Alloway Creek Watershed Wetland Restoration Site
This site consists of 2,840 acres of wetlands and 130 acres of upland adjacent
to Alloway Creek and the Delaware River restored by PSE&G to provide more
fish habitat. Restoration efforts here have focused on reducing the invasive
weed, Phragmites. Observation platforms, a nature trail, and a bird viewing
blind provide opportunities to see migratory and resident birds, as well as
other wildlife that inhabit the area.
Directions: There are multiple access areas. From state
road 49 in Salem, travel southwest for two miles on CR658, which initially
is named York St, and changes into Salem-Hancocks Bridge Rd. Turn right onto
Ft. Elfsborg Rd., left on Money Island Rd., and follow it to the end. 2) From
SR49 in Salem to Chestnut St. (CR 625) west. The road name changes to Ft.
Elfsborg-Salem Rd, and parking is at the end of the road. 3) There is also
viewing adjacent to the Hancock House.
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk beginning in the spring
of 2000.
Telephone: 1-888-MARSHES (888-627-7437).
Cape May Bird Observatory
Administered by the New Jersey Audubon Society, the Observatory is dedicated
to perpetuating and preserving the ornithological significance and natural
history of the Cape May area. Regularly scheduled interpretive programs are
provided.
The Center has a small bookstore and gift shop, interpretive exhibits on
the Delaware Bay's ecosystem, a training and research center, vistas of tidal
salt marshes, and a planned nature trail along a brackish water creek.
Directions: Follow state road 47 south from Dennisville. The center is located
on the east side of SR47, just south of the intersection at CR657.
Hours: The center is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Telephone: (609) 861-0700.
Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge (The Nature Conservancy's William D.
& Jane C. Blair Jr.)
Cape May is one of the prime birding areas on the East Coast.
Because of its location and mile long beach front, the refuge is one of Cape
May’s "hot spots" for birding. During the spring migration,
thousands of migrating shorebirds, songbirds, and waterfowl pass through this
area. It is also a protected nesting habitat for the endangered least terns
and piping plovers.
Directions: Take the Garden State Parkway south to
the end where it joins county road 633 (Lafayette Street) in the City of Cape
May. Turn right onto CR 606 (West Perry Street.) This will turn into Sunset
Blvd. Continue west on CR606 for one mile. The refuge and parking area are
on the left just past Bayshore Rd.
Hours: This point of interest is open daily from dawn
to dusk.
Telephone: The Nature Conservancy (609) 785-1735.
Cape May National
Wildlife Refuge
Established in January of 1989, Cape May National Wildlife Refuge is one
of the newest refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The refuge provides
critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. It supports 317 bird
species, 42 mammal species, 55 reptile and amphibian species and numerous
fish, shellfish, and other invertebrates. The refuge has upland and lowland
forests, fields, barrier beach, salt marsh and salt meadows cut through by
meandering tidal creeks and ponds.
Several foot trails through the refuge's habitats provide excellent opportunities
for birding, nature photography, and environmental education.
Directions: From exit 10 of the Garden State Parkway at
Cape May Courthouse, turn south on US Route 9. Then turn west (right) on county
road 658 (Hand Avenue.) Turn south on state road 47, then immediately west
onto Kimbles Beach Rd. The entrance to the office is ahead.
Hours: The office is open weekdays from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
The refuge is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: (609) 463-0994.
Cape May Point State Park
The park is
a combination of an ever changing shoreline, sand dunes, coastal freshwater
marsh and ponds, wooded islands and varied uplands. It is perhaps best known
as a tranquil area where the visitor may find rest and enjoy the beauty of
nature.
Cape May Point is a popular bird-watching site. It is not
only a home for many species but also a feeding and resting area for birds
migrating south along the Atlantic flyway. Although both spring and fall migrations
occur, the fall is the best time to observe song birds, waterfowl, shorebirds,
sea birds, and birds of prey.
Cape May Lighthouse is listed on the State and National
Registers of Historic Places. It has been an important navigational aid to
seagoing mariners since its construction in 1859. The lighthouse is located
within Cape May Point State Park at the southern tip of New Jersey.
