NEW JERSEY

Black duck

Sanderling

“Waterfowl and shorebird populations have increaseddramatically,” noted Paul MeCouch of Eagle Manor Farm following therestoration of 50 acres of estuarine wetlands and 23 acres of uplands onhis Salem County property.

Mr. MeCouch is one of the hundreds of landowners in New Jersey whohave joined with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore fish andwildlife habitat on their lands. Through its innovative Partners for Fishand Wildlife Program, the Service provides technical and financialassistance to help landowners like Mr. MeCouch restore important fishand wildlife habitat in their own backyard.

Introduction and GeneralDescription

The inception of the Partners forFish and Wildlife Program in NewJersey began in 1991 and has beengrowing at a steady pace eversince. In New Jersey the programhas focused on restoring severaltypes of habitats includingwetlands, uplands, and riparian(streamside) areas. The Partnersfor Fish and Wildlife Program issuccessful in New Jersey becauseit is a pro-active, voluntary cost-share program that builds on thestrength and interest of committedindividuals and organizations toaccomplish shared conservationgoals.

New Jersey ActivitiesU Wetland restorationU Grassland restorationU Riparian fencingU Riparian plantingU BioengineeringU Restoration of threatened and endangered species habitatU In-stream restorationU And other activities.

Habitats of SpecialConcern

Currently, we are focusingrestoration of fish and wildlifehabitat in the following regions: Delaware Bay, Pinelands,Highlands, Barnegat Bay, andwithin the watershed of the fiveNational Wildlife Refuges locatedin New Jersey. In addition, thePartners Program has worked withother groups to clear invasivespecies from threatened bog turtlehabitat and stabilized erodingstreambanks to restore waterquality in threatened swamp pink(an aquatic plant) habitat. TheProgram concentrates onconstructing these projects througha wide variety of funding sources,with a typical cost of $5,000 to$10,000 per project.

Threats

Lost Habitats

New Jersey annually loses about10,000 acres of rural land todevelopment. Much of this "lost"land becomes piecemealdevelopment (suburban sprawl). Many of the State’s natural

resources have been greatlydiminished or degraded as thelandscape has changed to providefor agriculture and urbandevelopment. New Jersey has lostmore than half of its wetlands,some 584,000 acres. In addition,numerous dams continue to blockfish movement, miles of stream arechannelized, and numerouswetlands remain grid ditched fromformer mosquito control activities. As these areas changed, so did thefish and wildlife populations thatrelied on them; leading to declines

An upland reforestation projectin progress.

Streamside fencing at a dairyfarm.

6-acre wetland restoration.

in waterfowl, grassland nestingbirds, anadromous fish, and forestdependent species.

Conservation Strategies

Wetlands The focus on wetlands is the resultof the importance that these areasplay in the lives of so manyFederal trust resources, such asmigratory birds and anadromousfish. Restoration in estuarine(brackish) wetlands is focused oneliminating invasive species suchas common reed (Phragmitesaustralis) and restoring tidal flowsto disturbed wetlands. Restorationin freshwater wetlands focuses onrestoring hydrology to formerlydrained wetlands and restoringnative plant diversity. Forexample, drainage tile is brokenand small berms and ditch plugsare constructed to keep the waterfrom draining off the site. Inaddition, wetland restoration caninclude planting a diverse array ofbeneficial wetland plants; creating micro-topography (littlehills and swales); establishinggroups of small seasonal wetlands;and, restoring important uplandbuffers adjacent to the wetland. The cost for this restorationaverages about $850 per acre.

Wetland restoration projects havefocused in the Delaware Bay,Great Egg Harbor River, MullicaRiver, and the Upper Delaware

River watersheds. The DelawareBay beaches and marshes arecritical to millions of shorebirdsduring spring and fall migration.The Barnegat Bay and adjacentAtlantic coast tributaries supportmost of the wintering AtlanticBrant on the Atlantic Coast. TheUpper Delaware River Ridge andValley Province providesimportant habitat for raptors andgrassland nesting birds. Inaddition, New Jersey has five National Wildlife Refugesoperating throughout these focusareas.

