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May 23rd, 2013
RELEASE: May 23, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 21
Does food taste better when you grow it yourself? Try it and see!
If you’d like to grow fresh veggies and fruits but can’t or don’t want to have a garden at home, consider a community garden. They’re sprouting up in many places around the Garden State, providing fantastic spaces to test your green thumb.
“Community gardens” refer to sites – often on public land – where individuals can tend a patch of soil for the growing season, usually for a small fee. These gardens are often fenced to keep out critters, and water sources are usually provided. Some gardens even have picnic tables where gardeners can get acquainted and share tips on planting, weeding and watering.
The American Community Garden Association (ACGA) estimates that there are more than 18,000 community gardens in the United States. The exact number in New Jersey isn’t known, since there’s no single master list, but the ACGA website has about 800 listings for our state.
Community gardens range from small neighborhood affairs with a handful of plots, to big gardens with hundreds. Some have sprung up in vacant lots in urban areas, while others are located in park-like suburban settings.
Fresh, nutritious food is only one of the many benefits of community gardens. According to the American Community Garden Association, community gardens stimulate social interactions, build self-reliance, help families reduce food budgets, and provide recreation, exercise, therapy and education. In cities, community gardens preserve green spaces, beautify neighborhoods and reduce crime.
Samantha Rothman, one of the co-founders of Grow It Green Morristown, said fostering a sense of unity among diverse populations is one of the most important benefits of her organization’s garden, now in its fifth season.
“The food is great, but in my opinion that’s a byproduct,” Rothman said. “The real power is in people working the land together – it’s a bonding experience.” For that reason, she added, community gardens thrive even in rural areas.
Duke Farms in Hillsborough has one of the newest and largest community gardens. It opened two years ago with 210 plots and doubled in size in 2012. It’s open to local residents, and those who rent plots must follow organic growing practices. Duke also offers organic gardening classes to its gardeners.
Another new organic-only community garden is located at the Land Conservancy of New Jersey’s South Branch Preserve in Mount Olive Township. Sixty-nine new plots are available this year, and a volunteer garden committee will educate members about organic practices and organize fun events like potluck dinners.
Education is a common extra at community gardens. Local “master gardeners” often visit to provide free expert advice on everything from choosing the right seeds and plants for New Jersey’s climate to techniques for getting the best yield out of your plot.
Put down roots at a community garden near you this summer! To search for a community garden by zip code, go to http://acga.localharvest.org. If you know of a vacant lot near you and would like to start one, go to http://communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php for guidance.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: community gardens, environment, gardening, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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May 17th, 2013
RELEASE: May 17, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 20
Outside on a warm day, something buzzes past in a blur. A large bumblebee or sphinx moth, perhaps? How about a hummingbird?
With about 340 hummingbird species in the Western Hemisphere, only one – the ruby-throated hummingbird – is found in the eastern United States. And these glittering jewels of the avian world have arrived in New Jersey!
Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend their winter in Mexico and Central America and fly north every spring to breed. Their arrival in the Garden State coincides with the emergence of insects and blooming forest shrubs. Adults head south before Labor Day, and the newly-hatched juveniles leave by mid-September.
It takes sharp eyes to spot this tiniest of birds, but it’s incredibly easy to attract them to your backyard with brightly-colored flowers and nectar feeders.
Watching hummingbirds in action is a fascinating summer pastime. Hummingbirds are bold around humans and never fail to entertain with their acrobatic hovering and diving – and their comically territorial behavior, known as “hummingbird wars.”
Some facts:
Adult hummingbirds weigh little more than a nickel.
Their wings beat around 53 times per second, and they can hover and fly backwards. They get their name from the “humming” sound of their wings. They don’t sing melodious songs like a lot of our summer birds, but instead make distinctive chattering peeps.
Males are emerald green above, grayish-white below, with an iridescent patch on their throat that can appear jet black or gleaming ruby red. Females and juveniles don’t have red throats and their green coloring is not as bright.
Hummingbirds have thin, slender bills and are omnivorous. For protein, they “flycatch” mosquitoes and midges in mid-air, or pick spiders and caterpillars off leaves. Their heart rate goes from 4 beats per second at rest, to 20 beats per second while hovering!
