The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has initiated the Summer of CHANJ, a public outreach campaign to emphasize the importance of habitat connectivity for wildlife. The initiative, Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ), is managed by NJDEP Fish & Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program. It aims to facilitate wildlife movement through landscape protection, corridor restoration, and safer road crossings.
“Urbanization and roads have fragmented many of our natural lands, putting the connectedness of habitats and wildlife populations in jeopardy. Without the ability to move, healthy populations simply will not persist over the long term,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. He added that climate change further exacerbates these challenges by degrading critical wetland and forest habitats.
The campaign will feature social media posts, online materials, and email updates throughout the summer targeting the public, stakeholders, local officials, planning agencies, and others. These messages will highlight species dependent on habitat connectivity such as swallowtails, bobcats, bog turtles, river otters, monarch butterflies, and spotted salamanders.
Assistant Commissioner Dave Golden noted that New Jersey has made significant strides in protecting natural spaces due to strong conservation partnerships and public support. “CHANJ gives us a roadmap for focusing our efforts moving forward,” he said.
To ensure preserved lands are part of a connected network of habitats rather than isolated patches, strategic considerations are being made regarding future open space acquisitions and how roads may fragment these areas. Given New Jersey's dense population and road network, this task presents considerable challenges.
CHANJ collaborates with various partners to create safe passages for animals through tunnels and bridges while also establishing protected corridors between larger open spaces. Tools such as an interactive map and guidance documents help land managers support habitat connectivity effectively.
Residents can contribute by adding native plants to their landscapes, maintaining natural buffers around streams, encouraging local towns to consider habitat connectivity in planning processes, and using the NJ Wildlife Tracker to report sightings of rare or roadway-crossing wildlife.
For more information about CHANJ or to receive updates on related projects:
- Visit NJDEP Fish & Wildlife’s website at CHANJ.nj.gov
- Follow NJDEP Fish & Wildlife on Facebook at facebook.com/NewJerseyFishandWildlife
- Follow on Instagram @newjerseyfishandwildlife
