DuBois reviewed the NJDEP GIS Natural Heritage Priority Sites Maps. The Natural Heritage Priority Sites Coverage was created to identify critically important areas to conserve New Jersey's biological diversity, with particular emphasis on rare plant species and ecological communities. According to the NJDEP, the site and surrounding areas lie outside of any Natural Heritage Priority Sites.
DuBois also reviewed the NJDEP GIS Natural Heritage Grid Map for data on rare plant species and ecological communities. The Natural Heritage Grid Map divides each U.S.G.S. quadrangle map into one hundred (100) cells, with each cell ranging from three hundred fifty-eight (358) to three hundred seventy-two (372) acres in size. If a rare plant or ecological community is documented anywhere within a cell, then the entire cell will be coded for the occurrence. Each grid cell is coded into one (1) of four (4) categories: 1) S – the location is precisely known within the cell; 2) M – the location is not precisely known but the documented location is only known to within 1.5 miles; 3) BOTH – both precisely known and less precise occurrences are found within the same cell; and 4) NONE – the cell does not contain any documented records. The site and surrounding area fall outside of any coded grid cells with occurrences for rare plant species or ecological communities.
The NJDEP Natural Heritage Program report has been requested, and upon receipt, any findings that materially affect the conclusions of this EIS will be incorporated through an updated analysis, as appropriate.
Following a field review and desktop habitat assessment, the site was evaluated for its potential to support timber rattlesnake, northern pine snake and barred owl, all of which are species of conservation concern in New Jersey.
The subject property consists is dominated by forested upland and wetland habitat, characterized as mixed oak-pine forest, and is surrounded by existing residential development to the north, west, and south. Forested wetlands are located in the southern portion of the site and continue off site to the east and south.
The Timber Rattlesnake ranges as far north as northern New York in the east and southeastern Minnesota in the west. It ranges eastward to western Massachusetts, south to northern Florida, and west to eastern Texas. In New Jersey, there is a disjunct population located in the Pine Barrens; the next nearest population occurs in the mountainous region of northwestern New Jersey.
During September, when the day length shortens and the evenings begin to cool, timber rattlesnakes make their way to their hibernation sites. Timber Rattlesnakes in the Pine Barrens enter hibernation in mid to late October, while those types of northern New Jersey and New York may enter several weeks earlier due to the cooler temperatures of these areas. The disjunct populations of Timber Rattlesnakes in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey are known to hibernate along cedar streams rather than in rocky outcroppings used by their northern New Jersey relatives. In the coastal plain, the absence of rocky outcroppings necessitates a different hibernation strategy. The Pine Barrens rattlesnakes position themselves in underground flowing water at the base of cedar trees, where the root system of the trees provides protection. The constantly flowing water provided by a nearby stream prevents the snakes from freezing, enabling these ectothermic animals to remain relatively close to the surface of the ground. Warming water temperatures stimulate the snakes to emerge from hibernation, with first emergence occurring in mid to late April. The excessive shading, caused by increased tree and shrub growth over time, eliminates many basking areas surrounding