To fuel all that flying, they sip sugary nectar from flowers using their long, hollow tongues that work like soda straws. They are critical pollinators for native plants with tubular flowers, and their high metabolism requires many times their body weight in nectar each day.
To attract hummingbirds, plant tubular flowers like trumpet vine, bee balm, lobelia, salvia, butterfly weed, petunia, hibiscus, mandevilla, morning glory and native coral honeysuckle.
Set up a feeder outside your window for maximum viewing pleasure. Many good feeders are available; most are colored red to grab the hummingbirds’ attention, and some have little perches to entice visitors to stay longer.
Mixing hummingbird food is simple. Add a quarter-cup of table sugar to one cup of water … but leave out the food coloring because it could be harmful to the birds. Hang the feeder in mid-day and afternoon shade. Clean the feeder and change the sugar water often, because it can ferment in summer heat.
If you’re really into hummingbird watching, share your observations with others. Each year, thousands of hummingbird fans track migrations, which helps researchers determine whether patterns are shifting due to climate change or other factors.
Project FeederWatch, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies of Canada, is one great site where you can report your spring hummingbird sightings – www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/. Another is www.hummingbirds.net, a website with constantly-updating maps showing the annual hummingbird migration.
For more information on identifying, observing and feeding hummingbirds, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website at www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ruby-throated_hummingbird/id.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, environment, feeders, hummingbirds, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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May 10th, 2013
RELEASE: May 10, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 19
Many things are perfect together. Wine and chocolate … movies and popcorn … shorts and flip-flops … New Jersey and you.
But some are not – like solar power plants and farmland. You might think they’d make a perfect pair, since flat, open farm landscapes have easy access to the sun’s renewable energy.
But New Jersey’s farmland is precious. This state we’re in has some of the best soils in the world and a climate that fosters fresh, local food. If we want to remain the “Garden State,” we can’t cover productive farmland with utility-scale solar facilities that could easily be built on less sensitive surfaces.
Fortunately, the Christie administration has made it clear that large solar arrays should not be placed on farmland. The state’s Energy Master Plan and the Solar Act of 2012 direct solar facilities away from farmland. And the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) recently reinforced this policy – all steps in the right direction.
The Board of Public Utilities recently reviewed 57 applications for utility-scale “grid-supply” projects on farmland. It denied 26, approved three, disqualified seven, and deferred action on the remaining 21. Hopefully, the BPU will turn thumbs down on the remaining proposals as well!
Solar power is a great resource, and our state should reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. But solar energy projects only make sense if they’re built in the right places.
Solar projects are either “grid-supply” or “net-metered,” and it’s the former that causes concern in this case.
Grid-supply systems feed electricity from typically large (utility-scale) solar arrays directly into the regional power infrastructure. Net-metered systems, on the other hand, power individual homes, businesses, public buildings … and even farm operations.
The owner of a net-metered system can receive retail credit for unused energy generated, but profit is not the main purpose. For this reason, state regulations prevent owners from sizing solar systems larger than what they need for their own electricity needs.
The Energy Master Plan – the administration’s guidance on energy policy – discourages the development of grid-supply projects on farmland and, instead, directs them to sites like brownfields, landfills, rooftops and parking lots. And the Solar Act says the solar industry shouldn’t harm the preservation of open space and farmland.
To date, our state has spent over $1.5 billion to preserve more than 2,000 farms covering over 200,000 acres. These lands – and other agricultural lands that could and should be preserved – are critical for our food supply and should not be covered by renewable energy projects.
Governor Christie and the Board of Public Utilities are headed in the right direction, and should follow through by denying the 21 remaining grid-supply projects targeted for farmland.
Speak up for farmland and send your comments to the Board of Public Utilities! Go to www.bpu.state.nj.us/bpu/about/contact/index.shtml. For more information on solar siting and sustainable land use, go to www.anjec.org/pdfs/SolarWhitePaper2012.pdf.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: agriculture, Board of Public Utilities, environment, farmland, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, solar energy
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May 3rd, 2013
RELEASE: May 5, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 18
It’s been six months since Superstorm Sandy pounded New Jersey, and summer is almost upon us.
