
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge Expanding In Southern New Jersey
Since President Theodore Roosevelt established The National Wildlife Refuge System in 1903, there have been 571 Wildlife Refuges established along with 38 protected Wetlands secured across the United States.
The Cape May National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1989 as part of the protected Delaware Bay watershed area designated by the Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention. The original 11,500 acres were acquired by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in a key area of the Atlantic Flyway on the Cape May Peninsula.
In 2025, the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge will expand to almost 22,000 acres thanks to the latest land transfer approved by the United States Federal Government.
Who Is Donating Land To Expand the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge?
In an announcement from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, they are acquiring 532 acres of Cape May County's undeveloped beach and dune habitat. This will allow for conserving an additional .75 miles of Atlantic Ocean Coastline.
The no-cost land transfer to the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge comes from the United States Coast Guard. The area used to be a part of the Coast Guard's Long Range Navigation (LORAN) Program which was shut down in 2010.
The LORAN Support Unit (LSU) Facility in Wildwood was closed over a decade ago and the land has been untouched since allowing the natural habit to repopulate the area.
The 532 acres is located immediately south of the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge Two Mile Beach Unit at the southern tip of The Wildwoods. The Two Mile Beach Unit was also a no-cost land transfer from the US Coast Guard to the US Fish and Wildlife Refuge in 1999.
Visiting nature areas like the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge Two Mile Beach Unit is one of my favorite and unique activities to do in Cape May County:
10 Favorite Things about Cape May County, NJ
Gallery Credit: Josh Hennig/Townsquare Media
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