Supplementalreportwithaddons 2

PERMITS • The County of Essex, through its Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, will submit an application for a Special Deer Management Permit to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDFW). • If a permit is granted, the County of Essex will administer and conduct all deer management activities in South Mountain Reservation and the Hilltop Reservation . • As agents of the County, participants will not be required to purchase hunting season or zone permits. • Agents selected for this program will be required to purchase a 2023 hunting license prior to participation. • Specific details of the deer control program may be adjusted as field conditions necessitate while conforming to statutory law and NJDFW policy and maintaining the highest standards of safety. PROGRAM LENGTH • The shooting program will occur on Tuesdays in South Mountain Reservation and Thursdays in Hilltop Reservation during the 8-week period starting January 10, 2023 and ending March 2, 2023. • The program will occur on twelve (12) days only. The schedule includes two (2) rain dates for hunting in South Mountain Reservation and two (2) rain dates for hunting in Hilltop Reservation, to replace days of hunting that might need to be cancelled due to inclement weather. • There is no limit on the number of deer to be removed. • The number of agents to be utilized and the number of days of operation are based on a goal to remove 50 deer from South Mountain Reservation and 50 deer from the Hilltop Reservation. • South Mountain Reservation and the Hilltop Reservation are closed to traditional hunting at all times. HOURS OF PROGRAM OPERATION • Agents may be in the field between 12:00 noon and approximately 8:00 pm for each afternoon shift. • Shooting will occur only during daylight, the hours of which will vary as sunset changes daily. • Each shift begins with the deployment of agents into the field and ends after all deer taken on that shift have been processed for transport to a butcher. SELECTION AND QUALIFICATION OF AGENTS • Applicants must meet the following qualifications: - be at least 21 years old; - be able to speak and understand the English language; - possess a valid New Jersey Firearm Hunting License or All-Around Sportsman License; - possess a valid New Jersey Firearm Purchaser Identification Card; - have not been convicted of any firearms violation, in any

alid New Jersey Firearm Hunting License or All-Around Sportsman License; - possess a valid New Jersey Firearm Purchaser Identification Card; - have not been convicted of any firearms violation, in any state, in the last 10 years, or of any fish and game code violation in the last 5 years; - have at least 5 years successful experience in hunting white-tailed deer with a shotgun; - be able to demonstrate an expertise in marksmanship; and - be available and willing to contribute voluntary service to the program for a minimum of seven (7) shifts. • Agent Applications must be returned in person or by mail to the Essex County Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, 115 Clifton Ave., Newark, NJ, 07104, by Friday, September 30, 2022 no later than 4:30 PM. • Applications may be sent via FAX or e-mail, to addresses stated on the application, before the deadline, but the original must follow by mail. • The 14 agents will _beselected in the following manner: • Applicants will be divided into two categories - 1.) those who participated as an agent in the Essex County Deer Management Program between 2008 and 2020, and 2.) all new applicants. • Applicants in the first category will be evaluated with respect to their hunting proficiency, availability, and adherence to program ethics and objectives. • Based on the evaluation and the number of applicants, up to 12 agents will be selected from among the applicants in the first category. • The remainder of the available agent positions will be filled with hunters chosen by lottery from the category of new applicants. Essex County residents or those who are employed within Essex County will be given preference in the lottery process. Page 2 of 3

• All agents will be informed whether or not they have been selected, via telephone call, letter or e-mail. • All selected agents will be required to pass a marksmanship proficiency test and attend an orientation program on or about October 29, 2022. • If information about one or more agents is requested by the general public through an Open Public Records Act request, the agents' names, addresses, and other personal identifiers will be redacted by the County of Essex from all requested documentation. The County of Essex has a responsibility and an obligation to safeguard from public access a citizen's personal information with which it has been entrusted when disclosure thereof would violate the citizen's reasonable expectation of privacy. SCHEDULING OF AGENTS • Applicants are required to indicate their availability for program activities on the Agent Application. • A schedule, assigning hunters to a specific park or parks and to particular days and shifts, will be set and distributed to all agents, based on the availability of agents as indicated on their applications. • The program is scheduled to occur on Tuesdays between January 10 and February 14 at South Mountain Reservation and on Thursdays between January 12 and February 16 at the Hilltop Reservation. • In the event of inclement weather, as judged by the Dire_ctorof the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, program activities may be postponed to February 21 or February 28 for South Mountain Reservation and February 23 or March 2 for Hilltop Reservation. PUBLIC NOTIFICATION • The County of Essex will again utilize press releases, signage and mailings to inform the general public of the details of this program. • All informational signage and documents will clearly state the schedule by which the Deer Management Program will operate for each property. PROGRAM OPERATION • Baiting stations will be set up in a multitude of locations throughout South Mountain Reservation and the Hilltop Reservation. • Baiting stations will be carefully selected to provide the marksman with a clear and open view of the deer. • Agents must utilize 12 gauge shotguns with telescopic sights, shooting only slugs. • All shooting will occur from portable tree stands, shooting near or over bait, with hunters positioned on platforms at least 20 feet above the ground. Agents must provide their own stands. The use