Towns up and down the coast are preparing for Memorial Day weekend and the arrival of beach lovers, fisherman, surfers and boaters whose tourism dollars keep the shore economy ticking.
Many shore towns are still busy with post-Sandy repairs like cleaning debris from sand, helping businesses and homeowners recover, and rebuilding boardwalks. And they’re counting on receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal funds to replenish eroded beaches and build dunes.
With so many projects underway, now would be the ideal time for the state to address a critical issue, long overdue: public access. It’s time to make sure the taxpayers who foot the bill for beach improvements have access to those expensive strips of sand they’re saving.
Unfortunately, a state Senate committee just declined to insert language explicitly requiring public beach access into a bill that would establish requirements for a “shore protection project” priority list. Members of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee said they didn’t want any impediments to efforts to restore the shore.
Of course no one wants to delay the shore’s recovery. But there’s no common sense in maintaining the current system.
Public access to water and tidal areas is a right of all New Jersey citizens, but when it comes to enforcement, the state’s head has been in the sand. New Jersey has too many stretches of shoreline with few beach access points, limited parking near the beach, and no public restrooms. Public access means tourism dollars, which help local businesses with recovery.
The proposed bill would give priority to shore protection projects that provide or improve public access, but it doesn’t go far enough. As it reads now, the bill doesn’t explicitly link the shore protection funding prioritization to projects that create access.
It’s a disconnect that shouldn’t be allowed.
“We recommend that public access, and enhanced access, be a required component of the projects, in the same way the bill requires that ‘appropriate mitigation components’ be integral parts of the project before they can be considered for funding,” said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, a coastal conservation group.
Dillingham added that federal guidelines for funding contain similar language to ensure that projects are public in nature, and not private.
The beaches, ocean and tidal waterways belong to everyone. New Jersey should not miss this opportunity to make sure that all residents have meaningful access to the investments made with their tax dollars, and to catalyze the recovery of our shore economy.
Please contact your district’s legislators, and bill sponsors Senator Jim Whelan and Assemblyman John McKeon, and ask them to amend the bill (S2600/A3892) to tie state funding to beach access. To find your legislators and their contact information, go to www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, go to www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: beach replenishment, beaches, environment, funding, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, shore, Superstorm Sandy
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April 26th, 2013
RELEASE: April 26, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 17
If you looked for a list of the least exciting words in the English language, “infrastructure” would be near the top. Those four syllables can cure insomnia instantly.
But a new report on our state’s infrastructure, released on Earth Day, is an eye-opener and a wake-up call.
The report, “Facing Our Future: Infrastructure Investments Necessary for Economic Success,” describes how three of New Jersey’s crucial systems – water, electricity and transportation – are crumbling due to age and lack of attention.
A healthy economy needs clean drinking water, reliable power, good public transportation, and safe roads and bridges. Superstorm Sandy delivered a harsh lesson in how lives and businesses are disrupted when these systems break down.
“Our infrastructure has failed when communities lose power for hours or even days following cold, water or wind,” the report said. “Our infrastructure has failed when roads are pitted with potholes and when road congestion causes another missed dinner, softball game or recital, or extra hours in transit. Our infrastructure has failed when sewage bubbles up into the streets after a hard rain.”
Written by a bipartisan volunteer panel of former New Jersey government officials, the report cites the need for $70 billion to repair and modernize these infrastructure systems to avoid a repeat of the chaos and economic paralysis seen after Sandy.
This investment is crucial to our economic future. Either we pay now … or pay far more later.
While many of the report’s recommendations address “brick and mortar” – repairing and replacing asphalt, concrete, wires, pipelines and machinery – the report recognizes the important role of open space preservation.
Open space includes parks for people, and habitat for wild animals and plants – but it also provides a huge economic boost to the state by reducing the need for man-made water infrastructure.
For example, forested natural areas and open spaces act as giant sponges that capture, hold and gradually release rainwater into reservoirs. They also act as filters that help cleanse the water for drinking. “As a result, capital costs for filtration and treatment of drinking water are lowered,” the report said.
The same natural lands that hold and filter rainwater also prevent flooding and soil erosion during storms.
According to the report, New Jersey’s ability to remain economically competitive and provide reliable water supplies requires the purchase of lands that will maximize the natural protection of watersheds, and manage stormwater in developed areas.
Open space preservation, the report said, “requires at least $250 million over the next five years for the protection of watershed lands, which also supports stormwater management needs.” This level of investment, it notes, is consistent with recent studies by the NJ Keep It Green Coalition and other industry experts.
What the report didn’t say is that New Jersey is out of funding to preserve our open spaces. A $400 million bond issue approved by voters in 2009 has been spent or allocated, and the preservation pipeline has run dry. To continue to preserve critical lands in this state we’re in, we need a dedicated, long-term source of land funding.
To read “Facing our Future,” go to www.facingourfuture.org. The website contains both the full 43-page report and an executive summary. For more information about efforts to create a long-term source of preservation funding, visit the NJ Keep It Green website at www.njkeepitgreen.org and sign the sustainable funding pledge of support.
And for to learn more about preserving land and natural resources in New Jersey, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: "Facing our Future", environment, infrastructure report, land preservation, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, open space
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April 19th, 2013
RELEASE: April 19, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 16
The last time “Brood II” hatched, Bill Clinton was in the White House, Justin Bieber was in diapers, and there was no Google, Facebook, Twitter or Wikileaks!
Brood II are periodical cicadas (the genus Magicicada), the Rip Van Winkle of insects, which emerge only once every 13 or 17 years. This brood has been snoozing underground since 1996!
Within weeks – maybe by the time you read this – Brood II will be buzzing about and mating in the sky, ensuring that a new generation of nature lovers in this state we’re in can experience a magnificent spectacle.
It’s easy to see why these red-eyed flying bugs are called Magicicadas. They’re weird, fascinating and magical!
About the size of a shrimp, cicadas are known for their vast numbers and the shrill chorus males use to impress the ladies. Cicadas live most of their lives underground as nymphs, surviving by sucking fluid out of tree roots. But once every 13 or 17 years, depending on the brood, they emerge. In the space of a month, they transform into adults, reproduce and die.
Once out of the ground, cicada nymphs climb the nearest trees and shed their exoskeletons. Free of their old skin, their wings inflate with fluid, their new skin hardens and they’re ready to fly. The shed exoskeletons stay behind, clinging to tree trunks – crunchy, translucent shells of their former selves.
You’ll probably hear these cousins of katydids and crickets before you see them.
Males make a rapid click-click-click sound by flexing their tymbals, drum-like organs in their abdomens. Small muscles pull the tymbals in and out of shape, like a child’s click-toy, and the sound is amplified by the insect’s mostly hollow abdomen. Female cicadas make a less distinctive sound by flicking their wings.
Scientists aren’t sure why these cicadas appear in 17- or 13-year cycles. Some researchers think the timing may be a natural defense mechanism. After all, it’s harder for predators like birds and squirrels to anticipate a food source if it appears at infrequent intervals.
Another theory is that these long, odd-numbered life cycles help cicadas avoid parasites. A cicada with a 17-year cycle and a parasite with a two-year cycle, for example, would meet only two or three times each century.
We don’t know all the secrets of these fascinating creatures, but we can enjoy them during their rare visits! They don’t bite or sting, so it’s perfectly OK to pick them up. And, believe it or not, you can eat them!
To find out more about periodical cicadas, go to the Cicada Mania website at www.cicadamania.com. It includes maps of where they’re likely to emerge, fun facts about their life cycles and habitats, recordings of their song, videos, and even cicada T-shirts and other merchandise. If you have an adventurous palate, check out cicada recipes at www.newsdesk.umd.edu/pdf/cicada%20recipes.PDF.
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: Brood II, bugs, environment, insects, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, periodical cicadas
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April 12th, 2013
RELEASE: April 12, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 15
It’s time to hit the trails and get “back to nature.” The benefits go far beyond pretty scenery and fresh air!
Recent studies show that exercising outdoors beats the gym hands down. Psychologically, people simply feel better after spending time outside. In studies, volunteers who exercised both indoors and outdoors said they felt more energetic, revitalized and engaged – and less tense, angry and depressed – after being outside.
