Firefly Watch: Another Cool Project for Citizen Scientists

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As you can no doubt tell from these blog posts, many of us at RHA are lifelong learners who enjoy being engaged in research projects.  Here is one that is new to us this year — we think it sounds like a lot of fun, and we plan to participate and think you might want to do the same…  It seems like a great activity for families with kids!

The Museum of Science in Boston has teamed up with researchers at Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to study fireflies.  With the help of people like you and me, they are conducting studies to track the geographic distribution of fireflies and their activity during the summer season.  Fireflies may be affected by human-made light and pesticides in lawns, so the scientists are hoping to learn more about those effects through the studies.

It is simple to participate in Firefly Watch.  After you register for the study, the idea is to spend ten minutes one evening every week during the summer to watch for fireflies in your backyard (or a nearby park or field, if you don’t have a yard).  Each time you check for fireflies, you submit a data sheet noting your observations via the Firefly Watch web site.  It’s really that simple!  

The Firefly Watch web site provides lots of helpful information about what to look for and how to figure out what you are seeing.  For example, each species of firefly exhibits its own flash color and pattern that it uses to seek a mate.  You’ll quickly learn how to distinguish at least a few species as the summer progresses.  Throughout the summer, the organizers of Firefly Watch will update the online map of everyone’s firefly sightings, so you can check on the project’s progress and perhaps find a local firefly hotspot in a public access area that’s close to you.

If you decide to participate, please let us know.  Perhaps we can have a local gathering of Firefly Watchers during the summer to meet one another and share what we discover with one another!

Happy Earth Day!

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The 42nd Earth Day is almost here, and everyone at RHA is busy with preparations for the two major events that we will sponsor to celebrate the occasion.  Tomorrow evening restaurants across our region will host special dinners for our members and friends in a friend- and fund-raiser to support our watershed protection programs, and on Saturday hundreds of people will gather at twenty-six different sites on the banks of streams that flow through our communities to remove trash that has accumulated in riparian areas.  Our hats go off to everyone who’ll be joining us for one or both of these events — we are so very grateful to you for your commitment to the conservation of natural resources in the Raritan Headwaters region!

In the 42 years since the first designation of Earth Day, there have been many slogans to encourage people to demonstrate their concern for the health of our planet: 

  • Love Your Mother Earth
  • Go Green for the Earth
  • Earth Day Every Day
  • Think Green
  • Think Globally, Act Locally
  • Mobilize the Earth

In 2010, before the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, the organization that evolved to advance the global environmental movement – the Earth Day Network — launched an ambitious campaign with a new slogan to inspire individuals all around the world to make a commitment to reduce their impact on the planet.  Called A Billion Acts of Green, the campaign utilizes the internet to reach out to people far and wide and asks them (us) to take action to live more lightly on the land.  It builds upon Margaret Meade’s famous notion, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” 

The Earth Day Network asks people to consider what steps we can take to reduce carbon emissions and support sustainability, decide which one(s) we’ll follow through on, register our commitment to take action by pledging at its web site and then make good on our promise(s).  The goal is to register one billion actions before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) that will take place in Rio de Janeiro in June of this year.  Over 900 million pledges have been registered thus far — people have registered to do things like eat more local foods, stop using pesticides and toxic cleaning products, plant gardens.  The campaign truly serves as a testament to the collective power of individual action.

Here at RHA, even though we consider ourselves fairly enlightened when it comes to living lightly on the land, we must admit that there is still more that we can do to walk our talk.  We’ve therefore made (and kept!) pledges to drive less by occassionally running or bicycling to work, plant gardens, use a clothesline to dry laundry, increase the amount of recycling we do… the list goes on and on.  

We hope that you’ll give some thought to the campaign and become a part of it, too!

Catch a Buzz

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The European honey bee is not native to our region, but it is a species you may see throughout the spring and summer months as it visits plants to extract nectar

Would you like to experience a warm, fuzzy feeling that makes you feel relaxed and hopeful about the future?  While I’ll admit that sharing a nice bottle of wine with friends might bring about that result, that’s not the activity that I’m referring to right now.  No, I’ve got another idea to share with you…  one that will make you feel good, take you outdoors into the fresh air and get you involved in an important conservation project.

You can join the world’s largest citizen science project focused on pollinator conservation by planting a few flowers in your garden (or in pots, if your outdoor space is limited to a small patio or balcony), observing the bees that visit them and recording your observations via an easy-to-use web site.  Your investment of money and time will be minimal, but your observations will become part of a huge database that will help researchers learn more about pollinator populations in urban, suburban and rural areas in the United States.

