NJ fees itself with damaging land it was sure to guard

New Jersey’s Division of Environmental Safety has charged itself with damaging habitat for threatened and endangered birds that it was supposed to guard.

The work was designed to create habitat for one species of chook, however truly wound up destroying habitat for 2 others.

The division acknowledged it despatched a violation discover and threatened penalties in opposition to its personal Division of Fish and Wildlife concerning unauthorized work in February and March on the Glassboro Wildlife Administration Space in Clayton, Gloucester County.

The work concerned the clearing of vegetation and disturbance of soils on almost 3 acres of what the state calls “distinctive useful resource worth freshwater wetlands.” Earlier than the work was completed, this land was thought of appropriate habitat for the barred owl, which is listed as a threatened species, and the red-shouldered hawk, an endangered species.

The challenge additionally cleared and disturbed an extra 12 acres of land close to wetlands often known as transition areas, which are also protected.

The DEP refused Friday to debate how the work occurred with out authorization.

On its web site, the division wrote on Feb. 1 that the work sought to create 21 acres of habitat for the American woodcock, a member of the sandpiper household that makes use of its lengthy, slender beak to forage for earthworms in damp soil. The challenge was designed to create “meadow habitat.”

However in doing so, the state destroyed mature oak and pine forests in and close to wetlands, and crammed in some wetlands, 4 conservation teams mentioned in a letter to the division in early March complaining in regards to the work. The company issued the violation discover on April 6.

“The wetland soil and flora that had been beforehand undisturbed have been destroyed, and the mature forest that was already habitat for quite a few uncommon species of crops and birds was clear-cut logged,” the teams wrote. “All timber have been minimize, and all stumps bulldozed.”

Tom Gilbert, a pacesetter of the New Jersey Conservation Basis, mentioned, “This by no means ought to have occurred. They need to additionally take steps to enhance their clearly insufficient inner evaluation course of and meaningfully interact the general public.”

Jaclyn Rhoads, assistant govt director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, recommended the state for proudly owning as much as its mistake, however mentioned the DEP ought to present a listing of present initiatives on its web site for public evaluation.

“It’s due to the general public that we had been in a position to cease additional destruction of this panorama,” she mentioned.

Company spokesman Larry Hajna mentioned the Fish and Wildlife Division’s Bureau of Land Administration should implement applicable soil conservation measures inside 10 days and submit a plan inside 30 days to revive the location. That should embrace removing of wooden chips positioned there.

By the top of April, the DEP intends to problem a discover of penalty evaluation.

The violation discover contains the specter of penalties, however it was unclear how which may work when the DEP is each the accuser and the accused. Nor was it instantly clear whether or not any cash may truly change palms. The division didn’t reply to questions on potential fines.

Fish and Wildlife will suggest extra environmentally helpful measures, which shall be topic to a public remark interval, Hajna mentioned.

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Observe Wayne Parry on Twitter at twitter.com/WayneParryAC