Did You Know? What’s Planned For the Future of Our Neighbor ---- The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge?

by Jim Northrop

The panoramic landscape at the Great Swamp National
Wildlife Refuge. Credit: A. Kaufman, 2011

In 1997, Congress began requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and an environmental assessment (EA) for each federal wildlife refuge program. Each CCP/EA was to be revised at least every 15 years. The CCP is a strategic plan guiding management for each respective refuge. A draft of the CCP/EA for the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was published for public review and comment on May 14, 2014. The USFWS will accept comments and suggestions on the plan until June 27, 2014.

Click here to review the complete CCP/EA draft plan for the Refuge.

The 7,768-acre Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was set aside in 1960 primarily as a sanctuary for migratory birds. However, the Refuge is much more than that. It contains forested wetlands, emergent wetlands, and various successional stages of upland vegetation, provide habitats for a diversity of wildlife species.

What’s the Plan?

In fact, at this “draft” stage there are four alternative plans proposed, each with a different emphasis. The merits of each alternative plan will be outlined and discussed at two public meetings scheduled to take place in June. All members of the public are invited and encouraged to provide comments and suggestions at one of the following meetings:

June 11, 2014, 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Chatham Township Municipal Building
58 Meyersville Road
Chatham, New Jersey 07928
Click here for a map and directions.

June 12, 2014, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Long Hill Township Municipal Building
915 Valley Road
Gillette, New Jersey 07933
Click here for a map and directions.

Each Alternative Plan Has A Different Focus

Alternative Plan A --- Continue Current Management Priorities and Activities
(No changes required --- Plan A serves as a baseline for comparing Alternatives B, C, and D)

• Habitat Management: Maintain a diversity of habitats, including wetlands, about 500 acres of impoundments, 700 acres of grasslands and scrub-shrub, and forest.
• Visitor Services: Continue to support environmental education, interpretation and wildlife observation, hunting and photography. Maintain the annual five-day deer hunting season, 1.5 miles of boardwalk with three observation blinds, and wilderness trails. Also offer appropriate, compatible non-wildlife-dependent uses including horseback riding, jogging, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, virtual geocaching, and dog walking.

Alternative Plan B --- Enhance Biological Diversity and Public Use Opportunities

• Habitat Management: Maintain a diversity of forest, non-forested, open water, grassland, and scrub-shrub habitats. Proposed that 161 acres be added to the wilderness area. Reconfigure and maintain habitats to create fewer, larger (greater than 50 acres) continuous patches to promote wildlife use, increase connectivity, decrease fragmentation, increase maintenance efficiency, and reduce associated costs. Emphasize habitat for priority bird species and Federal trust species, including the bog turtle and Indiana bat.
• Visitor Services: Expand opportunities to reach nearby urban and suburban populations. Expand the hunt program by permitting archery for deer and opening the Refuge to turkey hunting. Improve wildlife viewing and photography opportunities by creating trails, providing more parking, and constructing observation towers. Expand Visitor Center hours. Increase the number of environmental education and interpretation programs.

Alternative Plan C --- Emphasis On Maximizing Forest Habitats

• Habitat Management: Allow natural succession or regeneration to occur to maximum extent practical, by reducing active management of impoundments, grassland/brush land and by allowing natural succession to forest. In many cases, the areas will become forested swamp. Maintain large patches of consolidated grasslands and managed brush land along Pleasant Plains Road. Continue active management in areas known to support priority refuge species. Actively work with regional partners to address climate change, habitat loss, and water and air quality impacts.
• Visitor Services: Public use opportunities would be the same as under Alternative A, except add elimination of less-used, dead-end trails in the wilderness area.

Alternative D --- Focus On Expansion Of Priority Public Uses

• Habitat Management: Would be the same as under Alternative A, except:
• emphasis on managing for habitats open to the public.
• maintain open water habitat within impoundments.
• aggressively expand partnership for conservation initiatives.
• Visitor Services: Allow fishing in select areas of the Refuge. Expand hunting as described under Alternative B. Provide a greater variety of wildlife-dependent public use opportunities. (For example, open the Refuge to fishing and expand opportunities for biking, canoeing and kayaking.) Increase outreach and publicity to promote the Refuge. Expand infrastructure, including new trails, observation towers, parking lots, and new signage. Collaborate with adjacent landowners to create or link additional trails. Open most management roads to pedestrian traffic.

