Announcing the MCAS 2024 Bird Conservation Grant

The Monmouth County Audubon Society (MCAS) is pleased to announce the return of  a new grant program to promote bird conservation in Monmouth County.

The Monmouth Audubon Bird Conservation Grant Program will award a maximum of $3,000 in grants in early 2024. The maximum amount provided per proposal will be $1,500 ($150 is the minimum). All nonprofit 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organizations as well as any of Monmouth County’s municipal environmental commissions are eligible to apply and are welcome to apply for, and receive, more than one grant per cycle. Projects must be located within the County and environmental commissions are only eligible if they represent a municipality within Monmouth County, NJ and have been established by ordinance.

Examples of eligible projects include habitat creation or enhancement projects, such as: 

  • Installation of nesting platforms for osprey;

  • Creation of hummingbird gardens with native plants;

  • Installation of nest boxes;

  • Native tree/shrub plantings

MCAS is seeking applications for the new grant program by December 31, 2023.

MCAS, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of nature, wildlife conservation, habitat protection and education and is based in Red Bank, NJ. MCAS is a volunteer-run non-profit which hosts many programs and field trips to benefit the community and the environment. To learn more about MCAS, please visit the organization’s website at: www.monmouthaudubon.org. For information specific to the Bird Conservation Grant, please visit: https://www.monmouthaudubon.org/mc-bird-conservation-grant

Announcing the MCAS 2022 Bird Conservation Grant

The Monmouth County Audubon Society (MCAS) is pleased to announce a new grant program to promote bird conservation in Monmouth County.

The MCAS Bird Conservation Grant Program will award a maximum of $3,000 in grants in early 2022. The maximum amount provided per proposal will be $1,500 ($150 is the minimum). All nonprofit 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organizations as well as any of Monmouth County’s municipal environmental commissions are eligible to apply and are welcome to apply for, and receive, more than one grant per cycle. Projects must be located within the County and environmental commissions are only eligible if they represent a municipality within Monmouth County, NJ and have been established by ordinance.

Examples of eligible projects include habitat creation or enhancement projects, such as: installation of nesting platforms for osprey; creation of hummingbird gardens with native plants; installation of nest boxes; and native tree/shrub plantings. MCAS is seeking applications for the new grant program by March 1, 2022.

MCAS, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of nature, wildlife conservation, habitat protection and education and is based in Red Bank, NJ. MCAS is a volunteer-run non-profit which hosts many programs and field trips to benefit the community and the environment. To learn more about MCAS, please visit the organization’s website at: www.monmouthaudubon.org. For information specific to the Bird Conservation Grant, please visit: https://www.monmouthaudubon.org/mc-bird-conservation-grant

Ted Engberg Conservation Scholarships 2020

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$3,000 in scholarships available through Monmouth County Audubon's Ted Engberg Wildllife Conservation Scholarships

The Monmouth County Audubon Society is pleased to announce that for the 15th year we will sponsor the Ted Engberg Wildlife Conservation Scholarship.

This year a total of $3,000 will be available. MCAS hopes to award scholarships of $1,500 to two qualified Monmouth County high school graduates who will continue their education this fall in a field related to wildlife conservation. The Board has approved these scholarships as an important part of our mission to promote the awareness, appreciation and conservation of natural resources through educational outreach.

The scholarship is awarded in memory of Ted Engberg, who was on the MCAS Board of Directors and was a generous supporter of our organization for decades.

Full information on the scholarships and applications (in a PDF format) can be downloaded by clicking HERE. Hard copies are available by contacting us at: Monmouth County Audubon Society, P.O. Box 542, Red Bank, NJ 07701. Students graduating from a Monmouth County high school can also get information through their Guidance Office.

The one-page application requires: name and contact information; high school transcript with current GPA; a letter of acceptance from a four-year college or university, and a 500-word essay, “Why wildlife conservation is important to me.” Applicants must be residents of Monmouth County.

Applications must be postmarked on or before April 1. The MCAS Scholarship Committee will review all eligible applications (supplemental information will not be considered), make their decisions and award the $1,500 scholarship checks to the winners by June 2, 2020.

Monmouth County Audubon Society looks forward to awarding the scholarships to worthy students with an interest in conservation again in 2020. We are delighted to support their interest in a healthier ecosystem and cleaner environment for future generations to enjoy.

Ten Steps for Opposing Bad Development

Editor's Note: This was released by the NJ Audubon Society back in 2003, but we feel it stands the test of time and deserves to be included on our website.

by Eric Stiles, New Jersey Audubon Society
Don Freiday, Sanctuary Director- Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary
Brian Vernachio, Sanctuary Director - Plainsboro Preserve

Note: NJ Audubon does not assert that all development is bad. By "bad" we wish to connote development activities which degrade or otherwise impair our natural heritage.

1) Determine where the project is in the municipal permit process. The project cannot proceed if it does not have approval from the local governing body, and citizens can provide information to local governing committees that can help these committees make the right decisions. The municipal clerk or town planner should be able to answer the following questions.

  •  Does it have preliminary approval?
  • Does it have final approval?
  • Are planning or zoning variances required? Have these been granted?

