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June 14th, 2013
RELEASE: June 14, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 24
We New Jerseyans are perpetually enthusiastic about preserving open space, farmland, parks and historic sites.
Thirteen consecutive times since 1961, citizens in this state we’re in have voted to fund the Garden State’s preservation programs. These programs have been hugely successful and have become a national model!
The most recent Green Acres referendum was in 2009, when voters endorsed a $400 million bond question. But that money has run out … every last dollar is either spent or allocated. Land preservation is about to slow to a crawl.
But New Jersey has not run out of land worthy of preservation – land that protects our drinking water supplies, grows our food and provides habitat for diverse wildlife are threatened. These are places of great scenic beauty, significant culture and history, and they provide valuable “ecoservices” like flood control and keeping our air clean.
In the current economic climate, it’s understandable that state officials are reluctant to take on new debt or add new taxes. But preserving critical natural lands and farmland now is a smart investment in New Jersey’s economic future and quality of life.
With that in mind, a proposal to use a small slice of the state’s sales tax revenue to fund land preservation is picking up bipartisan momentum in the state Legislature.
The New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee sent the proposal out of committee to the full Senate this week, and seven Assembly members signed as bill co-sponsors. A vote of the full Senate and Assembly is needed before the Legislature leaves for the summer on June 30.
If the bill is successful, a public question will go on the Nov. 5 ballot asking voters to dedicate 0.2 percent of state sales tax revenues – equal to a one-fifth of a penny of the current sales tax – to land preservation for the next 30 years.
Sales tax revenue has been growing steadily – by about $200 million a year for the last two fiscal years. Revenue growth is expected to continue, since New Jersey will also add revenues from Amazon.com sales starting in July, so the annual growth should cover the percentage to be dedicated to preservation programs.
The new funding won’t kick in until fiscal year 2015, giving the state plenty of transition time. The proposal does not call for an increase in the 7-cent sales tax. And should sales tax revenues drop in the future, funding for open space preservation would be reduced accordingly.
This sustainable source of land preservation funding is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed! New Jersey is the nation’s most densely-populated state, and the first projected to reach full build-out – the point at which all land is preserved, developed or spoken for.
To protect our drinking water, food, wildlife, natural beauty and history, and ensure public safety, we need to keep preserving critical lands. It’s truly a matter of health and quality of life.
Add your voice to the call to let voters decide! Please contact the Senator and Assembly members in your district and urge them to vote for SCR138. To find your legislators’ contact information, visit www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: environment, land preservation, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Legislature, sales tax
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June 7th, 2013
RELEASE: June 7, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 23
Many folks view politicians with a jaundiced eye, and there’s plenty of evidence to justify their cynicism. But that just was not the case with U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, who passed away this week.
Frank Lautenberg was a steadfast champion of the environment. During his 30 years in the Senate, he was at the forefront of cleaning up Superfund sites, promoting clean energy, advocating for green jobs, preventing offshore drilling on the Atlantic coast, and keeping our air clean.
His roots were in working class Paterson, and he never forgot them. He was known for looking out for the “little guy,” especially in public health. And to Lautenberg, protecting the environment was fundamental to protecting human health.
Lautenberg created the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge, and was instrumental in getting Paterson’s Great Falls designated as a National Historic Park and the Delaware River designated as a Wild & Scenic River.
The naming of the Frank Lautenberg Visitor Center in New York’s Sterling Forest State Park recognized his pivotal role in preserving a critical 22,000-acre Highlands property that protects drinking water supplies in New Jersey and New York. Without Lautenberg’s leadership, the pristine forest spanning the border between Orange County in New Jersey and Passaic County in New York would today be a new town of 35,000 people.
Lautenberg was a leading advocate in protecting the Highlands region, a source of water to 5.4 million New Jersey residents. He co-sponsored the federal Highlands Conservation Act, which sets aside funds to preserve land in a four-state region.
But there’s more!
If you love the Jersey Shore, you can thank Lautenberg for fighting for clean beaches and waters. He wrote the BEACH Act, a law to improve water quality monitoring standards and make sure the public is informed of problems. He worked to ban ocean dumping, and changed federal laws to fortify the hulls of oil tankers.