. • All shooting will occur from portable tree stands, shooting near or over bait, with hunters positioned on platforms at least 20 feet above the ground. Agents must provide their own stands. The use of ladder stands is not permissible. • In order to achieve a reduction in population size as quickly as possible, a bias for the taking of deer will be adhered to again, in the following order - injured or sick deer, does, fawns, antlerless bucks, antlered bucks. • The antlers of any antlered buck harvested will be cut off and retained by the County or destroyed. • At any one time, up to 14 agents may be deployed into the South Mountain Reservation and 8 in the Hilltop Reservation. • Agents will not be restricted as to the number of deer each individual can harvest. • Some park roads and the access drives to some park areas will be closed during program activities. DISPOSITION OF DEER • Harvested deer will be transported to a County-operated, NJDFW-supervised check station at a location within a County park where agents will clean the deer and complete reports about the age, sex, and weight of the deer, the disposition of all shots fired, and the number of volunteer man-hours expended. • All deer will be transported by the County to a NJDOH-approved butcher for processing. • Any agent who completes at least seven (7) shifts of voluntary service to this program will receive 40 pounds of dressed venison at the conclusion of the program . • The remainder of the venison will be distributed to the needy and the homeless through the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Page 3 of 3

Appendix B Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Essex County Executive and the Board of County Commissioners ATTENTION County of Essex Office of the Essex County Executive Hall of Records, Room 405 465 Martin Luther King Jr., Boulevard Newark, NJ 07102 Presorted Standard USPostage Paid PermitNo.360 Newark.NJ The 2023 Essex County Deer Management Program will be conducted in South Mountain Reservation on Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31; Feb. 7, 14 If a sessionis cancelled becauseofinclementweather, it willbemadeup onFeb.21 or 28 and Hilltop Reservation on Jan. 12, 19, 26; Feb. 2, 9, 16 If a sessionis cancelled becauseof inclementweather, it willbe madeup on Feb.23 or March2 EXPERIENCED MARKSMEN WILLBEONSITE For Safety Reasons, the Reservations will be CLOSED to the Public .,. For Information, Call 973-621-4400 cpattlng__ < £ggex Coant.!:/_ g,-,,,gf

~ r.-f(tf,1,.,, Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Essex County Executive :i.\tJ)f'·: ,_______ :1/1/2023 Essex County Deer Management Program \~ y and the Board of County Commissioners For Safety Reasons, SouthMountainReservationwill be closedon Jan. 10,17,24,31; Feb.7, 14 (*In the event of inclement weather, make-up days are Feb. 21 & 28) Hilltop Reservationwill be closedon Jan. 12,19,26; Feb.2, 9, 16 (*In the event of inclement weather, make-up days are Feb. 23 & March 2) For Information, Call 973-621-4400 Janua!Jl/Februa!Jl 2023 SUN 8 MON 9 TUE 10 WED 11 SMR 15 22 29 18 16 17 23 SMR 24 SMR 25 31 1 30 SMR Februar)l/March 2023 THU 12 HR FRI SAT 13 14 19 HR 20 26 HR 27 i 3 HR SUN 5 MON 6 TUE WED I 8 THU FRI SAT i 10 11 14 15 16 HR 17 18 22 23 HR* 24 25 £ 3 4 SMR 21 12 13 HR SMR 28 19 20 21 SMR* 4 26 27 28 SMR* 1 HR* SMR- SouthMountainReservation;HR- Hilltop Reservation;*- Makeup days if needed

Appendix G ESSEX COUNTY DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Multi-Year Summary South Mountain Reservation Eagle Rock Reservation Hilltop Reservation All properties combined Total to date 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Shifts: 8.5 days 9 days 6 p.m.'s 3 p.m.'s 4.5 days 3 p.m.'s 3 p.m.'s 3 p.m.'s 5 p.m.'s 2 p.m.'s 5 p.m.'s 6 p.m.'s 6 p.m.'s 0 0 6 p.m.'s Deer: 213 83 44 48 43 52 31 75 48 87 101 37 0 0 93 Fetuses: 147 55 15 26 50 29 19 22 13 34 43 41 18 49 544 360 138 59 74 79 62 74 44 82 130 142 55 0 0 0 Total: 33 108 0 142 1549 Shifts: 3.5 days 7 p.m.'s 7 p.m.'s Deer: 19 19 23 Fetuses: Total: 23 13 18 54 42 32 41 115 Shifts: 3.5 days 7 days 7 days 2.5 days 4 p.m.'s 4 p.m.'s 5 p.m.'s 4 p.m.'s 6 p.m.'s 6 p.m.'s 6 p.m.'s 0 0 6 p.m.'s Deer: 97 120 102 61 56 39 79 41 52 99 55 0 0 59 Fetuses: 54 113 52 29 25 20 53 22 30 59 37 0 0 39 533 Total: 151 233 154 90 81 59 132 63 82 158 92 0 0 98 1393 160 92 252 187 152 339 175 99 274 104 48 152 108 47 155 70 33 103 154 86 240 89 56 145 139 73 212 200 100 300 92 55 147 0 0 0 0 0 0 152 88 240 1131 27 43 38 24 18 41 24 11 37 47 29 ? 21 > 30 > 18 19 29 20 18 18 29 ? 27 > 47 41 145 15 91 100 97 204 114 145 76 > ? > 2021 drone survey results 145 Harvest Total: 213 147 360 SM 240# Deer: Fetuses: 83 55 138 42 105 246 227 # Estimate based on harvest results 61 Post-hunt density ER HT Cost per deer culled $ 412.00 985.57 617.12 595.02 744.13 593.51 461.75 736.10 486.90 500.89 571.65 521.44 I 1,044.58 Venison donated to Community FoodBank lbs. 8,000 3,000 5,717 4,824 4,572 2,291 2,577 1,668 3,803 1,968 3,439 5,216 2,700 0 363 284 233 n/a 185 222 251 272 242 259 249 198 228 231 Number of deer carcasses picked up from County roadways 1005 238 231 ? No count due to COVID 0 860 1926 3057 720.96 642.26 4,405 54,180 3,217

