GOSHEN — The New Jersey Audubon Society has announced a new partnership to help monitor and manage invasive plant species on Cape Island, the island comprised of the City of Cape May and the Boroughs of West Cape May and Cape May Point.
The Cape Island Habitat Restoration Task Force has formed under the coordination of NJ Audubon, and includes the Nature Conservancy, the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry. The group will invite private landowners, businesses, and municipalities to join their list of partners.
The Cape Island Habitat Restoration Task Force is a Coordinated Weed Management Area (CWMA).
CWMA’s are located throughout the nation, with the objective of bringing together public and private partners at a local or regional scale to better address invasive species issues relevant to the area.
“Invasive species control must be tackled cooperatively to be successful,” said Laurie Pettigrew, principal biologist for the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife. “Cape Island is the perfect place to launch a CWMA because of the diverse mix of land owners, both public and private, interested in preserving its ecological importance.”
The Cape Island Habitat Restoration Task Force was formed to ameliorate the potentially adverse effects that invasive plants may have on bird populations and other wildlife that use the habitats found on Cape Island. The partnership will work to manage and control invasive plants and improve wildlife habitat on public and private land across Cape Island’s 15,000 acres.
“Invasive species management partnerships, like the Cape Island Habitat Restoration Task Force, are necessary to sustain native habitats that are essential in supporting wildlife and enhancing biodiversity,” said Suzanne Treyger, Stewardship Project coordinator for NJ Audubon. “As partners, we can share information and resources more easily to better manage invasive species and raise public awareness of local invasive species issues.”
Cape Island is an Important Bird Area in New Jersey. This globally recognized designation is due to the variety of habitat types that are utilized by thousands of birds during fall and spring migration, as well as for breeding and wintering grounds. Populations of federally threatened piping plovers, state endangered least terns, and state threatened barred owls are supported by critical habitats found in Cape Island.
Invasive plants such as common reed (Phragmites australis), sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora), and porcelainberry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) are targeted as priorities for control by the Cape Island Habitat Restoration Task Force.
These invasive plants often overrun native vegetation, eventually dominating entire landscapes and creating monocultures of exotic species, thereby reducing biodiversity. The transition from diverse, native habitats to exotic monocultures may negatively impact the rich diversity of avian species that rely on Cape Island for suitable habitat.
“The successful implementation of a CWMA for Cape Island will have lasting impacts not only for the Island’s native habitat but as a model for all of New Jersey to tackle this problem as a community,” said Bradley Smith, Director of Land Management for The Nature Conservancy.
The Cape Island Habitat Restoration Task Force has started management projects this year, and extensive surveying for invasive species will commence in spring of 2011.
Volunteer opportunities exist to help manage, survey, and monitor invasive species, and private landowners are encouraged to join this partnership to learn about invasive species and how to enhance wildlife habitat on their properties.
“Cape Island is compact, but it has to support an extraordinary range of native plants and wildlife throughout the year,” said Jean Lynch, Stewardship Project director for N.J. Audubon. “N.J. Audubon has enjoyed working in this community for years, and we’re excited that this new initiative will benefit wildlife as well as the local wildlife-related economy and the island’s many nature enthusiasts.”
For information on how to partner with or volunteer for the Cape Island Habitat Restoration Task Force, contact Suzanne Treyger at 609-861-1608 ext. 23, or suzanne.treyger@njaudubon.org.
