Please use caution while visiting the EcoPreserve!! A bridge on the Red Trail got picked and pushed off its footing and should not be used. The bridge on the Green Trail has also shifted. Walk your bike across the bridge. We hope to fix the bridges later next week when we can return to campus. Update: the Red and Green Trails bridges have been stabilized but still need additional repairs. They have been flagged with orange tape. Use caution and…
We compared trail entrance numbers recorded at several trailheads from fall 2019 (Pre-COVID) vs. 2020 (Post-COVID) and found a 25+% increase in 2020 (i.e., during COVID). These statistics are especially interesting in that the increase in usage occurred without having students resident on campus. Throughout New Jersey, our parks and preserves received record attendance as people sought the outdoors.
Dr. Dina Fonseca, Director of the RU Center for Vector Biology, has been surveying the tick population in the EcoPreserve for several years. Surveying here has demonstrated that sections of the EcoPreserve hold a large population of Asian long-horned, lone star and black-legged ticks, both larval stages and adults. So remember to always take precautions about ticks whenever visiting the EcoPreserve or any nature reserve in NJ. To learn more http://vectorbio.rutgers.edu/outreach/tickavoid.php This past week, Dr Holly Gaff of Old Dominion…
Spotted Lanternfly trap monitored by USDA APHIS The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula) is an introduced leaf hopper insect that is rapidly spreading across the MidAtlantic states. As it is a serious pest of agricultural crops and selected woody plants, the USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) has an active monitoring and control program. APHIS has set up a trapping station in the EcoPreserve – so if you come across it please let it alone as it is…