from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Jam Café, which is located at89 Main Street in Peapack.  The cost to attend is $15 per person, and includes breakfast.  Please contact Kate Deans at 908-234-1852 ext. 16 or kate@urwa.org to register.

Spring Bird Migration is Underway

There are many wonderful aspects of springtime -- the emergence of long-dormant plants in forests, meadows and gardens; the sounds of Spring Peepers and other frogs and toads calling one another in wetlands; the flowering of trees and shrubs that colors the landscape in shades of pink and white...  One that almost everyone counts as truly special is the re-appearance of birds that migrated south for the cold winter months.

Spring migration is well underway, and there are some great web sites that have been created to help people learn what species are travelling through any given area at a particular time.  These web sites also contain loads of intersting information about how birds use the stars and magnetic fields to navigate, how scientists (both formally trained scientists and citizen-scientists) track them, and what are learning from migration studies over time.

Here are a few of our favorite web sites about bird migration.  We encourage you to check them out!

Following Spring Migration 
This site from ENature includes maps that show the winter range of many birds, their migratory paths, and the dates when you might expect to see the first arrivals of each species in our watershed.

Clemson University Radar Ornithology Laboratory
This web site explains the work of CUROL and explores how radar is used to track birds as they migrate.

Migratory Stopovers
This site from the Chipper Woods Bird Observatory provides information about the importance of stopover sites, the places where birds rest and feed as they make their long journeys north and south each year.

Bird Migration on Nexrad
The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology hosts this site which allows you to track birds in real time or through a five day archive.

Woodcreeper
The folks at this web site are tracking bird migration over New Jersey using Doppler radar and a community of diehard birdwatchers.

Dim Your Lights and Support Earth Hour on Saturday, March 27th

Climate change is happening all around us and its pace is accelerating. From melting glaciers to increasingly intense weather patterns, climate change is already impacting life on Earth. Urgent action is needed now to save our planet for future generations.

Luckily, there is an easy action step all of us can take. In a bold statement of collective concern, millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour—Earth Hour—on March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time. We urge everyone to take part and support this effort by committing to turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour in their home and workplace.  Learn more about this effort at http://www.earthhour.org/.

At URWA, we’re taking our involvement one step further. We are taking a close look at actions we can take to operate more efficiently, waste less and reduce our environmental footprint. We encourage fellow organizations in this region to do the same. Earth Hour is the perfect time to reassess, recommit and take responsibility for our planet.

Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is the largest event of its kind in the world. In 2009, nearly one billion people from 4,100 cities in 87 countries turned out their lights, as well as international landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower and Great Pyramids, and the city skylines of Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv.

We have the power to make Earth Hour 2010 even bigger.

This is a critical moment for our planet. On March 27 at 8:30 p.m., let’s all turn out and take action.

Herbicide Causes Sex Change in Frogs

The herbicide atrazine, heavily used in agriculture, is once again being implicated in the sexual mutation and decline of worldwide frog populations. The most recent study conducted by University of California Berkley professor Tyrone Hayes seems to point to this herbicide as the definitive cause for male frogs developing the physical characteristics of females.

The 40 young African Clawed frogs in the test were exposed to a water environment that contained 2.5 parts per billion (ppb) of atrazine for three years. Seventy five percent were chemically castrated by the exposure. Ten percent of them grew to be females, and were able to mate with males, but because they were genetically males, all of the offspring were males. In a population, these genetically male females can wipe out a population because they skew the sex ratio so badly.

Over 80 million pounds of this herbicide are applied annually in the United States to corn and sorghum crops to control weeds and increase yields. This intense use makes atrazine the most common pesticide contaminant of ground and surface water according to various studies.

The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing its regulations on the use of the product. The European Union currently bans the use of atrazine. Several states are considering banning the product. Incidentally, the current standard set by the EPA for atrazine in drinking water is 3 parts per billion.

For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180882.php, or http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/03/01_frogs.shtml.

