Verizon Works with Partners in the Great Swamp Watershed

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife program at the New Jersey Field Office works with a variety of landowners to help create, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality. Many large corporate properties are found in ecologically sensitive and valuable parts of the watersheds of New Jersey. Corporate landowners through wise land stewardship can enhance the ecological value of their properties for the benefit of surrounding communities. The Verizon Center in Basking Ridge, Somerset County, is a good example of a corporate entity taking a keen interest in land stewardship. In collaboration with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program and the New Jersey Audubon Society, Verizon is restoring habitat on its property for the benefit of insect pollinators, amphibians, reptiles, and migratory birds through a variety of measures such as planting native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers; managing nonnative plant species; erecting nest boxes; digging a vernal pool; and creating turtle nesting habitat. The Verizon Center lies within the Great Swamp Watershed, an area shared by the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. In addition, several species listed by the State and / or the federal government as threatened or endangered occur in the watershed.

Link to the joint Verizon, New Jersey Audubon Society, and Partners press release.

Link to additional images of the project at Basking Ridge, New Jersey.