By: Matt Hencheck, Senior Public Information Assistant, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Photo Credit: MacKenzie Hall, NJDEP Fish & Wildlife Senior Biologist

In February of 2023, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife released a new mobile-friendly website for the public to use when observing rare species of wildlife in their natural habitat, or wildlife of any status on roadways, by using the new NJ Wildlife Tracker application.  NJ Wildlife Tracker is user- friendly and allows the public to submit wildlife information to New Jersey Fish and Wildlife biologists, so they can collect data on rare species sightings as well as the locations of wildlife of all kinds reported on roadways. This information contributes to our understanding of the populations of Endangered, Threatened or species of Special Concern such as, bobcats, bald eagles, and Eastern box turtles among many others. When wildlife of certain species of interest, such as bobcats, are reported dead on roadways, staff will record the location, remove the carcass, and collect samples. We have encouraged the public to practice “safety first” in every situation, especially when reporting animals along roadways. In addition to a NJ Wildlife Tracker application video that was published on our social media platforms in May 2023, there is also a video tutorial on the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife website on how to use the app correctly.

Regardless of the size of wildlife, whether it be a tiny spring peeper or a large black bear, wildlife need to move through many landscapes to find food, shelter, mates and other resources. The Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) project is an effort to make our landscapes and roadways in New Jersey more accessible for terrestrial wildlife by identifying key areas and actions needed to preserve and restore habitat connectivity across the state. These actions include mitigating the barrier effect of roadways that cross habitat cores and corridors by constructing safe passageways through the roads for wildlife in these key areas. The CHANJ project offers two main products – an interactive Mapping Tool that gives land managers, transportation planners, conservation groups and the general public a way to visualize New Jersey’s habitat connectivity and a Guidance Document to help make strategic planning choices when preserving land, restoring habitat and mitigating the effects of roads for wildlife. Both tools are available to access on the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife website.

The public’s assistance using the NJ wildlife Tracker application when observing wildlife along roadways helps inform our Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) project team to manage and prioritize actions in specific landscapes and roadways that help improve habitat connectivity for New Jersey’s wildlife.