And walking, jogging or cycling outdoors burns more calories than using a treadmill or exercise bike, because of terrain changes and wind resistance.
This state we’re in is full of great places to get fit and enjoy the fresh air. One of the best is the Batona Trail in the Pine Barrens, which was recently lengthened and improved. Now about 53 miles, it’s the longest trail in the Pine Barrens … and one of the longest in the entire state. The name Batona comes from the phrase BAck TO Nature – and that’s exactly where you’ll find yourself!
With its distinctive hot-pink blazes, the Batona Trail has something for everyone, from hard-core hikers to families taking a short stroll. Beginning at Ong’s Hat in Brendan Byrne State Forest and ending at Lake Absegami in Bass River State Forest, the trail intersects several main roads, making it easy to plan treks of different lengths.
As its name origin suggests, the Batona Trail is a nature lover’s paradise, traversing iconic pitch pine forests and passing cedar swamps and old cranberry bogs. Sharp-eyed hikers can spot bald eagles, barred owls, hawks, redheaded woodpeckers, Pine Barrens tree frogs, and pine and corn snakes. There’s a wide variety of Pine Barrens plants, including orchids, huckleberry, sundews, pitcher plants, pyxie moss and sand myrtle.
Along the northern stretch in Brendan Byrne State Forest, hikers can check out the Cedar Swamp Natural Area with its dense stands of Atlantic white cedar. A bit farther along is scenic Pakim Pond, which includes a picnic area.
Just to the south, the Batona Trail was recently rerouted through the Franklin Parker Preserve to provide a better woodlands experience. The new section is 7.5 miles long, and it added 2.5 miles to the Batona Trail’s overall length.
At the end of the new trail section is Apple Pie Hill – one of the highest points in the Pine Barrens at 205 feet above sea level, with a fire tower offering panoramic views. The long stretch of trail between Apple Pie Hill and Batsto Village is the “road less traveled,” meandering through some of the most pristine wilderness areas of Wharton State Forest along the Batsto River.
If you’re not familiar with the Pine Barrens, you might be surprised to learn there’s a memorial to a fallen Mexican aviator along the Batona Trail. Emilio Carranza flew nonstop from Mexico City to New York in 1928 on a peace mission. On his return flight, he crashed in the Pine Barrens. The monument – made from stone quarried in Carranza’s home town and paid for by Mexican schoolchildren – marks the spot of the crash.
Historic Batsto Village, once an ironmaking and glassmaking center, lies about two-thirds of the way along the trail. Here, hikers can see more than 30 historic buildings, including Batsto Mansion from the late 1800s.
The Batona Trail was created in 1961 by the Philadelphia-based Batona Hiking Club, which shares upkeep with the Outdoor Club of South Jersey. To learn about hikes sponsored by the two clubs, visit www.batonahikingclub.org and www.ocsj.org.
To view an online map of the Batona Trail, go to www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batona14web.pdf. Note: the map was created before the rerouting of the Franklin Parker Preserve section and a smaller southern section.
If you can’t get to the Batona Trail but want to exercise outdoors, try a trail near you. For a comprehensive online map of New Jersey trail locations, go to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org/recreation.htm.
Get out and enjoy the spring weather – and get healthy on our state’s trails!
And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: Batona Trail, environment, exercise, fitness, hiking, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, outdoors
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April 5th, 2013
RELEASE: April 5, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 14
For 200 million years, the Palisades have stood majestically over the Hudson River. These nearly-vertical cliffs carved by erosion have inspired artists for centuries. In 1983, they were designated a National Natural Landmark.
But a day may come – and soon – when the only unspoiled views of the Palisades are found in art museums.
LG Electronics USA, a South Korean manufacturer of appliances and home electronics, has proposed to build a 143-foot office high-rise in the Borough of Englewood Cliffs, one of several Bergen County towns along the Palisades’ 20-mile length.
Englewood Cliffs officials granted a variance in early 2012 to waive their 35-foot height limit and, later that year, changed the zoning to permit a high-rise of up to 150 feet on the LG Electronics property.
The proposal has riled communities on both sides of the Hudson, which are concerned that the LG tower’s presence would undermine more than a century of preservation efforts.
