Threatened & Endangered Species Habitat Evaluation, Ocean County, NJ

Sovereign completed a threatened and endangered species habitat evaluation for the Ocean County Parks and Recreation Department at the Robert J. Miller Airpark Fairgrounds in Ocean County, NJ. The Department intended to develop portions of a 40 acre site that is located within the New Jersey Pinelands by constructing a multi-purpose building and a pole barn. The Pinelands Commission requested a threatened and endangered species habitat evaluation for two state-listed endangered animal species, seven state-listed threatened animal species, and one plant species afforded protective status under the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan.

After completing a records review, Sovereign ecologists conducted a field survey to evaluate the habitat characteristics on and adjacent to the site. The site offered few habitat traits amenable to the threatened and endangered species specified by the Pinelands Commission and Township land use ordinances. As a result, Sovereign ecologists were able to determine that the construction of permanent structures would not result in changes to existing local populations of threatened and endangered species. Sovereign addressed the County’s concerns quickly and effectively, ensuring that the project could progress with the approval of the NJ Pinelands Commission.