On February 21st, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection adopted revisions to its list of threatened and endangered species. The species status changes were based on a scientific review that considered population levels, trends, threats, and habitat conditions. Experts, both within and outside the agency, reviewed data to reach consensus on the conservation status of species.

Key updates include:

• A new category "species of special concern" has been added—a watchlist for declining or vulnerable species. Included in this category are barn owl, cerulean warbler, eastern meadowlark, least bittern and common nighthawk.
• Non-breeding populations of bald eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon, red-shouldered hawk, northern goshawk, short-eared owl and vesper sparrow were upgraded. The bald eagle was upgraded from endangered to threatened for the non-breeding season. It is still listed as endangered during the breeding season.
• Cooper's hawk was upgraded from threatened to special concern in the breeding season.
• The following were added to the endangered list: black rail, golden-winged warbler, red knot, the gray petaltail dragonfly, and the Indiana bat.
• The following were added to the threatened species category: American kestrel, cattle egret, horned lark and six dragonfly species.

Version 3.1 of the Landscape Project was released on the same date. This interactive ecosystem-based mapping tool assists government agencies, planners, conservation groups, the public and others in making decisions that will protect wildlife. The new version takes into account the new species status listings and is more user-friendly than the previous version.

For more information on New Jersey’s threatened and endangered species, go to www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensphome.htm.

For more information on the Landscape Project, visit www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/landscape.