National Wildlife Refuges

Region 5 includes Maine and New Jersey refuges.

Moosehorn Wilderness Area - (ME)
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge

The Moosehorn Wilderness is composed of 2,780 acres at the Edmunds Unit and 4,680 acres at the Baring Unit. Both units were set aside by Executive Order in 1937. The habitat consists of highly glaciated expanses of rolling hills, large ledge outcrops, streams, lakes, bogs, and marshes. A diverse forest of aspen, maple, birch, spruce, and fir dominates the landscape and scattered stands of majestic white pine are common. Wildlife species include white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, bobcat, eagles, osprey, woodcock, and waterfowl. Allowed uses include hiking, birdwatching, wildlife photography, snowshoeing, and canoeing.

Brigantine Wilderness Area - (NJ)
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

The Brigantine Wilderness, located on the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, contains over 6,000 acres of pristine estuarine saltmarsh and over 600 acres of coastal barrier island ecosystem. Little Beach Island is the only ocean front island in New Jersey not accessible by a bridge. The barrier beach vegetation cover is typical, grading from barren beach to low fore dunes with beach grasses and secondary dunes and beach plum, wild rose, bayberry, marsh elder, and poison ivy. The terrain extends from sea level to approximately ten feet on the higher dunes. A few low areas collect sufficient freshwater to support pockets of other grasses and sedges. The bayside of the area is typical salt marsh vegetation with groundsel bush and marsh elder at the dune edge and salt meadow cordgrass dominating the lower areas. Estuarine marsh is dominated by salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and saltmeadow cordgrass (S. patens).

Most of the marsh averages two feet above mean sea level. Federal or State threatened or endangered species that use the Brigantine Wilderness include the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), least tern (Sterna antillarum), and black skimmer (Rynchops niger). Piping plovers nest on the Holgate Unit of the Barnegat Division and on Little Beach Island at the Brigantine Division. In 1992 over 25 pairs of piping plovers nested on the wilderness area. Least terns and black skimmers nest on the Holgate Unit and use other parts of the refuge for feeding and resting. The nesting colonies of least terns and black skimmers are the largest in the state. Other species nesting on the area include black ducks, American oystercatchers, glossy ibis, willets, and seaside sparrows. Waterfowl are abundant during the winter with the dominant species being black duck, Atlantic brant, and snow geese. Portions of the saltmarsh are open to waterfowl hunting and trapping. The navigable channels within the wilderness are open to boating. Surf fishing is popular during the fall at Holgate. Little Beach Island is closed to public use.

Great Swamp Wilderness Area - (NJ)
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

The 3,660-acre Great Swamp Wilderness Area was designated in 1968 and it was the first wilderness area to be established in the Department of Interior.

Swamp woodland, hardwood ridges, cattail marsh, and grassland typify the area. Plant species of both the northern and southern botanical zones are present. The refuge is characterized as a brush and timbered swamp with meandering brooks and low ridges or knolls rising from 5 to 15 feet above the surrounding swamp. In several places, the swamp opens into small marshes. Bottomland vegetation is composed of ash, red maple, highbush blueberry, swamp rose, willow, and a wild variety of ground cover types. Many of the low ridges support a forest association of beech, oaks, gray birch, sugar maple, black gum, white ash, and shagbark hickory.

Thirty-two species of mammals have been observed on the refuge, with some of the highly visible ones being white-tailed deer, muskrat, and gray squirrel. Two hundred and eleven species of birds have been recorded, 20 of which are waterfowl. The predominant waterfowl are Canada goose, mallard, wood duck, and black duck. Twenty-one species of reptiles, 19 species of amphibians, and 29 species of fish are present. There are two federally listed endangered species (bald eagle and peregrine falcon) and 25 State listed endangered and threatened species, which include the bog turtle, wood turtle, and blue spotted salamander. The refuge is an "island" of natural area surrounded by encroaching urbanization.