May we have your attention, please?  Your help is needed!

A new ecotourism and education project, called the Birding and Wildlife Trails Guides, has begun.  We are seeking public participation in identifying the best wildlife-viewing opportunities in specific regions. Projects are currently underway in the Delaware Bayshore Region and the New Jersey Meadowlands District of New Jersey.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could easily plan a day, weekend or week-long trip around an area of New Jersey you’ve never explored?  If only there were one resource that provided a trip planner covering all the wildlife viewing areas, boat launches, the local hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and even roadside deli's.  New Jersey’s Birding and Wildlife Trails Guides will be that great resource for you!

The first effort, focused on the Delaware Bayshore Region, including Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties, is being funded by the NJ Department of Transportation, and has been developed in cooperation with the NJDOT, NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife and NJ Department of Travel and Tourism.  The Delaware Bayshore Trails Guide is now available!  Click here for more information.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Birding, Wildlife and Fishing Guide is funded by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, and is being created in cooperation with the Hackensack Riverkeeper and the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce.  Click here for more information.

A point of clarification - we are not building trails!  We are developing guide books and a website, including maps and detailed site information creating local loops based on existing transportation infrastructure.  Our target date for completion of the Delaware Bayshore Birding and Wildlife Trails Guide is October 2005.  The New Jersey Meadowlands Birding, Wildlife and Fishing Guide is due for completion in June 2006.

HOW DOES A SITE GET ON THE TRAIL?

Anyone can nominate a site – birders, citizen conservationists, tourism executives, or land managers or business owners.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A SITE IS NOMINATED?

1.  First, the nomination form is checked for completeness and evaluated based on site criteria.  If the form was not submitted by the property owner/manager, then the Birding Trail Director contacts the land manager to congratulate them, and then forwards the form for their review, and hopefully, their concurrence.

2.  The site will be visited by a Birding Trails staff member or seasonal site consultant. Meeting with site managers and/or nominators is helpful, but not always possible; accordingly, the completeness of a nomination form is very important.

Begin thinking of good wildlife viewing areas in the Meadowlands so you can nominate them for inclusion in the New Jersey Meadowlands Birding, Wildlife and Fishing Guide.

Lillian Armstrong, Director of Birding and Wildlife Trails
New Jersey Audubon Society
600 Route 47 North
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
(609)861-0700 – phone
(609)861-1651 – fax

For More Information, see our FAQ Page.