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The nomination period for the
New Jersey Skylands Birding and
Wildlife Trails guide has
ended. New Jersey Audubon received approximately 130
nominations from the public. Since some of these
nominations are duplicates we are left with around 100
wildlife viewing sites that we will consider including in
the guide. Team members and local naturalists have been
diligently assessing these sites for safety, wildlife
viewing reliability, points of interest such as seasonal
wildlife viewing opportunities, site amenities (i.e., rest
rooms, hiking trails, bike trails), access, parking and
special features. Trails are being designed and some have
already been driven and recorded on GPS units. Please take
a moment to review the nomination list below and make sure
to check back for any new developments. The proposed
completion date for the guide is summer 2008.
We would like to thank all those
that took the time to share their knowledge with us by
sending in a site nomination.
All photos on this page: John Parke |
Nominated Skylands Sites:
Hunterdon
Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve
Charlestown Reserve
Cold Brook Reserve
Clover Hill Park
Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve
Deer Path Park and the Round Mountain Section
Deerpath Sanctuary
Delaware & Raritan State Canal Park
Bull’s Island State Park
Hunterdon Canal Park
Demott Pond
Hampton Borough Park
Heritage Park
Hoffman Park
Hunterdon County Arboretum
Hunt’s Mill Pond
Jugtown Mountain Nature Preserve
Ken Lockwood Gorge Wildlife Management Area
Lake Solitude
Lone Cedar Park
Mill Area to Landsdown Trail, Clinton
Miquin Woods
Musconetcong Gorge
Point Mountain
Readington WMA
Round Valley Reservoir
Sourland Mountain Nature Preserve
South Branch Reservation
Assiscong Marsh Natural Area
Columbia Trail
Echo Hill Environmental Education Area
Landsdown Trail
Melick's Bridge Section
Pine Hill Section
Stanton Station Section
Sunnyside Picnic Area & Awossagame Grove
Valinsky Section
Wescott Preserve
Wings Section
Spruce Run Recreation Area
Taylor Iron Workers Greenway, High Bridge
Teetertown Ravine Nature Preserve
Tower Hill Reserve
Voorhees State Park
Wickecheoke Creek Preserve
Sussex
Allamuchy Mountain State Park
Appalachian Trail Lands
Canal Road
Maple Grange Boardwalk
Millbrook Gap to Catfish Tower
Bear Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area
Buttermilk Falls
Crater Lake
Crater Lake Road
Flatbrookville
Old Mine Road
Van Ness Road
Walpack Area
Eves Mountain Inlet Wildlife Sanctuary
Franklin Pond, Franklin
Hainesville Wildlife Management Area – Duck Pond
Highlands Trail
High Point State Park
Dryden Kuser Bog
Sawmill Road
Sawmill Lake
Steanykill Road
Kittatinny Valley State Park
Sussex Branch Trail
Drake Pond, North of Warbasse Station
Andover
Wildcat Rock Shelter Site
Paulinskill Valley Trail
Lusscroft Farm
Mashipacong Bogs Preserve
Paulinskill River Wildlife Management Area
Hyper-Humus
Pond Brook Park
Sparta Glen Park
Sparta Mountain
Sparta Mountain Sanctuary
Stokes State Forest
Sunrise Mountain
Tillman’s Ravine
Steam Mill Trail
Swartswood State Park
Vernon Canoe Trail
Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge
Wood Duck Nature Trail
Wantage Grasslands
Wawayanda State Park
Whittingham Wildlife Management Area
Warren
Alpha Grasslands
Appalachian Trail Lands
Rattlesnake Swamp Trail Loop
Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area
Blair Creek Preserve
Buckhorn Creek WMA
Columbia Wildlife Management Area
Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area
Old Mine Road
Raccoon Ridge
Van Campen’s Glen
Worthington State Forest
Sunfish Pond
Highlands Trail
Jenny Jump State Forest
Ghost Lake
Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve
Merrill Creek Reservoir
Mountain Lake
Old Farm Sanctuary
Oxford Lake
Paulinskill Valley Trail
Blairstown
Pequest Fish Hatchery
Spring Valley Trail
Ferla’s Pond
Stephens State Park
White Lake
This
guide is being funded by the Federal Highway Administration and will
be administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. It
is the third in a series of Birding and Wildlife Trails Guides that
New Jersey Audubon has produced; the first two being the Delaware
Bayshore and the Meadowlands and More guides. The purpose of these
guides is to encourage ecotourism and economic development
throughout their respective regions; the counties of Sussex, Warren
and Hunterdon will be covered in this new edition.
The
accepted sites will be arranged into driving trails, which will
connect enough sites to keep a family or individual busy with
outdoor activity for approximately 2-3 days. Overview maps will
give the reader an overall understanding of location within each
county, but users will be encouraged to rely on detailed driving
directions provided by the team. Also included, and a favorite with
our readers, will be captivating wildlife photographs taken by both
the local amateur and the seasoned professional photographer. In
addition, wildlife “factoids” will help give the reader a better
understanding of the natural world they are about to encounter.
All
of this information will be included on this website, which already
includes our existing regions. Printed maps will also be
created, and their size and style are currently under consideration.
(Click
Here to download a map of the Skylands
Region in PDF format.) Near the conclusion of
the project, an exciting promotional event will launch the new
guide: the Skylands Nature Tourism
Rally will bring together all the stakeholders involved
in the project to unveil the final products.
Nationally,
wildlife watching is the largest economic growth sector in outdoor
recreation. The most recent study conducted by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Department in 2001 indicated that 1.64 million residents
and 688,000 visitors watched wildlife in New Jersey. They spent
$1.24 billion on everything from binoculars to lodging and meals.
The total “ripple effect” of wildlife watching is $2.4 billion in
the Garden State. The New Jersey Birding and Wildlife Trails
program capitalizes on this trend by encouraging the continued
development of ecotourism so that future generations will be able to
use and enjoy the natural resources so many people have worked so
hard to preserve. Gone are the days of deciding between areas of
natural beauty and economic development; New Jersey can benefit from
the wealth of both.
