Posts by bee

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Shouldn’t a clean and healthy environment be a guaranteed right, as essential as the right to free speech or voting? That’s the idea behind the Green Amendment – a proposed addition to New Jersey’s state constitution that would guarantee every resident the right to pure water,…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Deer are pretty much everywhere in New Jersey. At first glance, their abundance might seem harmless, even welcome. But their numbers are fueling a complex and urgent ecological crisis that threatens our native forests and wildlife, as well as public health and safety. In many places…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation New Jersey may be one of the smallest states in the nation, but our natural heritage is anything but modest. Tucked between two bustling metropolitan areas is a landscape teeming with life – human and otherwise – a fact that’s echoed in our official state symbols.…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Have you ever spotted a striking bird with a bright orange-red bill and a loud, laughing call on the beach? That’s the American oystercatcher! A captivating shorebird native to New Jersey, the species was declining for years, but now it seems the population could be making…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation When we imagine local food, we might picture sun-ripened Jersey tomatoes or a table of produce at the weekend farmers market. But what about the bread for our sandwiches, the oats in our granola, or the flour in our Sunday morning pancakes? Grains are the foundation…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Photo (c) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, NOAA Research Permit # 594-1759 New Jersey’s marine mammals are in the crosshairs. Already struggling under multiple assaults, they are facing another blow. Recent federal budget cuts and rule changes promise to dismantle critical protections, endangering ocean ecosystems…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Summer in New Jersey is a magical time: young birds take their first flight, flowers bloom in profusion, and fireflies light up the evening after long days. It’s a time when we’re outside more, and many of us like to include our pets. They’re like family,…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Of the hundreds of fantastic outdoor places to visit in New Jersey, some of the prettiest are the state’s waterfalls. This state we’re in is a watery peninsula, surrounded on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and on the other by the Delaware River and Delaware…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation For thousands of years, before climate change started accelerating, New Jersey’s coastal marshes slowly regenerated through a harmonious process that deposited sediment from adjoining waters and kept the marshes elevated. But now, these natural areas are vanishing. Rapidly rising sea levels and erosion are causing marshes…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation For more than 100 million years, Atlantic sturgeon have navigated the lower reaches of the Delaware River. Now, with fewer than 250 spawning adults left, this population of large, iconic fish is dangerously close to extinction. Sturgeon have a storied history in the region. It may…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Forming one of New Jersey’s longest borders, the Delaware River has connected people and places for thousands of years. From Indigenous settlements and Revolutionary War battles to the rise of American industry, the river has been central to New Jersey’s story. The Delaware River Heritage Trail…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Looking to beat the summer heat? How about splashing around in creeks hunting for fossils? Fossiling is a hands-on, watery adventure perfect for friends and families looking to explore nature, get a little messy, and discover ancient treasures together. It turns out this state we’re in…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation You’ve probably noticed your electric bill going up, and wondered what can be done about it. More clean energy like solar and wind could help lower those bills – and help protect the environment – but it’s stuck in line. While New Jersey has been making great strides…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation The Jersey Shore is one of the crown jewels of this state we’re in. Think of the joys of spending a summer day at the beach! But our coastal paradise and the ocean that lies beyond is in peril. Sunday, June 8th is World Ocean Day, and…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Across the forests, riverbanks, and backyards of New Jersey, animals are building shelters that are marvels of engineering and ingenuity. Take a closer look, and you’ll find that some of our most familiar wildlife are master architects. Ever wondered who uses those large round leafy nests…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Before many of New Jersey’s forests started being cleared and drained for agriculture some 400 years ago – drastically changing the landscape of this state we’re in – Atlantic white cedar swamps were abundant. In fact, this distinct habitat once occupied half a million acres along…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation This year, we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission – a pioneering model of environmental preservation. Long before conservation was a part of public consciousness, a group of determined citizens banded together to stop the destruction of the Palisades cliffs along the Hudson…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Once there was a superabundance of horseshoe crabs; armadas of females blanketed the beaches of the Delaware Bayshore. Through the 1990s, New Jersey’s horseshoe crab breeding and coinciding red knot shorebird migration was a spectacular natural phenomenon. “On