Wildlife

State wildlife officials have found a Camden County lake infested with Asian swamp eels, an invasive species that could threaten other area wildlife. The snake-like creatures, known to live in only three other states in the country, were discovered in Gibbsboro's Silver Lake by a student in May. When the state learned of his discovery, members of the Division of Fish and Wildlife identified the creatures. Now officials are investigating how the eels, known to scientists as Monopterus albus, came to be in New Jersey, said Karen Hershey, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection.

Visiting with Karen and Brian Johnson can be an exercise in talkus interruptus. We're sitting by the dragonfly pond in their backyard here in Eldora in Cape May County, drugged by thick heat, when sudddenly Karen whips out her binoculars and murmurs, "Hummingbird clearwing moth!" Then we're strolling through the maze-like meadow of butterfly plants out front, loving the red trumpets of Lady in Red salvia, when Brian whispers: "Variegated fritillary, on the coneflower. " We squint at the patch of purple flowers with the iridescent, coned centers.

A South Jersey teen drowned Saturday evening while swimming with friends in a pond near Route 130 and Perkintown Road in Carneys Point Township, Salem County, police said. Corey Fortson, 17, of Paulsboro, Gloucester County, was trying to reach a small island there approximately 100 yards from where he entered, said Lt. Gerald Lewis, a N.J. State Police spokesman, and began "experiencing problems" about 75 yards out. Fortson and three friends were swimming at the Department of Defense Ponds Wildlife Management Area.

Authorities identified two people yesterday who died in a small plane crash Saturday in a wooded area of Ocean County, N.J. Two passengers who were conducting wildlife research remained hospitalized. One of the injured passengers aboard the twin-engine Cessna 337A was able to direct rescuers to the accident site by calling 911 and letting police know when rescue helicopters were close, according to the New Jersey State Police. The pilot and owner of the plane, John Ambroult, 60, of Eastham, Mass.

Scientists have concluded that climate change and habitat loss are the two primary threats to the survival of wildlife and natural communities. Thanks to the recent passage of the New Jersey Global Warming Response Act and forward-thinking state policies, we are now beginning to wrestle with solutions, including energy conservation and expansion of renewable energy. The development of wind farms off the New Jersey coast is a critical component of our state's strategy to address global climate change.

A thousand snow geese explode out of the marsh in a swirl of white. Their black-tipped wings blur against the brown and green backdrop of the forest as they bank and turn in unison. As they fly toward us, their honking intensifies, and we can feel the roiling currents of air rush over us. My wife, Pat, caught the sight through her camera lens. As she lowers the Nikon, her face lights up with a broad smile, half joy, half wonder. "I just love this," she says. We are in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in the Great Marsh of Maryland's Eastern Shore.

No Way Home The Decline of the World's Great Animal Migrations By David S. Wilcove Island Press. 244 pp. $24.95 Reviewed by Sandy Bauers Inquirer Staff Writer Deep in South Africa, inside a small national park - all of 14 square miles and enclosed by a chain-link fence - are 200 purplish-brown antelopes with sinuous horns. They are bontebok, the last remnants of the great herds that roamed the grasslands more than 200 years ago. Protected from predators and watched over by biologists - indeed, the herd has to be culled from time to time - they are nevertheless little more than an oddity, closer to a zoo species than something wild, vibrant.

New Jersey is home to five national wildlife refuges. These protect some of the state's most important habitats for millions of migratory birds, and include ecosystems as diverse as upland forests, tidal marshes, forested wetlands and ocean beaches. Each year, nearly 500,000 visitors enjoy hiking, birding, wildlife photography, environmental education, hunting and fishing in New Jersey's refuges. These visitors have a profound economic impact on local communities. While New Jersey's system of refuges is an undeniable economic engine with incredible opportunity for growth, its budgets, staffing and programs have been cut dramatically in recent years, and land acquisition, education and wildlife conservation have been gutted to levels below life support.

The mascot statue is a landmark spot on most college campuses. Pennsylvania State University has its Nittany Lion shrine; Michigan State its Spartan statue; and Boston College its golden eagle. West Chester University, however, has been devoid of a golden ram statue anywhere on campus throughout its history . . . until now. A 9-foot-tall, nearly one-ton bronze ram arrived on campus Aug. 17, delivered by its Wyoming sculptor. Now, finally, parents of incoming freshmen have that landmark snapshot spot ? in front of the Old Library building at the corner of West Rosedale Avenue and Church Street.

The blind, haggard harbor seal washed up on Cape May's shore in March. Sent to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, it has spent the last few months in its own tank, getting healthy and putting on weight. The center, which doesn't have the space or money to keep the seal, has done all it can do. But because the seal can't hunt, it can't be released into the ocean. Unless a new home can be found - an aquarium or a zoo - the harbor seal will be euthanized. "We're a rehab, not a display facility," said Bob Schoelkopf, director of the stranding center.