Battle of the NJ Bear Hunt Polls

When the Humane Society announced a poll this week that showed New Jersey residents opposed a bear 44% to 41%, it kicked out a discussion of whether the results are really true. Different polls are all over the map. Hunters point to this 2004 poll saying 66% of New Jersey residents support hunting in general. But of course that's not bear hunting (another poll shows approval of bear hunting at 47% nationwide).

So I asked the company that did the state poll--and which specializes in hunting-related surveys--about their full results. Mark Duda, executive director of Responsive Management, was nice enough to send me the links to two thorough surveys they did on New Jersey hunting attitudes and the way people view hunting different species.

Duda doubts this week's poll results. "I'd have to see how the question was worded but that result would fly in the face of all other research," he says. Indeed, the poll question does push. I wish they had just asked a straightforward question.

QUESTION: The state of New Jersey has protected black bears since 1970 with only two trophy hunts permitted in the past forty years. The state is now considering allowing hunters to kill up to 400 black bears. Do you support or oppose the hunting of black bears in New Jersey?

But the results fall in line almost exactly with a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind 2007 poll that also had 44% disapproving and 41% approving and that question was straightforward:

 Now lastly, thinking about bear hunting in New Jersey… in general, do you approve or disapprove of allowing a bear hunting season in New Jersey?

But they found that if they could skew results if they gave a preable that said scientists said there were too many bear and the were destroying private property. (See here)

Responsive Management just asks straight up if people approve or disapprove of hunting, fishing and trapping. They got 66% approve of hunting versus 28% disapprove (40% strongly approve, 26% moderately approve; 4% are on the fence; 6% moderately disapprove, 22% strongly disapprove and 4% don't know).

I do find the language in Responsive Management's write up of survey results a bit skewed toward the pro-hunting stance of their wildlife agency clients. They continually describe the belief that hunting may hurt an endangered species erroneous. In general, sure. But that doesn't take into account wolves out west, condors and the general suspicion that wildlife departments that are funded by hunters skew what are supposed to be scientific results to promote hunting opportunities. (Hello, Wyoming.) But their 2004 survey questions aren't biased and the poll is probably the most comprehensive we've got on attitudes towards hunting and wildlife in New Jersey. Their random phone survey found that:

7% of NJ residents consider themselves hunters
11% say someone in their household hunted in the last 5 years
40% thought the NJ wildlife division was using science as its primary guide
17% thought hunting and fishing were part of scientific management of species
39% thought they weren't doing enough to protect wildlife (again, the language in the report minimizes this group)
50% daily access the internet (to me that seems like an older crowd, but their data says it's not)

86% have no interest in hunting
75% wouldn't even go if they didn't need a license and a friend invited them

Aside from that, our biggest source of information is the 2006 National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreational that says only 1% of New Jersey residents hunt, but 23%, or 1.5 million, like to watch wildlife.

Responsive Management also did a comprehensive, rigorous survey on national attitudes towards hunting different species. They found that 78% approved of hunting deer, but for black bear it fell to 47%.

Will we ever get a poll that all sides are satisfied is truly unbiased? Fox has its own poll. You're never going guess what happened there. People who go to Fox News support the hunt. What are the odds? New Jersey hunting groups are getting out the word to vote on a NJ.com poll. They're saying the "antis" are trying to skew results, but I see many entreaties from all over the hunting world to vote pro-bear hunt.

Right now there seems to be little interest in balancing the interests of hunters and wildlife watchers according to their numbers or following any real science. Instead we have a system that if there's a Republican governor, state biologists will find a way to hunt and if there's a Democratic governor, they'll find another way to control the population.  And they wonder why so many doubt the validity of their science?

Where to Go to See  Wildlife in the Northeast

Where to Go to See Bears

NJ Hunters Suspicious of Any Poll That Shows People Don't Like Bear Hunting

The Humane Society released a poll Sunday showing that a plurality (45%) of New Jersey residents oppose the bear hunt the state just approved for this winter. Expect a backlash of hunters who don't believe it, but the survey isn't a fluke: it shows the long-term decline of the popularity of hunting.

The survey by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. that showed 45% of voters oppose the hunt versus 35% supporting it, with 4% margin of error. I would've like to see more than 635 people polled, but it's still random. And it shows the growing discomfort with hunting bears just for fun. Public opinion has shifted--ever so slightly--against hunting since a similar 2004 poll by Fairly Dickinson University. That survey 44%  of NJ residents disapproves a hunt and 41% approved.  They polled 701 voters and had a margin of error of 4%.