Watershed Association Helps Bernardsville Map Shade Trees

Communities across the nation recognize that a healthy and expanding tree canopy improves the quality of life for their residents. In addition to making streets, neighborhoods, parks and commercial areas more attractive and improving property values, shade trees lower energy costs as they help keep homes and other buildings cool in summer months. They provide privacy, emphasize views, and screen out objectionable views. They improve air quality by removing dust and other particulates and by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. They buffer high winds, absorb and filter stormwater runoff and stabilize soil. They provide food and shelter to native wildlife.

The Bernardsville Shade Tree Advisory Committee was created several decades ago by the Borough Council, whose members understood the value of the community forest long before it became fashionable to “go green”. The committee has been working ever since to promote effective stewardship of shade trees.

As part of the team now working to help Bernardsville achieve certification through Sustainable JerseyTM, the committee is responsible for recommending a municipal Tree Canopy Goal with a defined, measurable outcome in relation to historic data. Unfortunately, the committee did not have the type of data necessary to begin developing such a goal, so it turned to the Upper Raritan Watershed Association (URWA) for assistance.

URWA has been utilizing computer-based Geographic Information System technology to create, edit, analyze, manage and display spatial data for nearly two decades. The organization frequently works with municipalities, private landowners and conservation groups to analyze scientific data and produce maps to help them protect and preserve important natural resources.

For the Bernardsville tree canopy project, URWA’s GIS Director Melissa Mitchell provided an analysis of twenty years of data from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Land Use-Land Cover files. Ms. Mitchell then used the information to generate maps that depict the forest cover that existed in Bernardsville in 1986, 1995 and 2002. These “snapshots” and the data from which they were created have given the Shade Tree Advisory Committee the tools it needs to craft a goal for the expansion of tree canopy and measure progress toward the goal over time. Louis Matlack, the committee member who secured the pro bono assistance from URWA, has drafted a goal statement that will be considered when the committee meets on March 18th.

Start Thinking Summer (Camp)…

What better thoughts could be drifting through your head on a grey winter day than hopping on rocks to catch tadpoles in the warm summer sun?  Or finding a cicada, freshly emerged from its underground slumber, stretching its wings on a dewy morning in July?  Or watching a snapping turtle’s slow downhill descent back to the cool pond, after laying her eggs in the green grass near the barns?  Well, I don’t know about you, but just thinking about the summer goings-on of Fairview Farm is like soul-food for my cold, cabin-fever stricken self.

While these thoughts might seem way too cheerful and exciting for a February afternoon, they will be reality in just a few short months for all of the lucky nature explorers and adventurers that attend URWA’s Nature Day Camp program!  What a great time to start planning all of the scavenger hunts, stream walks, water races and nature crafts that we have in store!  This year will be full of all new activities for our campers, including raising monarch caterpillars, mushroom hunting and orienteering activities.  Probably the most exciting part about this year’s camp will be the free exploration time we’ve set aside for campers to tromp through the streams, forest and meadows with URWA’s trained Naturalists, looking for whatever nature has in store for us!

We are so excited to have expanded our day camp to include a session especially for “big kids” ages 10-12.  This is our new Pleasant Valley Mills Farm Camp, which will be at the farm of the same name along Roxiticus Road in Mendham.  In addition to the Day Camp Educators, every day we will be learning from the farm’s operators about how they take care of their animals and farmland.  We will also be exploring the habitat surrounding the farm which includes part of Patriot’s Path and a beautiful section of the North Branch Raritan River!  This is something brand new for URWA and we are sure that it will be so much fun!

One of URWA’s Nature Day Camp Educators this year is Suzanne Skrzenski, a graduate of East Stroudsburg University with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Biology. After college Suzanne worked at South Mountain YMCA Residential Camp in Wernersville PA as an outdoor educator for 3 years, and completed a full term of service in the Americorps Watershed Ambassadors program through the NJDEP.   She is now a substitute in the Phillipsburg School District and a swim coach at East Stroudsburg University.  She was one of URWA’s Nature Day Camp educators last year and we are so excited to have her back for another fun filled summer program!

