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N.J. bill would help residents who cultivate natural habitats

When he created a natural habitat on the acre surrounding his Cape May County home, Mike Crewe didn't know he'd be summoned to court to answer for it.

Mike Crewe , program director of the N.J. Audubon Society, created a natural habitat in his yard in Lower Township.
Mike Crewe , program director of the N.J. Audubon Society, created a natural habitat in his yard in Lower Township.Read more

When he created a natural habitat on the acre surrounding his Cape May County home, Mike Crewe didn't know he'd be summoned to court to answer for it.

His Lower Township property had become a kind of oasis amid the area's manicured lawns, a colorful meadow for monarch butterflies, native bees, and other species of wildlife.

Its native grasses, seed- and berry-laden plants, and nectar-bearing flowers such as milkweed provided a feast and a rest stop.

So Crewe, program director of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory, was disappointed by the reaction of neighbors who complained about his unmowed grounds to the municipality, which cited him for code violations last winter.

The clash was settled in a plea bargain, with the local prosecutor allowing half an acre as habitat, but the case clearly demonstrated the problem homeowners face in trying to provide food and shelter for wildlife, then running into municipal ordinances that require mowing.

Habitats "don't fit everywhere," Crewe said. "But we should allow people to have them where appropriate."

That issue would be resolved by a bill that passed the New Jersey Assembly's Environment and Solid Waste Committee last month and that awaits a vote by the full Assembly and passage by the Senate.

The measure, sponsored by Assembly Appropriations Committee Chairman John Burzichelli and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, calls on the state Department of Environmental Protection to establish a certification program to encourage habitat plans and license them, heading off municipal code violations.

It is part of a package of bills intended to protect wildlife, especially pollinators, by promoting the habitats on private and public lands, discouraging the sale of nonnative invasive plants, and requiring training for licensed pesticide applicators.

Pennsylvania encourages similar actions "without the government" involvement, said Steven Saffier, director of the Audubon at Home Program for Audubon Pennsylvania, which registers habitats and provides education.

"A typical suburban or urban lawn offers little more to wildlife than a parking lot, and requires both water and chemicals to maintain," said Burzichelli (D., Cumberland). "Those same chemicals end up in our downstream waterways, and this [habitat certification] bill will create a program to encourage property owners to utilize native plant species that flourish in New Jersey and do not require harmful chemicals."

The program will help homeowners "take an active role in protecting our environment," said Bramnick, Assembly minority leader (R., Union), who has - with his wife, Pat - created a habitat at their Westfield home. "Altering a property to comply with standards established by the DEP will help wildlife return to its natural habitat."

Innumerable insects, birds, and other wildlife came to dine last summer at Crewe's property.

For some migratory wildlife such as monarchs and birds, the feast of seeds, berries, and nectar was a life-saver that helped them on their journey.

The habitat bill could mean thousands of such private wildlife way stations across the state, said John Cecil, vice president for stewardship at the New Jersey Audubon Society, which has been a staunch advocate of the measure.

Creating them would help monarchs, native bees, and migratory birds, whose populations have been declining with their shrinking habitats.

"They need to rest, feed, and gather out of the eyes of predators," Cecil said. "They have to have these places."

The certification measure calls on the DEP to set up habitat guidelines and on homeowners to work with landscapers and pay a fee - similar to one for a dog license - to the local municipality, Cecil said.

The change can't come soon enough for New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation, New Jersey Audubon Society officials said. More than 30 percent of the land is considered urban, including lawns at office parks, golf courses, athletic fields, and residential yards. Lawns take up much of the 1.6 million acres of urban development.

To have a greater impact on wildlife, the legislative initiative also addresses public lands, Cecil said. One bill calls for an "integrated roadside vegetation management program" that would mean less mowing and more native plants and wildflowers to provide additional habitat.

The action would be "a win-win for all of us," Crewe said. "We have extensive areas of land along the Atlantic City Expressway, Route 55, and Garden State Parkway which could provide good habitats.

"It's also cheaper [for government] if you don't have to spend taxes on landscaping and mowing," he said.

Discouraging the spread of invasive plants that take over ecosystems, diminishing their value for wildlife, is the aim of another bill.

The measure would prohibit the sale and planting of several species, such as purple loosestrife.

"I would like to see demand for native plants in the marketplace," said Megan Tinsley, a conservation advocate for the New Jersey Audubon Society. "They require less fertilizer and water."

Other bills seek training for pesticide applicators so they can lessen the impact on pollinators such as native bees; regulation of the sale and planting of running bamboo; the designation of June as "Native Plant Appreciation Month"; and the naming of the black swallowtail as the state butterfly.

"This package of bills starts with recognition and awareness-raising for the public and gets all the way to delivering habitat on the ground," Cecil said. "This will have a significant impact on wildlife, ensuring that rest stops are there for them along their journey."