There is an admission charge for the lighthouse tower which
is operated by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts.
Picnicking, beach walking, birding, a museum, and museum shop
help round out a visit to this site. WWII coastal defense gun emplacements,
now battling the elements of erosion and the encroaching sea, can still be
seen here.
Directions: Take county road 606 (Sunset Boulevard)
west from Cape May, towards Cape May Point. Watch for Trail blazers and turn
south via CR629 (Lighthouse Avenue).
Hours: The park is open daily from dawn to dusk. The
lighthouse is open daily from April to mid-October and weekends from mid-February
to March and mid-October to January 1st. It is closed January to mid-February.
Visitors are encouraged to call for specific hours of operation during these
various periods throughout the year.
Telephone: (609) 884-2159 for the park (609) 884-5404
for the lighthouse.
Cheesequake State
Park
The Park offers a variety of outdoor experiences. During the
busy summer months, the park suggests calling ahead to determine if it has
reached its maximum carrying capacity.
Open fields, salt and freshwater marshes, a white cedar swamp,
a sample of the pine barrens, and an outstanding example of a northeastern
hardwood forest make up this 1,274 acre park. Look around for wildlife. Migratory
birds fly over this area during their annual migrations; the local birding
list includes 186 species of birds within the park.
The park offers a variety of recreational activities from
swimming and sun bathing at Hooks Creek Lake, hiking along scenic trails,
and picnicking, to camping, fishing, and biking. The Interpretive Center is
easily accessible from the Trail system and contains exhibits about the different
habitats, plants, animals, and man’s former uses of the area.
Directions: Garden State Parkway travelers should take
exit 120 (from the "local traffic" lanes.) At the first traffic
light, turn right onto Cliffwood Avenue, and follow it to the "T"
intersection with Gordon Road. Turn right onto Gordon road, and follow the
signs into the park (approximately ½ mile).
Hours: Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, the park
is open from 8:00am to 8:00pm, and the office is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm
(8:00pm on Friday and Saturday.) Hours vary during the remainder of the year.
Telephone: (732) 566-2161.
Portions of this 4200 acre site were diked as early as the eighteenth century
to limit tidal flow from the Delaware Bay for salt hay farming. Public Service
Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) purchased the property in 1994 and created
a series of channels and inlets throughout 3000 acres in 1997 to restore normal
tidal flow and the native marsh vegetation. The site now provides important
spawning, nursery, foraging, and refuge habitat for fish and other wildlife
of the estuary. Two elevated boardwalks and a two-mile (one way) nature trail
link together the three access and viewing platforms.
Directions: There are three access points to the public
use facilities: just off CR553 at the end of Strawberry Avenue on the north
edge of Port Norris, off Germantown Avenue, and at the end of High Street
near Bivalve.
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: 1-888-MARSHES (888-627-7437).
Corson's Inlet State
Park
Established in the early 1960s, Corson’s Inlet State
Park is one of the few undisturbed stretches of Atlantic coastline left between
Atlantic City and Cape May. Enjoy the beach and the coastal dune trail. Look
for remnants of marine life washed up on the beach, and watch for beach nesting
birds in the spring and summer: piping plovers, black skimmers, and least
terns. Migrations of dolphins, ducks, geese, and monarch butterflies also
pass through this area every year.
Sun bathing, photography, hiking, and biking are seasonal
activities available here. Guided beach walks occur twice each week from the
late spring to early fall.
Directions: From exit 25 of the Garden State Parkway,
turn east onto county road 623 (Roosevelt Blvd), and follow it into Ocean
City. Then turn south onto West Avenue and follow it to 55th St. Turn south
(right) onto CR619 (Ocean Highway). The main parking area for Corson’s
Inlet is on the left at the north end of Rush Chattin Bridge.
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: (609) 861-2404 (Belleplain State forest)
Dennis Creek Wildlife
Management Area (Jake's Landing)
A vast expanse of waving acres of
marsh grass is visible from here. Several tidal creeks and drainage canals
traverse this area providing channels for marine fish to spawn. The northern
harrier can frequently be seen silently gliding low over the marshes in search
of food for its young. Often the egrets and herons stir up the musty waters
in search of a tasty morsel. Muskrats busily gather marsh grasses and reeds
to construct their domed lodges where they may seek refuge from the heat of
the day or any raptors that may be watching from nearby clumps of trees.