His landmark law that banned smoking on commercial airline flights led to other anti-smoking measures, all vastly improving public health. He wrote the Toxic Right to Know Law giving local communities information about harmful toxins released into the air by chemical plants.
Frank Lautenberg received a lifetime score of 95 percent from the National League of Conservation Voters! In contrast, the Senate average last year was 56 percent, and the House average only 42 percent.
Naturally, Lautenberg’s efforts were much appreciated by New Jersey’s conservation community. In 2001 he received a lifetime achievement award from the New Jersey Sierra Club. A few years ago, New Jersey Conservation Foundation presented him an award on behalf of the national Land Trust Alliance.
New Jersey will miss Frank Lautenberg, our state’s longtime environmental champion. We hope his successor will continue Frank’s legacy of fighting for the essential elements our state needs to survive – clean water, clean air, wild places and public health.
For more information about conserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: environment, environmental champion, Frank Lautenberg, land preservation, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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May 31st, 2013
Take a hike through any of New Jersey’s large state parks, forests or wildlife management areas, and at some point you’ll come across deep, muddy ruts and tire tracks, broken and smashed vegetation and, in some cases, stream banks and slopes churned into gullies.
These are not signs of habitat management, or rangers and maintenance crews on patrol. They’re the signature of illegal all-terrain vehicles, quads, dirt bikes, giant off-road trucks and other off-road vehicles (ORVs).
For those who love the outdoors in a natural state, illegal ORV riding is a growing nuisance. Ruts, tire tracks and loud engines detract from the enjoyment of scenic landscapes and what should be a peaceful nature experience.
For rare animals and plants, the damage can be devastating. A muddy tire rut can be a death sentence for a young reptile or amphibian, trapped in an overheating puddle with no food or refuge. ORV tires can spread disease vectors like the Ranavirus, which kills amphibians, from one state to another as infected mud is trailered cross-country.
As tires tear up virgin soil and plants and expose bare rock, invasive weeds are spread from forest edges deep into pristine habitats. Loosened soil flows down gullies, silting streams and ruining habitat for brook trout and other clear water species.
Rare plants, which were once prolific in the middle of old sand cartways in the Pine Barrens, have been wiped out as high-powered, 4-wheeled buggies known as “quads” have literally scoured most of the historic sand lanes. In fact, the pit and mound topography created by these machines has not only devastated roadside flora, but has made many roads impassable to emergency vehicles, making it harder for forest fire and emergency rescue personnel to keep public lands safe.
The opening of the first state-owned off-road vehicle park last winter, near Woodbine in Cape May County, was good news for ALL New Jersey outdoor lovers, not just those who ride all-terrain vehicles.
The Mount Pleasant ATV Park provides a safe place for law-abiding ORV riders, and its opening triggers new state requirements to help law enforcement authorities crack down on illegal riders.
Under a 2009 ORV law promoted by New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and others, the state Motor Vehicle Commission is now required to tag and register off-road vehicles.
The requirements will help authorities identify illegal riders without having to chase them. The law imposes stiff penalties for illegal riding on public lands, including fines and even confiscating vehicles from repeat offenders. Revenue generated by fines will be used for educational programs and training on the operation of ORVs, and restoring damaged lands. All riders under the age of 18 must get safety training certification.
Now that the ATV park in Cape May County is open, will ORV riders flock to the southern tip of New Jersey to ride legally, lessening the damage to our parklands? Only time will tell if this “carrot and stick” approach will work.
We’ve already learned that the “carrot” of creating legal places to ride doesn’t work by itself.
The Pinelands Commission let New Jersey Conservation Foundation test the idea for 10 years, allowing a responsible group of riders to run a non-profit ORV park at a former gravel pit. There were safe tracks for kids and beginners, a picnic area, and trails graded and watered to reduce dust. Federal motorized trail money was used to maintain the site. The safe, clean park accommodated virtually every kind of off-road vehicle.
Sadly, the park created more pressure on the surrounding state parkland, because some riders chose not to enter the park and pay fees and insurance.
