Credit: USFWS
Owl on Refuge Sign
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Welcome to the Cape
May National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was established in January 1989 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired the Refuge's first (90-acre) parcel from The Nature Conservancy in June of that year. Since then the Refuge has grown to more than 11000 acres as the Service continues to buy land. And we are still growing! Ultimately the Refuge will protect over 21200 acres of precious wildlife habitat in New Jersey's Cape May Peninsula. Cape May National Wildlife Refuge's key location in the Atlantic Flyway makes it an important link in the vast nationwide network of National Wildlife Refuges administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It will ensure availability of important habitat to hundreds of thousands of migratory birds each year as these long- distance flyers travel along the New Jersey coast.
The headquarters are located at:
24 Kimbles Beach Road
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210-2078
For further information contact us at:
609. 463.0994 (Phone)
609.463.1667 (Fax)
E-Mail:capemay@fws.gov
Table of Contents
WELCOME
Because of its importance to
migratory waterfowl,
Cape May
National Wildlife
Refuge has been designated a Flagship Project of the North American Waterfowl
Management Plan: a far-reaching international agreement to conserve and restore
millions of acres of wetland habitats throughout the United States Canada and Mexico. This
massive project is a partnership of private individuals and businesses,
conservation organizations and State and Federal agencies. Because of the
Delaware Bay Estuary's value to migrating shorebirds and wading birds, in 1992
it was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the The
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance--otherwise known as the
Ramsar Convention
.
At the local level the Refuge also plays an
active role in the long-term protection of a vital multi-agency-administered
greenbelt corridor reaching from the
Delaware Bay
to Great Egg Harbor Bay
The Refuge has three separate Divisions. The
Delaware Bay Division is located in Middle Township and extends along five
miles of the Delaware Bay, the Great Cedar Swamp Division straddles Dennis and
Upper Townships and the Two Mile Beach Unit is at the south end of Wildwood
Crest in Lower Township. Refuge Map.
The 21200-acre proposed acquisition area
contains a wide range of habitats including upland and lowland forests, fields,
barrier beach, salt marsh and salt meadows cut through by meandering tidal
creeks.
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DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE REFUGE HEADQUARTERS
From the Garden State
Parkway: Turn west at exit 10. Go into Cape May Court House. At
Route 9, turn left (south). Go through the next light and make a right at
Hand Avenue. Continue on Hand Avenue to State Highway 47. Turn left
(south) onto Route 47, then make a quick right (west) onto Kimbles Beach
Road. Refuge office is about 1/4 mile on the left. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM
– 4:30 PM.
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VOLUNTEERING AT THE REFUGE
Cape May National Wildlife
Refuge welcomes volunteers. Loss of habitat to human uses is the world's biggest
cause of species endangerment and extinction. Because we continue to establish
towns, cities and recreation sites in areas that were once natural habitats,
wildlife needs our help more than ever to survive. Individuals interested in
volunteering are welcome to contact Refuge headquarters at 609-463-0994 any
weekday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
We need volunteer greeters for our visitor contact station at the Two Mile Beach Unit. See the attached Word document for a position description.
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