Bill Text: NJ A2947 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs DEP to designate areas in each State park and forest for construction of bat houses.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-20 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture Committee [A2947 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A2947-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Directs DEP to designate areas in each State park and forest for construction of bat houses.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the construction of bat houses in State parks and forests, and supplementing P.L.1983, c.324 (C.13:1L-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall designate in, and include the designation in the master plan and management plan for, each State park and forest at least one area of the State park or forest in which a bat house shall be constructed and maintained. The commissioner shall consult with experts on bats, nonprofit organizations and other entities knowledgeable about bats, and any other appropriate persons or entities to ensure the proper location, construction, and maintenance of each bat house, with minimal threat from fire, danger to the public, or impact on the public's use and enjoyment of the State park or forest.
b. The Division of Parks and Forestry in the Department of Environmental Protection shall post signs, as appropriate, notifying the public of the perimeters of each designated bat house area and its purpose, and take any other cautionary measures necessary to avoid destruction of the bat house and injurious interactions between bats and the public in and around each bat house.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection to designate at least one area in each State park and forest in which a bat house would be constructed and maintained.
New Jersey is home to nine species of bats, all of which are protected by "The Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act." Six species, including the Indiana bat - designated as a State and federal endangered species - are year-round residents, and three species are migratory.
Bats are important indicators of a healthy environment. Since they are particularly vulnerable to pollution and pesticides, the presence or absence of bats can provide scientists with information on the overall health of the local environment. New Jersey's bat species are insectivorous and can consume thousands of insects in a single night, helping to reduce agricultural crop pests, mosquitos, and the use of pesticides. Accordingly, the State should do as much as possible to facilitate increases in the populations of all bat species in the State. Building bat houses on State lands is one such way.
