Rare Species Stewardship
What is a Rare Species?—Rare species are plants and animals officially listed by the NJDEP as requiring special attention because their populations are vulnerable.
Rare Species in the Hopewell Valley—FoHVOS tracks 24 rare plants and 10 rare animals in the Hopewell Valley. These range from the microscopic Terrestrial Water-starwort plant to the flashy American Kestrel, a falcon.
Our Program—FoHVOS’ Rare Species Monitoring and Stewardship programs began in 2008 with the documentation of Wild Comfrey on Baldpate Mountain. Since then, our program has expanded to monitor and steward populations of 24 rare plant species and 10 rare animal species. FoHVOS uses a multi-step process to assess and track the health of these rare species populations:
Surveying and Mapping
FoHVOS Land Stewards regularly search preserves to document the extent of rare species populations and to discover additional rare species in suitable habitat. FoHVOS maintains a rare species database containing thousands of observations of rare plants and animals.
67% of Baldpate Mountain is rare plant habitat.
Winter can’t stop FoHVOS Land Stewards from finding new rare plants.
Research and Monitoring
Science informs our stewardship activities. Before we spring into action (that comes next!), we perform literature review on the biology and ecology of our rare species and consult regional experts. We combine the resulting knowledge with our surveying data to develop standards for assessing rare species population health and setting goals. Once evaluated, these rubrics (formally called “Element Occurrence Ranking Specifications”) guide us in executing intensive monitoring protocols in the field: counting individual plants or animals, measuring and mapping populations, and recording their reproductive and other behaviors. The results help us identify stewardship needs and measure trends in population health over time. We currently utilize intensive monitoring protocols for 7 particularly vulnerable species.
Rare species tracking: FoHVOS Land Stewards track movements of rare species to understand habitat usage and better inform our stewardship plans.
Deer browse-impacted demography: Our data show that endangered Eastern Redbud seedlings are accumulating in the herb layer (<1 meter), constrained to heights below the deer browse zone. As a result, previous generations are reaching maturity without replacements.
Active Management
After considering our research and monitoring results, we use a broad array of management techniques to protect and restore rare species populations. These include improving habitat by managing vegetation, controlling invasive species, and using fencing to limit deer browse on plants.
FoHVOS Land Stewards reduce invasive plant infestations to improve native habitat.
Reducing invasive plant infestations and erecting small deer exclosures protects rare plants like green violet.
See a rare plant or animal on one of our preserves? Notify FoHVOS and report it to NJDEP.
To learn more about rare species in New Jersey, click the links below.
Rare Animals List (threatened and endangered)