Fish and Wildlife Service Complete Beach Restoration Project

CAPE MAY – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed the first of 31 Hurricane Sandy coastal resilience projects focusing on rebuilding natural areas along the Atlantic Coast. The $1.65 million beach restoration project restored five beaches on Cape May’s inner shoreline, including Kimbles Beach, Reeds Beach, Moores Beach, Cooks Beach and Pierces Point. Over 800 tons of debris, including chunks of asphalt and bricks, concrete pipes, slabs and pilings were cleared from 1.5 miles of affected beach area since the first phase of the project in 2013. Contractors brought in more than 45,000 tons of locally-mined sand to replace the 2-3 feet of original beach lost to storm surge and erosion after the storm.
Along with the restoration of coastal wildlife habitat, the project provides the added benefit of enhanced storm protection for nearby residents, as well as public recreational opportunities. The beaches will play a critical role in providing quality seasonal spawning ground for returning horseshoe crabs expected in early May, whose eggs serve as a food source for migrating shore birds like the ruddy turnstone, the shortbilled dowitcher and the red knot, which is currently being considered for inclusion on the Federal Endangered Species List.
“We’re excited to have this project completed so quickly with the assistance of our partners. This is an important restoration project – not only for horseshoe crab spawning, but also for shorebirds foraging, in particular the proposed listed red knot,” says Eric Schrading, field supervisor for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s New Jersey Field Office.
This project, the first of a wave of coastal resilience projects funded by the Department of the Interior through the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2013, is a partnership of the Service with the American Littoral Society, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers. Additional work has been coordinated with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NFWF and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. The projects have created local jobs in southern New Jersey, and some project monitoring duties will offer opportunities for both college students and veterans.