Saving the Palisades has been a cause célèbre since the late 1800s, when threats from quarries and advertising on the cliffs prompted John D. Rockefeller Sr. and other powerful New Yorkers of the day to purchase and donate land to the newly-formed Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
Generations later, Rockefeller family members are involved in the new battle to save the Palisades. Environmental lawyer Larry Rockefeller, a trustee with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), recently met with LG officials to ask them to consider a less obtrusive alternative.
The electronics giant didn’t seem willing to budge, and NRDC has launched an online campaign aimed at compelling LG to reconsider. Opponents claim LG has plenty of land for an office complex that doesn’t pierce the treeline.
But ultimately the decision may rest with the courts. The nonprofit Scenic Hudson, and other interest groups and two residents of Englewood Cliffs, have filed a lawsuit claiming the zoning amendment is illegal “spot zoning” to benefit a single developer.
The joint lawsuit calls the iconic vistas of the Palisades “one of the most beautiful and one of the most unspoiled landscapes in America, celebrated by the art of two centuries, preserved by bipartisan leadership across state lines and enjoyed by millions.”
Let’s hope that reason – and a realization that the Palisades is indeed a unique, irreplaceable treasure – will prevail. Once the landscape and vista are destroyed, they’re gone forever.
For more information about the efforts to save the Palisades, visit the Scenic Hudson website at
www.scenichudson.org/news/article/scenic-hudson-pressures-lg-preserve-iconic-palisades-views/2013-01-30 and the Protect the Palisades Coalition website at www.protectthepalisades.org.
To sign an online petition urging LG to redesign its office plans, go to the NRDC website at www.savebiogems.org/action-center.
And to learn more about preserving land and natural resources in New Jersey, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: Englewood Cliffs, environment, LG Electronics, Michele Byers, National Natural Landmark, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Palisades
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March 28th, 2013
RELEASE: March 28, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 13
Land conservation is often invisible. When a farm or forest is permanently preserved, it looks exactly the same, so many folks don’t notice something important has happened.
Michael Heffler, president of the Princeton Freewheelers bicycle club and a frequent ride leader, notices. He recently wrote an essay on what preserved open space means to him. I’m pleased to share it here:
“What’s going on inside your head?” my mother asked. My young head was a jumble. “I don’t know.”
There was a lot of open space in my youthful head, a mix of imagination, fear, questions, crushes, and a desire to learn. I was trying to figure things out. I’m still trying to figure things out.
Lately I’ve been educating myself on the open space around Lambertville. The main reason I moved to Lambertville was to get away from the ever-growing traffic and population in the suburbs.
Until recently, if someone had asked me, “Do you enjoy the open space around here?” I would have said, “I don’t know.” That answer, like my youthful one, was out of ignorance. The concept of open space wasn’t one I was familiar with. As much as I appreciated seeing the farms, the woods and fields, they were just there.
For someone who’s led rides with titles like “More Animals than Cars,” you would think that preserved land would be something I knew about. It’s beautiful. There are scenic vistas, open fields, and forests. More open space means less traffic; less traffic means more enjoyable cycling. It took a while for me to discover that open space organizations are working to make sure our area retains its beauty and charm.
I’m not sure that ignorance is bliss, but I am sure that knowledge provides the ability to appreciate our blessings and act wisely. I have never heard a cyclist say, “If only there was more traffic where we cycle!” More open space equals better cycling.
I’ve cycled in France, Italy, the Berkshires and Oregon the last few years. Each time I came home, I realized our area is just as beautiful and we can help keep it this way.
There are problems in the world that don’t impact most of us directly and there are problems that do. Some are bigger than an individual can solve, like a broken tax system or climate change. There are other problems we have to solve, like paying bills.
Keeping our area beautiful, for ourselves and our children, is a problem with a ready solution, much like taking care of our health. With some action and forethought, we can all contribute to preserving open space.
There are local open space organizations whose staff and volunteers keep our area beautiful by buying and providing stewardship for the open space. This work benefits everyone, but it’s mostly invisible to us. When open space gets developed we notice. Developed land tends to stay developed.
