New Jersey
The State We’re In: Planning ahead to protect New Jersey’s biodiversity (New Jersey Conservation Foundation column)
Ever heard of the State Wildlife Action Plan – or its more common name, “SWAP”? The same way a budgeting app lets you know you’re spending too much and should start saving now so you don’t starve later, a SWAP compels state leaders to compile a list of species whose ranks are thinning, and to make a plan to do something about it. The idea is the same: act now, stave off dire consequences later.
Every state, plus a few territories and Washington, D.C., has a SWAP. A coordinated effort to craft them got liftoff in 2000, when Congress recognized that there’s value, economic and otherwise, in proactively addressing the needs of species before they’re officially labeled threatened or endangered. SWAPs have since become our nation’s blueprint for keeping an eye on wildlife species that are declining but not yet classified as in trouble.
There’s now a chance to weigh in on a 2025 revision of New Jersey’s SWAP. Last year, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Fish and Wildlife division opened a bid for public comments on our SWAP’s list of animals that fit the category of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Until July 12, they’re accepting public input, via their website, about plant and fungi species they’ve identified as SGCNs. What they’re looking for: Insights on species that might have been overlooked and thoughts on how we can better conserve the plants and fungi that need conserving (general comments are also welcome). So far, Fish and Wildlife has combed through more than 50 such comments, said Kim Korth, Fish and Wildlife’s SWAP coordinator.
You don’t need to be a biologist, conservationist, or even a nature lover to understand why gathering a wide swath of input on New Jersey’s vulnerable flora and fauna matters. A meticulously crafted SWAP, with input from stakeholders from a range of backgrounds, is good for people and business as well as plants and other animals.
Recovering a fish species by restoring a wetland, for example, not only benefits that species but can improve local water quality, protect the nearby community from flooding, and create jobs. On the other hand, if a species is in such bad shape it qualifies for the emergency room measures of the endangered list, it’s more difficult, and more expensive, to recover.
Fish and Wildlife’s callout in May for input on plants and fungi is its third public appeal for suggestions for the 2025 SWAP, and it won’t be the last. Korth expects the next opportunity for public comment to be announced on the division’s website this fall. The final draft will likely be shared with the public for comment by May 2025, she said. The timing of these callouts isn’t random. Next year, states are required to submit their revised plans to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a precondition for receiving funds from the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program.
The appeal to the public to get involved reflects the scope of the current revision. “It’s pretty major,” Korth said. “We’re putting into play comments we’ve been receiving since 2018,” when the last big revision was submitted. Since then, “there’s been a lot of feedback about what needs to be improved.” Another reason the revision is weightier than in past years: Until now, plants and fungi have been excluded from the SGCN list!
Their addition to the revised SWAP has been in the works for years. “It was a vision we wanted to include in the last revision,” Korth said, but the department lacked the resources. Now, “more states, especially in the Northeast, are adding them. We’ve gotten better at this.”
In 2025, animals like the bog turtle and the Eastern box turtle — both dwindling, both critical parts of their ecosystems —will be joined by 100 vascular plant species (Pickering’s Morning Glory, Hirst Brothers’ Panic Grass, the rare orchid Small Whorled Pogonia, Broom Crowberry, Bog Rosemary, and Wild Bleeding-heart are examples), 17 non-vascular plant species (such as Florida Largeleaf Peat Moss), and 11 species of fungi.
Korth and her team will address what she called “actions” to protect the SGCNs as the SWAP revision rolls on. “We’re focused on habitat improvement and threats to habitats,” she said. For example, crabbing is a threat to diamondback terrapins, so Fish and Wildlife might ask for input from recreational and commercial crabbers. “And illegal poaching and collecting is a threat to all our turtles, so there will be an action that manages that.” One more action she’s looking forward to implementing is connectivity. “Basically, animals need to move, and for that they need connected habitats. That’s a huge issue for us in New Jersey.”
The implementation of the new SWAP could be huge for New Jersey. “If this revision can help us focus the efforts of our conservation partners, and if we can collectively focus our time, money, and talents on actions that will make a difference, we can really improve the outcome for these species in the next 10 years,” Korth said.
To find out more about New Jersey’s SWAP, and to get updates on calls seeking public comments, go to https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/news-2024-05-21-njdep-fish-and-wildlife-seeks-public-comment-on-the-list-of-rare-plant-and-fungi-species-of-greatest-conservation-need-sgcn/#:~:text=NJDEP%20Fish%20%26%20Wildlife%20(NJFW),costly%20to%20protect%20or%20restore.
And for information about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
New Jersey
Though down from previous month, New Jersey online casinos post November revenue record in 2025
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While online casinos in New Jersey fell short of another revenue record, November was still the state’s second-best month ever with over $253 million.
