Animal Biodiversity of a Former Quarry at Montclair State University

Natural habitats play crucial roles in sustaining local biodiversity when located within urban ecosystems. These habitats offer refuge to animals that would otherwise not be able to survive in environments with high human presence. A former quarry site located inside Montclair State University fulfills those aforementioned roles. The quarry’s activity ended in the 1970s, and now this site contains two ponds and a small surrounding woodland. In this study we documented the animals at Montclair State University’s former quarry throughout different times of the year. Field observations were conducted weekly from the end of September 2022 to April 2023. The number of individuals for each species were recorded along with the weather conditions. Many of the animals observed consisted of common backyard bird species, such as blue jays and American robins. Mammal, reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate species were seen less often, which was to be expected as many species belonging to those groups were inactive during the day and Winter. Our species accumulation curve demonstrated that most species present during the Fall were detected. Towards the end of the Winter season little to no new species were being discovered but we expect to find additional species during the Spring. This is the first observational study of the local wildlife that inhabit Montclair State University’s abandoned quarry. Our new discoveries about this small ecosystem provide a baseline for additional research at this site.