My mother’s question keeps coming back. My answer is that what goes on in my head is much happier when I’m in a beautiful area doing what I enjoy. When you take the time to appreciate the Delaware River, the creeks, canal, the woods, the beautiful roads, and the fields, it will fill much more than your head.
There is a natural alignment between open space and the enjoyment of cycling. Give your support to local open space organizations to keep our area beautiful. It’s a great way to make sure the place you live is a place where you want to keep pedaling.
Thank you to Michael for sharing, and happy cycling!
For more information about upcoming rides – including the April 14 Tour de Open Space in Hunterdon County, which the Princeton Freewheelers are co-sponsoring with New Jersey Conservation Foundation – go to http://princetonfreewheelers.com/pfwevents.
And to learn more about preserving land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: bicycling, environment, land preservation, Michael Heffler, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Princeton Freewheelers
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March 22nd, 2013
RELEASE: March 22, 2013 – Volume XLVI, No. 12
Imagine a fantastic wildlife safari with bald eagles feeding chicks, wolves curled up in their den, elephants at a water hole in Africa, polar bears making their way across arctic ice and brightly-colored Brazilian rainforest birds in the canopy.
You don’t need a passport and fat bank account! Thanks to the newest generation of webcams – video cameras set up at wildlife hotspots – you can get a daily nature fix in real time on your computer at home.
Webcams are set up all around the world, allowing wildlife lovers to spy on animals as they eat, sleep, play and care for their young. It’s awe-inspiring and completely addictive!
Here are some of the coolest, starting with three in the Garden State:
Duke Farms in Hillsborough set up its “Eagle cam” several years ago to monitor a bald eagle nest in a tall tree. The Eagle cam was damaged in a storm last spring, but it’s now back in operation. Two eggs were laid in mid-February, and the eaglets should be hatching in late March or early April. Watch for the emergence of the chicks at www.dukefarms.org/en/Stewardship/WildlifeCams/eagle-cam/.
Ospreys were once rare in New Jersey, but they’re making a comeback. Osprey cams with a view of nesting platforms are up at Island Beach State Park and the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Neither was live as of March 22, but both are expected to be activated soon. Check the Forsythe osprey cam at www.conservewildlifenj.org/education/ospreycam and the Friends of Island Beach State Park website at http://friendsofislandbeach.org/osprey-cam-2013.
Peregrine falcons are the world’s fastest bird, and for the last few years viewers have avidly monitored a nesting pair on a ledge at a high-rise office building in Jersey City. Due to budget cuts, the webcam isn’t live yet … but stay tuned at www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/index.html. In the meantime, check out this streaming video of a peregrine nest in Columbus, Ohio – http://ohiodnr.com/wildlife/dow/falcons/live_nestbox_video.aspx.
One of the world’s most popular wildlife webcams shows Pete’s Pond, a water hole in the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, Africa. Many animals come to drink, including herds of elephant, eland, impala, lions, warthogs and baboons. The live-streaming camera continuously pans and zooms to show many views, and the pond is illuminated at night. Become a “pondie” by visiting http://www.ustream.tv/petespond.
If you’re fascinated by polar bears, you’ll love the Polar Bear cam on the National Geographic website. Rigged with a live camera, a “Tundra Buggy” roves the tundra in Manitoba, Canada, tracking polar bears and other native species like arctic fox during daylight hours. Go to http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/polar-bear-cam.
To get acquainted with wolves, check out the webcam at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, during daylight hours. The wolves aren’t howling out in the wild, but viewers can appreciate the beauty of these magnificent creatures in their protected reserve. See the wolves at http://www.wolf.org/wolves/webcams/exhibitcam.asp.
To go on a birding trip to the rainforest, visit the Ornithos Atlantic Rainforest webcam in Brazil. You can see tons of colorful birds, including parrots and hummingbirds, as well as fruit bats, as they come to feed. Check them out at http://www.worldlandtrust.org/webcams/ornithos.
Next time you’re feeling a touch of “nature deficit disorder” and need a quick cure, click on a wildlife webcam. Even a few minutes as an armchair naturalist will lift your spirits!
And to learn more about preserving land and natural resources in New Jersey, visit New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Tags: bald eagle, environment, Michele Byers, New Jersey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, osprey, peregrine, safari, webcam, wildlife
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