The name of this “backyard bee count” is the Great Sunflower Project, and it operates out of San Francisco State University.  Scientists there established the project in 2008 to better understand the reasons for and impact of declines in bee populations.  Some bee populations have experienced severe declines in recent years, and since bees pollinate so many of the plants that become part of our food supply, it behooves us to learn what is happening and how it is affecting us.  Pollinator researchers like the biologists at SFSU are working to measure how much pollination is happening over different regions and how bee population declines are influencing food production. As the researchers point out, many plants can’t set fruit until they have been visited by a bee. The Great Sunflower project uses observational bee data collected by citizen scientists to create a nationwide online map of bee populations.

The idea behind the project is to plant flowers, observe how many bees visit those flowers and how often they visit, and then enter that information into a database on the Great Sunflower Project web site.  Lemon Queen sunflowers were the flowers of choice in the first two years of the project, but the researchers have since expanded the flower list so that citizen scientists can now also plant and observe bees on Bee balm, Cosmos, Rosemary, Tickseed, and Purple coneflower.

I’ve participated in the project since its inception, and I’ve really enjoyed growing the plants and watching the bees (and other insects) that are drawn to them.  The web site for the project can be a little confounding, as it doesn’t have a menu bar that lets you quickly find information when you are looking for something, but the instructions for observing and reporting are easy to find and follow.  There is a wealth of information available on the site, including links to other pollinator study groups.  Being a part of the project has truly been rewarding – I’ve learned a lot about bees and other pollinators, become a bee enthusiast and felt as though I’ve been part of something that contributes to the greater good of our society.  I’ve caught the buzz, and encourage you to do the same!

The Slow Walker

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Dan North, a retired journalist who lives in Jersey City, discovered Fairview Farm in 1996 while bicycling past on Larger Cross Road. When he rode down to explore, he loved what he saw and has been coming back to wander ever since. He has a poetic soul and a true gift with words.  We are pleased to feature his essays, written under the moniker of The Slow Walker, here on our web site.  We are sure you’ll enjoy them as much as we do.

‘WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US.’
I love bluebirds. I love the male’s cheery combination of blue and red. I love the cooperative way bluebirds make themselves easy to watch as they dart into the open from edge trees and shrubs. And I love their unique history in European and Native American mythology as a symbol of hope and happiness. So, as I near the end of an early April walk along the Black River, I’m delighted to see a bluebird couple near the driver’s side window of my parked car. The female is perched demurely on the car roof watching her partner. And he’s putting on quite a show. Hovering by the side mirror, he pecks viciously at his reflection for several seconds, rests at the bottom of the closed window, then hovers and pecks again. With each assault I imagine him sputtering, “Scram, buster. I was here first!” I draw within 15 feet and stop. The bluebirds ignore me. When occasional cars pass, they fly up into an overhanging white ash, but are drawn irresistibly back to the mirror as soon as all is quiet. This display of territory protection goes on for a quarter of an hour until, presumably exhausted, the male flies away with the female following. Processing this sequence, I’m not sure whether to laugh or be disappointed. My favorite bird has acted like a jerk. Then the 1971 Earth Day words of Walt Kelly’s comic strip opossum Pogo pop into my head. Looking out over a marsh befouled with bottles, cans and other litter, Pogo announces, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Even the Bluebird of Happiness, I think, harbors violent aggression within his ruddy breast. Pursuing this notion, I reflect that few things are more distasteful to me than to witness in others what I dislike in myself. I don’t go around pecking car mirrors, but maybe the next time I jostle with a fellow airplane passenger for a space in the overhead luggage compartment, I’ll remember the angry bluebird and the words of a wise little possum.     

Light’s Out for Earth Hour?

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People in 135 countries across the globe will turn their lights off for one hour tomorrow evening to raise public awareness about sustainability issues and to signify their support for efforts to address environmental issues, particularly global climate change.  Earth Hour, as the largely symbolic gesture is known, will take place from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in each time zone.  From residents in small private homes to managers of iconic structures including the Empire State Building and the world’s tallest skyscraper (Dubai’s Burj Khalifa), several hundred million people are expected to switch off their lights during Earth Hour.

The organizers of the effort hope participants will do more than simply turn out lights for an hour – they are using the campaign to encourage people to take real action to improve the environmental health of the planet.  They have launched “I Will if You Will,” a YouTube based challenge program whereby people can commit to taking action in small and large ways.