They’ve been around for over 12 years, yet online casinos in New Jersey continue to find ways to set revenue records. After posting the industry’s largest single-month total in October, NJ online casinos last month combined for $253 million to set a November record and ranks as the second-biggest single-month total in Garden State history.
NJ online casinos set single-year record with one month left
Since launching in 2013, NJ online casinos have continually set high-water marks – even now, a dozen years later.
With $253 million in November revenue, as reported by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, casino apps in the Garden State now sit at just over $2.64 billion for the year, leading to $455 million in state tax revenue. With one month left in 2025, the industry has already set a single-year record, which previously stood at around $2.4 billion.
To further put into perspective the growth of online gambling in New Jersey, the industry is over 22% ahead of the 11-month pace it set in 2024. Consider the first 14 months of online casinos in NJ, during which time operators combined for a mere $131.2 million in revenue.
While it’s unlikely that NJ online casinos will reach the $3 billion mark by the end of the year, iGaming has proven it can continue to grow after more than 10 years of existence.
FanDuel Casino, DraftKings Casino continue to set pace
While the monthly total is one for the books, the standard brands set themselves apart from the rest of the market.
For example, FanDuel Casino – which new users can sign up with and claim the FanDuel casino bonus – reported $60.2 million. That was well ahead of the second-place DraftKings Casino bonus, which helped drive $49.6 million in November.
Along with the BetMGM Casino app ($30.6 million), Borgata Casino ($20.6 million) and Caesars Palace Online Casino ($19.3 million), the top five revenue-earners in November accounted for more than 71% of the total online casino total in November.
New Jersey
Ice, freezing rain alerts expand to 10 N.J. counties. Wind advisory issued for 50 mph gusts Monday.
Winter weather advisories have been expanded to 10 New Jersey counties with freezing rain that could cause a dangerous layer of ice tonight.
The National Weather Service has also issued a wind advisory for 16 counties Monday with up to 50 mph gusts possible.
The more immediate concern is freezing rain already hitting the state Sunday evening.
Winter weather advisories for Bergen, Essex, Hudson Passaic and Union counties expire between 10 p.m. and midnight.
Winter weather advisories for Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties take effect at 6 p.m. and run through 2 a.m.
As temperatures remain near or below freezing across northern New Jersey this evening, precipitation will fall as freezing rain, particularly in Warren and Morris counties where a glaze to one-tenth of an inch of ice accumulation is possible.
The National Weather Service warns that even areas outside the advisory that remain near freezing at the onset of precipitation could experience localized icing, especially on shaded surfaces that have remained below freezing for more than 36 hours.
Temperatures will rise above freezing areawide during the pre-dawn hours Monday as a warm front lifts through the region, changing any remaining freezing rain to plain rain.
A brief break in the rain is likely prior to daybreak Monday.
The warm front will be quickly followed by a strong cold front Monday afternoon, bringing another period of rain that may be moderate in intensity at times.
High temperatures Monday will reach the upper 40s along the coast before the cold front passes, bringing high winds to the area.
The wind advisory for 16 counties runs from 10 a.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Just Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties are not under wind advisories.
“Strong westerly winds develop Monday with wind gusts up to 50 mph and a wind advisory has been issued,” the weather service said Sunday evening. “Some tree damage and power outages possible.”
Tuesday will be markedly colder with high temperatures struggling to rise above freezing even at the Jersey Shore.
Wind chills in the teens and low 20s are expected during the day.
Skies will be partly cloudy with continued gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph.
Wednesday brings slightly milder conditions with highs in the mid 30s to near 40 degrees, though it remains well below normal for late December.
The extended forecast shows below-normal temperatures continuing through the end of the week and into the New Year.
Thursday may bring a chance of snow showers as a weak cold front passes through, though accumulations are expected to be light.
Friday looks dry with highs in the low to mid 30s.
Another weather system may impact the area late next weekend, potentially bringing a mix of rain and snow, though forecast confidence remains low for that timeframe.
Current weather radar
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One person was killed and another critically injured when two helicopters collided and crash-landed in Hammonton, New Jersey, on Sunday morning, authorities said.
The Hammonton Police Department told Fox News Digital that it received calls of an aviation crash at approximately 11:25 a.m. involving two helicopters in the area of the 100 block of Basin Road.
Police, fire and EMS responded, extinguishing one helicopter that was engulfed in flames.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will investigate the crash, police said.
MIDAIR PLANE CRASH KILLS ONE PERSON NEAR COLORADO AIRPORT AS BOTH PLANES CATCH FIRE
Two helicopters collided Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Hammonton, N.J. (WTXF)
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way wrote on X that she has been updated on the midair collision.
The site of a deadly helicopter collision in Hammonton, N.J., on Dec. 28, 2025. (WTXF)
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“The Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management, Hammonton Police Department, and @NJSP personnel are on the scene,” she said.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
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