After analysis of the public input and suggestions received at the two public meetings, one of the alternative plans, or a combination of pieces from several, will be compiled as the final CCP. For the near future, the final CCP will define the management priorities and activities implemented thereafter at the Refuge.

Submitting Written Comments

The Great Swamp Watershed Association encourages all of its members to read the draft CCP/EA for the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and submit written comments to the USFWS. Please use the following contact information when submitting your materials by post or fax:

Bill Perry
Refuge Planner
Northeast Regional Office
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA  01035
tel. (413) 253-8688
fax. (413) 253-8468

 To submit your comments electronically, please send an email with Great Swamp NWR in the subject line to northeastplanning@fws.gov.

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Editor's note: Per a request from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, two corrections were made to the original article on 6/9/2014. The sentence "Proposed that 168 acres be added to the wilderness area," under the Alternative B section was changed to read, "Proposed that 161 acres be added to the wilderness area." The heading "Would be the same as under Alternative B, except..." under the Alternative D section was changed to read, "Would be the same as under Alternative A, except..."

Great Swamp Advocacy Update - Feb. 2014

The Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) is closely monitoring new proposals for land development currently under review by the planning boards in Long Hill Township and Bernardsville Borough.

Long Hill Township

In Long Hill, Restore Meyersville LLC has submitted an application to build a new indoor volleyball facility on property located at 596 Meyersville Road near the Meyersville traffic circle. The property, which once housed a business known as Archie's Resale, stands adjacent to a portion of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.  GSWA has participated in several planning board meetings, and questioned the applicant and his experts.  The site is contaminated with asbestos and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).  Under the proposed development plan, these pollutants will be cleaned up under the oversight of a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP).  The same plan will reduce the amount of impervious surface coverage at the site by almost 10%.  In turn, this may lead to a reduction in the amount of stormwater runoff flowing away from the property which will benefit the local environment.

Bernardsville Borough

Proposed site for new TD Bank building off Morristown
Road in Bernardsville, NJ. Credit: S. Reynolds

In Bernardsville, TD Bank has filed a proposal and requested variances to construct a new bank building, drive-thru lanes, and a parking area on vacant land along Morristown Road (U.S. Route 202) between Weichert Realtors and the retail shops at Bernardsville Centre.  (The planning board has not yet determined that the application is complete.)

Nearby Penns Brook has already suffered serious damage as a result of the stormwater runoff emanating from existing building complexes in the area.  Erosion along the brook is extensive.  Water testing reveals unusually high nitrate levels.  Road salt is routinely detected at levels in excess of state water quality standards.

As proposals for new construction along this stretch of Morristown Road have proliferated, GSWA has stepped in repeatedly to represent environmental interests and protect Penns Brook from additional harm.

In 2006, the organization cited concerns over increased stormwater runoff and erosion in its opposition to Weichert Realtors’ plan to construct a new building next to its existing 62 Morristown Road location.  (This construction project was proposed for the same site now under consideration by TD Bank.)

GSWA actively participated in the application for expansion of Bernardsville Centre to ensure appropriate stormwater controls.  GSWA stepped in once again in 2012 when Chase Bank sought to build a new facility immediately south of 62 Morristown Road.  In this case, the organization successfully argued in favor of amending Chase’s original development plan to include stricter stormwater controls.

Construction is currently underway at the Chase Bank
site off of Morristown Road in Bernardsville, NJ.
Credit: S. Reynolds

Slope disturbances at the Chase Bank site have been extreme.  The precipitous embankment that has been created has exposed several soil layers to the elements (see photos).  Although a retaining wall is being constructed, this wall will not be as effective as a stabilized natural slope.

Should TD Bank’s new proposal proceed, more of the same slope is likely to disappear.  And, yet another stand of mature, soil-stabilizing vegetation will disappear along with it.  Without question, the addition of another building and another parking lot will add even more to the impervious surface cover in this already-crowded Morristown Road corridor.

We already know that erosion and stormwater pollution have taken their toll on Penns Brook.  With new construction projects proliferating in the area--first at the Chase site and now at the proposed TD site--Penns Brook’s future must be weighed carefully against the upsides of further development.  And while development may be inevitable, GSWA will vigilantly advocate for it to be appropriate in size, scope, and environmental protections.