But now the state has the “stick” of enforcement: the new registration and tagging law.
Consistent enforcement and education can reduce the environmental destruction caused by illegal ORV riding. And with the opening of the new Mt. Pleasant ATV Park, riders have a legal and safe place to ride. Hopefully, this combination will add up to a win for the environment.
For more information on damages caused by illegal ORVs, go to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance website at www.pinelandsalliance.org/protection/hotissues/ecological/offroadvehicles/.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: environment, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, off-road vehicles, ORV law, ORVs, outdoors
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May 23rd, 2013
RELEASE: May 23, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 21
Does food taste better when you grow it yourself? Try it and see!
If you’d like to grow fresh veggies and fruits but can’t or don’t want to have a garden at home, consider a community garden. They’re sprouting up in many places around the Garden State, providing fantastic spaces to test your green thumb.
“Community gardens” refer to sites – often on public land – where individuals can tend a patch of soil for the growing season, usually for a small fee. These gardens are often fenced to keep out critters, and water sources are usually provided. Some gardens even have picnic tables where gardeners can get acquainted and share tips on planting, weeding and watering.
The American Community Garden Association (ACGA) estimates that there are more than 18,000 community gardens in the United States. The exact number in New Jersey isn’t known, since there’s no single master list, but the ACGA website has about 800 listings for our state.
Community gardens range from small neighborhood affairs with a handful of plots, to big gardens with hundreds. Some have sprung up in vacant lots in urban areas, while others are located in park-like suburban settings.
Fresh, nutritious food is only one of the many benefits of community gardens. According to the American Community Garden Association, community gardens stimulate social interactions, build self-reliance, help families reduce food budgets, and provide recreation, exercise, therapy and education. In cities, community gardens preserve green spaces, beautify neighborhoods and reduce crime.
Samantha Rothman, one of the co-founders of Grow It Green Morristown, said fostering a sense of unity among diverse populations is one of the most important benefits of her organization’s garden, now in its fifth season.
“The food is great, but in my opinion that’s a byproduct,” Rothman said. “The real power is in people working the land together – it’s a bonding experience.” For that reason, she added, community gardens thrive even in rural areas.
Duke Farms in Hillsborough has one of the newest and largest community gardens. It opened two years ago with 210 plots and doubled in size in 2012. It’s open to local residents, and those who rent plots must follow organic growing practices. Duke also offers organic gardening classes to its gardeners.
Another new organic-only community garden is located at the Land Conservancy of New Jersey’s South Branch Preserve in Mount Olive Township. Sixty-nine new plots are available this year, and a volunteer garden committee will educate members about organic practices and organize fun events like potluck dinners.
Education is a common extra at community gardens. Local “master gardeners” often visit to provide free expert advice on everything from choosing the right seeds and plants for New Jersey’s climate to techniques for getting the best yield out of your plot.
Put down roots at a community garden near you this summer! To search for a community garden by zip code, go to http://acga.localharvest.org. If you know of a vacant lot near you and would like to start one, go to http://communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php for guidance.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: community gardens, environment, gardening, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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May 17th, 2013
RELEASE: May 17, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 20
Outside on a warm day, something buzzes past in a blur. A large bumblebee or sphinx moth, perhaps? How about a hummingbird?
With about 340 hummingbird species in the Western Hemisphere, only one – the ruby-throated hummingbird – is found in the eastern United States. And these glittering jewels of the avian world have arrived in New Jersey!
Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend their winter in Mexico and Central America and fly north every spring to breed. Their arrival in the Garden State coincides with the emergence of insects and blooming forest shrubs. Adults head south before Labor Day, and the newly-hatched juveniles leave by mid-September.
It takes sharp eyes to spot this tiniest of birds, but it’s incredibly easy to attract them to your backyard with brightly-colored flowers and nectar feeders.
Watching hummingbirds in action is a fascinating summer pastime. Hummingbirds are bold around humans and never fail to entertain with their acrobatic hovering and diving – and their comically territorial behavior, known as “hummingbird wars.”
Some facts:
Adult hummingbirds weigh little more than a nickel.
