New Kiosks at Wilderness Area Trailheads Tell the Great Swamp Story
(December 12, 2006)
There is a story to tell about the Wilderness Area at Great Swamp—and now, there are four new kiosks at Wilderness Area trailheads to let visitors know about these Great Swamp firsts!
These kiosks were purchased by the Friends of Great Swamp using money raised during the Walk for Wilderness held in 2004, along with a generous grant from the Wildwood Foundation, and also using funds from Friends' membership dues, Bookstore & Gift Shop sales, and donations received.
Each kiosk has a panel with a magnificent color photo and includes a brief explanation of Great Swamp's wilderness story. There is also a bulletin board panel on each kiosk for posting maps, events, and refuge information. As part of an Eagle Scout project, Joey Cowper led a team of volunteers in assembling and erecting the four kiosks over several days time.
Second Sunday Program Highlights Great Swamp Wilderness Area
(December 12, 2006)
On November 12, 2006, at the Friends' regular Second Sunday series, Steve Henry, Deputy Refuge Manager at Great Swamp, presented a program about the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Great Swamp Wilderness Area in particular. The Wilderness Area designation is actually a legislative process, with a public law creating each wilderness area. The Great Swamp Wilderness Area was Public Law 90-532, signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, formally making it part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Today, there are 707 wilderness areas in 44 states which total 107 million acres. The largest wilderness area is in Alaska; the smallest wilderness area in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is Great Swamp. The Great Swamp Wilderness Area was the first in the Department of the Interior and the first on a national wildlife refuge.
Visit one of the wilderness area trails. Take a look at the new kiosks and read the inspiring story. Take a wilderness walk on some of the 8 miles of marked trails and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the Great Swamp Wilderness Area - a unique experience, right here in New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country!
Fall Migration Has Begun (October 4, 2006)
The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is a busy place during the fall migration season - which makes it a great place to visit in October as hundreds of ducks and geese stop to feed and rest before continuing their journey southward to their wintering grounds.
Back in the early 1960s, the Refuge was established as an area to provide nesting, feeding, and resting habitat for migratory birds. There are now over 600 acres of impoundments on the refuge, areas where water levels are managed to create an optimum habitat for migratory waterfowl.
Two of the best public viewing areas for fall migration are (1) the Friends Blind at the Wildlife Observation Center (Long Hill Road) and (2) the Overlook on Pleasant Plains Road. Both of these areas look out over impoundments where ducks can be seen flying in and out of the marsh. These areas are open every day from sunrise to sunset.
During National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 8–14, the Friends of Great Swamp have special permission to lead walks each evening into the management area, a part of the refuge which is normally closed to public access. During these Sunset Walks, visitors can walk out onto a service road, which bisects the impoundment areas, providing a "surround sound" experience as flock after flock of ducks and geese fly out of the sky to descend into the marsh - mallards, wood ducks, pintails, green wing teal, gadwall, black ducks, Canada geese—hundreds of waterfowl to be seen and heard as night falls. These walks are open to the public and leave from the Friends Bookstore & Gift Shop promptly at 5:45 p.m. They are about an hour and a half long.
Birds face many hazards are they move between their breeding grounds and wintering grounds during migration season. Weather is an important factor and a sudden storm may spell disaster. Other problems are collisions with skyscrapers, windows, or radio towers. Migrating birds use up a great deal of energy in sustained flight and must find places to feed and rest in order to survive; farmland and marshes along their migratory path may have been converted to houses, office parks, or shopping centers thus depriving them of appropriate habitat. Wildlife refuges, like the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and other temporary migration stopovers, provide critical resources for migrating birds.
Where Have All The Herons Gone? (June 25, 2006)
It was April 28, 2006, the first night of the New Jersey Audubon Society / Friends of Great Swamp Heron Rookery Watch. Mike Anderson was a little late–and his necktie and dress white shirt were somewhat formal for the occasion–but no one really noticed. The real question on everyone's mind was...Where were the great blue herons? The nests were all empty and there were no herons in sight. No one had an answer.
