Description
Forsythe Refuge is located in Atlantic, Burlington, and Ocean Counties in southeastern New Jersey, extending more than 50 miles along the Atlantic coast. The Refuge was named in 1984 in memory of the late conservationist Congressman from New Jersey, Edwin B. Forsythe. The resolution combined the Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge and the Barnegat National Wildlife Refuge. Those Refuges were established in 1939 and 1967, respectively, under provisions of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act to preserve estuarine habitats important to the Atlantic brant (Branta bernicla), American black duck (Anas rubripes) and rails (Rallidae).
Land ownership and protected status:
The approved acquisition boundary of the Refuge encompasses 59,679 acres. As of January 2009, the Service owned or leased nearly 47,000 acres.
Ecological Value:
The Refuge is one of the original four United States wetlands designated as "Wetlands of International Importance" under the United Nations Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, also known as the Ramsar Convention. There are only 21 designated Wetlands of International Importance in the United States. Refuge lands and waters provide important resting and feeding habitat for tens of thousands of ducks and geese, wading birds, and shorebirds during their spring and fall migrations.
The Refuge is designated a Regional Site of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, is part of the NOAA Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, and is part of the EPA Barnegat Bay Estuary Program Area. In addition, a portion of the Refuge lies within the Pinelands International Biosphere Reserve.
Physical and ecological features:
Forsythe Refuge is located entirely within the Atlantic Coastal Plain, with elevations ranging from sea level to 50 feet above mean sea level (msl). More than 80% of the refuge is composed of estuarine intertidal wetlands dominated by salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina patens).
Land Use:
The refuge receives more than 200,000 visits each year. The predominant public uses of the refuge include wildlife interpretation and observation, boating, beach activities, fresh- and saltwater fishing, crabbing, waterfowl hunting, archery and firearm hunting for deer. Use of the refuge for environmental education, wildlife-oriented recreation, and scientific study and research, when such activities are compatible with wildlife objectives, are also management objectives.
Climate:
Forsythe Refuge is within the New Jersey coastal weather station zone (Sandy Hook, Long Branch, Atlantic City, and Cape May weather stations). The ocean moderates the State's continental climate within the coastal weather zone. The average monthly temperature is 35°F in January, the coldest month of the year, and 75°F in July, the hottest month of the year. The growing season for the Refuge is 245 days. The growing season is the period of the year in which the average temperature is 43°F or more. The average annual precipitation in the coastal zone is 42.6 inches. Precipitation is distributed fairly evenly through the year, with slightly more in July and August, and less in February.
Ecology & Conservation
The coastal wetlands of New Jersey are of international importance to wintering waterfowl. In 1991, 39% of the Atlantic Flyway American black duck (Anas rubripes) population, 67 % of the Atlantic brant (Branta bernicla) population, and 34% of the greater snow goose (Chen caerulescens) population were recorded in New Jersey during the Service’s mid-winter inventory.
The wetlands of the Forsythe Refuge are classified as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, one of only seventeen sites so designated in the United States. During a December 6, 1991, aerial survey of the Refuge, 85,570 waterfowl were observed. The highest waterfowl concentrations at the Refuge do not occur until late December. Weekly waterfowl counts conducted at the Brigantine Division Impoundments indicate waterfowl populations nearly double from early in the month, so it is possible nearly 180,000 birds use the Refuge during the peak period.
Many marsh and water birds use the Refuge. The most common include great blue heron (Ardea herodias), great egret (Casmerodious albus), snowy egret (Egretta thula), black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) and cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis). Herons and egrets nest on or near the Refuge, frequently foraging in the salt marshes, streams, ponds, and impoundments. Until recently, least terns and black skimmers nested in substantial numbers on Holgate and other barrier/bay islands.
Shorebird use of the Refuge peaks during the spring migration. The most common species are: sanderling (Calidris alba), semi-palmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), dunlin (Calidris alpina), semi-palmated plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus), short-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), black-bellied plover (Pluvialis squatarola), least sandpiper (Caladris minutilla), ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), red knot (Caladris canutus), whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularia) and pectoral sandpiper (Calidris melanotos).
Many raptors breed on the Forsythe Refuge, including: red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), sharp-shinned hawks (Accipiter striatus), broad-winged hawks (Buteo platypterus), red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus), northern harriers (Circus cyaneus), great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), common barn owls (Tyto alba), barred owls (Strix varia), and short-eared owls (Asio flammeus). Many other raptors may be seen during migration; some of them winter at the Refuge.
Many songbirds species use the Refuge for nesting and to rest or feed during migration. The most important nesting species are those dependent upon the marshes and coastal island habitats, for example, seaside sparrow (Ammodranus maritimus), marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris), and sedge wren (Cistothorus platensis). A large number of birds nesting on or migrating through the Refuge are Neotropical migrants (wintering in Central and South America). As a group, Neotropical migrants have shown recent population declines due to habitat loss and deterioration in wintering areas and along migration corridors.
More than 6,000 acres of the refuge are designated as the Brigantine Wilderness Area. This includes Holgate and Little Beach, two of the few remaining undeveloped barrier beaches in New Jersey. They provide essential nesting and feeding habitat for the rare piping plover, black skimmer and least tern. These birds, along with other beach-nesting species, have suffered drastic population declines as human beach developments and recreational uses have eliminated the habitat they need. Forsythe Refuge is one of their last strongholds.
The dunes, prime nesting habitat, constantly shift and change as the forces of wind and wave action mold them. Beach grasses, which trap blowing sand and stabilize the dunes, provide important cover for wildlife, especially developing young birds. Use by humans and their pets can result in severe erosion, loss of habitat, and harm to beach-nesting birds.
The refuge manages its fragile beach areas for the rare birds which depend on them. In order to minimize disturbance to the birds and their habitat, this management includes limiting or prohibiting public access. Holgate is closed to all public use during nesting season; Little Beach is closed all year except by special use permit for research or education.
Photo Gallery
Click on each thumbnail to see a bigger picture.
 American Avocets Photo credit: Nick Kontonicolas |
 Black-bellied Plovers Photo credit: Nick Kontonicolas |
 Shorebirds Photo credit: John Orlich |
 Waterfowl in refuge impoundments Photo credit: John Orlich |
 Wading birds feeding in the Salt Marsh Photo credit: Kevin Halcomb |
 Little Beach Wilderness Area Photo credit: Kevin Halcomb |
Special Information
The Refuge provides outstanding opportunities for compatible wildlife-dependent recreational activities involving hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation. At various times during the year we must close to the public to carry out wildlife management plans, so it is best to check our web site or call prior to visiting. Organized groups are requested to contact the refuge to register their visits in advance.
Contact
Refuge Manager
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
800 Great Creek Road
Oceanville, NJ 08231-0072
(609) 652-1665
(609) 652-1474 fax
email: forsythe@fws.gov
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe
Additional Resouces
New Jersey: Biologists Utilizing New Tools to Mitigate the Impact of Climate Change
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "Open Spaces" blog article
Edwin. B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, New Jersey, is among the first wildlife refuges in the country to complete the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Shorebird Habitat, which not only measures how vulnerable a habitat is to the effects of climate change, but also enables managers to consider how to sustain such habitats.
