Happy Turtle Day!

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Can you spot the turtles in this picture?

Well, it seems like the terrapins living in the Lighthouse Center's canal knew it was their special day, and popped up for a visit/ bask! Thanks to Pola for this great picture!

Sure enough, it seems fitting that our first terrapin sighting of 2012 falls on World Turtle Day! Of course, every day is a reason to celebrate turtles, but here are five things you can keep in mind:

• Never buy a turtle from a pet shop, as it increases demand from the wild.
• Never remove turtles from the wild unless they are sick or injured. 
• If a turtle is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going — if you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again. 
• Report cruelty or illegal sales of turtles to your local animal control shelter. 
• Report the sale of any turtle of any kind less than four inches. This is illegal everywhere in the U.S.

These are recommendations from American Tortoise Rescue. Mother Nature Network also wrote a great story about world turtle day which you can find here. Our friend the diamondback terrapin even got a cameo in the article!
World Turtle Day or not, we're very excited to see that Barnegat Bay's terrapins are ready for summer to begin. Soon enough we'll be finding them on nesting beaches (which also means they'll be crossing roads, so drive safely!) and collecting them in our traps. We hope you can come out and join us for what is sure to be a great field season:0)

2012 Upcoming Events

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The Summer Season is here and terrapins have started to nest in 2012..

Our first female landed and nested on N. Sedge Island at Barnegat Bay (code ACIW) on Saturday May 26 at 1:00 p.m. 

The season has begun and here is what is happening...
The High Bar Terrapin Team (thanks John Crimi) have a great new hatchery and much nesting activity
We just completed the new hatchery at N. Sedge Island on June 2, 2012 (Thanks Tony Raniero)
We are reconditioning the hatchery at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences
Long Beach Township just filled sand in an area at the LBIF that may be used by nesting females instead of "having to cross" the main boulevard
We just completed a terrapin nest site enhancement project on Cedar Run Dock Road (see picture below)!

Come out and check out our terrapin conservation display...
May 19, 2012 - Ocean Fun Day at Island Beach State Park (Was terrific with over 3000 visitors!)
June 3, 2012 - Barnegat Bay Festival - Island Height, NJ (It seemed that there were 1000's there)
June 9, 2012 - Thanks to all of you who participated in the training
July 6, 2012 - Barnegat Bay Green Day at the LBIF  11 a.m.
Aug. 22, 2012 - U.S. Coast Guard Open House - Barnegat Light, NJ     9 a.m. - 3 p.m.


Please contact projectterrapin@gmail.com for any inquiries.

                          Cedar Run Dock Road Terrapin Nesting Enhancement Project

Terrapin Conservation for 2012

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Island Beach State Park Staff trained on June 19, 2012 with John from MATES Project Terrapin.  They helped John to mark animals and to participate in a field activity, collecting terrapins (we captured one).  The Nature Center houses two juvenile terrapins from IBSP for public education that are part of a headstart program through MATES Project Terrapin

                               Staff at Island Beach State Park along with John
                               during terrapin training session.


Thanks to the Garden Club of Long Beach Island for their generous donation of turtle crossing road signs for Barnegat Light and High Bar Harbor, to caution motorists of nesting female terrapins.  Signs were installed in early June 2012. 


                               Turtle crossing sign along Bayview at Barnegat Light Township



Thanks to a generous donation of time and materials from Fernando, an often "overrun" terrapin nesting area was transformed in May 2012 into a terrapin nesting area with reduced human impacts.  Students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) Project Terrapin helped to plant dune grass to stabilize soil.  Boulders were added to prevent vehicles from parking and trailering boats across the nesting area.

  A before (left) and after (right) view of the nesting area.  On the right, notice the sand mixed with gravel and tire tracks across the nesting area. On the right, the sand was raked and the site is less accessible by humans, providing nesting female terrapins with less human impacted nesting opportunities.

2012 Terrapin Nesting Season

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June 22, 2012 we fitted three female terrapins with temperature and depth sensors to determine annual exposure in terms of temperatures and depths that a female would encounter at Barnegat Bay.  We fitted old reliable, AHPW, along with BHIO and NPQW all funded by Exelon Energy Corporation.  Nesting season is going very well with 26 known female nests and 6 nests from unknown females.  This puts us at approximately 451 eggs protected as of June 22.  I would like to thank our awesome interns and volunteers for their work...
Lauren, Jackie, Juliet, Ryan, Lisa, Dylan and Jillian!  As of June 30, 2012, we are at 500 eggs and we outfitted terrapin AJVW with a logger (see picture below...).  Her datalogger was sponsored by the students at Cedar Creek Elementary School in Lacey Township as part of their generous donation to Project Terrapin. 

Terrapin code AJVW with transmitter on back left carapace

On Saturday May 26, our first female terrapin was captured on N. Sedge Island (code ACIW).  On Wednesday May 30, we found our first nest and marked two more female terrapins.  We welcome Lauren Cruz from the University of Delaware as a summer student researcher (see below).  Lauren is studying the effects of coastal upwelling events and how the reduced temperatures brought on by upwelling may impact nesting frequency.  We have a new hatchery on the Island as well!  On June 2, our familiar nester, code AHPW, came back to the Island for her tenth consecutive year.  We hope to see her in two weeks to fit her with a temperature and depth datalogger to determine what conditions she is exposed for a year.  We also had a female terrapin nest June 3 that was 2007 grams!  The largest ever measured on N. Sedge Island!