Of course, there are naysayers – people who pooh-pooh the Earth Hour as a campaign of extremists who want to convince governments that there is massive public support for legal mandates and punitive taxes that will prevent individuals from freely using resources and thereby hindering human progress.  There is even one group – the Competitive Enterprise Institute — that is encouraging its followers to make sure they turn their lights on from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.!  That outlook on Earth Hour seems off-track, at best, and I can’t understand why people feel the need to divide into “us versus them” camps over issues such as the health of the natural systems upon which we all depend.  While perusing the Earth Hour web site this week, I saw no indication of any effort other than to ask people (and businesses and yes, governments) to take a close look at ways we can live more efficiently, waste less and reduce our ecological footprint.  That seems like a reasonable request…  Of course, public policy initiatives will arise from such individual and collective thought and action, but these initiatives are not inherently bad — public policy based on sound science, shared goals, stakeholder involvement and social justice can truly be good for society!

So… I’ll be turning my lights off tomorrow evening.  If the storm that is forecast for tomorrow has passed by 8:30 p.m., I think I’ll head outside to do some star-gazing and some soul-searching about what steps I can take to live my life in a less destructive manner.  And if it is still raining, I’ll think about Mother Nature’s gift to our aquifers as I consider not only how I can live more lightly on the land, but also what I can do to demonstrate that my commitment to a healthier planet is not just symbolic.

Three Simple Steps to Save Water: Check, Twist and Replace

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Want to know some really easy ways to check for and cure leaks that could be wasting valuable water in your home (and costing you money if you are on a municipal supply system)?  Follow these three steps…

Check for toilet leaks, a big water-waster, by adding food coloring to your toilet tank. Do not flush — if color appears in the bowl (you’ll see it within minutes), your toilet is leaking. Visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak  for do-it-yourself repair tips and videos.

Twist & tighten fixture connections with a wrench or apply pipe tape to ensure that connections are sealed tight. To save water, twist WaterSense labeled aerators onto bathroom faucets – you’ll use 30 percent less water but won’t notice a difference in flow.

Replace old fixtures if you’ve tried the twist & tighten step and you still have leaks.  Purchase fixtures with the WaterSense label.  This label means that the fixture uses at least 20 percent less water and was independently certified to perform as well as or better than standard models. If you replace inefficient showerheads with WaterSense labeled models, you’ll shrink your household’s water footprint by 2,300 gallons each year and save energy too (enough to run a television for an entire year, according to estimates provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

The Timberdoodles are Here!

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The what are where, you ask? The bog suckers, theLabrador twisters, the mud bats, of course — and they can be seen and heard at Fairview Farm! Still don’t know what I’m referring to? OK, I’ll clue you in on the wonderful avian creatures that fill the dawn and dusk skies with fantastic aerial and acoustic courtship displays during this time each year.

American woodcock, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Scolopax minor — the American woodcock — is a short, plump little bird with a long bill that it uses to poke through dirt to find worms. It is a forest-dwelling shorebird that lives in much of the easternUnited States.

It migrates to warmer climates for the winter and typically begins arriving back in our region as the temperatures start to rise in late February or early March. The mixed habitats of forest and meadow at Fairview Farm attract a significant number of American Woodcocks each year, and 2012 is no exception — in fact, I’ve seen and heard more of them late this winter than in any recent year!

This bird has a fascinating courting ritual that takes place on warm mornings and evenings at this time of year. The male woodcock begins his “peenting call” at sunup and sundown. To attract a female, he emerges from the forest where he spends the day into a nearby field. He first struts in circles on the ground and then takes flight, circling and whistling 100 feet high. The whistling turns into a high pitched twittering, ceasing suddenly as the lovesick bird flutters to the ground, only to begin the dance again. The woodcock is so caught up in his romantic ritual that the observer can get close to this otherwise evasive bird!

The sights and sounds of the woodcocks are truly enchanting, and we’ll host a couple of special “Woodcock Watch” programs next week to help you become more familiar with them. On Tuesday, March 6th and again on Thursday, March 8th, you are invited to join us from5:30 p.m.to6:30 p.m.at Fairview Farm (2121 Larger Cross Roadin Bedminster) for a chance to see and hear them. Of course, we can’t guarantee a sighting, but the sunset at Fairview Farm alone is worth the visit and if the “Singing Field” is quiet you can listen to the sounds of the evening! Sunset will occur just before6:00 p.m.so please plan to arrive no later than5:30to park your vehicle and walk to one of the fields while there is still light in the evening sky. One (or several) of our staff members will be on hand to help you learn more about these normally reclusive birds that so enchant us with their displays each day as we leave our office!

 

Fire!