As I've pointed out before, NJOA tells its members that "there are 650,000 of us, which is approximately 15% of all voters." They're counting people who hunt OR fish. And then it seems just for good measure doubling their numbers.


The reality is hunting is in decline. The latest National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreational say of 7 million New Jersey residents, only 1% hunt, about 86,000 people hunt, but 23%, or 1.5 million, like to watch wildlife. But state wildlife agencies, funded only by hunting permits, serve hunters almost exclusively. Hunters spend $137 million in New Jersey, but wildlife watchers spent $631 million.

Hunters will point to this 2004 scientific poll, which was paid for by the state, which shows 66 percent of New Jersey residents approve of hunting. It's by Responsive Management, a real polling group, but one that does pro-hunting and fishing surveys. For example some of their surveys cite as a reason people oppose hunting "perceived (erroneous) damage to wildlife populations and ecosystems." Yeah, tell that to people who don't like hunting reintroduced wolves. Their survey was of 400 New Jersey residents and had a margin of error of 4.9%. But that's not bear hunts, which as everyone knows are more controversial.
 
A poll at NJ.com is now getting all sorts of attention from both sides. Ammoland published a link to aon bear hunting after New Jersey Outdoor Alliance asked them to, fearing that "animal extremists have distributed the link to the poll through their global network." They hate that "people from all over the world are weighing in on what is a New Jersey issue," but, hey, hunters, join in.  

NJOA calls the NJ.com poll unscientific, which it totally is. It's a bunch of self-selected enthusiasts on both sides. We need truly unbiased polls and biology-based decisions, which we're never going to get with New Jersey's political wildlife system.

Where to Go to See  Wildlife in the Northeast

Where to Go to See Bears

Top 10 Places in the U.S. to See Bats

AnimalTourism.com has compiled a list of the best bat-viewing sites around the country. We show you the reason for the ranking: we prefer big bat numbers, close to where people live or exotic bat species. The top 10 has at least one from each region.

Bat-viewing got its start in Austin. The city, along with  Bat Conservation International, transformed seeing bats at night from a nuisance to a major tourist attraction. Austin accidentally built itself a model bat house in the Congress Avenue Bridge and BCI stepped in to show us all how to enjoy the show. Instead of having to tear down a major bridge, Austin celebrates its bats. Mayor Lee Effingel just announced that Austin will now have an annual Night of the Bat celebration in June and he wants the bat to be the city's official animal. Adam West will appear, they're be a screening of a batman movie and BCI will have a live bat show. The great thing about Austin is, you don't even have to go out of your way to see bats; after dusk they're all over.


Texas is definitely bat central, but plenty of places around the country have great bat fly-outs. State and federal parks get in on the action with summertime dusk bat events. White-nosed syndrome has wiped out about a million bats nationwide, according to BCI. The caves in the northeast are hit especially hard, with 90% of the bats in Hibernia, NJ, wiped out, according to NJ.com. But there are still lots of bat attractions in every region of the country.

See the Full Listing of Bat-Viewing Sites Around the Country

Hawk Expert Says Attacking CT Hawk May Have to Be Removed--or at Least Scared

The red-tailed hawk that's been swooping down on people in leafy Stonington, CT, may have to be trapped and removed, says Len Soucy, a wildlife rehabilitator, founder of New Jersey's Raptor Trust, and one of the world's most experienced  hawk experts.

"When there's a nuisance hawk, I relocate it," Soucy says, "so people don't hate all the hawks on earth because one hawk is acting foolish."

Soucy has the traps, permits and experience to trap a red-tailed hawk, but it's still a last resort. The hawk is probably protecting his territory in advance of nesting season, which starts over the next couple months, he says. He might try to condition the hawk with loud noise first, a process that can take a while work.

Birders travel great distances to see hawks, but this particular CT hawk in will come directly to you. And then he'll swoop at your head and maybe steal your hat or headphones, the Day reports. The bird has attacked five times since last summer, mostly on the cul de sac of Shawondasee Drive and Carriage Drive. The nearby Deans Mill School now has recess and gym inside, though, just in case.

Hawk attacks on people and pets may continue to rise along with the numbers of red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) . (They're one of the many birds recovered thanks to bans on DDT and reactionary killing of birds of prey.)  Soucy says he's gotten two reports of similarly belligerent hawks in New Jersey this season. One hawk lifted a chihuahua puppy and broke his leg. The males, which are smaller, aren't the only nuisances. Often the female will join in the attacks once the chicks hatch.