Their wings beat around 53 times per second, and they can hover and fly backwards. They get their name from the “humming” sound of their wings. They don’t sing melodious songs like a lot of our summer birds, but instead make distinctive chattering peeps.
Males are emerald green above, grayish-white below, with an iridescent patch on their throat that can appear jet black or gleaming ruby red. Females and juveniles don’t have red throats and their green coloring is not as bright.
Hummingbirds have thin, slender bills and are omnivorous. For protein, they “flycatch” mosquitoes and midges in mid-air, or pick spiders and caterpillars off leaves. Their heart rate goes from 4 beats per second at rest, to 20 beats per second while hovering!
To fuel all that flying, they sip sugary nectar from flowers using their long, hollow tongues that work like soda straws. They are critical pollinators for native plants with tubular flowers, and their high metabolism requires many times their body weight in nectar each day.
To attract hummingbirds, plant tubular flowers like trumpet vine, bee balm, lobelia, salvia, butterfly weed, petunia, hibiscus, mandevilla, morning glory and native coral honeysuckle.
Set up a feeder outside your window for maximum viewing pleasure. Many good feeders are available; most are colored red to grab the hummingbirds’ attention, and some have little perches to entice visitors to stay longer.
Mixing hummingbird food is simple. Add a quarter-cup of table sugar to one cup of water … but leave out the food coloring because it could be harmful to the birds. Hang the feeder in mid-day and afternoon shade. Clean the feeder and change the sugar water often, because it can ferment in summer heat.
If you’re really into hummingbird watching, share your observations with others. Each year, thousands of hummingbird fans track migrations, which helps researchers determine whether patterns are shifting due to climate change or other factors.
Project FeederWatch, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies of Canada, is one great site where you can report your spring hummingbird sightings – www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/. Another is www.hummingbirds.net, a website with constantly-updating maps showing the annual hummingbird migration.
For more information on identifying, observing and feeding hummingbirds, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website at www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ruby-throated_hummingbird/id.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, environment, feeders, hummingbirds, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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May 10th, 2013
RELEASE: May 10, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 19
Many things are perfect together. Wine and chocolate … movies and popcorn … shorts and flip-flops … New Jersey and you.
But some are not – like solar power plants and farmland. You might think they’d make a perfect pair, since flat, open farm landscapes have easy access to the sun’s renewable energy.
But New Jersey’s farmland is precious. This state we’re in has some of the best soils in the world and a climate that fosters fresh, local food. If we want to remain the “Garden State,” we can’t cover productive farmland with utility-scale solar facilities that could easily be built on less sensitive surfaces.
Fortunately, the Christie administration has made it clear that large solar arrays should not be placed on farmland. The state’s Energy Master Plan and the Solar Act of 2012 direct solar facilities away from farmland. And the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) recently reinforced this policy – all steps in the right direction.
The Board of Public Utilities recently reviewed 57 applications for utility-scale “grid-supply” projects on farmland. It denied 26, approved three, disqualified seven, and deferred action on the remaining 21. Hopefully, the BPU will turn thumbs down on the remaining proposals as well!
Solar power is a great resource, and our state should reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. But solar energy projects only make sense if they’re built in the right places.
Solar projects are either “grid-supply” or “net-metered,” and it’s the former that causes concern in this case.
Grid-supply systems feed electricity from typically large (utility-scale) solar arrays directly into the regional power infrastructure. Net-metered systems, on the other hand, power individual homes, businesses, public buildings … and even farm operations.
The owner of a net-metered system can receive retail credit for unused energy generated, but profit is not the main purpose. For this reason, state regulations prevent owners from sizing solar systems larger than what they need for their own electricity needs.
The Energy Master Plan – the administration’s guidance on energy policy – discourages the development of grid-supply projects on farmland and, instead, directs them to sites like brownfields, landfills, rooftops and parking lots. And the Solar Act says the solar industry shouldn’t harm the preservation of open space and farmland.
To date, our state has spent over $1.5 billion to preserve more than 2,000 farms covering over 200,000 acres. These lands – and other agricultural lands that could and should be preserved – are critical for our food supply and should not be covered by renewable energy projects.