Directions: Follow state roads 55 & 47 south from Millville
to the community of North Dennis. Watch for the intersection of CR557. Travel
0.3 miles further south on SR47 to Jake's Landing Road. Turn west (right)
on Jake's Landing Road, and follow it to the end - approximately 1.5 miles
to the parking lot, boat ramp, and Dennis Creek.
Hours: This unmanaged point of interest is open daily from
dawn to dusk.
Telephone: NJ Division of F&W (609) 292-9450.
Edwin B. Forsythe
National Wildlife Refuge
At this wildlife
refuge, more than 40,000 acres of coastal habitat are protected and managed
for migratory birds. Almost 90 percent of it is tidal salt meadow and marsh,
interspersed with shallow coves and bays. The quiet tidal waters serve as
nurseries, spawning, and feeding grounds for fish and shellfish that are important
to the diets of many wildlife species.
Located in one of the Atlantic Flyway’s most active flight
paths, it is an important link in the network of national wildlife refuges
administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Here, the habitat needs
of the American black duck and Atlantic brant are a special concern. Both
species depend heavily on New Jersey’s remaining coastal habitat for
their survival.
An eight-mile Wildlife Drive and two short foot trails provide
excellent wildlife viewing and photo opportunities. The entrance fee helps
to buy additional wetlands for wildlife refuges.
Directions: From the north, take exit 48 of the Garden
State Parkway and follow US Route 9 south. At the third traffic light, turn
left onto Great Creek Rd. Follow it into the refuge. From the south, take
the Atlantic City Service Area exit. Follow county road 561 (Jimmie Leeds
Rd.) east to the first left fork (Great Creek Rd.), and follow it into the
refuge.
Hours: This point of interest is open daily from dawn
to dusk. The headquarters building is open weekdays from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Telephone: (609) 652-1665
Egg Island Wildlife
Management Area (Turkey Point)
The vast, windswept salt marsh here is dotted with hummocks of cedar trees,
bayberry bushes, sumac, and common reeds. Numerous tidal creeks await the
explorer, crabber and angler. There is a large pond in the middle of the tract,
which wintering waterfowl find attractive.
From the parking area, cross the foot bridge and walk the trails into the
marsh and watch for marsh wrens, seaside sparrows, northern harriers, gulls,
egrets, and herons. In midsummer, be prepared for biting deer flies and green-head
flies.
Directions: From county road 553 in Dividing Creek, turn
south onto Maple Street. Take Maple St. 2.7 miles to the road end and the
footbridge into the WMA.
Hours: This unmanaged point of interest is open daily from
dawn to dusk.
Telephone: NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife (609) 292-9450.
Eldora Nature Preserve (Nature Conservancy’s
Delaware Bayshores Office)
The home of renowned entomologist Dr. C. Brooke Worth is now located on The
Nature Conservancy’s Eldora Nature Preserve. Here, you will also find
the Nature Conservancy’s Delaware Bayshores Office, interpretive exhibits,
several aquariums, a display of local moths and butterflies, a gift shop,
butterfly garden, and a hummingbird garden. A nature trail leads through woodlands
on the way to the marsh.
The Eldora Nature Preserve is the first preserve established by The Nature
Conservancy in New Jersey for the conservation of insects, particularly moths
and butterflies. A fenced area protects the red chokeberry, a host plant for
rare moths, from being eaten by other species. Songbirds and hawks are often
seen among the adjacent fields and forest.
Directions: From Cumberland County, take state road 47 south into
Cape May County. The Preserve entrance is the first building on the left after
entering Cape May County.
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: (609) 861-0600.
Glades Wildlife Refuge
Located near Fortescue along the Delaware Bay, this area is a conservation
project of the Natural Lands Trust, a regional land trust based out of Media,
Pennsylvania. In addition to the salt marsh and hardwood swamp forest, you
may find tidal marsh with interlacing creeks and ponds, farm fields, mixed
woodlands, old-growth woodlands, and beach habitats. Russell Farm Trail is
one of several opportunities to explore these habitats.
