Team Habitat continued creating wildlife habitat in South Jersey in 2007. Team Habitat completed three projects this spring. In each case we established warm season grasses to promote habitat for ground nesting birds. We planted a warm season grass mix on a five acre property at the Willow Oak natural area for the City of Vineland. We partnered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who provided seed and technical oversight. The city of Vineland Public Works Department disked the field just prior to our planting the site using the no-till drill. Team Habitat Manager, Rick Parenteau, can be viewed planting grasses in the Willow Oak natural area in the left picture below.
Remember! — Planting creates grassland habitats for wildlife.
In addition, Team Habitat has applied for a National Fish and Wildlife Fund grant to hire a part time employee to initiate and complete habitat restoration projects. This individual will operate, transport, and maintain partner agencies equipment and perform outreach, marketing, and landowner contracting. Team Habitat members feel this grant will help us become self reliant. You may contact Team Habitat at: South Jersey RC&D, Columbus USDA Service Center, 1971 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, Columbus, NJ 08022 - 609-267-1639 x110 |
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Buckshutem WMA Savannah Creation a joint South Jersey RC&D Council and Southern New Jersey
Quail Unlimited project
In 2002, the South Jersey RC&D Council partnered with Southern New Jersey Quail Unlimited to develop a plan to address the loss of open habitats or savannas from the New Jersey landscape. Loss of this habitat was due primarily to changes in farming practices and suburban development
Buckshutem Wildlife Management Area (WMA) required the scientific removal of designated trees to provide openings of various sizes and to reduce the canopy allowing more sunlight to reach the soil surface. A carpet of warm and cool season grasses, forbs and weeds would then be allowed to grow. This new carpet would provide grassland birds and butterflies with the habitat needed to find food, nest, and raise young. A 128 acre area was selected from the 3000 acre Wildlife Management Area. Click here to read the complete description for the creation of the savanna. Click here to read about the Groundbreaking in April 2002. Turning Back Time
"Turning Back Time" was printed in the January - February 2004 issue of Quail Unlimited Magazine. The article delivers both history and the people perspective for the Buckshutem WMA Savanna Creation project (above). Click here to view the article. (pdf) SJRCD would like to express its gratitude to Quail Unlimited for granting permission to distribute this article. Team Habitat needs the following:
If you are that person, or know someone, please call Ken Taaffe at 609-267-1639 x110 or send him an e-mail at coordinator@sjrcd.org
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There were hundreds of dairy farms in South Jersey in the 1960s. These farms were comprised of pastures for the cows which often contained trees and hedgerows. During the seventies, grain farming became more profitable, so farmers converted their old pastures to cropfields and removed the hedgerows to accommodate the large farm equipment. While this was happening farmland was being gobbled up for suburban housing tracts. Grassland birds, such as vesper sparrow, northern bobwhite quail, eastern meadowlark, northern harrier, and bobolink have declined to one half their population of previous decades.