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New Jersey's restored 290-acre marsh draws eagles, ospreys and herons

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Initiated in February 2024, the project at Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area targets Pond Creek marsh, Davey's Lake, and an old magnesite plant site. Crews excavated major channels and repurposed roughly 148,591 cubic yards of material to craft mudflats, upland dunes, and specialized nesting islands. The reconstructed waterbodies are already teeming with mummichogs, drawing egrets, kingfishers, and gulls alongside larger raptors. Located along a major migration route on the Cape May peninsula, the completed ecosystem will supply essential sustenance for traveling species.

Key points

  • Restoring natural tidal flows reverses decades of ecological damage caused by historic in…: Restoring natural tidal flows reverses decades of ecological damage caused by historic industrial operations at the site.
  • Re-established aquatic prey populations like mummichogs are immediately attracting divers…: Re-established aquatic prey populations like mummichogs are immediately attracting diverse predatory bird species to the wetlands.
  • The revitalized Cape May acreage serves as a vital stopover for seasonal bird migrations…: The revitalized Cape May acreage serves as a vital stopover for seasonal bird migrations along the Atlantic Flyway.

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In New Jersey, a restoration project at Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area is bringing back the natural function of a coastal marsh that human activity had previously impacted.

The project, which began in February 2024, covers a 290-acre section of the wildlife management area in Cape May County and includes Pond Creek marsh, Davey's Lake and land occupied by a former magnesite manufacturing facility and its associated landfill. Two years into the restoration, the changes are already conspicuous, with ospreys, bald eagles, great blue herons and several other bird species observed using the newly built waterbodies.

According to the New Jersey

Department of Environmental Protection's Spring 2026 project update, the restoration is being led by its Office of Natural Resource Restoration and Office of Coastal Engineering, in partnership with the state's Division of Fish and Wildlife. The primary objective is to restore tidal movement through much of Pond Creek marsh, which had been affected by earlier modifications to the landscape.

The former Harbison-Walker Magnesite facility had a considerable influence on the surrounding area.

The plant extracted magnesium from seawater, and…

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