Lauren Theis is URWA’s Stewardship Program Manager and will be the second Nature Day Camp educator for 2010.  She graduated from Cook College (Rutgers University) with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, and has been active in teaching extracurricular dance, art and Spanish classes in Mount Olive Township.  Just like Suzanne, Lauren completed a one-year term of service in the Americorps Watershed Ambassadors program through the NJDEP.  Since then, she has been organizing educational programs with scouts, families, volunteers and schools in our area through URWA’s Natural Science program.  She is so excited to be a part of Nature Day Camp this year and can’t wait for all of the adventures in store!

We hope you will join in the fun at URWA’s Nature Day Camp this year!  We invite you to stop by any time to explore Fairview Farm’s 170 acres of wildlife habitat, 5 miles of trails, bird and butterfly garden, and Nature Classroom.  If you have any questions or would like to sign up, visit URWA’s website at www.urwa.org, call Lauren Theis at 908-234-1852 x12 or email ltheis@urwa.org.

New Jersey Creates Plan to Keep Harmful Plants from Spreading

Last month the New Jersey Invasive Species Council completed a four-year effort to develop a plan to deal with the tremendous ecological and economic problems caused by the spread of invasive, non-native plants and animals across New Jersey. The threats posed to our state by invasive species are real: New Jersey suffers over $290 million in losses every year as a result of impacts from agricultural weeds and other pests. About 30 percent of the plants now growing in our state are not native. Plants including purple loosestrife and garlic mustard, which are widespread across our region, crowd out native plants and alter the composition, structure and function of ecosystems. Water chestnut and Eurasian water-milfoil are literally choking many lakes, ponds and streams right here in the Upper Raritan watershed.

The New Jersey Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species provides practical, science-based recommendations to delineate control measures for troublesome species, utilize an early detection/rapid response methodology to prevent the establishment of new invasive species, and restore natural and agricultural systems that have been damaged. Furthermore, the plan calls for better public education and improved coordination among government agencies and neighboring states.
This plan needs our support! The Upper Raritan region offers areas of extraordinary natural beauty, wildlife habitat, agriculture, and it provides clean drinking water for all of us who live here and more than one million residents in other parts of New Jersey. To protect and preserve the natural systems on which all this ecological and agricultural productivity is based, we must stop the spread of invasive plant and animal species. URWA recognized this fact a few years ago and recently co-founded the Central Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team with the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. The Strike Team represents our state's first comprehensive effort toward invasive plant management through a public-private partnership that is pooling its expertise and resources to reduce the spread of invasive plants. In its first year alone, the Strike Team detected 978 emerging invasive plant populations and eradicated 251 of them in the Highlands and Piedmont regions. The Strike Team’s 160 trained partners and volunteers also made presentations to civic groups, business associations and local leaders, reaching over 500 citizens with the message about stopping these plants before they degrade natural habitats and threaten biodiversity. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection cites our Strike Team as a model for what can (and should) be done state-wide.
Happily, implementation of the Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species will be budget-neutral over the next two years. All of the near-term recommendations it makes can be accomplished by staff already in place and resources that are available now. These recommendations call for the State of New Jersey to implement such common-sense measures as:

• Establish a permanent NJ Invasive Species Council
• Establish ongoing communication channels between NJ and neighboring states
• Pre-screen all new plants proposed for introduction to NJ
• Prohibit the sale of invasive and potentially invasive plants
• Fully implement the statewide deer management program
• Apply Early Detection/ Rapid Response methods to prevent new infestations

Of course, these steps will not resolve all the problems related to the spread of invasive species, but they’ll go a long way before additional staff and resources will be required over the longer term. Please encourage Governor Christie and his Cabinet to implement the NJ Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species. And, do your part – as you plan your spring and summer landscaping projects, make sure you do some research and avoid invasive or potentially invasive plants. You can get lots of great information about the plants that threaten our state and the ones that truly belong here on our Strike Team web site (www.cjisst.org).

Off Road Vehicle Legislation Update

For those of you who read the Off Road Vehicle article in this newspaper on January 14th, we have some good news to report from Trenton. On one of his last days in office, outgoing Governor Corzine signed into law the Off Road Vehicle (ORV) Legislation. If you are one of the many that called the Governors’ office to voice your support for this set of much needed regulations, “Thank you”.