the sand, there were around 50,000 horseshoe crab…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation The second largest New Jersey wildfire in 20 years broke out in Lacey Township, Ocean County on April 22, 2025. Started by an illegal bonfire west of the Garden State Parkway, the Jones Road Fire burned over 15,000 acres of the Pine Barrens, including much of…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation For a brief but magical window in late April and early May, New Jersey becomes a crucial stopover for one of nature’s tiniest travelers: the ruby-throated hummingbird. As the only species of hummingbird that breeds in eastern North America, these dazzling little birds make an incredible…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation As we witness unprecedented efforts at the federal level to rollback regulations protecting our land, water, and air, it’s easy to feel powerless and lose sight of important opportunities to protect New Jersey’s environment through actions here at home. The battle to preserve the largest remaining…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Step outside and listen to the singing birds, admire the blooming flowers, or lean down and take a closer look at buzzing and crawling pollinators. There’s so much to see, hear, and take in – but why is spring such a time of natural abundance? It’s…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Ah, spring – and not a moment too soon. Gardeners major and minor are collectively dusting off their gardening gloves, pulling out rakes and clippers, and starting to dig! From potted plants on balconies to community gardens and backyard spaces, many of us love to get…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation From wave-surfing skates to iridescent shellfish to singing whales, the Atlantic Ocean is part of what makes New Jersey special. The aquatic wilderness that meets our shoreline is home to a cornucopia of incredible animals and plants. Many of our oceanic neighbors rely on one of…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Birds are amazing! From the vibrant colors and calls of songbirds to the majestic flight of eagles, these winged creatures have long been a source of wonder and inspiration. Birds evolved from dinosaurs about 150 million years ago, and have survived the great extinction events of…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Gathered round Martha’s Pond in New Jersey’s iconic Pine Barrens, students in Claude Epstein’s environmental science class were instructed to put down their notebooks and simply observe. Under a big blue sky, amid verdant grasses and patches of lily pads intertwined through soggy ground and rambling…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation The daughter of a vegetable farmer in upstate New York, Joanna Burger grew up observing killdeer nests and helping her father around the farm. When she got to high school, she found herself bored, which often led to trouble. “I was always being brought back by…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Sean Kane-Holland is on a mission to make parks and trails more accessible for everyone. As Access Nature Disability Advocate at Pineland Preservation Alliance (PPA), he has evaluated dozens of trails throughout the state for barriers to people with disabilities. Sean understands many of these obstacles.…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation To stand on the corner of Doremus Avenue in Elizabeth, New Jersey, is to breathe in some of the most polluted air in the country. Hundreds of vehicles drive to and from the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal and Newark Liberty International Airport every day. Nearby, the…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Planting a city tree that will flourish is no easy feat, but the City of Trenton and nonprofit partners are prepared to rise to the occasion, planting 1,000 trees over the course of the next year. A newly launched partnership, “Trees for Trenton,” is bringing that…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Of the many butterflies, none has captured our collective attention and awe over the years quite like the monarch. Will we finally protect them? Monarch populations in North America have rapidly declined, and in December, federal biologists proposed that the butterfly receive protection as a threatened…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation “Small is beautiful,” economist E.F. Schumacher argued in his notable 1973 collection of essays. That idea often holds true for green spaces in our more compact communities, where small places can make a big difference. Consider the mighty microforest! Forty years ago, botany professor Dr. Akira…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Recognizing the sophisticated nature of plants might just change the way we see the world. Zoë Schlanger, in her recent New York Times best-seller, The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth, wrestles with questions about an emerging and…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation New Jersey is small and densely populated, and the environment in this state we’re in is always in the crosshairs. From a climate perspective, things were pretty bad in 2024 as we experienced the hottest summer on record followed in October with the driest month.  We…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Lions? No. Tigers? None. Bears? Oh, yes! Black bears to be precise. New Jersey is fortunate to have a healthy population of these highly intelligent, impressive creatures that have been fascinating humans for thousands of years. So what are these furry neighbors up to round about…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Mothers and fathers work hard all year round. In the natural world, parents are constantly laboring to keep their young healthy and safe. This time of year in New Jersey, eggs are already on the way for some species of raptors. Great horned owls and bald…