Did You Know? Living With Wildlife: The Coyote

Coyote pounce. Credit flickr.com/JustinJensen

by Jim Northrop, GSWA Volunteer

YES, there are coyotes (Canis latrans) living in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge!  Members of the Refuge staff have seen and heard them a number of times.  And, you know if they live in the Refuge, you can be sure that they live throughout the rest of the Great Swamp Watershed region too.

At first glance, the coyote resembles a small German shepherd dog, yet its color can vary from animal to animal.  Shades include black, brown, gray, yellow, rust, and tan.  They have shorter, bushier tales than their dog cousins that they carry low—almost dragging on the ground.  Coyotes also have longer, narrower muzzles than dogs.

Most of us have a very negative image of this spectacular animal.  In popular culture, coyotes are portrayed as villains, dastardly outlaws, thieves, and all-around scoundrels.  Just think about the impression you have of Wile E. Coyote—you know, the creature that remains in constant pursuit of the Road Runner in Warner Brothers “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” cartoon.  The long rap sheet of offenses we humans have pinned on the coyote could not be farther from the truth of their real lives.

Meet the Real Coyote

Canis latrans. Credit: flickr.com/~Shanth

Coyotes remain one of the world’s most successful mammals.  They have been shot at, poisoned, trapped, and otherwise besieged over generations.  Still, their cunning and intelligence have allowed them to thrive.  Coyote behavior often defies generalization, so here are a few intriguing things to carefully consider about these “adaptable predators.”

Although they are descended from wolves, coyotes demonstrate some unwolflike behavior.  They do not form highly structured packs, but prefer to live in loose confederations that vary with habitat conditions and food supply.  They also are less territorial.  And, while members of both species mate for life, coyote couples may choose to live together or live separately depending upon prevailing conditions.  This tendency toward social flexibility has earned the coyote a reputation for individuality that is uncommon in the animal kingdom.

The coyote’s flexibility also extends to its eating habits.  These opportunistic predators are true omnivores, and are as content hunting rodents, lizards, or rabbits, as they are scavenging carrion, insects, or berries.  As a result, they are just as capable of making a living in urban and suburban settings as they are in rural or wilderness areas.  This habit for ranging far and wide in search of food is often what brings coyotes into contact with humans.

Some wildlife experts estimate that the coyote has quadrupled its range throughout North America in recent decades.  And, many now speak of the animal’s “urbanization”, as more and more individuals are found hanging about office parks, housing sub-divisions, and shopping malls.  In fact, a pair of coyotes was spotted in New York City’s Central Park in 1985.  That is saying a lot when you consider the lengths to which people have gone to limit or eradicate an animal many consider a nuisance and threat to human health.

So what is the secret to the coyote’s success? Maybe it is the fact that you are more likely to hear a coyote than you are to see one.  These are animals that are shy by nature, and prefer to avoid confrontations with people.  Maybe it is the fact that coyotes reproduce more rapidly and in great numbers when under threat.  Where hunting is prevalent, coyotes are known to mate more often and have larger litters of anywhere between six and twelve pups on average.  Maybe it is the fact that coyotes are always on the move.  They can easily wander 25 miles in 24 hours.  Maybe it is the fact that the coyote’s natural predators—wolves and mountain lions—have been declining toward extinction. Or, perhaps we need to consider all of these factors together before we can attempt to construct a more accurate picture of the coyote we know today.

While many of us continue to regard coyotes as a threat to our lives and livelihoods, it is important to remember that we are the ones responsible for forcing more and more contact between our species.  Human sprawl destroys more and more coyote habitat every day.  And, our habits--particularly our methods of waste disposal--make us an easy and dependable source of food in once-wild areas where food has become scarce. 

So, if we want less contact between ourselves and coyotes, what do we do? Do we continue the failed tradition of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on eradication programs?  Or, do we follow the coyote’s example and use our own wariness and flexibility to master the art of peaceful coexistence?

If you are in favor of at least experimenting with the idea of adapting to the presence of coyotes, here are some tips and tricks you can use for maintaining a peaceful coexistence.