Uplands

The decline of grassland nestingspecies such as bobolink andeastern meadowlark is directlycorrelated with the decline ofgrasslands in the Northeast. The Partners Program in New

Jersey has lead the way byobtaining the first native grassseed drill (i.e., custom-built seedplanter that can be pulled behind atractor) to work on private lands inthe State. The Partners Programnow has two grass drills operatingwithin the State to establish nativewarm-season grasslands. Othergrassland management techniquesinclude mowing, burning, plantingboth warm-season and cool-seasongrasses, and removing invasivespecies. The Partners Programalso implements reforestation

projects particularly in areas whereforest areas have been fragmentedby development or agriculture. Costs for this work averages about$400 per acre. Streams and Riparian Areas

Streams and riparian (streamside)areas support fish, waterfowl,shellfish, amphibians and manyother species comprising a diverseaquatic community. Onerestoration technique that is costeffective and valued by naturalresource advocates, as well as farmgroups and landowners, isstreambank fencing. The PartnersProgram purchased equipment andprovided labor to protect streamsfrom grazing livestock. Alongwith sediment and nutrientreduction in the stream, excellenthabitat is provide for both fish andwildlife. The landowner benefitsfrom having a quality fence to useas part of a rest-rotation grazingsystem that allows the profitableyet wildlife friendly use of theland.

In addition, the Partners Programreestablishes riparian buffersthrough tree and shrub planting onfarms. Many riparian areas ofNew Jersey are mowed grass to theriver or stream edge. Thesewooded riparian buffers providecritical wildlife habitat and can

A prescribed burn to controlcommon reed.

Installation of bioengineeringstream bank erosion controls.

drastically improve water qualitythrough erosion control, nutrientretention, and cooler summerwater temperatures, which isimportant in trout productionwaters.

In-stream work concentrates on theconcept of natural channel designthat reduces sediment, improvesfish and wildlife habitat and cost-effectively creates a stable stream. In addition, this type of restorationprovides habitat and cover instreams for fish. In-streamprojects typically cost between $20 and $50 per linear foot ofrestored stream, depending on therestoration requirements.

Invasive Species

Common reed, while native inorigin, is believed to have cross-bred with a European genotypemaking it more invasive andaggressive. Common reeddominates many wetlands alongthe Delaware Bay and AtlanticCoast Bays. This invasive species

forms dense uniform standsreducing fish and wildlife use ofthe wetlands and altering the waterregime and nutrient exchange ofestuarine wetlands. The PartnersProgram has worked withlandowners to control this invasivespecies through limited herbicideapplication, burning, andhydrologic modifications toencourage tidal flooding of the saltmarsh. The hydrologicmodifications through the use ofditch plugs and open marsh watermanagement are critical todiscouraging the return of commonreed and encouraging thereestablishment of beneficial saltmarsh vegetation. The PartnersProgram has been successful atreducing the coverage of commonreed and restoring fish and wildlifeuse of degraded salt marshes.

Purple loosestrife, a Europeanwetland plant, has invaded manywetlands in northern New Jerseyto the point of being the dominantplant in many wetlands. This plantout competes most native species, reducing the plant diversity andkeeping native wetland plants thatprovide important food and coverfor wildlife from proliferating. The Partners Program has workedwith the New Jersey Departmentof Agriculture to release beetlesthat feed only on loosestrife, whichstresses the plant and reduces itsvigor so native plants can bettercompete. The Partners Program isalso working with the New JerseyEndangered and Nongame SpeciesProgram to control purpleloosestrife on private lands thatprovide habitat for the federallythreatened bog turtle.

Cost for invasive species projectshave ranged from $200 to$1,000 per acre.

Outdoor Classrooms

The Partners Program has workedwith schools, county parks, and municipal parks in New Jersey torestore wetlands, grasslands, andriparian areas that are used inconjunction with environmentaleducational programs. In addition,Partners staff frequently providepresentations and "hands on"restoration at these sites to teachabout the biological values ofthese habitats. The PartnersProgram leverages funds withmany other sources to implementthese projects, which typically costabout $5,000 per project.

