Tag: New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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3,000 birds and counting for ‘bluebird grandfather’
By Michele S. Byers Bluebirds have been a symbol of happiness for thousands of years and across many cultures. With their brilliant blue plumage and flash of red on the breast, these year-round New Jersey residents are breathtaking. But the last century hasn’t been the happiest time for these small thrushes, which historically nested in…
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Love Jersey fruit? Thank our native pollinators!
By Michele S. Byers For many New Jerseyans, it wouldn’t be summer without blueberries, peaches, tomatoes, and many varieties of melon and squash, all grown in this state we’re in. And we have dozens of unfamiliar, native pollinating insects to thank! The production of most fruits, seeds and nuts requires insect pollinators who transfer pollen…
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Like to jog? ‘Plog’ instead and keep NJ clean
By Michele S. Byers Have you seen unusual groups of joggers and runners breaking stride to pick up litter from the ground? They are “ploggers,” part of a fitness trend that migrated to the United States from Sweden. “Plogging” combines the Swedish term “plocka upp” – meaning to pick up – with jogging. Ploggers are…
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Begone, single-use plastic bags!
By Michele S. Byers Look around and you will see plastic bags everywhere: tumbling along roads, washed up on beaches, caught in tree branches, and clogging rivers, streams and storm drains. In 2017, volunteers for Clean Ocean Action collected more than 9,000 plastic bags during their spring and fall “Beach Sweeps” up and down the…
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Good news for globally rare swamp pink lilies
By Michele S. Byers How can you tell if an ecosystem is healthy? Take a look at the plants and animals living there. In New Jersey, especially the southern counties, one sign of healthy forested wetlands and headwater streams is the presence of the evergreen lily known as swamp pink (Helonias bullata). The plants produce…
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A clean energy future for New Jersey
By Michele S. Byers Clean energy like solar and wind got a huge boost last week with the passage of a new clean energy bill. The clean energy bill was passed by the state Senate and Assembly. Once Gov. Phil Murphy signs it into law, this state we’re in will join New York and California…
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Without its ‘understory’ layer, the forest will collapse
By Michelle S. Byers Forrest Gump claimed life is like a box of chocolates, and a healthy forest is like a layer cake. At the bottom of the cake is the “understory” layer, with seedlings, saplings, woody shrubs and other plants. Next up is the “mid-story,” with taller young trees and larger shrubs. The “canopy,”…
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Go for a walk and feel better!
By Michele S. Byers There is no “magic potion” to cure everything that ails us, but a nonprofit health group is touting the next best thing: walking. Walk with a Doc, whose mission is to encourage physical activity and reverse the effects of sedentary lifestyles, says walking is the most effective way to improve the…
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Fight light pollution during International Dark Sky Week
By Michele S. Byers Step outside at night and gaze up at the sky. Do you see a dim orangey glow? If so, you are experiencing the modern problem of light pollution. Our multitude of outdoor lights – streetlights, home lighting, stores, illuminated signs and more – obscure the magnificent dome of constellations and planets…