"Once the chicks are hatched, you'll have a double dose." Soucy says. "They're just a pain in the ass."

Where to See Hawks and Other Raptors

See Animals in the Wild in the Northeast

The One Percent of NJ Residents Who Hunt Aim For Bear This December

With the election of a Republican governor, Chris Christie, New Jersey restarting its bear war. The first hunt in five years will almost certainly scheduled for this December. The one percent of New Jersey residents who hunt  are eager to get started.

That's right, only one percent of of New Jersey residents hunt. The latest National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreational of the Fish and Wildlife Service says that in a population of 7 million, only about 86,000 people hunt, or 1%. By contrast 1.5 million or 23% like to watch wildlife.

Does the 1% figure sound low? That's because hunters like to exaggerate their numbers. Anthony Mauro, head of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, urged hunters to vote for Christie in part so they could shoot bear: "The outdoorsmen/women of NJ can make the difference – remember, there are 650,000 of us, which is approximately 15% of all voters."

Who are these phantom hunters he's talking about? NJ Outdoor Alliance claims in its "Just the Facts" section that the state has "562,000 hunters and anglers...among the most prominent and influential of all demographic groups, spending more than $1 billion a year on hunting and fishing, according to a new report."

What report are they citing? The same one I am. Only they are counting anglers. That's people who fish, not hunt bear. There are eight times as many recreational fishermen than hunters. And that 15%? Who knows? That's almost double the percentage of people who hunt or fish and 15 times the number who hunt.

NJOA brags that "outdoorsmen" spend $1 billion. Hunters spend $137 million. That's impressive until you realize wildlife watchers spent $631 million.

The new pro-hunting policy was supposed to be unveiled February 9, NorthJersey.com says.
Now you can expect hear the debate about in at next month's meeting March 9 at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in Robbinsville. Or, actually you won't hear the arguments. Dr. Len Wolgast, chairman of the fish and game council, says they'll go into (secret) executive session to discuss the policy.

The NJ bear war is long-running and both sides are entrenched. Hunters claims black bears will surely eat children unless hunting flourishes. The New Jersey Bear Group wants to rely on non-lethal bear control, like chasing bears away and good garbage cans.

Where to See Bear

Where to See Wildlife in the Northeast

More Bear News

Jersey Town Illegally Pushes Tired, Lost Seal Into Wrong Body of Water

A snow plow driver found a seal wandering in Woodbridge.
Photo credit: Woodbridge Township

The adult harp seal that hauled out on Sixth Avenue in Port Reading, NJ, during the blizzard was lost and just wanted to rest, says Sheila Dean, co-founder of Brigantine's Marine Mammal Stranding Center. Instead, animal control dragged him back to where he shouldn't have been--two miles inland, up the Woodbridge River.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act bans anybody without proper training from handling seals. Town workers used what NJ.com describes as "a mouthpiece normally used to capture dogs." I'm pretty sure what they're talking about is a noose pole, which could hurt the seal.

The right response would have been to call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (609) 266-0538 (or, if you are in another state, another agency that's part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network). They would have come right away to assess the seal, Dean says.

"Because this animal is so far inland, we would have taken him and released him somewhere else," Dean says. "He's just a little bit lost and confused and really looking for a spot to rest."

The location is about two miles up the Woodbridge River from the Arthur Kill, the waterway that separates New Jersey from Staten Island. Trained rescuers would have driven him there (about a mile by car.) Now no one knows where he is.

After swimming all the way from the arctic they like to lay out in the sun and build up their oxygen levels. Not every seal you see on the beach in New Jersey needs your assistance, she says. The area is getting more seals in the winter, so people are going to have to learn to accept them and stop trying to haul them. Two colonies live off the Jersey shore in the winter, one visible from Sandy Hook.

Dean says seals also don't like people trying to feed them. She's gone on beaches and found inappropriate gifts like cat food and sushi deposited around seals. When a seal hauled out at Penn's Landing people bought the befuddled seal expensive sushi at a nearby restaurant, she said. "There was sushi and stuff all over the whole deck." They only like live food, but that doesn't mean you should supply it.

"If you throw a fish at a seal he's going to run away," says Dean. "He doesn't know what you're doing."