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Happy New Year! During this time of rest and reflection, a walk in nature can bring clarity and refresh our spirits for the new year. New Jersey residents are lucky to have a variety of ecosystems to stroll through, and while Mother Nature’s gifts are abundant…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Season’s Greetings! For the last three years, I have served in the unique capacity of Co-Executive Director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation, most recently alongside my colleague Alison Mitchell. This is my final time authoring this column, as I transition from Co-Executive Director at the end…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation This time of year brings fireplace mantles, dinner tables, and storefronts donned with boughs of American Holly. The bright red berries and dark green, waxy leaves are symbols of holiday cheer and the wintery season upon us. We are not the only species that rejoices at…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation It’s no surprise that in many places – especially in a state as developed as New Jersey – animals need to cross highways to find food and mates, escape predators, make seasonal migrations between habitats, and find safe resting or hibernation sites. In recent years, a…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Despite recent precipitation, New Jersey remains under a drought warning. Rain and snowfall statewide have generally helped water supply conditions but the accumulations are not enough. While fire restrictions have been lifted statewide, we still need more precipitation. Since July, New Jersey has experienced well below-average…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation This time of year, the night can feel like it lasts forever. The winter solstice is around the corner (Earth’s shortest day of the year). The lingering nights can be difficult for many people. Luckily, nature’s got us covered — there is always beauty around to…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation November is National Native American Heritage Month – a time to recognize and honor the culture, traditions, and achievements of the original inhabitants of North America. New Jersey, like everywhere in the United States, has a rich and significant Native American history. From the land we…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Being in nature is beneficial to everyone, but it’s especially important for kids. They may prefer to stay on their screens but getting children to spend time outdoors matters. According to the Child Mind Institute, most studies agree that kids who play outside are smarter, happier,…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation. When we look out over rolling fields of farmland in this State We’re In, we often see beauty and bounty but are we looking at something that is actually good for Earth? Conventional farming has been successful as it rose to meet the needs of a…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering,” said Aldo Leopold, famed American conservationist-philosopher, referred to as “the father of wildlife ecology.” In plain terms, Leopold was telling us that the more we tinker with the natural world – its wild…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Every year, New Jersey is visited by thousands of migrating owls. From Eastern screech-owls to long-eared owls, a variety of strange sounds echo throughout forests around dawn and dusk. In fall, one particular TOOT-TOOT-TOOT whistle excites bird enthusiasts throughout the state: the sound of the Northern…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Across the world, precipitation events are changing our lives and the landscapes around us. The ocean is washing ashore in monumental storm surges and rivers are swallowing up roadways and homes. From Hurricane Helene to Hurricane Milton, we are all watching what happens when storms become…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director Twenty years ago, New Jersey made a critical investment in the future by passing the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act (Highlands Act). Governor McGreevey signed the Act into law in 2004, marking a major milestone in our state’s conservation and regional planning efforts. A companion bill at…

Photo: Alfalfa weevils, controlled by European wasps, can significantly reduce crop yield. By Allan Hopkins. By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director This time of year, with a summer’s worth of mosquito bites newly in the rearview, a reprieve from thinking about insects is probably welcome. But not to Marcello Mangano, director of the Phillip Alampi Beneficial…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director Mountains, cliffs, ridges, and rises…anyplace that can be climbed or offers a vista can inspire us! There’s way more than meets the eye at New Jersey’s highest points. A fascinating geologic history lies beneath these features. But where can you find them? The New Jersey Geological and Water Survey has…

by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director Birding is generally a low-key activity, but it can have competitive aspects. Many birders keep “life lists” of the species they’ve spotted, and some travel far and wide to add new birds to their tallies. During a “Big Day” of birding, participants race the clock by trying to identify as…

