Pallone, Peregrine open Earth Week

     To mark the beginning of Earth Week, Congressman Frank Pallone made a visit to the Bayshore Waterfront park in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown on Sunday, April 19, to host the release of a rehabilitated peregrine falcon back into the wild as well as to hold a round table discussion on global warming and the need for natural resource funding.

      Coordinated by the National Wildlife Refuge the event drew scientists and representatives from the Urban Coast Institute of Monmouth University, the Audubon Society, the American Littoral Society located at Sandy Hook, and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

     "I've never done this before, ” said the democratic congressman of New Jersey’s 6th district as he helped steady the bird for its take off, “releasing a falcon, this is incredible." Pallone has a long history as a defender of the environment, “I got my start in environmental protection back in my college days at the first earth day in1970” and it is his positive environmental track record as congressman that led the event’s coordinators to invite him to the event.

     "He's been an absolute leader in this country in terms of protecting the environment," said National Wildlife federation regional director Curtis Fisher.

     "It's nice to see a congressman who is concerned about and working for the environment,” said Margaret O’Gorman executive director of Conserve Wildlife foundation of New Jersey “he has been a great ally, and it was great to have him here today.”

     This peregrine falcon, which was rehabilitated at the Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford NJ, was first found injured in mid March "it was found on a median in Stone Harbor with a wing injury,” said biologist Ben Wurst, who acted as the bander, or tagger for the peregrine “we did triage on the bird, gave it fluids and bandaged the wing.”

     "We were worried at first” said Cedar Run Wildlife President Jeanne Woodford “it couldn't get more then three to four feet off the ground, but within a few weeks it was flying all around the cage."

      Peregrine Falcons have enjoyed a resurgence in numbers over the last 25 years. "In the 1950's, because of DDT, there were no falcons east of the Mississippi” said O’Gorman "It wasn't until 1985 that the 1st falcon was located in Atlantic City and over the last 20 years in New Jersey we have gone from zero to twenty nesting falcon pair's,” though O”Gorman is encouraged with that upward climb in numbers she is tepid in her enthusiasm “they've been taken off the federal endangered list, but they are still on the state's list"

      The term peregrine translated into English means wanderer, a fitting term considering that these falcons’ range from cold tundra to tropical climates. Peregrines can be found on every major landmass on earth aside from the Arctic and New Zealand. Traditionally peregrines have nested on cliff sides and ledges, and in modern times the peregrines have made nesting places of man-made structures such as bridges and tall buildings.

     With the ability to dive at speeds that exceed 200 mph the peregrine Falcon is the world’s fastest animal, however that ability to attain that high rate of speed is a necessity for the peregrine when it comes time to hunt for food, which it does almost exclusively in air, and thus it left Jeanne and her team at the refuge a bit unsure as to when the falcon was ready for release.

      “We have a 60-foot flight cage at the refuge, so we knew that she could fly,” said Jeanne “but even in such a large cage, there is not nearly enough room to attain the speed necessary for hunting.”

      So it was with crossed fingers that Woodford and Pallone released the falcon into the air with a helpful push upward. After its initial rise the bird took a trajectory that brought it back toward ground level, with wings nearly touching the grass below as the falcon headed out toward the cat tails in the distance. Then it rose slightly to clear a tree that was in its path before disappearing in the reeds beyond.

     “I was disappointed, a little concerned” said Jeanne regarding the relatively low flight of the peregrine “but the stress of the banding, may have taken something out of her, and we did see the bird make its way to a tree, and just a minute after a flock of song birds flew off from that tree, so that was a good sign.”

     Though it may not have been the majestic flight, they had envisioned all were still happy to see the peregrine falcon back to its rightful place in the wild.

      "The release of the peregrine is emblematic of the success and the hard work of the conservationists,” said Emily Maxwell, National Wildlife Federation Regional Representative during the round table portion of the event, “it’s a success, but it can also be a bit of a foreboding tale," citing the need to protect the habitat for animal’s like the falcon’s which has been threatened by over development and pollution.

     Pallone is intent on having those needs addressed in the upcoming bill “my main goal is to get this bill passed,” referring to the Markey-Waxman bill-the American Clean Energy & Security Act of 2009- that will go before the House Energy and Commerce Committee next week, “and in it we have to include protection of our natural resources, there needs to be a provision in the bill to make sure monies will be used to protect the habitat of wildlife like the falcon’s.”

     “There are people on the right wing that say we don't need this,” said Pallone “but the public understands that green jobs are important as we move ahead."

     Eric Stiles Vice President for Conservation at the Audubon Society backed the importance of the bill by making note of how much of the New Jersey economy is dependant on a healthy ecosystem "Hunting, fishing and wildlife watching combine for over a $2 billion dollar industry in NJ, it brings in more then $160 million in tax revenue, and Monmouth County is the poster boy for these activities and their roles in the economy"

      "Quality of life should not be underscored here either,” said Fisher “the citizens here in Monmouth county care about their quality of life, and by protecting wildlife, and protecting our environment, we are protecting our quality of life."