Found a NJ Seal? Call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (609) 266-0538

Want to See a Seal? Check out AnimalTourism Map

• CRESLI (Coastal Research and Education Center of Long Island) has seal walks and boat tours on Montauk and a neat map of where you might see seals around Long Island.
• Seals also visit Sandy Hook in New Jersey from December to March.
• New York City Audubon has a cruise by a bunch of island on a water taxi.
• SKSA does kayak tours (wet or dry-suit required) on Long Island.

Ilya the Manatee Recovering, Impressing Ladies with His Sweetness

Ilya, the Florida manatee rescued from New York harbor two weeks ago, should be well enough to be released in the Florida Keys in about a month, says Dr. Maya Rodriguez, the veterinarian at the Miami Seaquarium, which supplied the picture of Ilya (left) swimming with his poolmate.

"We expect him to get a clean medical mill in next couple weeks," says Dr. Rodriguez. Identified by his mangled tail and white scar on his forehead, Ilya at least didn't pick up any new distinguishing scars on his journey up to Cape Cod that perplexed marine biologists. 

Stuck in the cold water of New York harbor, Ilya initially suffered cold stress, which can shut down manatees' long digestive track and immune system. He lost about 100 of his 1,200 pounds, had low blood sugar and was having trouble digesting, Dr. Rodriguez says. A video (below) of the event shows him getting wrapped in mylar survival blankets and getting spritzed with water to keep moist.

Ilya is recuperating in a 82 degree saltwater pool at the Seaquarium with an orphaned, female,  18-month-old manatee picked up in the Everglades and named Glade. Normally Dr. Rodriguez would be reluctant to put such a big male in with her but Ilya has been very gentle. "He's just a really docile manatee," Dr. Rodriguez says. 

Ilya is unusual among manatees, which normally handle food just with their prehensible lips, because he grabs with his flippers. "He's all flippers," says Dr. Rodriguez. Ilya, who touches noses with Glade, has even taught his new companion to pick up lettuce with flippers.

Since the water in Florida is still warm, Dr. Rodriguez will wait a bit to release him so he isn't tempted to head north again. Manatees need to stay in Florida (often by the warm water of hot springs or power plant outflows) over the winter but migrate in all directions away in the summer. Ilya was caught on the third attempt near the outflow of the Conoco-Phillips in the Arthur Kill, which separates New Jersey from Staten Island. 

Ilya kept coming back for the 75 degree water even though it was in a heavily industrialized area; the rest of the harbor was in the 50s. Plant workers kept a close eye out for him and alerted rescuers when he returned. The video shows the rescue workers lining up and splashing the water to goad him towards the giant net. A huge team of oil workers, volunteers from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, local EMT divers and federal wildlife agencies pitched in to save the endangered manatee.

Wanna see a manatee at one of the places they huddle to keep warm this winter? Try these hotspots.

Ilya the Manatee May Be Going Wrong Way--Back to NYC

Ilya, the missing manatee, may be headed the wrong way--back up to New York City, instead of down south to Florida and the warm water he needs to survive. Someone saw what they thought was a manatee near Bayonne, NJ, but by the time rescuers came out, there was no animal, says Bob Schoelkopf, founding director of Brigantine's Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which would rescue Ilya if they could just find and catch him.

FWC photo by Tom Reinert

Ilya, who is 16 and known for his missing tail chunk and a white scar on his head, befuddled scientists by swimming from his native Miami all the way up to Cape Cod this summer. Now he needs to get to waters at least 68 degrees--the Carolinas at this time of year--or he could die.

The last time anyone definitely saw Ilya was when he ate a crate of lettuce from biologists outside the Conoco Phillips refinery in Linden, NJ, last Friday. Then he disappeared into the dark, cold waters of the Arthur Kill, the 10-mile tidal estuary between New Jersey and Staten Island. If that was him near Bayonne, that puts him in the Kill Van Kull, a shorter passage that's a few miles closer to the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan and the heavy traffic of the Port of Newark.

But rescuers are dubious it really was Ilya. It's not so much that they think there's a second manatee up here--though one did spend the summer in Raritan Bay. Schoelkopf says he didn't get the spotter's name (and manatee identification credentials) and the call came in eight hours after the supposed encounter. Marine creatures can just be hard to ID. "I've had Coast Guard people tell me there's a whale and calf trying to get up a waterfall and we get there and it's two logs," he says. Manatees are such a rare sight, people--especially northerners--could easily get it wrong. When seals turn up in winter, Schoelkopf says, he gets calls about "sea lions, walruses, anything."