Some Ways To Coyote-Proof Your Environment

While coyotes are shy, they also are constantly on the lookout for food.  Here are some ways to further avoid contact:

• Coyotes are attracted to food scraps in garbage.  Dispose of trash in a metal can.  Make sure the lid fits tightly.  Secure the lid with a bungee cord or chain.
• Coyotes infrequently prey on domestic animals, such as cats and small dogs.  However, they may be attracted to areas where there are free-roaming pets.  To prevent potential conflicts, keep small pets indoors, especially in the hours between dusk and dawn.  Also, if you must feed your pet outdoors, pick up food and water bowls (as well as leftovers and spilled food) as soon as your pet has finished eating.
• Do not put out feed or water for coyotes or other animals that are prey for coyotes (such as rabbits, deer, squirrels or chipmunks).  It’s really just asking for trouble.
• Construct and position bird feeders so that coyotes and their prey (squirrels and rodents) cannot get to the feed.
• Walk your dog on a leash and accompany your pet outside, especially at night.
• If you must keep coyotes out of fenced land, make sure your solid wood fence is at least six feet high.
• If you must keep coyotes out of unfenced land, reduce the number of brush piles, areas of low-growing vegetation, or other possible shelter sites.
• Because coyotes like to eat fruit, keep fruit trees fenced, or pick up fruit that falls to the ground.

What Should I Do If I See A Coyote?

What should you do if you encounter a coyote and you want it to leave? Here are some tips:

• Don’t run from the animal, but be as big, mean, and loud as you possibly can be.
• Shout or yell at the animal.
• Make other loud noises by clapping your hands, blowing a whistle, knocking two boards together or by using a car horn, air horn, or other noise-making device.
• Wave your arms.
• If necessary, throw rocks and sticks at the animal.

Did You Know? The Friendly Turtles

By Jim Northrop, GSWA Volunteer

It was a mild, but sunny, July day and I decided to spend some time outside, enjoying nature. I had not visited the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge recently, so that was my destination. I enjoy using some of the wooden boardwalks that go deep into this unspoiled slice of nature. It was a weekday, so no one else was nearby.

Around a bend in the boardwalk, I saw a partly submerged tree stump with what appeared to be a turtle sunning himself. I went closer and realized there were two turtles, and they were only a few feet from the boardwalk.  On closer inspection, I saw that they were eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), and both of them were asleep, basking in the pleasant rays of the sun.

In general, turtles seem to love soaking up sunlight. It is said that this helps to warm them up, since they are cold blooded. Basking also gets rid of parasites, such as leeches, which don't like the sun.
Suddenly, I heard a voice. Startled, I realized that the nearest turtle had opened his eyes and was speaking to me.

"I bet you wish you had a swim club as nice as ours," the near turtle said. I had to agree, but I realized there is more to life than sun bathing, so I had some questions.

"What do you do when you get hungry?" I asked. Well, he shared with me a rather extensive answer: "A turtle's diet varies greatly, depending on what is conveniently available. Adult turtles like me typically eat aquatic plants like duckweed, algae, and water lilies. We also eat insects, snails, earth worms, leeches, crayfish, tadpoles, frogs, fish, and some kinds of dead animal matter. However, my turtle youngsters tend to be carnivorous----meat-eating. I am no scientist, but I suppose they instinctively seek the protein that meaty meals provide, so their young bodies will grow fast."

At that point, the other turtle began to stir and listen to our conversation. I was curious about where and what they called "home," so I asked them. The second turtle stretched his neck toward the large shell on his back and said, "You're looking at my house----this cumbersome shell. You might say, 'I just never do leave home.'"

I took a closer look. I could see that the upper and lower shells encasing the belly of the turtle were joined together at the sides by bony structures. I also remembered that the inner layer of a turtle's shell is made up of about 60 bones that include portions of the backbone and the ribs. So, I can see what this turtle meant about never being able to crawl out of his shell. Removing the shell would also remove part of his skeleton!

However, the rigid shell means turtles cannot breathe as other reptiles do, by changing the volume of their chest cavities by means of expansion and contraction of the ribs. Instead, they breathe in two other ways. First, they pull air into their mouths, and then they push it into their lungs by moving the floor of the throat back and forth in an oscillating motion. Secondly, when the abdominal muscles covering the posterior opening of the shell contract, the internal volume of the shell increases. This draws air into the lungs, allowing the muscles to function in much the same way as the diaphragm of mammals.

Although turtles probably spend large amounts of their lives under water, all turtles breathe air and must surface at regular intervals to refill their lungs.

Now that my friends had become so chatty, I was concerned about whether they had predators in the Great Swamp. I knew that when a turtle senses danger, it will quickly dive into the water. Also, turtles can hide their heads inside their shells when attacked by predators. But, both were quick to tell me that indeed they do have predators. The first turtle began listing a few: herons, raccoons, larger turtles, crows, large fish, snakes, hawks, bullfrogs, and foxes.