Directions: From county road 553 at Newport, turn south
onto CR656 and then south on CR637 at the blinking yellow light. Follow the
highway signs to Fortescue.
Hours: This unmanaged point of interest is open daily from
dawn to dusk.
Telephone: Natural Lands Trust (856) 447-3425.
Great Bay Boulevard
Wildlife Management Area
The 3,965 acre wildlife management area was purchased with federal Aid-to-Wildlife
Funds, the Waterfowl Stamp Program, and the Green Acres Program. The salt
marsh area is heavily utilized by waterfowl and nesting shorebirds. During
the spring migration, sandpipers, red knots, dowitchers, curlews, willets,
plovers, turnstones, and yellow-legs feed and rest in the marsh grasses.
Salt water fishing may bring a catch of striped bass, weakfish, fluke, founder,
white perch, sea bass, sharks, and bluefish. There is also excellent clamming,
but state licenses are required. Boat launching ramps are accessible from
the road.
Directions: From US9, take Great Bay Boulevard just south of Tuckerton.
Hours: This unmanaged area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: NJ Division of FG&W (609) 292-9450.
The Green Swamp Nature Area is part of a 930-acre wetland restoration site
along the Cohansey River. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G)
purchased the property in 1994 to increase fish productivity. Restoration
efforts here have focused on reducing the invasive weed, Phragmites.
A hiking trail transects an open field, woodland, salt marsh, and freshwater
wetland. Enjoy a variety of wildlife, from nesting osprey to feeding butterflies.
A public boat ramp provides access to the water.
Directions: Follow county route 553 into Fairton and turn south on
Back Neck Road. Follow it approximately two miles, and the parking area is
on the right.
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: 1-888-MARSHES (888-627-7437).
Heislerville
Wildlife Management Area
The varied habitats of this WMA include river and tidal marsh boundary, freshwater
impoundments, diked salt-hay meadows, tidal mud flats, and oak-pine uplands.
The Maurice river flows through the area to the Delaware Bay. A driving route
winds around the impoundments. Bird watchers enjoy wintering snow geese and
the occasional bald eagle. Mute swans live here year-round. Horseshoe crabs
spawn on the beaches during May, attracting thousands of migratory birds.
Directions: Turn west at the traffic light for the Mauricetown
turnoff from state road 347 and south (left) at the next light following SR47
south. In approximately another 3 miles, turn west (right) onto county road
740 (Mackey's Lane). Proceed 0.3 miles to CR616 (Dorchester-Heislerville Rd.),
and turn left. Travel 2.2 miles to CR736 (Matts Landing Rd.). Turn right,
and proceed 1 mile past the impoundments to a parking area on the left.
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: NJ Division of FG&W (609) 292-9450.
Higbee Beach Wildlife
Management Area
This one and one-half mile stretch of beach contains the last
remnant of coastal dune forest on the bayshore. The inland dunes are more
than 20 feet high in some places. A forest of holly, red cedar, and beach
plum stabilize them. Several hundred acres of wooded upland with a dense understory,
a freshwater marsh, two freshwater ponds, a hardwood swamp, old farm fields,
and a coastal dune forest all provide cover for migratory songbirds, raptors,
and butterflies. Higbee beach is managed specifically to provide habitat for
migratory wildlife.
Directions: Take the state road 109 west from the exit
at the south end of the Garden State Parkway to the junction with US9. Turn
left onto US9 (all turns from the right lane), and proceed to the first traffic
light. Turn south (left) onto county road 162 (Seashore Rd.). Turn west (right)
onto CR641 (New England Rd.). Follow CR641 for 2 miles to the end and the
beach access parking area. Parking areas close to the beach may be closed
during the summer season. Call the number below for parking information.
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: NJ Division of FG&W (609) 628-2103.
Island Beach State
Park
One of the best examples of barrier island ecosystems. The sandy beach
on the ocean side blends into the coastal sand dunes formed by the wind and
held in place by American beach grass and beach heather. More plants grow
on the dunes farther from the ocean’s salt spray and in the protected
depressions between the dunes. Even trees have taken root to form a maritime
forest. Look for gulls and terns, red fox, turtles, and other inhabitants
of the barrier island habitat. This is also home for New Jersey’s largest
nesting osprey colony.
