News Release - 10/10/07

Wildlife Spectacle: New Jersey Hawk Migration Uncovers Big Picture Conservation Concerns

New Jersey and national conservation experts to announce plans to conserve wildlife before they are too rare and costly to protect.

CAPE MAY, NJ (October 10, 2007) —Today, at Higbee Beach, the site of one of the nation’s most important hawk and raptor migrations, state and national conservation experts gathered to take a closer look at the big picture of wildlife conservation. Those attending focused on the importance of funding proactive conservation, and the actions needed to put a stop to threats on wildlife populations and habitat.

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Director, Dave Chanda, joined David Mizrahi of New Jersey Audubon and David Chadwick of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in front of conservationists and media to talk about the significance of the New Jersey Wildlife Action Plan and the 55 other state and territorial wildlife action plans across the nation.

The action plans, recently completed by each state and territory’s fish and wildlife agency with the help of scientists, biologists, sportsmen and other conservationists, lay out a proactive set of priorities for helping prevent wildlife from becoming endangered in every state. Teaming with Wildlife, a coalition of more than 5,500 conservation-minded organizations and businesses—including state fish and wildlife agencies, wildlife biologists, hunters & anglers, birdwatchers, hikers, nature-based businesses and other conservationists—is calling for increased federal, state and private funding for action plans in 2008.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies estimates that an additional $1 billion is needed to fully support the thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. Today, only about $200-300 million is focused specifically on preventing wildlife from becoming endangered, a large part of this from the federally funded State Wildlife Grants Program.
“New Jersey supports one of the most important and largest wildlife migration spectacles in the world, as more than 60,000 hawks and raptors, and one million songbirds visit Cape May each fall,” said Chanda. “It is up to us to ensure these wildlife and the places they live remain healthy for future generations to enjoy. If the state fish and wildlife agencies had an additional billion dollars for preventing wildlife from becoming endangered, it would translate into $19.3 million a year for New Jersey alone, compared to the $1.1 million it presently receives through State Wildlife Grants. It’s hard to account for all species with very little resources.”

Completed in 2006, each state wildlife action plan contains information on low and declining populations of wildlife, their habitats, threats, and the conservation actions that must be taken to prevent them from becoming endangered. Individually, the action plans establish a set of conservation actions for each state, but together they represent a blueprint for conservation on regional and national scale.

In the New Jersey Wildlife Action Plan, the conservationtakes a habitat-based approach, with the state identifying five biologically unique landscapes to help prioritize where conservation work can best be directed. These landscapes contain representative samples of each of the state’s natural communities and the greatest known assemblage of biological diversity, including many populations of at-risk species. In Cape May, there are many factors affecting wildlife and their habitat.

• Habitat Fragmentation and Change—Cape May is a popular resort and growing retirement destination.  Development has reduced the amount of habitat in the peninsula, particularly open fields and woodlands essential for resident and migratory wildlife. A larger conservation strategy is needed if we are to maintain the major bird migration through Cape May and southern New Jersey.
  
  
• Invasive Species—Invasive species such as common reed, purple loosestrife, salt cedar and Russian olive are crowding out native species and reducing habitat available for migratory birds. New partnerships need to be formed to bring together all available resources to combat this serious challenge.
  
  
• Climate Change—New stresses from climate change put greater stresses on the Cape May area, Higbee Beach and its wildlife resources.  Scientists need to gain a better understanding of these impacts and use adaptive management to counteract these affects.
  
  
• Funding—Without greater and more sustainable funding we won’t have the resources needed to sustain an important economic, cultural and ecological resource.  If we don’t act soon to secure funding we may be judged by future generations as penny wise and pound foolish.

“The pressures of threats such as clean air and water, invasive species and climate change only increase the need for pro-active conservation and management of fish and wildlife and their habitat in order to ensure their continued survival,” said Chanda. “When fish and wildlife are pushed to the brink, other conflicts over scarce resources are frequently exacerbated. Dedicating a portion of funding for practical, preventive actions to conserve fish and wildlife resources can help improve larger conflicts.”

The Teaming with Wildlife coalition is now working to support new legislation that will dedicate greater and more reliable funding to wildlife conservation, including part of several new climate change bills as well as exploring other funding sources.

To learn more about the New Jersey Wildlife Action Plan or another individual state wildlife action plan, visit http://www.wildlifeactionplans.org.  Or, to learn more about the Teaming with Wildlife, visit www.teaming.com.

# # #

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies —the organization that represents all of North America's fish and wildlife agencies—promotes sound management and conservation, and speaks with a unified voice on important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org .