Ilya was drawn to Linden by the plant's warm water discharge, so Schoelkopf called four power plants on the Jersey Shore to ask them to look out for Ilya. In Florida, power plants have become such a popular hang-out in the winter, biologists from Florida's Fish and Wildlife Commission use the gathering to take a census. The New Jersey plants area already on the look-out for stranded sea turtles, who are also drawn to their warm water, Schoelkopf explains. (A rare and endangered Green Sea Turtle recently turned up in Rumson with cold shock, he says.) In northern New Jersey, the Linden plant is the only one.

If anyone does see the manatee, the stranding network is ready to go with a net at a moment's notice. They have a salt water they put on the ideal manatee temperature of 74 this week just for Ilya. If they can catch him, they'll bring him to Brigantine and warm him up for a few days before getting him to Florida, probably by an awaiting Coast Guard cargo plane.

If you see the manatee, call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center's 24-hour number: (609) 266-0538. Try to take a picture and email it to mmsc@verizon.net

Wanna see a manatee not in danger? Try these places.

Ilya the Travelling Manattee Missing Again

Ilya, the manatee that reappeared off Staten Island Thursday--way too far north for his safety--has gone missing again, thwarting any attempt to rescue him from the cold waters. Ilya ate a whole case of lettuce "and was last seen going back into the river," says Chuck Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "This was late yesterday afternoon, and there's been no sighting of the animal since then."

Ilya, a 16-year-old manatee distinguished by his boat scars (a white one on his head and a missing chunk of tail), surprised biologists this summer by migrating all the way up to Cape Cod from his Florida home. Now he's racing the cold weather--and seems to have been entranced by the false promise of warmth from the warm water run-off of an oil refinery in Elizabeth, NJ. The spot that he's at is warm enough, says Underwood, but the rest of the Arthur Kill tidal estuary dips below his requisite 68 degrees. That means he should be in North Carolina by now, according to NOAA's water temperature map. That's about 200 miles, or three or four days manatee travel.

Biologists figured Ilya was safely headed to warmer waters after he wasn't seen since an appearance in Milford, CT, on September  26. Then he showed up in a heavily industrial area. Underwood won't say exactly where--but it's guarded private property anyway.

The Brigantine Marine Mammal Stranding Station has plans to rescue him--if they can find him and catch him. Rescuers typically keep manatees at risk in place by offering them food and the fresh water they crave. But that sometimes has the effect of buoying their spirits so much they take off. The rescuers were put off by the bad weather Saturday--and had other rescues to do.


Want to See a Manatee in the Wild? Check out this map and list of places.

Biologists Try to Rescue Ilya the Manatee from Elizabeth, NJ

 Ilya, the manatee who swam all the way up to Cape Cod from Florida this summer, may need to be rescued today from the stormy, cold waters off Elizabeth, NJ, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Chuck Underwood says. The endangered 1,000-pound manatee was positively identified yesterday from photos taken near a refinery in Elizabeth, a heavily industrial part of New York harbor near Staten Island.

For weeks biologists and manatee lovers wondered where Ilya was, hoping he was making it back down to Florida, where manatees need to spend the winter to keep warm enough. He was last seen in Milford, CT, on September 26. So, everyone figured--or at least hoped--that he would be down at least around the Carolinas by now.

Then yesterday, Underwood says, the Wildlife Service got a call: "We've got your manatee." A quick consultation with U.S. Geological Survey NOAA, which keeps an elaborate database of 2,000-some manatees known by their boating scars, confirmed it was Ilya. His run in with boats have made him easy to ID: he has a big chunk taken out of his tail and a white scar on his head. Nicole Adimey, who runs the manatee rescue and rehabilitation program says that he still is relatively lucky for a manatee: he's never before had to be brought in for treatment.

Right now the wildlife service is trying to keep Ilya in place at a private, undisclosed refinery while a Nor'easter storm blows through. He was attracted to the spot because the run-off makes it warm. It's about 70 degrees right in his microclimate, Underwood says. Meanwhile the rest of the harbor, as you can see from this water temperature map, is dipping into the 50s and 60s. They've authorized the people at the private refinery to give Ilya vegetables and a hose for fresh water in hopes that will make him stay put. They have a net and may attempt a rescue today, Underwood says.

They can move quickly because a nearby stranding network facility has a heated, in ground salt water pool available for him. They'll be able to assess his health and see if he's ready for transport back down to Florida.
taken. Although the 70-degree water around the factory run-off is warm enough, if he leaves that heated area, he'll be in trouble in the cold water nearby.
 