Governor Christie and the Board of Public Utilities are headed in the right direction, and should follow through by denying the 21 remaining grid-supply projects targeted for farmland.
Speak up for farmland and send your comments to the Board of Public Utilities! Go to www.bpu.state.nj.us/bpu/about/contact/index.shtml. For more information on solar siting and sustainable land use, go to www.anjec.org/pdfs/SolarWhitePaper2012.pdf.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: agriculture, Board of Public Utilities, environment, farmland, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, solar energy
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May 3rd, 2013
RELEASE: May 5, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 18
It’s been six months since Superstorm Sandy pounded New Jersey, and summer is almost upon us.
Towns up and down the coast are preparing for Memorial Day weekend and the arrival of beach lovers, fisherman, surfers and boaters whose tourism dollars keep the shore economy ticking.
Many shore towns are still busy with post-Sandy repairs like cleaning debris from sand, helping businesses and homeowners recover, and rebuilding boardwalks. And they’re counting on receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal funds to replenish eroded beaches and build dunes.
With so many projects underway, now would be the ideal time for the state to address a critical issue, long overdue: public access. It’s time to make sure the taxpayers who foot the bill for beach improvements have access to those expensive strips of sand they’re saving.
Unfortunately, a state Senate committee just declined to insert language explicitly requiring public beach access into a bill that would establish requirements for a “shore protection project” priority list. Members of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee said they didn’t want any impediments to efforts to restore the shore.
Of course no one wants to delay the shore’s recovery. But there’s no common sense in maintaining the current system.
Public access to water and tidal areas is a right of all New Jersey citizens, but when it comes to enforcement, the state’s head has been in the sand. New Jersey has too many stretches of shoreline with few beach access points, limited parking near the beach, and no public restrooms. Public access means tourism dollars, which help local businesses with recovery.
The proposed bill would give priority to shore protection projects that provide or improve public access, but it doesn’t go far enough. As it reads now, the bill doesn’t explicitly link the shore protection funding prioritization to projects that create access.
It’s a disconnect that shouldn’t be allowed.
“We recommend that public access, and enhanced access, be a required component of the projects, in the same way the bill requires that ‘appropriate mitigation components’ be integral parts of the project before they can be considered for funding,” said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, a coastal conservation group.
Dillingham added that federal guidelines for funding contain similar language to ensure that projects are public in nature, and not private.
The beaches, ocean and tidal waterways belong to everyone. New Jersey should not miss this opportunity to make sure that all residents have meaningful access to the investments made with their tax dollars, and to catalyze the recovery of our shore economy.
Please contact your district’s legislators, and bill sponsors Senator Jim Whelan and Assemblyman John McKeon, and ask them to amend the bill (S2600/A3892) to tie state funding to beach access. To find your legislators and their contact information, go to www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, go to www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: beach replenishment, beaches, environment, funding, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, shore, Superstorm Sandy
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April 26th, 2013
RELEASE: April 26, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 17
If you looked for a list of the least exciting words in the English language, “infrastructure” would be near the top. Those four syllables can cure insomnia instantly.
But a new report on our state’s infrastructure, released on Earth Day, is an eye-opener and a wake-up call.
The report, “Facing Our Future: Infrastructure Investments Necessary for Economic Success,” describes how three of New Jersey’s crucial systems – water, electricity and transportation – are crumbling due to age and lack of attention.
A healthy economy needs clean drinking water, reliable power, good public transportation, and safe roads and bridges. Superstorm Sandy delivered a harsh lesson in how lives and businesses are disrupted when these systems break down.
“Our infrastructure has failed when communities lose power for hours or even days following cold, water or wind,” the report said. “Our infrastructure has failed when roads are pitted with potholes and when road congestion causes another missed dinner, softball game or recital, or extra hours in transit. Our infrastructure has failed when sewage bubbles up into the streets after a hard rain.”
Written by a bipartisan volunteer panel of former New Jersey government officials, the report cites the need for $70 billion to repair and modernize these infrastructure systems to avoid a repeat of the chaos and economic paralysis seen after Sandy.
