Galloway, NJ – Work will begin this week to remove nearly 500 radio transmission poles from a 232-acre coastal marsh at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
The poles are scattered across the marsh and have been since the early 20th century. Tall wooden poles – some with dangling wires, antennae or cross-beams that create grid-like formations – rise out of the water at this peaceful marsh where birds and boaters like to explore.
“There are a massive amount of wires and cables out there and the poles are degraded, just slanting and ready to topple over,” said Amy Drohan, USFWS biologist. “The area receives high use from birds, and we know they can become entangled in the wires. Also, we are concerned that as the poles fall naturally over time that they will lie on the marsh and destroy the habitat underneath.”
Save Barnegat Bay has conducted bird surveys in the area, estimating there are 115 bird species at the marsh and the antennae are “a virtual minefield for the birds,” according to statements made at a January 2016 public meeting for the environmental assessment of the pole removal project.
The site helped make history in World War II as one of only three short-wave radio transmission sites established in the United States. Built in 1929, the sites were used for ship-to-shore radio communication and played critical roles in battles such as Normandy. All three sites were shut down in 1999.
There are two pole arrays on Forsythe NWR, at Good Luck Point and Manahawkin Bay. However, only the poles at Good Luck Point will be removed, as they present the greatest hazard and the refuge does not have enough funding to remove the 131 poles at Manahawkin Bay. Berkeley Township owns the former communications building located at Good Luck Point.
Drohan said contractors are doing the work in winter when the ground is harder to lesson impacts from falling poles, and no work will occur during bird breeding seasons to minimize impacts to nesting birds.
All site work will be completed by April 1, when osprey nesting season begins, and 18 poles will be left standing to provide nesting sites – the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and Conserve Wildlife Foundation will put up osprey platforms on these remaining poles. There were 18 active osprey nests at Good Luck Point in 2016, and biologists identified the best poles to keep for future nests.
"This project will restore the marsh landscape and remove the hundreds of poles and wires, yet also provide upgraded structures to support nesting ospreys," said Kathy Clark, a wildlife biologist with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife. "The site will be better than ever, and ensure that ospreys – a symbol of the New Jersey coast – will have safe and durable nests for many years to come.”
Ospreys have been long-time residents of this unique but very altered habitat. The NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program has monitored osprey nesting since the early 1980s, with the Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) doing the job in more recent years. The provisioning of man-made nest platforms has been a key component of the osprey's population recovery along the NJ coast. CWF-NJ will be seeking donations to support the building of new osprey nests, said Clark.
The $1.7 million project is supported by federal funding for Hurricane Sandy recovery. The 2012 superstorm slammed into this coastal area hard – storm surge washed across the entire refuge, scattering debris and hazardous material along a 22-mile stretch of beach, marsh and forest. In 2015, the refuge completed a major clean-up effort and has been working on several restoration and resiliency projects to help protect it from future storms.
After the poles are removed, the refuge plans to do an additional marsh improvement project at Good Luck Point in the future and to work with Ocean County to add an additional culvert to increase tidal exchange and allow the marsh to ebb and flow better with the tides on Bay Avenue, said Drohan. The poles themselves will be sent to a recycling facility for proper disposal.
Partners on the project include Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Save Barnegat Bay, Berkeley Township and Ocean County. To read more about the coastal restoration project, click here. To view photos of the project, click here. To learn more about other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hurricane Sandy recovery and resilience projects, visit the Hurricane Sandy Recovery website.