See our new hatchery below... Thanks Tony Raniero for the easy access design and look!



   
Lauren Cruz installing a "human traffic counter" as part of her terrapin nesting study on N. Sedge Island

2012 LBI Nesting Project

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Kathy and her High Bar and Barnegat Light Team are working very hard this season.  They've saved over 700eggs as of June 30 2012.  See below for the latest nest that is being protected on site!  There are 15 sites protected outside of the hatchery!  Thanks to the Crimi's for the addition of a 2nd hatchery.




We will continue our project at the LBI Foundation and also at High Bar Harbor. The goal is to protect terrapin nests from negative human impacts.  Kathy aided by her dedicated team of volunteers already moved over 16 nests from heavily trafficked areas to the hatchery - just June 3, 2012! 

Kathy is locating a terrapin nest on LBI with the aid of Grace

A new hatchery was installed by some very dedicated volunteers (thanks to John Crimi for all of his hard work and generous support) working under the direction of Kathy Lacey.  This is part of the LBI/ High Bar Harbor Conservation Program.

Here are some goals on Long Beach Island...
1) Assess and log terrapin nests with little, to no, impact on the female terrapins
2) Possibly relocate nests in areas with high human traffice (walking and cars)
3) Conduct a mark and recapture study of nesting female terrapins (after they nest)
4) Maintain hatcheries at the LBI Foundation in Loveladies and High Bar Harbor
5) Promote awareness and stewardship of  terrapins and Barnegat Bay, NJ




 

Custom New Home Communities

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It is important to seek out new home communities that not only fit your financial budget, but to also ensure that the homes were built with efficiency in mind. Affordably built new homes are available and many of these homes did not sacrifice quality and efficiency in order to be very affordable. There are also many enticing incentives on these new homes because of the competitively of the market. In many cases these homes are made much more affordable than older homes.

One of the benefits of a new home community is that you will not have to worry about foreclosures bringing down the value of your home. Where every house around you is new, and just moved into or is still for sale, you will tend to see properties hold their value more. Another great benefit of these Custom Homes Maryland is that they are built to modern standard, and have efficiency and the environment in mind with the construction of every house.

There are also many different floor plans and sizes, including prices, that will fit any families needs.

Many things a potential homeowner is looking at with a new home are how it was built. Some people expect a house that is for sale for fewer than 200,000 dollars was built cheaply, and did not have efficiency in mind. This is simply not true. Studies have shown that these newer homes are much more efficient than older homes that are for sale at a comparable price. Another benefit is the recent green movement will ensure that your home was built with the environment in mind, keeping its carbon footprint low with every home built. There are many benefits to custom homes that people like. Large kitchens, nice sunrooms, and features like these only come with a custom built home that is on the market.

Why settle for the same old average house, that has been used and worn over the years, when you can purchase a brand new custom home in a community that is filled with other nicely built, custom homes at the same price.

Families should really look into the market for new homes rather than older homes because it will save them money on the price, the living costs, and the house will typically last much longer because of how well it was built. You do not need to spend an astronomical amount of money to live in a nice custom home, all you need to do is look at what the market has to offer.

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Article Source: http://lifestyle.ezinemark.com/custom-new-home-communities-16cb7b2a40f.html

Jersey Shore Beach Rentals

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New Jersey Shore real estate has a competitive rental market. Every summer, the state's 127 mile coast line draws in thousands of tourists looking for a place to stay. For travelers visiting these beautiful beaches, a hotel is no longer the only option for your stay. Jersey Shore rentals, specifically Wildwood, NJ vacation rentals, are growing in popularity. The reasons for their popularity are both obvious and numerous.
Space
Wildwood Crest vacation rentals and other Jersey Shore summer rentals offer customers something that hotels and resorts do not: space. When buying or purchasing a home, one of the biggest concerns is space. No one wants a home where they feel crowded or confined. Why confine yourself to a single hotel room while on vacation? Vacation rentals are also great for large parties or families traveling together because you can decide what size rental you require based upon the number of people in your party.
Privacy
Motels often lack the privacy that many vacationers desire.
Rented rooms at a hotel share common areas with one another. This includes hallways, lobbies, and recreation areas. In order to have any privacy or secluded relaxation, guests must remain locked inside your room. A vacation rental affords much greater privacy.
Freedom
Many hotels enforce a strict set of rules and regulations they expect all guest to respect. The following is a short list of common hotel policies.
• No Pets
• No Smoking
• Quiet Hours from 10:00pm-7:00am
• No Guests Past 10:00pm
• Varying Dress Codes
These regulations are designed to make every guest's stay more pleasant, but they impose limitations that can make a stay go from relaxing to restricting.
Policies like dress codes and quiet hours are practically unheard of in a vacation rental because of the increased privacy and seclusion.
Many beaches offer apartments, townhouses, and homes for rent every summer. Wildwood, New Jersey is no exception. Summer rentals offer benefits that many hotels and resorts don't. A large part of the appeal to renting a residence as opposed to a hotel room is the increased space, privacy and freedom. Wildwood, NJ realtors can help you find the perfect vacation rental. Before booking a hotel for your beach trip this year, consider a Wildwood, NJ summer rental.
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