A Natural Resource Management Guide for the County of Morris A ...

Morris County acts as a transportation corridor for wildlife. The Highlands serve as a connecting link for
migrating birds in the Atlantic Flyway. Farny Natural Area is part of a major travel corridor between
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Wawayanda and Picatinny Arsenal.
Communities
Plant communities described in the "Vegetation" Chapter will be revisited from a faunal perspective. The
animals listed within each category represent species likely to be found in that particular habitat. Species that
have been classified as "Rare" by NJ DEP are identified by "Rr". Of the two general types of communities,
palustrine and terrestrial, palustrine is particularly rich in wildlife diversity. These systems include wetlands,
and associated open waters such as floodplains, marshes, swamps, bogs, ponds, lakes, and river channels.
Freshwater fish rely on wetlands for food, spawning and nursery grounds. Migratory as well as resident birds
feed, breed, rest, and overwinter. Furbearers such as the muskrat and beaver, as well as reptiles and
amphibians, depend on wetlands. Terrestrial systems, or uplands, can range in character from moderately wet
to xeric. Rock outcroppings are sparsely populated by wildlife, reflecting scarcity of moisture.
- OPEN CANOPY
PALUSTRINE
Streamside/Lakeside Shrub Swamp
These communities are likely to occur in both the Highlands and the Piedmont.
A typical location would be along the Rockaway River, in Jefferson Township.
These communities are host to snakes (e.g., Eastern Garter and Eastern Ribbon
Snake) frogs, salamanders, and small fish.
Inland Graminoid (grasses) Marsh (Palustrine - Open Canopy)
Eastern Garter Snake
Marshlands are versatile ecosystems providing refuge, resting, nesting, breeding and feeding areas to resident
and migratory animals. Troy Meadows contains marsh as well as shrub and forested swamp, with numerous
ephemeral ponds on the edge of extensive emergent wetlands. It is representative of a successional process
that has been influenced by human, animal and hydric contributions.
Reptiles and Amphibians Birds Mammals
Bullfrog
American bittern (Rr)
Mink
Green frog
Pickerel frogs
Northern brown snake
Northern water snake
Painted turtle
Snapping turtle
Spotted turtle
Black duck
Great blue heron (Rr)
Green-backed heron
Mallard
Marsh wren
Red-winged blackbirds
Sora
Swamp sparrows
Virginia rail
Wood duck
Muskrat
Muskrat
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NJ DEPE, Division of Parks and Forestry, Farny Natural Area Management Plan, June 6, 1994, 9.
A Natural Resource Management Guide
for the County of Morris 170