The rescues can be dangerous--mainly because by the time they are tried the manatees are usually in trouble. Last year the wildlife service captured Dennis, a smaller, weaker manatee in Dennis, MA, and trucked him down to Florida, only to have him die just as he arrived to a rescue facility. Let's hope Ilya does better.

Want to See a Manatee in the Wild? Check out this map and list of places.

The Dolphins NOAA Wouldn't Let Others Save Have Died

Last summer a pod of 16 dolphins swam up the Shrewsbury River in New Jersey. When winter came, they didn't leave. So the Marine Mammal Stranding Center wanted to shoo them out. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said no. They were worried that trying to push the dolphins one way could make them go further under the ice--which has happened before. But in a broader sense their argument against action was: let nature take its course; we can't save all the wild animals.

Now the fifth dolphin has turned up dead.
In January we knew of five left, then didn't see them anymore.

So far scientists haven't been able to conclusively id one of the dead dolphins as part of that pod since its 8 1/2 foot carcass has rotted so much.

The argument against hurting the dolphins by trying to rescue them seems to have fallen apart. All that's left is the philosophical bent of NOAA. It doesn't seem fair that since the marine mammal stranding center, whose whole expertise is helping these animals in New Jersey, wanted to do its job without any taxpayer support that NOAA should have gotten in the way.

Last NJ Dolphins Escape Icy River--Maybe

The last of 16 dolphins who have been up the Shrewsbury River in New Jersey since the summer may have escaped back to the ocean. Witnesses at Bahr's Landing restaurant say they saw three to five dolphins on January 15, but haven't seen them swim back in.

Of course, it's very easy to imagine dolphins slipping by even the most diligent watchers--let alone people otherwise occupied with eating and working in a restaurant. But it's nice to think they got out. Bob Schoelkopf, co-director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine says the last time he saw them they were thin and weak.

Over the summer 16 dolphins were spotted in the river--much to everyone's excitement and worry, first about boating accidents and then about the ice.

In 1993 dolphins drowned in the river after it froze; people had tried to shoo them out to sea, but they went under the ice.

So far this year three dolphins have turned up dead.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, alone with many dolphin watchers and lovers, wanted to try to push or lure them out to sea. But the federal officials in charge of dolphins, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wouldn't let them. Not even if they did the rescue work on their own. They claimed that the dolphins were just trying to expand their territory and people should stand back and let them. The Chronicle Herald in Canada ran an obnoxious headline on an AP story: Group fights science to save ‘frightened’ dolphins.

It's amazing to find these Bush administration officials embracing science at all. Or evolution--they seem to be arguing that if the dolphins die it's part of some natural selection process. I can understand not wanting to spend federal money to attempt a rescue, but banning a private, highly trained rescue group is going way too far. It's debatable whether it's worthwhile, but if someone decides it's worthwhile for them, who is NOAA to stand in the way?

Saying that we can't possibly interfere with nature is ridiculous. We interfere with nature all the time. We fish, hunt, pollute, develop. We also rehabilitate wildlife in every state. I certainly hope in the Obama administration we're allowed once again to save a handful of wild animals without government interference.

Photo by Jackie, Sister72

Turkey Vultures Invade Florence, NJ

Turkey Vultures Invade NJ Town
A flock of turkey vultures, 75 strong, has invaded Florence, NJ, just south of Trenton. These are the big, bald-headed birds that first excite casual birders with their size, then disappoint with their gangly, common appearance. Doesn't help that they're smelly, eat carrion and creepily lurk in flocks on trees.
No one is sure what drew the birds to Florence, but the town is working to persuade them to leave. Suprisingly, they are bothering with the dispersal methods that have long frustrated subarban gardeners: metallic ribbon and beach balls with big eyes. According to the AP, they've hung effigies of dead birds. It's NJ, so eventually they'll just hunt them.

Where to See the Odd Bird
See More Animals in the Northeast

Bobolink Offers Real Cheese and An Occassional Calf Birth

BOBOLINK DAIRY, Vernon, NJ

We went out this weekend to the Bobolink Dairy. Wonderful cheese, friendly people, amazing place.
You know how there are tons of places that claim to be farm stores, but really just slap their label on the same schlocky jams and flavored peppermint sticks that have been mass produced somewhere else? Boy, that's not the case here. It's a muddy old farm where they know the cows by name. Minutes before we got there, a calf was born.

Jolly got into a scuffle with the farm dog and had to wait in the car. But had more fun when we went hiking on the Appalachian Trail nearby.

Where to See Neat Animals in the Northeast