The herons had been there. Earlier in the season, Friends' photo contest winner Bill Filce took a terrific photograph showing at least 15–20 herons on their nests. Weekend visitors to the Friends Bookstore had reported counting 25 or 30 herons active on their nests at the rookery. Sure a pair of red-tailed hawks had built a nest in the middle of the rookery, but the hawks had been there even before the herons - and that hadn't slowed down the heron nesting activity.
These days, the rookery is empty and although there are many great blue herons to be seen around the refuge, none frequent those high, huge stick nests. So why had they abandoned their nests?
The current theory is that although the nesting red tailed hawks had not initially seemed to have an effect on the herons, when the young red-tails hatched, around the end of April, the parents became more aggressive hunting and protecting their young, causing the herons to abandon their nests and their eggs. According to refuge biologist Craig Bitler, that situation had occurred at another rookery on the refuge in a previous year.
Will they come back next year? No one knows. But we'll be watching.
Refuge Bird List Underway for 2006 (April 30, 2006)
The Friends have started a Refuge Bird List for 2006—an undertaking to count the number of bird species seen (or heard) around the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge during the year.
There are 244 species listed on the official Refuge Bird Checklist, some common (think grackles or bluebirds), some uncommon or rare (think glossy ibis or indigo bunting). This number does not include, though, the Snowy Owl that was seen by a few lucky birders in February. The snowy owl does not appear on the official refuge bird checklist—not even in "accidentals"!
In early spring, ducks and other wetland birds were in abundance on refuge ponds; the breeding ones will remain for the summer. Hawks—and even an eagle—were spotted in the late winter. In April and May, the warblers will be around, hiding in the foliage, singing away—and birders will be trying to see as many as they can. As the trees come into leaf it becomes harder to see these birds of the treetops and the stiff neck that sometimes results from looking up is often called warbler neck.
The master Refuge bird list for 2006 is being maintained in the Friends Bookstore & Gift Shop, open weekends from 11:00 am–5:00 pm. However, early birders and weekday visitors will find a clipboard outside the Bookstore where sightings can be recorded. A waterproof cabinet, cleverly designed, constructed, and installed by Friends' volunteer Bill Smullen, houses the clipboard and bird sightings log. The bird sightings log has been so successful that there are plans to install another cabinet and bird log at the Wildlife Observation Center (the boardwalks) in order to capture the sightings there as well.
All refuge visitors are encouraged to add any bird they see to the sightings log, along with the refuge location, and then other visitors will know what to look for—and where to look. The hope is to be able to list all birds that are seen any place on the refuge including Pleasant Plains Road, the Wildlife Observation Center, and the Wilderness Area trails. At the end of the year it'll be interesting to see exactly how many of the 244 species on the official Refuge bird checklist have been observed by refuge visitors. So far, 99 species have been checked off on the master refuge bird list in the Bookstore.
The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is a busy place in the spring. Come see how many birds you can find. Check out the bird sightings log when you arrive—and add to it when you leave. It's also a great time of year to enjoy the spring wildflowers, turtles sunning on the logs, snakes, frogs and other animals which make an appearance at this beautiful time of year.
Friends Adopt Pleasant Plains Road (March 2006)
With budget cuts and staff shortages a reality, the Refuge needs help—and that's exactly what Friends are for! As one way of assisting the Refuge with the many things that need to be done, the Friends have adopted Pleasant Plains Road.
Starting this past summer, on a very hot and humid August day, the Pleasant Plains Road Crew (a.k.a. Friends' volunteers) trimmed the brush around the refuge boundary signs so they were plainly visible. The next road crew day was scheduled for February 25 when eighteen volunteers arrived to clip, prune, and cart away "tons" of the invasive multiflora rose that was growing at the Overlook and at the deep pond by the bridge. The volunteers also cut brush around the Overlook sign and at the sharp bend to improve visibility for drivers. Then on March 25, taking advantage of the cool spring weather, thirteen volunteers showed up to sand and stain the kiosk at the Overlook where they were accompanied by a continuous chorus of wood frogs! The volunteers raked gravel around the new bench, picked up litter, and pruned (more) multiflora rose while clearing out debris from the ditch. Even the donation box got a new paint job and one team worked overtime to replace the faded refuge boundary signs along the road.
