Tag: New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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An Earth Day call to climate action
By Michele S. Byers When we talk about a “sea change,” we mean a deep, profound transformation. And that’s exactly what a Princeton-based group called C-Change Conversations is trying to bring about in talking with people about climate change. “Today, the vast majority may understand climate change is happening and may believe it’s influenced by…
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Bluebirds take wing in New Jersey
By Michele S. Byers If bluebirds are a symbol of happiness, here’s some extremely happy news: New Jersey is the nation’s top state in expanding its population of bluebirds! According to Allen Jackson, president of the New Jersey Bluebird Society, a national survey of breeding birds for 2005-15 shows that bluebirds in the Garden State…
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Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day
By Michele S. Byers Fifty years ago, people took to streets and campuses across America to sound the alarm on pollution and demand stronger environmental protections. The occasion was the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, an idea conceived by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson after witnessing the ecological damage caused by a massive oil…
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Dogs have a nose for conservation
By Michele S. Byers Dia, Fagen and Fly are high-energy dogs who love to run through woods and fields for hours, their noses to the ground. While it’s all play to them, their outings have a serious purpose: sniffing out invasive plants and insects, and helping scientists learn about the locations and movements of New…
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Swamp pinks face double threat
By Michele S. Byers In the wooded wetlands of southern New Jersey, tender buds of swamp pink flowers are popping from the ground like stalks of asparagus. The buds open into beautiful blooms with large clusters of tiny bright pink flowers dotted with blue anthers. More and more, these rare flowers are surrounded by cages…
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Help the Garden State’s farmers this year
By Michele S. Byers Farming is unpredictable, with crops dependent on good soils and the right amounts of sun and rain. Droughts, floods, wind storms, blights and pest infestations can all derail a farm’s growing season. This year, with the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, farmers face additional challenges. Many farmers’ livelihoods depend on…
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Nature is open in New Jersey
By Michele S. Byers The coronavirus has thrown our lives into pandemonium. Schools and workplaces are closed and you can’t even go to health clubs, restaurants or bars. Stress levels can hit the roof as we worry about our families, hunker down at home and isolate ourselves with “social distancing.” Some of us are trying…
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Celebrating the recovery of bald eagles
By Michele S. Byers In these uncertain and difficult times, we all need to look for signs of hope. Thanks to Mother Nature and a little help from her friends, here is a wonderful story of recovery and hope for New Jersey’s bald eagle population. Two baby bald eagles just hatched at Duke Farms in…
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New Jersey’s plants need help
By Michele S. Byers New Jersey’s amazing geological diversity supports a wide variety of native plants and animals. Many of them are endangered or threatened – that is, in danger of vanishing from New Jersey or, in some cases, becoming extinct. While this state we’re in has laws protecting endangered and threatened animals, plants have…