The wildlife migrations at Island Beach are often spectacular and
are not limited to birds. Although warblers and waterfowl are the more popular
migrants, butterflies, bluefish, striped bass, marine mammals, and sea turtles
also migrate through the area.
Island Beach State Park offers naturalist-conducted activities, an interpretive
center, a nature center, trails, guided canoe trips, and beach recreation.
A fully accessible "beach to bay" boardwalk trail provides interpretive
opportunities and a unique transect of a barrier island. An entrance fee is
charged at the gate.
LSS Station #14: The evolving history of the U.S. Life Saving Service
can still be found along New Jersey’s barrier islands. At one time, three
life saving stations provided shore rescue services for Island Beach. This
site, now the park maintenance facility, was the original station #14 (later
identified as #110) when the U.S. Life Saving Service began in 1848. By 1915,
approximately 178,000 people, shipwrecked along the Atlantic seaboard, owed
their lives to the heroic efforts of the LSS.
An interpretive exhibit explains the role of the U.S. Life Saving Service
along the Jersey Shore.
Directions: From the Garden State Parkway take exit 82 to state road
37, east through Toms River and across Barnegat Bay to Island Beach. Turn
south to Seaside Park via county road 35.
Hours: Open weekdays from 8:00am to 8:00pm (or until dark) and on
weekends from 7:00am to 8:00pm (or until dark).
Telephone: (732) 793-0506.
The Nature Conservancy’s Manumuskin River Preserve,
at over 3500 acres, is comprised of a variety of habitats including mudflats,
upland forest, grassy meadows, wild rice stands, and lowland swamps. In addition
to 30 other rare species, the world’s largest population of the globally
rare sensitive joint-vetch is protected on the preserve. The tidal wetlands
here have never been diked and thus have great plant diversity. Remains of
the 1790s settlement of Fries Mill are also part of the preserve. To hike
the nature trail, begin at the trailhead loc-ated at the preserve entrance
off Schooner Landing Road.
Directions: Take state road 55 south to exit 21/Schooner
Landing Rd. Turn left at the stop sign. Follow the road to the gate at the
end. The Preserve trail is to the right of the gate.
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: (609) 861-0600.
Peaslee Wildlife Management
Area
One of the largest wildlife management areas in the state,
Peaslee has thousands of acres of upland pine-oak forests and lowland bogs.
Its longest border is the upper part of the Tuckahoe River. Old cranberry
bogs and a mill are in the early stages of succession, and offer excellent
freshwater marsh habitats. Explore the diverse habitats: the wooded edge,
pinelands, cedar bog, hardwood swamp, scrub oak forests, sweet ferns, grassy
fields, and yellow-clover pasture.
Directions: From state road 55 exit 24, take SR49 east to
county road 644 (Hesstown Road), about 5 miles. Turn left, and proceed 1.7
miles. Turn east (left) on the sand road for a 1.6 mile auto tour loop.
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: NJ Division of F&W (609) 292-9450.
Tuckahoe Wildlife
Management Area (MacNamara)
The scenic Tuckahoe River winds its way to the Great Egg Harbor
River and Bay through an expanse of salt marsh and tidal creeks, that are
excellent for bird watching. Six brackish water impoundments on the upland
edges of the tract also provide good bird-watching opportunities. Located
on the edge of the Pine Barrens, the woodlands bordering the salt marsh are
a mixture of pine and oak trees. A hardwood swamp and small freshwater lake
provide additional habitat for beaver, turtles, frogs, and fish.
An 8-mile drive provides opportunities for exploring these
dynamic habitats.
Directions: From the junction of US route 9 and state
road 50 in Seaville, take SR50 north for 4.8 miles to county road 631. Turn
right, and travel 0.3 miles to the entrance on the left. Turn left onto the
sand and gravel road, and travel 0.5 mile to the office on the right. Stop
at the office for information and maps.
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Telephone: NJ Division of F&W (609) 628-2436.
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