Pinelands National Reserve: Endangered species are big concern

June 25, 2007

By RICHARD PEARSALL
Gannett New Jersey
rpearsall@courierpostonline.com

New Jersey's vast Pine Barrens, an area that covers roughly one-fifth of the state, have been protected by state and federal law for more than 25 years.

But that does not mean its threatened and endangered animals are in the clear, breathing and breeding easy.

Habitat continues to be lost to development, and development is not the only problem.
Threats as universal as global warming and as local as poaching also beset the rare animals in the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve.

"People are spoiled by the bald eagle story," said Emile DeVito, a naturalist with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. "They think if we can save an eagle, we can surely save a salamander or a snake. It's not necessarily so."

While some rare species in the Pinelands, such as the iconic Pine Barrens Tree Frog, are doing well, others, like the timber rattlesnake, are not, and the list as a whole has remained virtually static.

About the best that can be said, said Robert Zampella, chief scientist for the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, the state agency that oversees the Pinelands Reserve, is that "things are a lot better than they would have been if there had not been a Pinelands plan."

The state lists 32 endangered or threatened animals living in the Pinelands, ranging from the bobcat, the sole mammal on the list, to the Eastern tiger salamander, one of nine reptiles and amphibians.

The list includes 21 birds, led by the bald eagle,

and one fish, the shortnose sturgeon.

The status of the Pine Barrens Tree Frog has improved enough to be moved from the "endangered" list to that of merely "threatened."

"I don't think we have more tree frogs," Zampella said, "it's just that they are less threatened now."

Like several of the endangered or threatened species found only in the Pinelands, the tree frog remains on the list because its geographic possibilities are so limited, said Dave Golden, a senior zoologist with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

There also are species on the brink of disappearing altogether.

"The timber rattlesnake is truly a very rare species in the Pinelands," Zampella said.

"In huge trouble," DeVito said of the snake, in part because of its range.

"There's increased auto traffic on all the roads," including protected areas, DeVito noted.

With a species with as low a birthrate as the timber rattlesnake, DeVito said, a few traffic kills can make a big difference.

Ironically, part of the timber rattlesnake's "failure" may be due to another endangered species' success.

"The barred owl is definitely on the increase because wetland forests are getting older," DeVito said.

DeVito has found rattlesnake skin in the droppings of the barred owl.

"Overall, the Pinelands is doing well because it has prevented development over such a large area, particularly the preservation area," said Carleton Montgomery, the executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, when asked about endangered species.

But he added some caveats.

When the master plan was drawn up 25 years ago, he said, people didn't know where all the populations of rare species were living.

The Pinelands Commission is studying the entire area, small section by small section, with an eye toward recommending changes in zoning, Zampella said.

"If there's a growth area that looks like a preservation area, the commission may want to change that," Zampella said.

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