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The Pine Barrens around Helmetta: Bears
Joe Sapia holds "Whitefoot," a 6.2-pound, male black bear in March 2011 in Sussex County. As yearling males seek their own turf, Whitefoot could wind up in the Pine Barrens around Helmetta.
Photos courtesy of Joseph Sapia
No, I have never seen a black bear in the Pine Barrens around Helmetta. Yes, there have been reports of bears here over the years here. So, as this spring turns to summer, I think of Whitefoot….
Excuse my fall into the Hollywoodesque view of nature, the place where animals take on human qualities, but Whitefoot is an easy identifier for the approximately 3-month-old, 6.2-pound male black bear with a white, left front foot I met scores of miles from here — actually in Sussex County – last year.
A DC Birding Blog: Beardtongue
Photo Credit: Dendroica Cerulea
Nature's Focus: Eastern Box Turtle
Male Eastern Box Turtle.
Photos courtesy of Thomas W. Gorman
Normally when I head out for a simple hike, I usually take the camera and the larger lens with me, and I honestly hope that I will come across whatever species I’ve chosen to seek out during that particular hike. The majority of the time I am successful, and there usually turns out to be an added bonus in seeing something I did not expect.
Focus on the Meadowlands: Scenes from River Barge Park
All photos courtesy of Jim Wright, N.J. Meadowlands Commission
The Meadowlands Commission’s new riverside park with a free public boat ramp just opened in Carlstadt. At River Barge Park Day earlier this month, REI offered free mini kayak lessons. Paddlers now have access to the Hackensack River from the western shoreline.
Conserve Wildlife: Extirpated NJ species of the week - North Atlantic Gray Whale
Like gray whales in the Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic gray whales were primarily a coastal whale, never venturing too far from land. They would migrate between winter breeding and calving grounds in the southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to summer foraging grounds in New England.
Photo Credit: fish-journal.com
NorthJersey.com: River pumping proposal sparks North Jersey water war
It pits the local industry giant against smaller providers, as well as sewage authorities and environmentalists, and raises crucial questions about how much water gets pumped out of the region’s rivers — and who gets to take it.
The Passaic River and its tributaries provide drinking water to more than 4 million people — almost half the state’s population.
Image Credit: NorthJersey.com
NJ 101.5 Radio: Banded red knot found after lifetime's journey
The red knot was spotted Monday in Reeds Beach by the scientist who banded it nearly two decades ago.
Photo Credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service
The bird was last spotted in Argentina in November, as it began its 9,000-mile trek to Canada. The birds fly 18,000 miles a year. This bird has covered a distance equal to flying to the moon and halfway back.
The Jersey Journal: Secaucus Meadowlands goes back in time with Field Station: Dinosaurs
Staff at the Field Station Dinosaurs, the new 20-acre educational theme park at 1 Dinosaur Way near Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus have assembled 31 life-like animatronic dinosaurs.
A Tyrannosaurus is photographed at the Field Station Dinosaur Park in Secaucus on Thursday, May 10, 2012.
Photo Credit: Lauren Casselberry
Don's Jersey Birding: Milkweed in every yard!
We can all help the Monarch butterfly by planting milkweed in our backyard.
Photo courtesy of Denise Farrell
Since we are approaching a fiery presidential election, I thought I would throw my hat into the political ring. I already have my campaign slogan, “A Milkweed in every yard”. I am not sure how many states I would win. After all, some might call it socialism for the butterflies, but I will take my chances; the Monarchs can certainly use our help.
NJDEP News Release: Christie Adminstration Wins Another Round in Fight to Hold Companies Liable for Lower Passaic River Cleanup
Passaic River.
Photo Credit: epa.gov
Bergen.com: Parrots' nests cleared from power sources
So when borough residents Wayne and Jenine Norris passed by recently, they were shocked to see the massive nest was gone. As they looked closer, they found two broken eggs on the ground and realized that the colony of Quaker parrots, also called monk parakeets, was frantically trying to rebuild its home.
Quaker parrots in flight at Overpeck Park in Leonia.
Photo Credit: Bergen.com
Conserve Wildlife: The tragic toll of roads - Be aware while driving this summer
A timber rattlesnake shortly after being hit by a car on a road in the New Jersey Pinelands.
Photo Credit: Ben Wurst
During the summer I am always a little more aware while driving. In the next week many terrapins will begin to emerge from coastal waters to find nest sites. Box turtles and other freshwater turtles are seeking mates and nest sites. Snakes often bask in roadways to help them thermoregulate. Last week while I was driving down one road in the Pinelands I saw two cars pass me in the opposite lane. After they sped by, on the shoulder, I noticed something odd but I knew exactly what it was. A tail was flinging crazily in the air. I thought it was a snake but was’t 100% sure so I stopped and turned around to check it out. It turns out it was a snake and it was an endangered timber rattlesnake.
WNJ Photo of the Week: Barn Swallow at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR
Photo courtesy of Mark Gorman
Previous photos of the week:
WNJ Exclusive: Hackettstown Hatchery Open House June 2 & 3
Historic stocking truck.
Photo Credit: NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife
Audubon New York: One Good Tern Deserves Another
Piping Plover.
Photo Credit: Bill Stripling
WNJ Exclusive: Hunterdon County nature artist opens art exhibit with wine-and-cheese reception
Photo courtesy of Donna Herrman
East Brunswick Patch: The Butterfly Park - What's Flying?
The first Red-banded hairstreak of the year was found last Saturday.
Photo Credit: David Moskowitz
New York Times: One small step for NYC's fledging hawks
Screengrab by GhentArt
Audubon Magazine: Rachel Carson and JFK, an Environmental Tag Team
Illustration by Joe Ciardiello
WNJ Exclusive: New Documentary Explores Crazy Weather, Hungry Deer and Clean Energy in America's Most Densely Populated State
Image Credit: Hundred Year Films
“All the big issues I’m interested in pointing a camera toward, including global warming, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity, are all represented in and around this one last deep forest in Central Jersey called the Sourlands,” explains 29-year-old filmmaker Jared Flesher.