This investment is crucial to our economic future. Either we pay now … or pay far more later.
While many of the report’s recommendations address “brick and mortar” – repairing and replacing asphalt, concrete, wires, pipelines and machinery – the report recognizes the important role of open space preservation.
Open space includes parks for people, and habitat for wild animals and plants – but it also provides a huge economic boost to the state by reducing the need for man-made water infrastructure.
For example, forested natural areas and open spaces act as giant sponges that capture, hold and gradually release rainwater into reservoirs. They also act as filters that help cleanse the water for drinking. “As a result, capital costs for filtration and treatment of drinking water are lowered,” the report said.
The same natural lands that hold and filter rainwater also prevent flooding and soil erosion during storms.
According to the report, New Jersey’s ability to remain economically competitive and provide reliable water supplies requires the purchase of lands that will maximize the natural protection of watersheds, and manage stormwater in developed areas.
Open space preservation, the report said, “requires at least $250 million over the next five years for the protection of watershed lands, which also supports stormwater management needs.” This level of investment, it notes, is consistent with recent studies by the NJ Keep It Green Coalition and other industry experts.
What the report didn’t say is that New Jersey is out of funding to preserve our open spaces. A $400 million bond issue approved by voters in 2009 has been spent or allocated, and the preservation pipeline has run dry. To continue to preserve critical lands in this state we’re in, we need a dedicated, long-term source of land funding.
To read “Facing our Future,” go to www.facingourfuture.org. The website contains both the full 43-page report and an executive summary. For more information about efforts to create a long-term source of preservation funding, visit the NJ Keep It Green website at www.njkeepitgreen.org and sign the sustainable funding pledge of support.
And for to learn more about preserving land and natural resources in New Jersey, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: "Facing our Future", environment, infrastructure report, land preservation, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, open space
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April 19th, 2013
RELEASE: April 19, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 16
The last time “Brood II” hatched, Bill Clinton was in the White House, Justin Bieber was in diapers, and there was no Google, Facebook, Twitter or Wikileaks!
Brood II are periodical cicadas (the genus Magicicada), the Rip Van Winkle of insects, which emerge only once every 13 or 17 years. This brood has been snoozing underground since 1996!
Within weeks – maybe by the time you read this – Brood II will be buzzing about and mating in the sky, ensuring that a new generation of nature lovers in this state we’re in can experience a magnificent spectacle.
It’s easy to see why these red-eyed flying bugs are called Magicicadas. They’re weird, fascinating and magical!
About the size of a shrimp, cicadas are known for their vast numbers and the shrill chorus males use to impress the ladies. Cicadas live most of their lives underground as nymphs, surviving by sucking fluid out of tree roots. But once every 13 or 17 years, depending on the brood, they emerge. In the space of a month, they transform into adults, reproduce and die.
Once out of the ground, cicada nymphs climb the nearest trees and shed their exoskeletons. Free of their old skin, their wings inflate with fluid, their new skin hardens and they’re ready to fly. The shed exoskeletons stay behind, clinging to tree trunks – crunchy, translucent shells of their former selves.
You’ll probably hear these cousins of katydids and crickets before you see them.
Males make a rapid click-click-click sound by flexing their tymbals, drum-like organs in their abdomens. Small muscles pull the tymbals in and out of shape, like a child’s click-toy, and the sound is amplified by the insect’s mostly hollow abdomen. Female cicadas make a less distinctive sound by flicking their wings.
Scientists aren’t sure why these cicadas appear in 17- or 13-year cycles. Some researchers think the timing may be a natural defense mechanism. After all, it’s harder for predators like birds and squirrels to anticipate a food source if it appears at infrequent intervals.
Another theory is that these long, odd-numbered life cycles help cicadas avoid parasites. A cicada with a 17-year cycle and a parasite with a two-year cycle, for example, would meet only two or three times each century.
We don’t know all the secrets of these fascinating creatures, but we can enjoy them during their rare visits! They don’t bite or sting, so it’s perfectly OK to pick them up. And, believe it or not, you can eat them!