The improvement is really noticeable thanks to the hard work of these road crew volunteers. The Pleasant Plains Road Crew will continue to take care of the road, replacing faded and worn signs, keeping the ditch clear for drainage, continuing to fight the multiflora rose and other invasive species, picking up litter, and whatever else needs to be done!
If you are interested in joining the Road Crew, stop by the Friends Bookstore & Gift Shop on any weekend and find out more about this and other volunteer opportunities.
It's Official! Friends Win National Award (February 2006)
The Friends of Great Swamp have been selected as the 2006 Refuge Friends Group of the Year!
This annual award is made by the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation "to recognize exceptional contributions made by refuge volunteers and employees..."
In addition to the Friends Group of the Year, the awards include recognition for the Paul Kroegel Refuge Manager of the Year, the Refuge System Employee of the Year, and the Volunteer of the Year. An awards ceremony is planned for March 23, 2006 in Columbus, Ohio.
When she got the call, Friends' President Judy Schmidt spread the word to the other board members. "I have always known that you are the best, most dedicated and hard working Friends Group and soon so will everyone else. I am proud to announce that we have been selected as the 2006 Friends Group of the year."
The official awards letter signed by Evan Hirshe, NWRA President, stated: "The Friends group of the year award, which includes a $2,000 check, honors a Friends organization that demonstrates innovation and excellence in advancing the mission of the Refuge System, provides a positive community influence, works as an independent advocate to protect the natural resource, and strives to influence support for the local refuge and the Refuge System as a whole. We feel the Friends of Great Swamp NWR has thoroughly met this criteria and the group is indeed a worthy recipient of the award."
The following excerpt is from the press release issued by the National Wildlife Refuge Association announcing the awards:
"The Friends of Great Swamp NWR have demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to public outreach and environmental education in support of their urban refuge. The group developed the refuge's Wildlife Tour Route guide and the 'Discovery Den' activity room. In addition to welcoming and answering questions for thousands of refuge visitors each year, the Friends host at least two public educational programs a month on the refuge and partner on events hosted by other conservation organizations in the surrounding Great Swamp watershed. Their extensive education and outreach program includes classroom loan of the 'Swamp in a Box' kit containing videos and identification guides researched, written, and produced by the Friends."
National Wildlife Refuge Association Offers Free Introductory Membership
(December 2005)
The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) has been an advocate of wildlife refuges for 30 years with a vision to "work to pass legislation improving the Refuge System, help to elevate its visibility with the American public, and engage citizens at the local level to serve as advocates on its behalf." At the local level, the NWRA has been instrumental in the development and support of Friends groups nationwide, including: mentoring of new groups (like our own Friends of Great Swamp), sponsorship of the annual Friends conferences, co–sponsoring workshops and training sessions, funding grants awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, creating an online forum for Friends groups to share information, and of course keeping members current on legislative activities. The Friends of Great Swamp has benefited from all of these NWRA activities and in 2003 the Friends Board voted to join the NWRA as a charter Affiliate Member to demonstrate our support and appreciation.
Now, as part of the celebration of their 30th anniversary, NWRA is offering a complementary one–year introductory membership to individuals, which includes receiving copies of their new Wildlife Refuge magazine. The debut issue has spectacular color photos and fascinating articles devoted to refuges, Friends' issues, and the refuge system. To take advantage of this introductory offer and to learn more about NWRA visit their web site at www.refugenet.org and click on "Free Introductory Membership." You can also pick up a copy of the first issue of Wildlife Refuge magazine at the Friends Bookstore & Gift Shop, open weekends from 11:00 to 5:00.