State (N.J.) Receives $999,000 Federal Grant to Buy Coastal Wetlands for Cheesequake State Park

Contact: Terri Edwards 413/253-8324 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today awarded a $999,000 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Green Acres Program, for the purchase of 234.5 acres of coastal wetlands as an addition to Cheesequake State Park in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County, N.J. The federal grant will supplement a $3 million contribution from the state and donations totaling more than $1 million from the American Littoral Society and the National Estuarine Research Reserve Program. The property, located along Raritan Bay three miles from New York City, provides important wetland habitats for migrating and wintering birds. More than 60,000 ducks, geese and other waterfowl winter in this area each year.