Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Description
The Refuge protects more than 40,000 acres (162 km) of southern New Jersey Coastal Habitats and tidal wetlands. 6,000 acres (24 km) of the refuge are designated as a wilderness area. These areas include Holgate and Little Beach, two of the few remaining undeveloped barrier beaches in the state. Here the rare piping plover and other beach-nesting birds raise their young, so public access is limited or even entirely prohibited at times.
The beach areas provide fragile ecosystems for birds whose populations have already been impacted by development, so Holgate is closed to all public during the nesting season; Little Beach is closed all year except by special permit for research or education. Almost 90% of Forsythe Refuge is tidal salt marsh, interspersed with shallow coves and bays. Each year thousands of ducks and geese, wading birds and shorebirds concentrate here during spring and fall migration, making the Refuge a good site for birdwatching, nature photography and related activities. More than 3,000 acres (12 km) of the Refuge are woodlands with a wide variety of tree and plant species, thus also providing vital habitat for a variety of upland species such as songbirds, woodcock, white-tailed deer and box turtles.
Primary access to this refuge is by automobile and bicycle. While there are no specific guided programs, visitors may drive an eight-mile (13 km) long trail over dams guided by a brochure which points out the various features. Foot travelers can walk one of four trails which range from 1/4 mile (0.4 km) to 4 miles (6.4 km) in length.
Sedimentary Pollution
A team from the University of Pennsylvania and the British Geological Survey have measured organic pollutants and mercury in the sediments within the refuge and Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were found in low amounts in creek and marsh sediments. Evaluation of the PAH compound distribution suggested that most of the creeks received small amounts of PAH derived from burning of wood or coal and or traffic sources.
References
- ^ "National Wildlife Refuges - Acres by State and Unit" (PDF). US Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ "Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Vane, C.H.; Harrison, I.; Kim, A.W.; Moss-Hayes, V.; Vickers, B.P.; Horton, B.P. (2008). "Status of organic pollutants in surface sediments of Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary, New Jersey, USA" (PDF). Marine Pollution Bulletin. 56 (10): 1802–1808. Bibcode:2008MarPB..56.1802V. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.07.004. ISSN 0025-326X. PMID 18715597.
External links
- US FWS official site for Forsythe NWR
- Friends of Forsythe Archived 2005-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.