|
Current Events
- Weekly Bird Census
- Tide Charts
- Guided Activities
- Closure Information
- Notices and Monthly Events
- Edwin B. Forsythe Refuge Home Page
E. B. FORSYTHE NWR OBSERVATIONS
This weekly census is conducted by Atlantic Audubon members and other volunteers. Check our Seasonal Guide to Wildlife Activity on the What to Expect page for additional wildlife you may see this time of year.
Click here for the current bird survey. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.)
Shore bird fans should find this posting of monthly tide charts helpful. Shore birds will be particularly visible in the tidal salt marsh when the tide recedes, as the muddy edges which are so attractive to them are exposed. Please note that water depths will vary depending on various weather conditions. |
Link to tide chart
Please add one hour to all tide times for the waters surrounding the Wildlife Drive.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader to view our activity fliers.
Evening at Forsythe February-May 2008
CLOSURES
New Visitor Hours at Refuge Headquarters
The impact of a strategic workforce plan has reached Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Starting December 18, 2006 visitor hours at the refuge headquarters in Oceanville, New Jersey will be weekdays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Budget cuts have led to the refuge losing two permanent staff in the Brigantine Division and the de-staffing of the Barnegat Division.
Military operations overseas, homeland security, and hurricane relief have resulted in declining federal discretionary funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other Department of the Interior agencies. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
In response to this reduction in funding, the Service must make tough choices to live within its funding limits. Even if funding levels established by the President and Congress remain level, increases in salaries, energy, and other uncontrollable costs will continue to erode base funding for resource management and public use programs throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System. If the Service does not act decisively now, it will be unable to effectively operate most national wildlife refuges within a matter of just a few years.
The Service’s Northeast Regional Director on June 29, 2006 , approved a downsizing plan to strategically and responsibly manage the 71 national wildlife refuges in the 13-state region with fewer federal dollars. The plan assumes level, rather than decreased, funding over the next several years. In addition, it conservatively provides for only a three percent increase in permanent salaries each year with a corresponding decrease in funds to cover non labor costs.
By reducing its permanent National Wildlife Refuge System workforce and increasing management efficiency, the region is freeing up the necessary funding for refuge management and operations. The first phase of the plan calls is eliminating 24 permanent positions, primarily refuge managers and business administration personnel. These initial changes will achieve about 58 percent - or $1.4 million - of the savings and corrections needed to achieve a 75:25 ratio between personnel and operating costs.
The refuge will have to rely on volunteer help more than ever. Interested persons should contact Sandy Perchetti at (609)748-1535.
The Stay Focused Photo Club meets monthly on the second Saturday at the refuge auditorium. See our Volunteer page for more information.
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
Did you know that Forsythe is a partner of The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS)? This is a system of 26 reserves around the country (and Puerto Rico) developed to protect the biologically, ecologically, economically, and aesthetically important areas along our coasts known as estuaries. Estuaries occur where our rivers meet the sea - where fresh and salt water mix to create a unique and very productive ecosystem vital to life both on land and in the sea. The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR) is one of the 26 national estuarine reserves created to promote the responsible use and management of the nation's estuaries through a program combining scientific research, education, and stewardship.
The mission of the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR) is to improve management of important estuarine resources in the Mullica River-Great Bay watershed.
The JCNERR provides research and education opportunities and practical information for coastal decision-makers to improve the management of land and other natural resources. Properties within the Reserve are entirely in public ownership by various state and Federal entities, and their protected status serves as an excellent site to provide a long-term database for valuable management of coastal resources.
Edwin B. Forsythe NWR has been designated a regional site of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network!
Back to Top of Page
Updated May 16, 2008