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Fire — most of us fear it, and for good reason.  But, when used properly, fire is one of the most beneficial and cost-effective wildlife habitat management tools available.  It has several advantages over methods such as logging, brush hogging, mowing, disking and the application of herbicides.  Fire can convert dead vegetation into ash, smoke and steam, and make nutrients immediately available to plants.  Dead grass, thatch, and leaf litter are often completely consumed as they carry fire throughout the habitat patch.  After a burn, sunlight can reach the surface of the ground and prepare seed beds for colonizing grasses and wildflowers. Some seeds actually require scarification (the scratching or breaking of the outer covering of the seed) by fire in order to germinate.

Unlike a wildfire, which burns uncontrolled across the landscape, a prescribed burn is a fire conducted by people with significant training and experience for specific, clearly stated purposes that is confined to a predetermined area under specific weather conditions.  Much like a physician writes a prescription for medication after thoroughly examining a sick patient, a land manager writes a prescription for a burn after carefully evaluating the condition of a particular habitat patch and determining how fire can be used to accomplish habitat improvement goals.  The burn prescription is usually dominated by weather parameters, since the behavior of fire is influenced primarily by wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and fuel moisture levels.  Once a prescription is written, a burn plan is developed to describe the conditions under which a prescribed fire can be conducted.  It includes site descriptions and maps, descriptions of the steps that will be taken by assigned personnel to conduct the burn, and methods for evaluating the burn during and after the burn.

Crews carefully lit the edge of the field

We’ve been conducting prescribed burns in some of the meadows and fields at Fairview Farm each winter since 2009.  We typically burn or mow only half of the field acreage here each year, allowing wildlife to migrate to fields left standing.  Earlier this month, “Burn Boss” Scott Mortensen led a crew from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (an arm of the Division of Parks and Forestry, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) which conducted three prescribed burns in grasslands.

Members of the burn crew carefully monitored the borders of the fields to keep the flames in the prescribed area

The burns were quite spectacular, although each one lasted just minutes.  The amount of time spent preparing the fields for the burns and coordinating plans, people and equipment far exceeded the length of any given burn.  This is typical — safety is always a priority, and we are delighted that the recent burns at Fairview Farm  went off without a hitch!  We’ll provide updates in coming posts on this blog so that everyone can see the transformation of the now-seemingly bare patches of land into thriving native meadows!

Flames reached a height of about 15 feet

Preserving Land, Protecting Water in Hunterdon County

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2012 has certainly gotten off to a good start when it comes to the preservation of natural resources in Hunterdon County! 

As 2011 came to a close, we were thrilled to bring to conclusion a long effort to preserve an ecologically important and aesthetically beautiful 58-acre tract of land in Lebanon Township.  The Spruce Run flows through the site as it makes its way toward the Spruce Run Reservoir, a critical component of our State’s drinking water supply system.  Preserving the land that surrounds the stream goes a long way toward protecting water quality in the stream, thereby protecting the quality of water in the reservoir and in our drinking water.  The land itself also holds many treasures — there are 30 acres of wetlands on the property — these wetlands filter water that percolates downward into the soil, becoming the groundwater that many nearby residents then draw upon for use at home via private wells – and a flourishing hardwood forest with many species of native plants.  All this makes for a rich habitat for native wildlife.  We salute our Director of Policy and Science Bill Kibler and our partners from the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, Lebanon Township and the Hunterdon Land Trust for their hard work to preserve the Fisher property.  The site, which is being managed by Lebanon Township, is open to the public for passive recreation.  We encourage you to visit soon — you can access its hiking trails from Anthony Road north of its intersection with Woodglen Road.

At the end of January a second parcel in Hunterdon County was preserved after years of efforts.  This one, a 108-acre parcel in Raritan Township known as the Urbach Farm, features farm fields which will remain in production, mature forests, scenic vistas across eastern Hunterdon County, waterfalls and the Assiscong Creek.  Its setting amidst the fastest growing population in the County offers easy access to residents.  Like the Fisher property, the Urbach Farm is open to the public and its rich habitat offers many opportunities for wildlife observation.  This is another success story for Raritan Headwaters Association, Sol and Ada Urbach and our partners from Raritan Township, the Hunterdon Land Trust, Hunterdon County and the NJDEP Green Acres program, all of whom worked together to preserve the farm.  The property is being jointly managed by Raritan Township and the Hunterdon Land Trust.  Visitors can access it from a parking area on Klinesville Road just north of Barton Hollow Road.

May We Recommend…

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The Princeton Environmental Film Festival, sponsored by the Princeton Public Library, will run over 3 consecutive 4-day weekends beginning on January 26.  The festival has many, many films scheduled, including Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air, Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us? and Rescuing the Raritan, to name just a few.  All screenings and discussions are open to the public and free of charge.  We encourage our members and friends to check out the schedule and participate in this remarkable community event.  Click here for more information and watch our Facebook page for alerts about carpools heading to Princeton for films.