There are many bragging rights that come with living in this state we’re in — the Jersey Shore, an abundance of diners, perfect tomatoes — but resilience to climate change, unfortunately, is not one of them. New Jersey is warming faster than the rest of the Northeast and the world. Last year, a ranking of…

by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation If you missed the annual Big Tree Hunt put on by the New Jersey Forest Service this spring, the mammoth specimen you thought might be a contender is worth keeping an eye on. The event challenges New Jerseyans to find enormous trees; this year, a 100-foot…

If you’ve never been to an indigenous ceremonial stone landscape, think of it as an outdoor church. But don’t expect a steeple or pews. And don’t think of those who worship there as parishioners. Ceremonial stone landscapes are not cairns, exactly. Nor are they sculptures or effigies, stone rows or rock shelters. But they often…

by Jay Watson Swamp pink, in the lily family, has stunning good looks and a spot on both the federal threatened species list and the state endangered species list. What it does not have is the ability to use those attributes to advocate for itself. And therein lies the problem for the plant and others…

by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Swing by the Summit or Jersey City farmers markets later this month and, in addition to peaches, you’ll find strawberries for sale. Market regulars might raise an eyebrow at this: the choicest local berries generally start generating hankerings, and herds of buyers, in June. By August,…

The grass may be greener in the other fella’s yard, as the saying goes, but that neighbor is likely wasting a lot of water and applying harmful chemicals to keep it that way. Lush green lawns might be better for the environment than pavement, but their upkeep comes with heavy costs – the non-native species…

by Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation For the climate conscious among us, concerns about the coastline in this state we’re in ramp up with the arrival of tropical storm season each August. You don’t have to be a worry wart to wonder how our beloved shore towns will fare in the face of…

by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation The canopy of trees in this state we’re in is not evenly distributed – the proof is a click away, at American Forests’ Tree Equity Score website, where punching in a ZIP code shows you how tree-abundant your town is compared with other communities. Cities generally…

by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Where have all the bag trees gone? Next time you’re on a walk through the neighborhood, look up. You probably won’t see flimsy bags with looped handles fluttering against the blue of the midsummer sky the way you used to. Gov. Murphy’s 2020 law banning stores…

by Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Ever heard of the State Wildlife Action Plan – or its more common name, “SWAP”? The same way a budgeting app lets you know you’re spending too much and should start saving now so you don’t starve later, a SWAP compels state leaders to compile a…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation If it’s true there are no second acts in American lives, as F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote, ospreys never got the memo. The raptors, once endangered in New Jersey, still perch uneasily on the state’s list of threatened species, but they’ve staged an impressive comeback since…

by Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Anyone who invests a springtime in coaxing flowers, fruits, or vegetables out of the ground in this state we’re in will develop a healthy respect for plants. Despite our efforts to tame what grows in our gardens, plants have a way of advancing their own agendas.…

by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director People all over this state we’re in look forward to the early days of July. From sand sculpting contests at the shore to Independence Day fireworks high over the Hudson and Delaware, summer celebrations ramp up as June starts to position itself in the rearview. But you could be forgiven…

by Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director On a sunny Monday morning this month, Christine Parauda was up at dawn thinking about spinach. Lots of people eating spinach. What sounds like a first-grader’s nightmare is for Parauda, the LocalShare coordinator at the nonprofit Foodshed Alliance in Hope, NJ, the ideal way to start the day. By 10…

by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director Make a wish before blowing on a dandelion, some say, and the confetti of airborne seeds might give your wish liftoff. Or you might just end up with a new batch of dandelions to wish on later. Neither outcome would be bad. Though the yellow-flowered masters of survival that show…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director In the movie Field of Dreams, a struggling Iowa farmer hears a voice whispering, “If you build it, he will come.” Acting on a vision, he turns a cornfield into a baseball diamond. The ghosts of old baseball players visit, as well as the farmer’s late father. But the film…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director When you think of “mighty” animals, a few that may come to mind are lions, tigers and bears (oh my!). The oyster is probably at the bottom of the list. But did you know that one adult oyster can clean 50 gallons of contaminated water a day? And that colonies…