2)  Contact your town's Environmental Commission. The commission allows citizens’ groups to have input into the planning process. 357 of NJ’s 567 municipalities have an Environmental Commission. Your township clerk should be able to provide local contact information.

3)  Determine if there are wetlands in site. Wetlands are protected by statute. The applicant for development should be required to obtain a Letter of Interpretation (LOI) from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection regarding the presence/absence and extent of wetlands, as well as a Freshwater Wetlands Permit if any wetlands or buffer areas are to be impacted. The NJ Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act of 1988 protects wetlands with endangered or threatened species present by adding a 150-foot buffer, so make sure that the site has been adequately surveyed for Endangered and Threatened species.

4)  Respond to the adjacent landowner notification by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) of wetlands project within 15 days to the address on the notification.

5)  Determine which state permits and regulations may apply to the development. Citizens may be able to provide information that can help NJDEP make the correct decisions about permits. NJDEP’s switchboard phone number is (609) - 777 - DEP3. In addition to Freshwater Wetlands LOI'S and permits, the following items (and perhaps others) may be required by NJDEP:

  • Category I Stream Anti-degradation permit
  • Coastal Zone Management rules (CAFRA) permit
  • Sewer Service Extension
  • Stream Encroachment Permit
  • Wastewater Management Plans
  • Stormwater Management Permits
  • Groundwater Permits

6)  Assemble a citizens group to spearhead and monitor the issue. There is strength in numbers. The citizens group is an incredibly effective mechanism for working with your local political leaders, media and planning and zoning board, as well as with the state DEP.

7)  Depending on where the project is in the local and state permitting process, determine with the citizen's group if you need an attorney. A good attorney can level the playing field between the citizens and the developer.

8)  Determine with the citizen's group and attorney if you need an environmental consultant. Consultants can be hired to examine the property and can become expert witnesses when the project is contested in front of the township committee, planning board, board of adjustment, and/or zoning boards. Environmental consultants can help determine the following:

  • Presence of endangered species and critical habitat.
  • Presence and delineation of wetlands.
  • Water quality, quantity and treatment.
  • Steep slopes.
  • Presence of limestone geology, or other subsurface conditions unsuitable for development.

9)  Information on known local animals and plants can be obtained from the following sources:

  • NJ Audubon Society's Research Department (609-861 -0700) for birds found through the Breeding Bird Atlas.
  • The NJ Natural Heritage Program (609-984-0463) for endangered species sightings.
  • The NJ Endangered Species Program (609-292-9400) for endangered species critical habitat mapped through the Landscape Project.

10)  Make your voice be heard.

  • Inform and educate reporters about the issue.
  • Mount a "Letter to the Editor" Campaign in the local newspaper to express citizen concerns and raise public awareness.
  • Share copies of this press with your local elected officials.
  • Orchestrate a local petition campaign.
  • If state permits are required, organize a writing campaign to the Governor, NJ DEP
  • Commissioner and state legislators to oppose the granting of these permits.
  • Contact relevant conservation organizations in NJ.

What then? A possible 11th step: When a bad development has been defeated, the question remains as to what happens to the land. One possibility is purchase by the town, county, state, private conservation organization, or some combination of these entities, for protected open space. This option can be raised as a win-win alternative for the would-be developer and the citizens: The developer receives some remuneration for the land, and the land is protected.

 

Conservation can be a reality

by Harden Fowler

The Osprey platform installation team stops for a photo after installation of the Monmouth Beach platform. MCAS sponsored the installation.

The Osprey platform installation team stops for a photo after installation of the Monmouth Beach platform. MCAS sponsored the installation.

The mission statement for Monmouth County Audubon Society reads, in part: "Our mission is to promote the awareness, appreciation and conservation of natural resources through activism and educational outreach." Conservation, or "the controlled use and systemic protection of natural resources," is something that all MCAS members should share as an achievable goal.

In the most densely populated state, development is inevitable, and environmentally friendly changes often are not the primary concern of developers. Even if all of your concerns aren't addressed favorably, compromise is often necessary and should not be considered a defeat for conservation. A good compromise is something that both sides can live with. If you feel that an area needs protection or that the proposed change in usage is not in the best interest of conservation, contact the people that will control the change. It's also very important that you make your concerns known early in the planning process. Too many times, concerned citizens make contact with the governing body at the last minute. By that time, development plans are about to be finalized, and a major change would be extremely hard to implement.

However, before you make contact, check with other groups that may share your concerns, gather your facts, and think of a possible alternative to the problem. When you contact the decision-makers with a phone call, e-mail or letter, make it as factual and brief as possible. A positive, knowledgeable and to-the-point call or letter will receive a more favorable response than nonfactual rambling. On the local level, your municipal or county planning board, environmental commission or the Monmouth Conservation Foundation are logical contacts. If it is a statewide problem, the New Jersey Audubon Society monitors legislation and joins with other groups to protect our natural habitats. The New Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionNJ Fish and WildlifeGarden State EnvironNetNY/NJ BaykeeperThe Nature Conservancy or the NJ chapter of the Sierra Club are also valuable resources. If you would like to contact your legislators, the NJ Legislature can give you the status of bills and lists your legislators by the zip codes that they represent. With a little time, research and effort, we can all have positive input into the changes that affect the environment around us and make conservation a reality.