Following are some of the positive features of the new law as we understand it;

• ORV’s must be registered and display license plates.
• ORV’s must be insured like automobiles.
• The penalties for riding on public lands, and private lands without permission have been increased.
• Fines for a first offense will range from $250 to $500, second offense, $500 to $1,000, and subsequent offenses at least $1,000.
• Damage to natural resources on public lands that require restoration, such as areas of rare plants, would bring fines of five times the cost of restoration.
• If the accused rider is younger than 17, the registered owner will be held liable.

Senator Robert Gordon, D - Bergin, primary sponsor of the senate bill, said “The penalties provision in the bill will assist DEP in strengthening enforcement and paying for natural resources damages caused by illegal off road vehicle riding”.

On the negative side, one feature of the law stands out: None of the above mentioned provisions of the new law will go into effect until the State establishes, on state land, a riding facility for the legal ORV enthusiasts. It could take a long time to find a suitable location for such a facility, when the interests of the environmental community and affected neighbors are considered.

AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors: A Free Service, Here for You

My name is Jeremy Carlson and I am the AmeriCorps Watershed Management Area 8 (WMA 8) Ambassador for 2009-2010. I graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a B.S. in Integrated Science, a concentration in Business Administration, and a minor in Psychology. I am currently enrolled as an Environmental Management graduate student at Montclair State University. I am also a member of the NY NJ Trail Conference and volunteer my time as a trail maintainer in the Pequannock Watershed. 

WMA 8 consists of the North and South Branch of the Raritan River. This watershed area is important as it consists of the headwaters for the Raritan River. Due to the two branches of this watershed, I can be found at either of these two locations: Upper Raritan Watershed Association (URWA) in Bedminster or the South Branch Watershed Association (SBWA) in Flemington. 

AmeriCorps is a free service funded by state and federal grants, whose purpose is to engage members in direct service to address unmet community needs. Also known as the Domestic Peace Corps, AmeriCorps found its genesis in 1993 with the signing of the National and Community Service Trust Act by former President Bill Clinton. Seven years later, in September 2000, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Division of Watershed Management began hosting the AmeriCorps program to raise awareness about watershed issues here in New Jersey. Through this program, AmeriCorps members are placed in watershed management areas across the state to serve their local communities and to monitor watershed health via visual and biological volunteer monitoring programs. 

AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors work with and train community volunteers to monitor streams, and are also available to make presentations to community organizations and schools. These interactive presentations provide information about water and watershed issues in New Jersey and thus educate students and citizens about watershed issues and empower them to get involved in their watershed. 

Watershed Ambassadors work with all sectors of society to improve the quality of New Jersey's waterways and therefore improve the quality of life in New Jersey. Overall, as explained by the NJDEP, the program works to improve water quality by exploring relationships between people and the environment, nurturing community-based environmental activities and empowering residents to make responsible and informed decisions regarding their watershed. 

So, what is a watershed? What is non-point source pollution? How can I help protect my environment? Being a Watershed Ambassador, I am here as a free resource to answer these questions and many more. I can present free and fun educational programs about our watershed or other related topics to school groups, scout packs, community groups, fairs, or individuals. I am also able to organize free community volunteer programs such as: stream monitoring, stream clean ups, or tree plantings for those who are interested. These free and fun services can be tailored to accommodate different aged and sized groups. Did I mention that my services are free and fun? 

In just the past five years of service, AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors have accomplished: 

• Over 2,500 educational watershed demonstrations in schools, civic organizations and the general public. 
• Over 2,400 visual assessments and over 1,200 biological assessments on local waterways. 
• Generated over 32,000 hours of volunteer community participation. The members have formed over 100 sustaining partnerships between local, statewide and national organizations. 

The AmeriCorps members also participate in national service including Make a Difference Day in October, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January, and Youth Service Day in April. 

I feel that in donating my time as an AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador, I am helping to make New Jersey cleaner and safer by educating people about the effects of point source and non-point source pollution. If you are interested or have any questions, please email me at JCarlson@urwa.org so we can make plans or discuss what can be done in your classroom or community group! I look forward to hearing from you! 

The AmeriCorps Pledge 

I will get things done for America -

to make our people safer,

smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together 

to strengthen our communities.

