Forsythe NWR to open.....

[46er]

Brig division wildlife drive this weekend.

OUR WILDLIFE DRIVE WILL BE OPEN ON WEEKENDS, STARTING THIS SATURDAY!!! (Some construction will be continuing during weekdays, which is why we have to close it again during the week.)

SPREAD THE WORD!

Galloway, N.J. – After almost 3 months of construction and over 2,000 dump truck loads of fill, the popular Wildlife Drive at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Galloway is set to reopen on weekends beginning Saturday, April 6. The 8-mile Wildlife Drive traverses mar...shland and forest, and is the most popular destination on the refuge, with over 100,000 visitors in a normal year.

Hurricane Sandy created large holes in the top and sides of the Wildlife Drive, which has been closed since last October. Reconstruction began on January 14, and is rapidly nearing completion.

“We’re delighted to be opening the Wildlife Drive on weekends now that spring and its migrating birds are here,” said refuge manager Virginia Rettig. “It won’t be long before we can open the drive every day, but there is still construction work occurring during the week.”

The Federal Highway Administration funded the repair work through the Emergency Relief to Federally Owned Roads program. Wagman Construction, Inc. based out of York, PA has been the contractor on the job.

The Wildlife Drive will be open from sunrise to sunset on weekends only. The Refuge Visitor Information Center is open 10 to 3 during the week and 9 to 4 on weekends. All admission fees to the refuge have been temporarily waived until the repairs are complete.

Updates on refuge status may be found on the refuge Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ForsytheNWR . For more information, contact the refuge at (609) 652-1665 or visit www.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/ .See More

 

[46er]

Took a ride to the Brig division of Forsythe NWR yesterday and drove the dikes. Sandy did a real number on the place; it looks like it took a weedwacker to the marsh. The breaches of the dikes allowed salt water to fill the impoundments; freshwater plants are gone and a lot of sand has filled the channels. Numbers of migrating birds, usually in the thousands, were perhaps less than a hundred. Some plants are beginning regrowth. There are no geese nesting that we could see. It will be a long time before the refuge gets back to were it was prior to the storm. The refuge folks are doing their best, but it is obvious they are limited with what can be done. The month of May should be a better indicator of what lies ahead, but for now, it is bad.

 

[46er]

The wildlife drive is now open daily and the admission fee has been reinstated.

Update as of Thursday, April 18, 2013: The Wildlife Drive and all trails in Galloway will be OPEN EVERY DAY from sunrise to sunset beginning Saturday, April 20. For the Wildlife Drive, there is a $4 per vehicle daily admission fee, or visitors can obtain one of several types of visitor passes at the Visitor Information Center. The Visitor Information Center's hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends.

Scott's Landing Boat Launch is open. Barnegat Observation Platform is open. The deCamp Wildlife Trail in Brick Township is open for the first 2000 feet. Holgate is closed from April 1 through August 31.

 

[RednekF350]

Thanks for the update.
For those who waterfowl hunt and who may not be aware, your Federal duck stamp gains you free admission to all Fed refuges.