Biological Surveys and Monitoring in the New Jersey Meadowlands

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Biological Surveys and Monitoring in the New
Jersey Meadowlands Ross M. Feltes New Jersey
Meadowlands Commission
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Meadowlands District1969 - Hackensack
Meadowlands Development Commission2001- New
Jersey Meadowlands CommissionEncompasses 32
sq miles
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NJMC mandate to protect ecological balance

• Influence of urbanization and industrialization
• Early examination and monitoring of water
  quality, contamination and biodiversity

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• Since its inception the Commission has acquired
  approximately 1,800 of the remaining 8,400 acres
  of wetlands in the Meadowlands for preservation
  and enhancement. NJMC continues to acquire
  additional acreage with the help of NOAA and
  PANYNJ as sites become available.

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• Contracted with Rutgers to conduct monitoring at
  Skeetkill, Harrier Mill Creek sites
• Monitor progress against goal of 85 coverage of
  emergent wetlands plants on specified acreage

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Permanent Vegetation Monitoring Stations
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• Several more specific surveys conducted
  including
• Colonization by fiddler crabs
• Terrapin nesting

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• Several experiments were conducted by Rutgers
• Benthic invertebrate colonization
• Herbivory
• Factors affecting Phragmites invasion
• Information from these investigations could
  impact the success of future enhancement projects

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Harrier Meadow
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Fish Benthic Invertebrate Survey1987-1988
2001-2003
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New Jersey Audubon

• Avian Abundance and Distribution in the New
  Jersey Meadowlands District The Importance of
  Habitat, Landscape, and Disturbance
• Contaminants in Birds of the Hackensack
  Meadowlands and Their Effects on Reproductive
  Success

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Ducks Unlimited

• The importance of an urban wetland to migratory
  and wintering dabbling ducks at the Meadowlands
  of New Jersey

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Butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, frogs
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Studies Focusing on Contaminants

• Screening Level Ecological Risk Assessment Of
  Contamination In Wetlands Considered For
  Restoration In Hackensack Meadowlands District
  funded by USEPA
• Rutgers study on contaminants at Kearny
  Freshwater Marsh.
• Multi-institutional study on capping of
  contaminated sediments at Kearny Freshwater Marsh
  with funding by USEPA

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Meadowlands District
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Seasonal Water Quality Monitoring
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Continuous Water Monitoring Unit
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Mill Creek Marsh Hyperspectral Imaging
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Balloon Photography
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Data on MERI Website
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Cooperative efforts with other agencies

• US Army Corps of Engineers
• Hudson Raritan Estuary study
• Meadowlands Comprehensive Restoration
• Implementation Plan
• New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
  Meadowlands Wildlife Action Plan

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Future Monitoring

• vegetation
• contaminants
• animal taxa
• district-wide surveys
• fish and birds
• - expensive
• other metrics
• soil organic matter
• sedimentation rates

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Why the Meadowlands are important

• Because it is such a large wetland complex and
  has some of the largest contiguous blocks of open
  space in the highly developed New York City area.
  These remaining marshes and adjacent open uplands
  are important as refusia for many species. As a
  steward of the land the Commission must continue
  to monitor its health.

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Acknowledgements I thank the following
individuals for discussing the topic and
providing literature or graphics.

• Dr. Francisco Artigas
• Gabrielle Bennett-Meany
• Brett Bragin
• Terry Doss
• Christine Hobble
• Ed Konsevick
• Tammy Marshall
• Ian McDermott
• Brian Roff
• Kyle Spendiff
• Jan Yacabucci