Appendix H 2024 Essex County Deer Management Program Deer Population Estimator 2022 Spotlight/drone count Pop. Est. Goal at Est. density 10/sq. # of deer total per sq. deer mi. seen mi. Overwinter pop. Est. Est. density per sq. total deer mi. 2023 Harvest Park size (sq. mi.) % of viewable area Pop. Goal at 20/sq. mi. 3.2 35% 64 32 81 96 30 118 Hilltop 0.44 40% 9 4 32 64 145 Eagle Rock 0.68 30% 14 7 8 32 47 Park size (sq. mi.) Survey area (sq mi) Pop. Goal at 20/sq. mi. 3.2 5.74 64 32 98 98 18 134 42 70 102 5 14 Hilltop 0.44 1.65 9 4 32 64 145 84 190 75 80 7 8 Eagle Rock 0.68 1.52 14 7 7 28 41 44 65 30 37 4 6 Park· South Mountain Park South Mountain 2023 Spotlight/drone count Pop. Est. Goal at Est. density 10/sq. # of deer total per sq. mi. seen deer mi. To calculate overwintering population for 2023-2024: Est. total deer - from 2023 spotlight or drone survey X X X 53%@SM 68% 1.69 = + = (48%@ HT) (50%@ ER) births per pregnant deer # of new births Est. total deer - from 2023 spotlight or drone survey Sub-total = X # of females in population # of females pregnant 85% Harvest goal # of shifts # of sites Result 37 50 6 13 93 92 209 50 6 8 59 43 63 0 0 0 0 Overwinter pop. Est. Est. density total per sq. deer mi. Recommended 2024 Harvest Harvest Harvest goal@ goal@ 20/sq. 10/sq. # of # of mi. mi. shifts sites To determine # of hunting days: Start with harvest goals @ 10/sq. mi. Multiply x # of hours expended last season (increase to account for smaller population) Divide by number of hunters/bait sites Divide by average afternoon shift (7 hours) Result is number of days to hunt. Lossto mortality Estimated 2023-24 overwintering population All percentages/#'s taken from 2023 season

Local Environment Matters AUTUMN 2024 Inside: • Special section - Protecting NJ's trees in a changing climate • For the sake of fireflies (and other night fliers) • Fall EC checklist

Director’s Report 10 years of Keep It Green “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot. Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now, we face the question whether a still higher ‘standard of living’ is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free.” – A Sand County Almanac Perhaps it is because we live in the most densely populated state in our nation that New Jerseyans have always overwhelmingly supported the preservation of open spaces. The COVID pandemic underscored the vital connection we have with the outdoors and how a regular dose of nature's wild things is essential to our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. At ANJEC, we are thrilled to celebrate two remarkable benchmarks in NJ's commitment to long-term, sustainable funding to protect and preserve farmland, historic places and open space, and to create equitable access to those spaces. First, the State budget for fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025) restored $60 million in annual funding to environmental programing, specifically $48 million for farmland, historic and open space preservation, and $12 million to fund cleanup of hazardous, contaminated sites in communities. Funding for these programs had been reduced on January 1, 2024, when Governor Murphy and the NJ Legislature eliminated the 2.5 percent Corporate Business Tax (CBT) surcharge for New Jersey businesses at the very highest earning level. ANJEC and leaders from our partner organizations began speaking with legislators last fall about the environmental program cuts that would result from this funding cut. 2 ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024 Governor Murphy and legislators heard us. As of July 1, the new State budget includes a new 2.5 percent fee on ultra wealthy businesses, those who earn more than $10 million in annual taxable income. This new fee, dubbed the Corporate Transit Fee (CTF), is a new category of the CBT. Therefore, the environmental programming that has been funded by the CBT is restored. This new funding is retroactive to January 1, 2024, which means no environmental program funding has been lost. This new funding commitment runs through December 31, 2028, although it will need to be reauthorized annually through the State budget process. ANJEC will