Nature Conservancy Locations
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Admission: Free
Locations: Maurice River Bluffs, Eldora Nature Preserve, Gandy’s Beach Preserve, Lummis Ponds Preserve, Manumskin River Preserve, Sunray Beach Preserve.
Check the website for directions and trail locations for each of these locations.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Admission: Payment of the fee is on the honor system, and visitors may pay at either of two payment sites. Visitors entering by vehicle purchase daily entrance pass for $4.00, which will admit the purchaser and others accompanying in the vehicle. Individuals who walk or bicycle in must purchase a $2.00 daily pass. Children under 16 are admitted free.
Hours: Headquarters is open weekdays, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wildlife Drive and trails are open seven days a week sunrise to sunset.
Location: The refuge’s headquarters is located at its Brigantine Division on the mainland, at Oceanville, New Jersey. From Route 9 in Oceanville, visitors may enter the refuge via Great Creek Road, which ends at our entry gate.
New Jersey coastal wetlands are the preferred habitat of large numbers of Atlantic brant and the American black duck — a species which suffered major population declines over the years. While the refuge’s primary concern is to meet the habitat needs of these two species, we manage refuge habitats to support a wide variety of water birds and other wildlife. Special emphasis is also placed on protection and habitat management for the endangered and threatened bird species which nest here. Check the Brochures listed in the website for trail and activity information.
Cape May Bird Observatory
Admission:
Hours: The center is open daily from 9:00am to 4:30pm
Location: Follow state road 47 south from Dennisville. The center is located on the east side of SR47, just south of the intersection at CR657.
Administered by the New Jersey Audubon Society, the Cape May Bird Observatory is dedicated to perpetuating and preserving the ornithological significance and natural history of the Cape May area. CMBO offers year-round bird and butterfly watching walks, programs, and workshops. CMBO’s Center for Research and Education in Goshen has a classroom, full nature bookstore, wildlife art gallery, extensive natural history information, trails, and bird feeding station. A “Model Backyard Habitat” serves as an outdoor classroom for visitors interested in learning how to attract and garden for wildlife, including butterflies and hummingbirds.
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
Admission:
Hours: The office is open weekdays from 8:00am to 4:30pm. The refuge is open daily from dawn to dusk
Location: Go west from exit 10 of the Garden State Parkway at Cape May Courthouse, then turn south on US9. Turn west (right) on county road 658 (Hand Avenue.) Turn south on SR47, then immediately west onto Kimbles Beach Rd. The entrance to the office is on the left.
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 wildlife. It supports 317 bird species, 55 reptile and amphibian species, 42 mammals, and numerous fish, shellfish, and invertebrates. The refuge has upland and lowland forests, fields, sandy beach, salt marshes, tidal creeks, and ponds. Several foot trails provide excellent opportunities for birding, nature photography, and environmental education.
Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area (Jake’s Landing)
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: 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.
The vast expanse of marsh grass is a striking view. Several tidal creeks and drainage canals traverse this area providing channels for marine fish to spawn. The northern harrier can be seen silently gliding low over the marshes in search of food for its young. Often the egrets and herons shuffle through the musty waters in search of food. Muskrats busily gather marsh grasses and reeds to construct their domed lodges where they may seek refuge from the weather and predators. Dennis Creek has an observation platform and a boat launch for small craft and canoes to explore the marshes.
Dennis Township Wetland Restoration Site
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: Follow state road 47 north from Dennisville. Turn west (left) at the traffic light with the intersection of SR347, and follow it approximately 2.2 miles to Eldora. Turn south (left) onto Stipson’s Island Road, and follow it to the end.
This 560-acre site was diked in the 1950s to exclude tidal flow from the Delaware Bay for salt hay farming. Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G) purchased the property in 1994 as part of a program to help increase fish productivity. PSE&G modified 365 acres of the site in 1996 by creating a network of channels and inlets to restore normal tidal flow and the growth of desirable marsh plants. The site now provides important habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms. Bring your binoculars and explore the salt marsh via the nature trail. A floating observation platform allows you to experience a mudflat at low tide and the center of a tidal creek at high tide.
Eldora Nature Preserve
Admission:Free
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: From the end of state road 55 south at the traffic light, continue on state road 47 for 10.5 miles. The Preserve entrance is the first building on the left after entering Cape May County.
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 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.
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. Songbirds and hawks are often seen among the adjacent fields and forest.
Bayshore Discovery Project
Admission:Free (There is a fee for the cruises)
Hours: The historic wharf is open year-round; call ahead for Meerwald’s sail schedule and museum hours.
Location: From county road 553 turn south on High Street in Port Norris and follow the signs to the schooner, docked behind the office at 2800 High Street. The museum is located within the sheds next to the dock.
The non-profit organization, founded in 1988, educates the citizens of the Delaware Estuary about the region’s natural resources and maritime culture. The organization owns and operates New Jersey’s official Tall Ship, the 1928 Delaware Bay oyster schooner A.J. Meerwald. Its home port is located at the historic oyster shipping sheds on the Maurice River in Bivalve which offers a window to the Delaware Bay’s past and current oyster industry. The schooner travels from port to port providing educational sails and special on-board programs for school children and the public.