By Tom Gilbert, Co-Executive Director If ever there were creatures with the power to make a summer night magical, it would be fireflies – also known as lightning bugs. Watching fireflies twinkling amongst the backdrop of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees on a warm summer night is a mesmerizing and awe-inspiring experience. These bioluminescent beetles use…

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director Even in the nation’s most densely populated state, most people have tales of close encounters with wildlife – often while behind the wheel. Maybe they noticed an interesting creature passing through their neighborhood or backyard, or they stopped to help a turtle cross the road, slammed on the brakes to…

George Washington slept under one. Lenape chiefs met with New Jersey’s first governor under another. Barefoot country folk pulled on shoes in the shade of yet another before entering church. Famous New Jersey poet Joyce Kilmer was inspired by one. Another is named after movie character Forrest Gump. You guessed it – they’re all large,…

By Michele S. Byers, Executive Director, 1999-2021 “Think globally, act locally” is a motto used for years to encourage local action on environmental problems. Seventeen-year-old Sonja Michaluk has been thinking globally and acting locally since she was a six-year-old monitoring streams for water quality in her hometown of Hopewell Township. And the Carnegie Mellon University…

When you hear “down the shore” in New Jersey, you probably think of the Atlantic coast beaches. But this state we’re in has another coast: 52 miles of shoreline along the Delaware Bay in Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties. This other coast along the Delaware Bayshore has a slow and relaxed pace. It’s a…

If you are lucky enough to walk on the beach this summer, you may notice a plant that looks like spinach growing in the bare sand, apart from sea grass and other dune vegetation. Don’t step on it! It could be the rare seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) that’s making a comeback in New Jersey. It’s…

A trip to the supermarket – or a local farmers market or farm stand – offers a dazzling array of fruits and veggies. Which should you pick? If you’re looking for the healthiest choices, head straight for the organic section! Organic foods are those grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers, as well as other…

New Jersey’s amazing geological diversity supports a wide variety of native plants and animals. Many of them are endangered or threatened – that is, in danger of vanishing from New Jersey or, in some cases, becoming extinct. While this state we’re in has laws protecting endangered and threatened animals, plants have little protection. “The public…

Many things improve with age, like wines, cheeses, friendships, antiques and leather boots. How about forests? It turns out that new research shows aging mature forests improve too. They are better at storing carbon and are more resilient to climate change than young forests. They also protect native animal and plant species that need large…

You might think kudzu – jokingly referred to as “The vine that ate the South” – is an exotic sport! But it’s a fast-growing, highly invasive vine. And it is spreading into this state we’re in and beyond. Michael Van Clef, director of the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team, said about 36 populations of…

Around the globe, climate change is leading to increased ocean temperatures and more acidic water. The impact on fish and the fishing industry is enormous. The problem is especially troubling in the waters off New Jersey and the Atlantic coast. “Here in the northeast, the water is warming faster than almost any place in the…

Driving through a garden usually isn’t a commuter experience, but drivers on the Atlantic City Expressway will see colorful patches of native flowers along the sides of the highway! Though the wildflowers are beautiful, it’s not all about appearance. The wildflowers are new habitat for New Jersey’s struggling insect pollinators, like bees and butterflies, which…

Spring is here and this state we’re in is greening up. Flowers are popping, bees are in action and buds are swelling. But in the midst of this long awaited renewal, party-crashers are lurking. One uninvited guest is the spotted lanternfly, an invasive bug that feeds on a wide range of trees, plants and crops,…

Technology has taken over our lives. It’s turned many of us into couch potatoes. But technology can also entice us off of the couch and into the great outdoors. One great example is geocaching, which pairs hiking and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to create a modern-day treasure hunt. All you need is a smartphone,…

One of the greatest advocates for protecting the New Jersey Pine Barrens is someone who never lived there. But Candace McKee Ashmun – better known as Candy to an enormous fan club of friends and admirers – is one of the most ardent defenders of the natural beauty and wildlife of the Pinelands, 1.1 million…

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” is an American tradition, but the tradition actually dates back to prehistoric times. Roasting chestnuts is a big part of Italian holidays, and chestnuts are an important food crop in Asia and southern Europe. The chestnuts we roast these days don’t come from our native American chestnut trees that…