The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, manages property along the Delaware Bay including the Reeds Beach parcel. Reeds Beach includes a roughly 100-acre tidal marsh restoration area threatened by the effects of sea level rise, severe storms, and human intervention creating a stressed environment; which has led to marsh loss and conversion to open water, affecting the plant and wildlife in the area. As part of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Cape May NWR mission, the refuge began taking action in 2014 when it was awarded Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Program funding to reduce the growing risks from threats such as coastal storms, flooding, and erosion. Through this program funding, the USFWS and a contractor studied and designed a restoration plan for the 100 acre Reeds Beach parcel It wasconcluded that to best way to restore the ecosystem was to alleviate excess water from sitting on the surface of the marsh. Less water sitting on the marsh would allow the plants to become healthier which would allow the plant roots to hold and trap more sediment allowing the marsh to grow and keep up with sea level rise. The restoration at Reeds Beach began in 2017 when10,000 feet of runnels were created over 48 acres. Runnels are shallow excavations created in a sinuous way to mimic natural creeks and streams. The runnels were created to connect low lying areas to existing creeks using a ditcher mounted on an amphibious tracked vehicle called a Marsh Master that has extremely low ground pressure. The ditcher cuts into the soil and thinly spreads the removed soil over the marsh. In the fall of 2019, Cape May NWR launched the next phase of the Reeds Beach marsh restoration, by creating more runnels in the remaining52 acres in-house with a smaller USFWS Marsh Master. As the marsh soil is very soft and muddy, it is easy for one’s foot to sink 2-3 feet into the muck; leading to difficulty for the Marsh Master. Over 1,000 feet of runnels were created, though the smaller machine was not adequate for the weight of the ditcher, so the Cape May NWR staff went back to the drawing board. In the fall of 2020, Cape May NWR was able to dig the remaining 9,931 feet of runnels with the original larger Marsh Master, completing the construction phase in the Reeds Beach marsh . This final phase would not have been possible if not for funding that was provided by Ducks Unlimited, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and the Friends of Cape May NWR. In previous years, the Friends of Cape May NWR financially supported refuge interns. This financial support was used as a matching source in order to obtain a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant. Cape May NWR believes that this habitat restoration will improve vegetation health and provide enhanced habitat for wildlife including American black duck, saltmarsh sparrow, diamondback terrapin, and many fish and shellfish. The Reeds Beach marsh unit will be monitored through the coming years to measure the success of the restoration project by looking at vegetation changes, marsh elevation changes, water level changes, and species abundance just to name a few. To date, low lying flooded formerly non-vegetated areas adjacent to runnels have begun to vegetate once again. This project is a great education opportunity for saltmarsh health, how marshes buffer the coast and communities from storms, sea level rise and marsh restoration work.

Facilities

A beach peninsula on an overcast day, with dozens of fishermen in the water.
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
Welcome! Cape May NWR is located throughout the tip of South New Jersey and along the Atlantic Flyway. Encompassing pristine beach, bayshore, saltmarsh, and upland forest habitats it is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations as well as become a crucial area for the...
National Wildlife Refuge
Cape May Court House,NJ

Latest News

a stream flows through a vast marsh with newly planted grasses
Habitat Restoration
Making Great Meadows marshy again
Once big enough to fit 1,400 football fields and seasonal home to Indigenous peoples, Great Meadows Marsh has been through a lot in the last four centuries. Now half the size and ailing from historical efforts to drain and fill it, as well as invasion by nonnative plants, the Stratford, Connecticut...
a stream flows through a vast marsh with newly planted grasses
Habitat Restoration
High school students help restore Connecticut’s Great Meadows Marsh
The first-ever “Salt Marsh Steward” program at Great Meadows Marsh in Stratford, Connecticut, employed 12 students from nearby high schools during Spring 2022. In a mutually beneficial arrangement, students worked part-time replanting portions of the marsh that had been excavated and graded as...
fish and wildlife biologist sits in the marsh holding a sparrow
Climate Change
How one small bird can teach us about an entire marsh ecosystem in a changing climate
Listen to a conversation with Bri Benvenuti about the plight of the salt marsh sparrow, what it can tell us about wilder climate change, and what we are doing to help them.
A woman with long brown hair stands on a trail framed by forest. Her hands are on her hips. She wears glasses and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Uniform.
Our People
Confronting climate change
Leader Marcia Pradines Long was recently featured in a video that provides a behind-the-scenes look into refuge management. This film introduces some of the intricate challenges facing refuges today and the multifaceted, collaborative nature of potential solutions.
Sand dollar on driftwood
Recreation
Spring 2022-Cape Romain NWR
We emerge from winter and come out of our seclusion as Covid-19 restrictions soften in 2022. During the pandemic, public lands became our respite as we sought refuge from being stuck indoors. In coastal South Carolina, staff at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) remember seeing more...
A machine operator sprays a black arc of sediment into the marsh.
Climate Change
Managing for Climate Change
Climate change is forcing hard conservation choices. The Resist-Accept-Direct framework helps resource managers choose from three responses to habitat changes tied to climate change.