Bayshore Discovery Project also maintains the Delaware Bay Museum housed within the waterfront shipping sheds where exhibits highlighting maritime traditions of the Delaware Bay can be found.
Commercial Township Wetland Restoration Site
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: 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 in Bivalve.
Portions of this 4,200-acre site were diked as early as the eighteenth century to exclude tidal flow from the Delaware Bay for the purpose of salt-hay farming. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) purchased the property in 1994 as part of a program to help increase fish productivity. The site now provides important spawning, nursery, foraging, the refuge habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms, and wildlife using the estuary. The site includes three observation platforms, two elevated boardwalks, and a two-mile nature trail.
Egg Island Wildlife Management Area (Turkey Point)
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: 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 wildlife management area.
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. A foot bridge and observation platform connects the parking area and walking trails in the marsh. Watch for marsh wrens, seaside sparrows, northern harriers, gulls, egrets, and herons. In midsummer, be prepared for biting deer flies and green-head flies.
Fortescue State Marina
Admission: Free
Hours: An interpretive exhibit on the history of New Jersey marinas is accessible during daylight hours.
Location: The marina can be reached via county roads 553 and 656 to Newport and continuing south on CR637 to Fortescue.
Fortescue is known as the “Weakfish Capital of the World.” The marina was purchased by the State of New Jersey in the late 1930s to aid in the enforcement of shellfish fisheries management in the Delaware Bay. Today, the marina is operated by the Fortescue Captains and Boat Owners Association. The majority of the slips contain charter vessels (both large and small).
Heislerville Wildlife Management Area
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: 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 CR740 (Mackey’s Lane). Proceed 0.3 miles to CR616 (Dorchester-Heislerville Rd.), and turn left. Travel 2.2 miles to CR736 (Matts Landing Road). Turn right, proceed 1 mile past the impoundments, and parking is on the left.
A driving route winds through the tidal marsh boundary, brackish impoundments, salt-hay meadows, tidal mud flats, and oak-pine uplands. The Maurice River flows past the area to the Delaware Bay. 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 shorebirds.
Manumuskin River Preserve
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: From State Road 47 turn onto Barth Road heading northeast. Follow to end of Barth Road. Park along the northwest side of the cul-de-sac. The trail head is marked with a blaze on tree.
The Nature Conservancy’s Manumuskin River Preserve, at over 3,500 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 located at the preserve entrance off Schooner Landing Road.
Maurice River Township Wetland Restoration Site
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: Traveling south on state road 47 from Dorchester and Leesburg, turn west (right) on CR616 (Glade Rd) toward Heislerville. After approximately 1.5 miles, turn left onto Thompsons Beach Road and continue to the restoration site parking area.
This 1,390-acre site was previously diked to exclude tidal flow from the Delaware Bay for salt hay farming. In 1994, Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G) purchased the property. In 1997, a network of channels and inlets was created through 1,000 acres to restore the habitat that is important to the reproduction cycles of fish. The site now provides important fish and wildlife habitat. A boat ramp and an observation platform make this an excellent site for fishing, crabbing, and bird watching.
Peaslee Wildlife Management Area
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: 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.
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. Discover the diverse habitats: the wooded edge, pinelands, cedar bog, hardwood swamp, scrub oak forests, sweet ferns, grassy fields, and yellow-clover pasture.
Alloway Creek Watershed Wetland Restoration Site
Admission: Free
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: 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.
This site consists of 2,840 acres of wetlands and 130 acres of upland adjacent to Alloway Creek and the Delaware River restored by PSEG to provide more fish habitat. Restoration efforts are 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.
Stow Creek Viewing Area
Admission: Free
Hours: This unstaffed area is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: From state road 49 in Salem, turn south on county road 658 (Hancock’s Bridge Rd.). At Hancock’s Bridge, CR658 makes a left at the traffic light. Turn south (right) at the next light onto CR623 (New Bridge Rd.) toward Canton, travel about 8 miles to the parking area on the south (right) side of the road, just before the bridge over Stow Creek.
This New Jersey Fish, Game and Wildlife site features a bald eagle nest and provides an opportunity for visitors to learn about the state’s eagle restoration efforts. An access road, parking area, elevated boardwalk, interpretive exhibits, and a viewing platform provide a way to enjoy the eagles, the salt marsh, and its wildlife species.
Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Admission: Free
Hours: The refuge is open daily from dawn to dusk.
Location: Pennsville, Salem County, New Jersey along the Delaware River estuary just north of the Salem River. (Near Fort Mott)
Two hiking trails are available for wildlife observation on the refuge. The Forest Habitat Trail winds through a hardwood forest and scrub/shrub habitat and around a pond. The best time to walk this trail is in spring when you are likely to hear choruses of spring peepers and Southern leopard frogs and the beautiful flute-like song of the wood thrush. Wood duck and great blue heron are often seen in wet areas along the trail.