Pre-Season Platform installs & Reducing impacts on our Environment

Reusing Wood from the Atlantic City Boardwalk

It's been a busy Spring! Over the past few weeks I've been working to finish installing osprey platforms before the nesting season begins in mid-April. From Fort Monmouth to Stone Harbor, I was there. Funding for these platforms came mostly from private donors, other non-profits, and the federal government. One particular platform was made exclusively out of salvaged wood. The wood was sourced from the Atlantic City Boardwalk by a contractor, Rich Bishoff, who was passionate about finding a better use for the old wood.

I paddle across the dike while straddling the salvaged platform at Forsythe NWR. Photo courtesy Ann Marie Morrison.

I'm very passionate about reducing mine and my families impact on the environment. I also bring this philosophy with me to work. At home I recycle, reuse or re-purpose a lot of stuff; #5 plastics, all metal, e-waste, wood, and more. If you'd look in my garage you'd see what I mean... A couple of years ago when one of my best friends was going to be demolishing his old home to renovate and enlarge it, I was ready to go to work to demolish and collect salvaged materials from there. I managed to collect much of what was demolished at his house and that included a lot of knotty tongue and groove white cedar which covered his walls. I make a lot of stuff out of the salvaged wood; mostly frames to hold my photographs, mirrors, and other customs items that I occasionally sell on Etsy.

Below are photographs from all our platform installs and relocation efforts this spring. A total of 17 platforms have been moved or installed in the past 7 weeks (one more is in the planning stage and should happen next week)! Thank you to the generous donors, Becky Hedden-Atlantic Audubon, Mary Lenahan, John Studdiford, John Faus, Joe Fallon-US Army Corps, and to all the volunteers who helped me to install all of these platforms. THANK YOU!!

A platform being carefully moved across a creek on Patcong Creek in Linwood. It was relocated to a more suitable location than where it was placed. © Ben Wurst

Wetlands Institute staff helped move this platform that has never been occupied out to a location that is farther away from human disturbance. © Ben Wurst

Mary Lenahan donated to have this platform placed near Ventnor. © Ben Wurst

Out with NBC News 40 to install the salvaged platform at Forsythe NWR. Image courtesy Loralea Kirby

Installing the salvaged platform at Forsythe NWR. Image courtesy Loralea Kirby

Ed Green, Ben Wurst (blog author), Dave Flinter, Allison Anholt, and Brian Bovasso (L to R) helped install two platforms near the infamous "F" cove near Mantoloking, NJ on April 6th. Photo by Alf Breed

Workers at Fort Monmouth installed ten 40' platforms there in late March to enhance nesting habitat on the Shrewsbury River. © Ben Wurst