Cape May National Wildlife Refuge Celebrates 20 Years

TWO MILE LANDING — The Cape May National Wildlife Refuge celebrated its 20th Anniversary as well as the Refuge’s Two Mile Beach Unit’s 10th Anniversary on Aug. 25.
Refuge Manager Howard Schlegel said the “timing is just perfect” for the two milestones.
The Cape May Refuge is globally significant for several reasons, but primarily because of its diverse and unique habitats that provide home to many threatened and endangered species – from horseshoe crabs, to the thousands of shorebirds like the Red Knot.
“The Cape May peninsula is the number two place for migratory birds in North America Continent,” said Schlegel. “So where else should we have a refuge.”
Ten years ago, the refuge acquired the 510 acres of beachfront, tidal ponds and maritime forest at the south end of Wildwood Crest creating the Two-Mile Beach Unit, which has proven to be critical habitat for the federally listed piping plover, the state endangered least turn and American black duck. The refuge is currently seeking to acquire an additional 10,320 acres to expand the lands to 21,820 acres in Cape May County.
Schlegel also thanked a dedicated group of volunteers for all of their hours of service. He noted that since 2002, when there was just one volunteer, the numbers of grown to 90.
“With out you we wouldn’t be able to do half of what we do now,” he said, noting that there is just a paid staff of only five.
The celebration included the dedication of the newly completed first phase of a board-walk marsh trail. The entire project is expected to be 2,000 foot trail with viewing plat-forms. Currently approximately 500 feet of the boardwalk and a viewing platform has been completed that provides opportunities for birders, photographers and wildlife observers to enjoy the variety of marsh birds and waterfowl throughout the year.
Schlegel said the boardwalk was make with recycled plastic lumber and has a low profile in order to limit the level of disturbance to wildlife.
Schlegel and proponents of the refuge also thanked U.S. Representative Frank LoBiondo for his efforts to expand the refuge. In June of this year, LoBiondo secured $2 million for the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge and $1.1 million for the Edwin B. Forsythe Refuge for further land acquisition at each respective location. Earlier this year, LoBiondo secured $1.5 million for Supawna in Salem County as part of the Fiscal Year Omnibus Appropriations bill. LoBiondo has secured $18.3 million for the expansion and improvement of South Jersey’s three refuges since 1998.
Matt Blake of the American Littoral Societs told those assembled that there is still much more to do in terms of land preservation and urged voters to support the open space question on the November 3 ballots.
“If that question is passed, we would raise $400 million in bonds to continue the state’s efforts to preserve clean water, fish, wildlife habitat, working farms, historic place and forests.”
Friends of the Cape May National Refuge President Shawn Lockyear, a group that got on its feet in January of this year, urged her group and other environmental advocated to increase awareness of the area.
“I look around an think wow, look at what we’ve done here,” Lockyear said. “Without everyone’s help I have no doubt that instead of standing here we would have been standing in a parking lot looking at a high rise condo.”