To find out more about periodical cicadas, go to the Cicada Mania website at www.cicadamania.com. It includes maps of where they’re likely to emerge, fun facts about their life cycles and habitats, recordings of their song, videos, and even cicada T-shirts and other merchandise. If you have an adventurous palate, check out cicada recipes at www.newsdesk.umd.edu/pdf/cicada%20recipes.PDF.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: Brood II, bugs, environment, insects, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, periodical cicadas
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April 12th, 2013
RELEASE: April 12, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 15
It’s time to hit the trails and get “back to nature.” The benefits go far beyond pretty scenery and fresh air!
Recent studies show that exercising outdoors beats the gym hands down. Psychologically, people simply feel better after spending time outside. In studies, volunteers who exercised both indoors and outdoors said they felt more energetic, revitalized and engaged – and less tense, angry and depressed – after being outside.
And walking, jogging or cycling outdoors burns more calories than using a treadmill or exercise bike, because of terrain changes and wind resistance.
This state we’re in is full of great places to get fit and enjoy the fresh air. One of the best is the Batona Trail in the Pine Barrens, which was recently lengthened and improved. Now about 53 miles, it’s the longest trail in the Pine Barrens … and one of the longest in the entire state. The name Batona comes from the phrase BAck TO Nature – and that’s exactly where you’ll find yourself!
With its distinctive hot-pink blazes, the Batona Trail has something for everyone, from hard-core hikers to families taking a short stroll. Beginning at Ong’s Hat in Brendan Byrne State Forest and ending at Lake Absegami in Bass River State Forest, the trail intersects several main roads, making it easy to plan treks of different lengths.
As its name origin suggests, the Batona Trail is a nature lover’s paradise, traversing iconic pitch pine forests and passing cedar swamps and old cranberry bogs. Sharp-eyed hikers can spot bald eagles, barred owls, hawks, redheaded woodpeckers, Pine Barrens tree frogs, and pine and corn snakes. There’s a wide variety of Pine Barrens plants, including orchids, huckleberry, sundews, pitcher plants, pyxie moss and sand myrtle.
Along the northern stretch in Brendan Byrne State Forest, hikers can check out the Cedar Swamp Natural Area with its dense stands of Atlantic white cedar. A bit farther along is scenic Pakim Pond, which includes a picnic area.
Just to the south, the Batona Trail was recently rerouted through the Franklin Parker Preserve to provide a better woodlands experience. The new section is 7.5 miles long, and it added 2.5 miles to the Batona Trail’s overall length.
At the end of the new trail section is Apple Pie Hill – one of the highest points in the Pine Barrens at 205 feet above sea level, with a fire tower offering panoramic views. The long stretch of trail between Apple Pie Hill and Batsto Village is the “road less traveled,” meandering through some of the most pristine wilderness areas of Wharton State Forest along the Batsto River.
If you’re not familiar with the Pine Barrens, you might be surprised to learn there’s a memorial to a fallen Mexican aviator along the Batona Trail. Emilio Carranza flew nonstop from Mexico City to New York in 1928 on a peace mission. On his return flight, he crashed in the Pine Barrens. The monument – made from stone quarried in Carranza’s home town and paid for by Mexican schoolchildren – marks the spot of the crash.
Historic Batsto Village, once an ironmaking and glassmaking center, lies about two-thirds of the way along the trail. Here, hikers can see more than 30 historic buildings, including Batsto Mansion from the late 1800s.
The Batona Trail was created in 1961 by the Philadelphia-based Batona Hiking Club, which shares upkeep with the Outdoor Club of South Jersey. To learn about hikes sponsored by the two clubs, visit www.batonahikingclub.org and www.ocsj.org.
To view an online map of the Batona Trail, go to www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batona14web.pdf. Note: the map was created before the rerouting of the Franklin Parker Preserve section and a smaller southern section.
If you can’t get to the Batona Trail but want to exercise outdoors, try a trail near you. For a comprehensive online map of New Jersey trail locations, go to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org/recreation.htm.
Get out and enjoy the spring weather – and get healthy on our state’s trails!
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: Batona Trail, environment, exercise, fitness, hiking, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, outdoors
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