Farming for Wildlife and Profit

In addition to habitat restoration,the Partners Program alsoimproves the effectiveness of theconservation provisions of theDepartment of Agriculture byproviding the technical expertiseneeded to evaluate which projectsare best suited for fish andwildlife, demonstrating as well asrecommending management andrestoration techniques andproviding data that lets the Federalfunds be used most effectively. This relationship combines themore extensive funding of theDepartment of Agriculture withthe biological expertise of thePartners Program in order tobenefit the public.

The Partners Program recognizesthat agricultural lands are morevaluable to wildlife than urbandevelopment and works withagricultural producers, the NaturalResource Conservation Service,

A fish ladder on the Cooper River.

Landowner receiving a Certificate ofAppreciation.

and the State of New Jersey to keep farms botheconomically and biologically productive. Thespecial expertise of Partners staff provides regular andimportant technical assistance to the USDA in the

administration of the various USDA conservationprograms.

Partners

Natural Resources Conservation ServiceFarm Service AgencyU.S. Coast GuardSouth Jersey Resource, Conservation & DevelopmentNorth Jersey RC&DNational Fish and Wildlife FoundationNew Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionNew Jersey Department of CorrectionsNew Jersey Department of AgricultureNanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians of New JerseyRamapough Lenape NationAtlantic County Department of Parks and RecreationCamden County Parks Department Morris County Public WorksSomerset County Park CommissionOcean County Planning DepartmentWarren County Fair GroundsOcean County Mosquito Extermination CommissionCape May County Mosquito Control CommissionHackensack Meadowlands CommissionCape-Atlantic SWCDGloucester SWCDHunterdon SWCDCity of Port RepublicBorough of OgdensburgBedminster TownshipBloomfield Board of EducationMendham TownshipBerkeley TownshipGreenwich Township

Tewksbury TownshipOld Pine Farm Natural Land TrustSouth Jersey Land TrustNatural Land TrustHarding Land TrustPhillipsburg Riverview OrganizationRidge and Valley ConservancyWhittemore Wildlife SanctuaryKeep Conservation FoundationFish America FoundationFriends of Rockaway RiverFriends of Clarks PondBoy Scouts of AmericaNew Jersey Conservation FoundationThe Nature ConservancyDucks UnlimitedDelaware RiverkeeperAudubon SocietyTrout UnlimitedNational Turkey FederationAmeriCorpsNew Jersey Youth CorpsLogan Generating CompanyIntraWest, Inc.Atlantic City Country ClubAccomplishments

< 465 landowners have been visited by Partners staff< 158 landowners have had projects completed < 3,856 acres of wetland habitat restored< 339 acres of upland habitat restored< 12 miles of riparian habitat restored < 12 miles of stream opened for fish passage< 2 educational facilities have restored wildlife habitats and are used as outdoor classrooms

Great egret

Before: Drained wetland.

After: Restoration of 2 acres of wetland.

Future Needs

< Restore or enhance 150,000 acres of salt marshwetlands, primarily in the Delaware Bay and AtlanticCoast Bays to improve habitat for waterfowl,shorebirds and wading birds. Commercial fishing,sport fishing, bird watching and other uses thatdirectly benefit from wetland restoration, generate $40 million annually in the Delaware Bay area.

< Restore or enhance 10,000 acres of uplands throughgrassland restoration or reforestation particularly in theCape May Peninsula, to provide critical stopoverhabitat to migrating birds.

< Restore, protect, and enhance 2,000 miles of streamhabitat, particularly in the Highlands Region toimprove trout production waters.

< Provide access to 1,000 miles of riverine habitat(areas along or within large rivers), for anadromous(migratory) fish along the Delaware and Atlantic CoastBays by removing fish barriers or constructing fishladders.

< Improve federally listed species habitat in NewJersey, particularly for the federally threatened bogturtle and swamp pink (New Jersey has more than 70 percent of the known swamp pink sites).

< Work with 100,000 private landowners across NewJersey to improve habitat on their property.

Eric SchradingPartners for Fish

and Wildlife ProgramU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceNew Jersey Field Office927 North Main Street, Building DPleasantville, New Jersey 08232609 646-9310 (Fax) 609 646-1456

July 2001

CONTACT

Partners for Fish and Wildlife

New Jersey Location Map