By Alison Mitchell, co-executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation
As many New Jersey birdwatchers can attest, bald eagles have gone from being nearly extirpated to becoming a fairly common sight. In the early 1980s, only a single nesting pair remained here. Thanks to a comprehensive restoration program and a ban on the pesticide DDT, New Jersey now has more than 250 nesting eagle pairs.
Peregrine falcons were once lost from the wild in all states east of the Mississippi River due to DDT. Through reintroduction and careful management, peregrines have been restored to many natural cliffs and have adapted to tall buildings in our cities. There are now more than 40 breeding pairs in New Jersey.
Challenges still lie ahead for some NJ animal populations
While bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and ospreys have made a comeback, other species are still struggling, including bats. Bat populations in New Jersey and beyond were decimated in the 2000s by white-nose syndrome, caused by a fungus in hibernation caves. ENSP efforts to help bats rebound include preserving land to safeguard important bat hibernacula and foraging habitat; installing gates to protect hibernating bats from human disturbance; informing residents and pest control companies about proper handling of bats in buildings, and using new techniques to study and monitor bats.
While the 50th anniversary of the Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act is an occasion to be celebrated, many challenges lie ahead, including climate change, invasive species, illegal collecting of rare wildlife, and roadway mortalities.
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The ENSP’s Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey, or CHANJ, program works to address habitat fragmentation caused by roads and developments, one of the greatest threats to many wildlife populations. Amphibians and reptiles are most threatened by roadway crossings, but mammals including bobcats are affected as well.
CHANJ aims to make New Jersey’s landscape and roadways easier for wildlife to navigate by identifying key areas and actions needed to achieve habitat connectivity. This project has led to the construction of tunnels beneath roadways to help wildlife pass safely between habitats; guided habitat preservation efforts; and enlisted volunteers to help provide safe road crossings during spring migrations.
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