Forsythe Refuge Remains Closed

[dogg57]

Damage sustained to areas of the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge are forcing the refuge to remain closed at this time, Refuge representatives said Thursday afternoon, Nov. 8.
The Wildlife Drive and Visitor Information Center in Galloway, the deCamp Wildlife Trail in Brick, and Holgate Beach on Long Beach Island were damaged during Superstorm Sandy, representatives said. Repair work is also under way on portions of the 50 mile, 47,000 acre refuge.
“As we begin repair work, we’re still assessing impacts on wildlife and habitat from the storm,” Refuge Manager Virginia Rettig said in a release issued Thursday afternoon.
According to the refuge, all the barrier islands, including Holgate and Little Beach Island, were overwashed by the storm.

http://barnegat-manahawkin.patch.com/articles/forsythe-refuge-remains-closed-as-damage-is-assessed

 

[46er]

They have posted a short vid on their FaceBook page. The Brigantine divisions wildlife drive looks like it needs a lot of work.

 

[ecampbell]

Link?????????

 

[dogg57]

Link?????????

http://www.facebook.com/ForsytheNWR

 

[RednekF350]

I am glad to see they didn't prohibit duck or deer hunting in the units open to hunting. Coastal zone duck opened yesterday and that includes most of Forsythe. My son and a friend got a banded drake teal and two blacks.
The Forsythe homepage simply offers a caution to hunters to beware of "underwater debris and altered saltmarsh topography".

It's nice to see a little common sense being offered instead of a knee-jerk panic and closure for the safety of the public..
They must not have any lawyers on their staff.

 

[Pine Baron]

The Forsythe homepage simply offers a caution to hunters to beware of "underwater debris and altered saltmarsh topography".

It's nice to see a little common sense being offered instead of a knee-jerk panic and closure for the safety of the public..
They must not have any lawyers on their staff.

Well said, Scott! For most of the guys running them ditches, that's commom sense. I'm glad they didn't ban access for opening day.

Did you call in the band? Where was he from?

John-

 

[RednekF350]

Did you call in the band? Where was he from?

John-

Banded on Prince Edward Island, north of Nova Scotia in 2010.
Mike got a snow last year banded in Nunavut !

 

[GermanG]

I did a little duck hunting in the local saltmarsh yesterday myself. If it wasn't for the damage to structures and docks along the road leading to the spot I put my canoe in I would have never known there was just a severe storm. Nature absorbs the punishment we received much better than anything humans build. In fact, the local areas that received the most damage and suffering were those built on filled wetlands where developers never should have built in the first place, even though it may have been legal at the time. There is a reason the oldest parts of the shore communities are well inland. People had more sense in days of old.

 

[dogg57]

Forsythe Refuge After Sandy 11/1 from the
Long Beach Township Police Department

 

[dogg57]

Update....
Portions of the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Galloway Township have reopened after some cleanup following Superstorm Sandy, wildlife refuge officials said Thursday night, Nov. 15.
Other portions in Galloway, as well as Barnegat, Brick and Holgate remained closed, officials said.
Trails adjacent to Wildlife Drive in Galloway have reopened, although Wildlife Drive itself remains closed due to large holes in the tops and sides, which has rendered it completely impassable in some areas, officials said.
“We do not yet know how long it will take to make the repairs or how long the Wildlife Drive will be closed,” Refuge Manager Virginia Rettig said in a release.
http://barnegat-manahawkin.patch.co...b-forsythe-wildlife-refuge-reopen-in-galloway

 

[46er]

Word I am hearing is that there is no money in the fed coffers for repair of the wildlife drive. This maybe a loooong wait, as it was badly compromised. Tis a shame as the refuge had just finished filling the bumps and grading it.

 

[RednekF350]

Word I am hearing is that there is no money in the fed coffers for repair of the wildlife drive. This maybe a loooong wait....

No money in the Federal coffers hasn't presented a problem yet for B. Hussein Obama.
I say borrow some more homey !

 

[dogg57]

No money in the Federal coffers hasn't presented a problem yet for B. Hussein Obama.
I say borrow some more homey !

Please no cursing

 

[noboat]

Here's a video of some of the damages to Wildlife Drive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsnortheast/8233013928/in/photostream

 

[dogg57]

I walked in on a tv report saying that the northern end was littered with boats from the storm

 

[Teegate]

Here's a video of some of the damages to Wildlife Drive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsnortheast/8233013928/in/photostream

Doesn't look good.

 

[46er]

I'll be down at the Brig division in Oceanville tomorrow for some birding.

I walked in on a tv report saying that the northern end was littered with boats from the storm

Around here you can't go very far along the bayshore without seeing boats, lots of boats, on the marsh and back in the timber, and many of them are large. I doubt many will ever be salvaged. Forsythe stretches from Brick Township in the north down to Oceanville in the south. The Brick area was very hard hit and used to have a large number of marinas. I am guessing that is where they mean by 'northern end'.

 

[dogg57]

I'll be down at the Brig division in Oceanville tomorrow for some birding.



Around here you can't go very far along the bayshore without seeing boats, lots of boats, on the marsh and back in the timber, and many of them are large. I doubt many will ever be salvaged. Forsythe stretches from Brick Township in the north down to Oceanville in the south. The Brick area was very hard hit and used to have a large number of marinas. I am guessing that is where they mean by 'northern end'.

Crazy....
A month later, fewer than 15 percent of boats have been reclaimed by their owners, according to State Police.
Salvaging the boats can be a difficult and time-consuming process.
Vessels and debris still litter the landscape at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Refuge staff have worked with owners and the State Police to remove about a dozen boats from the area, but the storm pushed many vessels into inaccessible areas of the refuge, manager Virginia Rettig said.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/...cle_e8aa09be-3a81-11e2-85e3-001a4bcf887a.html

 

[46er]

From Forsythe NWR;

Update as of Wednesday November 21 at 10 a.m.: The Wildlife Drive in Galloway remains closed due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. However, adjacent hiking trails are open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, including the Songbird Trail, Akers Woodland Trail, Leed's Eco-trail, and foot access to Gull Pond Tower. The Visitor Information Center is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.weekends. All fees have been temporarily waived. Scott's Landing Boat Launch is open. Barnegat Observation Platform is open.
The deCamp Wildlife Trail in Brick Township and Holgate remain closed.

 

[oji]

Work on The Wildlife Drive is scheduled to start next week and hopefully completed by Springtime.