Faced with apathy, 

I will take action.

Faced with conflict, 

I will seek common ground.

Faced with adversity, 

I will persevere.

I will carry this commitment 

with me this year and beyond.

I am an AmeriCorps member, 

and I will get things done. 

Jeremy Carlson 

AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador, 2009-10 

Watershed Management Area 8 

North and South Branch Raritan River 

For more information visit: 

NJDEP - Watershed Ambassadors Program Website

Americorps' Website
URWA's Website

or email: JCarlson@urwa.org

Where'd Everybody Go?

There is something about falling snowflakes that seems to blanket the ground with silence. Hushed are all of the noisy crickets and spring peepers that fill warmer nights with sound. We know that many birds and insects migrate south for the cold winter months, some mammals hibernate, humans are buttoned up indoors, but where is everyone else?

Reptiles have always been a mystery to me – how do heterothermic animals, without warm rocks or sun for basking, make it through to spring? Some of them will do the normal burrowing below the frost line to just barely avoid freezing temperatures. However, I recently learned in an article by Rick Lathrop (Rutgers University) that some reptiles, like Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica) actually allow themselves to freeze when the temperature is low enough! Now this isn’t just reducing their body temperature by a few degrees - these are frog ice cubes we’re talking about! The usual problem with living cells freezing is that the expansion of the water will cause them to rupture, killing the cell. Rana sylvatica’s skin dehydrates first and then freezes. This cues the liver to send out sugars via the bloodstream to other parts of the frog’s body, acting as a sort of antifreeze and protecting its vital organs from damage. Wood frogs can go through waves of freezing and thawing throughout the winter, allowing up to 70% of their body to freeze for as long as a few weeks!



Thousands of years of natural selection and adaptation have given animals in North America a multitude of ways to survive cold winters. Sometimes, however, nature doesn’t cooperate. There has been a recent, and quite sad, occurrence in a member of the local ecosystem, which has rendered members of this species unable to survive the winter. Little brown bats, big brown bats, small-footed myotis, Eastern pipistrels and Indiana bats are the six species of bat that winter in New Jersey. These small mammals hibernate in habitats called hibernacula, created by abandoned mines, tunnels or caves (the largest being the Hibernia Mine in Rockaway Township, NJ). Unfortunately for these creatures, a cold-loving fungal disease called White Nose Syndrome has decimated their population by interrupting their hibernation cycles, a condition that was first noted in early 2007. Little understood but undergoing further research, White Nose Syndrome is believed to cause irritation to the bats’ snouts, waking them up from hibernation mid-winter, when there isn’t a sufficient insect population for them to feed on. (The photo below depicts some Little Brown Bats with White Nose Syndrome, and is by Al Hicks; New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation)

Even the animals that are active in the winter and have a consistent food source still have to make changes to survive the cold months. Many birds that winter in New Jersey, including Blue Birds, Dark Eyed Juncos, House Finches and Downy Woodpeckers, among others, have techniques to preserve body heat and find food when the temperatures drop. Black Capped Chickadees can be seen gathering and hiding seeds, berries and plant matter throughout the winter. They will hide each item in a different spot, and can remember thousands of hiding places. Since shivering can use up energy stored in fat reserves, Black Capped Chickadees will often enter a state of torpor, a short term reduction of body temperature and a slowing of the metabolism. They will go into torpor on the coldest winter nights, preserving their energy stores for foraging the next day. They usually will sleep in smaller tree cavities than they would in the summer, and will fluff up their feathers to insulate their bodies. When you see a ruffled looking Chickadee on your feeder in the morning, you’ll know that she was probably stuffed into a very small cavity with her feathers as puffed up as possible!



On cold winter nights I sure am glad to have a warm, comfy bed and electric heater, but you can sleep soundly knowing that the rest of the little creatures out there have methods of their own for keeping warm!

Here are some links to learn more about these winter survivors:
 

Black Capped Chickadee
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse_tax.aspx?family=39
 

NJ Bats and White Nose Syndrome
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/

NY/NJ Trail Conference Trail Walker, Jan/Feb 2010 Edition
http://www.nynjtc.org/trailwalker/2010/jf10.pdf