Wildlife Preservation

The Wildlife Preservation Committee of the Jackson Pathfinders is dedicated to the purpose of preserving and providing habitats for threatened and endangered wildlife species which are native to the area. Current projects include the construction, installation and monitoring of Barred Owl, Screech Owl, Redheaded Woodpecker, Wood Duck and Red Squirrel houses.

Tony Santa Maria installs a Screech Owl house at the Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson

Call of the Wild! New!

The Pathfinders are looking for volunteers who can do any of the following:

• Visual checking for activity in the Barred Owl nestboxes that have been installed in our area (no ladder required). The critical observation period is from late January to late April. Barred Owls lay their eggs in February and leave the nestbox by June. After that, squirrels are likely to take up residence. Barred Owls are very solitary creatures and are easily disturbed. They are currently a threatened species in N.J. primarily because of loss of habitat.

• Cleaning and adding fresh bedding to the nestboxes (ladder required)

If you are interested in this endeavor, please contact Tony Santa Maria, Chairperson of the Jackson Pathfinders Wildlife Preservation Committee at wildlife@jacksonpathfinders.org

Click on the following links to learn more about wildlife preservation:

National Wildlife Federation

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife