Bluebird Conservation, a Community Effort

Port Murray, NJ - Thanks to a 2015 ANJEC grant and resident volunteers, the Mansfield Township Environmental Commission is joining the bluebird conservation movement. A team of adults and children built and installed eight nesting boxes in the municipal park to establish a community bluebird trail.

Nearly extinct in the early 1900s, everyday citizens lending a hand in conservation have largely impacted the recovery of these gentle birds. The major factor in the bluebird's recovery was the establishment of nest boxes placed in preferred bluebird habitat areas by private landowners (National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior).

While there are many nest box styles to choose from, the Environmental Commission utilized “rough cut” white cedar planks obtained at an old-fashioned sawmill located in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey.

Top-opening nest boxes were built with a “predator guard” to hinder larger birds, rodents, and snakes from accessing them.

“We would like to thank the many volunteers and Mansfield Township Department of Public Works staff who helped us launch this new feature at the park, especially resident Donald Proefrock who provided engineered plans and precut the wood for our junior volunteers to assemble” stated Dawn Smith, Chair, Environmental Commissioner. “The children had a great time learning basic wood shop skills. “

Guided Hike - Saturday at 8 a.m. on June 4th, 150 Port Murray Road, Port Murray, NJ – Hector A. Caffferata, Jr. Memorial Park

The Environmental Commission will be hosting a guided bird and ecology hike on National Trail Day beginning at 8 a.m. on June 4, 2016 at the trailhead inside Hector A. Cafferata, Jr. Memorial Park. Click HERE for the flyer and more details. RSVP requested but not required – mygreenmansfield@gmail.com. Bring your binoculars and field reference materials for a great hike with Elaine Drazek, Environmental Commissioner. Elaine obtained her degree from Rutgers in Natural Resource Management with a concentration in Conservation Ecology. Elaine is a certified wetland delineator and works for a local engineering and environmental services organization.

Bluebird Trail Monitoring

We are also proud to announce that Mansfield Township Cub Scout Pack 222 wll be monitoring and reporting data from April through August to Jim Mershon, an On-site Coordinator with Merrill Creek Reservoir, to track and band bluebird nestlings for an ongoing national monitoring project.

“We are delighted to see community spirit build among our youth in Mansfield Township, cooperation across different groups and of course the bonus of an added feature to the park’s walking trail” stated Mayor Shirley Kocher.

What impacted the population of Bluebirds?

Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) are well known in the United States for their brilliant blue feathers and russet breasts, song, and use of nest boxes. The eastern blue birds nearly went extinct in the early 1900s because of a combination of:

· Forestry management practices that removed “snags” that bluebirds depend upon for nesting. Snags are dead trees that actually provide more habitats for wildlife when dead than alive (Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife)

· The introduction of exotic species of birds that competed for nesting cavities

· The dreadful impact of pesticides (National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior)

About Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (www.anjec.org)

For over 40 years, ANJEC has supported the efforts of environmental commissions, other officials and individuals interested in protecting the environment on the local level. ANJEC offers assistance through its Resource Center, conferences, courses, publications, pass-through grants and website