I knew it was a delicate question, but I wondered how challenging it was for turtles to reproduce. My new friends were prepared to talk about it. They said that painted turtles breed in the spring, and that females dig their nests sometime between May and July. First a female will climb a little way onto the shore. Then she will dig a hole that is close enough to the water so that the bottom of the hole will have some water in it. The hole she digs will be about four inches deep. Next, she lays her eggs----large numbers of them----in the hole; each egg being about one inch long. She then fills the hole back up to hide the nest, and the eggs are left to incubate by themselves.

Painted turtles do not raise their young. But, the baby turtles will hatch, dig their way out of the nest, and head for the water at about 10 weeks. "Sadly," the two turtles said, "many predators will eat the baby turtles while they are so vulnerable."

While the two turtles continued to talk, I was able to get a closer look at their mouths. Turtles have rigid beaks, and use their jaws to cut and chew food. Instead of having teeth, the upper and lower jaws of the turtle are covered by horny ridges. They apparently use their tongues to swallow food, but unlike most reptiles, they cannot stick out their tongues to catch food.

Painted turtles will not bite you if you disturb them, but they do have sharp claws. And those claws can scratch severely when a turtle struggles to get away from you. Importantly, these long, sharp claws are not used solely for defense. They are very useful when turtles clamber onto the riverbank and onto floating logs when they feel the urge to bask in the sun.

It was time for me to go, but I had one last question----I asked the two turtles what they do in the winter. They told me that they hibernate. There needs to be some mud at the bottom of the water. They dig into the mud----or dirt or leaves----and bury themselves. This posture protects them from the cold, and then their body functions slow way down until the warmer weather returns.

I thanked my two new friends for our surprising conversation, and I headed further out on the boardwalk. They invited me to chat again, if I were to come this way. I said I would, and then I realized that the Great Swamp is full of painted turtles that are pretty much identical. I would have to stop and talk to each and every one of them before finding these two new friends again!

Volunteers Honored for Contributions to Environmental Nonprofit

Great Swamp Watershed Association presents awards for outstanding service in 2012-13.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) honored three area residents for their outstanding service as volunteers over the past year.  The announcements were made during the environmental organization’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on Tuesday, June 25.

Millington resident Bill Marshall was recognized for his contributions to GSWA’s water quality programs.  For the past two years, he has worked with the organization’s Stream Team to assist with the collection of scientific data from the five major streams of New Jersey’s Great Swamp.

Marshall has been instrumental in conducting scientific visual assessments of waterways, collecting water samples for chemical analysis, and, more recently, helping GSWA launch a monitoring program for waterborne bacteria.

Meyersville resident Ritchie Fullerton and Stirling resident Richard Desch were both recognized for their contributions to GSWA’s outreach and education programming.  Both honorees began their involvement in the organization through events sponsored jointly with Northern New Jersey Cachers (NNJC.org), a group dedicated to promoting the outdoor sport of geocaching statewide.

Fullerton and Desch provided critical support over the past year for two major efforts aimed at increasing awareness of the natural world in and around New Jersey’s Great Swamp.  GSWA’s Halloween-themed Spooky Swamp Walk—held on the 26 and 27 of October, 2012—introduced participants to the organization’s 53-acre, Conservation Management Area—a publicly accessible natural area and demonstration site for environmental restoration projects.  GSWA’s Great Swamp Scavenger Hunt, held on May 11, 2013, introduced a host of geocachers and many others to the sights and sounds of the larger 55-square-mile Great Swamp Watershed region by sending them out to explore outdoor destinations like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Morris County’s Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center in Chatham Township, NJ.

In appreciation of their contributions, GSWA presented all three honorees with appropriate swamp-related gifts.  Marshall received a copy of the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States which includes information about plants and wildlife commonly found in the Great Swamp. Fullerton and Desch each received a northern highbush blueberry shrub to plant at home.  The highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is native to the eastern U.S. and commonly found in the Great Swamp region.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association sincerely thanks all of its 2012-13 volunteers for the excellent work they have done to protect the waters and the land of the Great Swamp Watershed we all love and share.  If you are interested in joining one GSWA’s environmental volunteer programs, please visit the organization online at GreatSwamp.org, or call 973-538-3500 for more information.