Pond Creek Project to Include Recreation

HIGBEE BEACH – The state plans to include a significant recreation component to the over 400-acre habitat restoration project scheduled to begin in October, as reported on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website.   
Lower Township Manager Michael Laffey told the Herald, recently, that part of the reason for making nearly all of New England Road a no-passing zone was the anticipation of more bicycle traffic to Higbee Beach. 
The increase in bikes is anticipated with the expansion of recreational opportunities in the area. New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Director David Golden gave a public presentation, Nov. 15, 2021, in Lower Township, describing the Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Restoration Project.
The primary goal of the project is to restore saltwater uplands that have been subject to intrusion by invasive plant species, primarily phragmites, and to restore tidal marsh areas. Historically, manmade changes have affected the natural habitat in the Higbee Beach WMA, cutting off Pond Creek from the tidal flow of salt water and allowing non-native phragmites to flourish in the area. 
The Division of Fish and Wildlife actively encourages the public to use Higbee WMA lands for a variety of recreational uses including bird watching, photography, hiking, fishing, and according to the DEP website, hunting.  The project will visually open the Pond Creek tidal and freshwater habitat and provide access for viewing by way of a bridge crossing over the new tidal channel. Connecting trails will loop around the entire project area.   
A portion of the former magnesite plant property will be reserved for a future interpretive education center that will be used to enhance visitors’ understanding and appreciation of the newly restored habitats and the wildlife drawn to them.
The DEP’s Office of Natural Resource Restoration (ONRR) incorporated multiple wildlife viewing-blind structures, similar to the ones found along trails in Cape May Point Lighthouse State Park. The goal is to provide visitors with opportunities to view wildlife without being seen. These structures include a bunker blind, a heron canopy viewing platform, two boardwalk systems with platforms, and seven 360-degree bird blind structures. There will be a connective trail around the project area, a pedestrian bridge, benches and interpretive signs. 
The area is considered part of a globally renowned birding destination. The Division of Fish and Wildlife is aware of the importance of the area for bird migration, located in what is known as the Atlantic Flyway. According to the division’s website, half the Western Hemisphere’s population of red knots use the Cape May peninsula during yearly migrations.      
Presently, the ONRR is still anticipating construction on the project to start in October. Calls to the DEP to verify the actual starting date were not immediately returned. 
Have any thoughts and/or information on this story? Email csouth@cmcherald.com.