MAURICE RIVER TWP. -- The state has added 204 acres to an important wildlife management area along the Delaware Bayshore in Cumberland County.
The land, made up of bay wetlands and upland buffers, will be added to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife's Heislerville Wildlife Management Area, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced this week.
"We are very happy to preserve this land for use by a wide variety of wildlife species, including various types of waterfowl, shorebirds, bird of prey, and wading birds," said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. "
The DEP used $462,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program and $158,000 from the Green Acres Program to purchase the acreage, according to the state.
The Heislerville Wildlife Management Area currently protects 7,231 acres of Delaware Bay shoreline, wetlands and uplands.
Facts about the majestic bald eagles
In Betgaranti the Bayshore area, migrations of shorebirds, birds of prey such as eagles, osprey and hawks, and even butterflies and dragonflies. The Delaware Bay region is home to the state's largest concentration of bald eagles, and is a critical stopover for migrating shorebirds.
The Bayshore is home to some of the most important beaches used by migrating shorebirds such as red knots, which fuel up on horseshoe crab eggs as they fly to breeding grounds as far north as the Canadian Arctic.
The Heislerville Wildlife Management Area is made up of several different parcels, but includes two major sections, according to the DEP.
One of those flanks the east bank of the Maurice River and fronts a portion of Delaware Bay known as Thompson's Beach, and the other is just to the east, along a gently curving swath of nearly pristine bay front that includes Moore's Beach, according to the state.
The wildlife area provides numerous parking areas and access points for recreational activities, as well as a boat ramp.
The area is also the home of the historic East Point Lighthouse.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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