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A Northeast
Region Program |
Designation:
December 1, 1993 Outstanding Resources: The Maurice River corridor is an unusually pristine coastal river with national and internationally important resources. As part of the Atlantic flyway, its clean waters and related habitats are vitally important to the migration of shorebirds, songbirds, waterfowl, raptors,rails and fish. The river supports New Jersey's largest stand of wild rice and 53 percent of the animal species that the state has recognized as endangered, excluding marine mammals. The river is a critical link between the Pinelands National Reserve and the Delaware Estuary. Overview: The Maurice River and its tributaries drain the southwest portion of the Pinelands National Reserve. The Pinelands Commission considers the entire Manumuskin watershed to be an ecologically critical area which supports important aquatic communities characteristic of the Pinelands. State and local governments, as well as conservation organizations, own significant acreage for preservation and conservation purposes. The huge, unspoiled Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer underlies most of the region and the rivers and associated wetlands serve as nurseries for ocean-going species. They offer food and habitat for both resident and migrating species. Annually, huge flocks of birds alight within the watershed to enjoy, if only briefly, the area's natural bounty.The Maurice River corridor is an area rich in natural, cultural and historical significance. Its tributaries, and the bay beyond, not only shaped the lifestyle and livelihood of the region's inhabitants in the past, they continue to support the region's economy and the lifestyle of many of today's corridor residents. Early industries depended on river water channeled into swiftly flowing mill races. Some residents built dikes so they could farm the often boggy lands close to the river. Many others worked in maritime occupations. Local ship builders provided vessels for fishing area waters and for carrying local products to distant markets. The region's entire glass making industry emerged because of, and still depends upon, the sandy deposits found throughout the watershed. Cumberland County's heritage is steeped in the history of the Lenni-Lenape people, a nation that numbered some 6,000 inhabitants at the time of the earliest colonial explorations of the Delaware Bay region. |
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