User:MeegsC/Sandbox/Higbee Beach WMA

Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (known locally as Higbee's Beach, Higbee Beach or Higbees Beach) is a state-owned wildlife management area located in Lower Township, Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Covering roughly 1090 acre, it protects 1.5 mi of beachfront, as well as a mixture of dune, scrub, forest and successional fields. It is one of the locations on the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail, and has been recognized as an Important Bird Area by both the National Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy.

History
Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (WMA) was created by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife in 1978. Prior to its protection, the land had been earmarked for development as a private campground. Additional acreage has been added to the site over the years. In 1992, the Dickinson family sold their 192-acre farm to The Nature Conservancy, which then deeded the land to the state; the property became the Hidden Valley section of the WMA. In 1999, a 125-acre brownfield site, which lay adjacent to the existing WMA, was purchased with money from the state's Green Acres program.

Birdwatching
Higbee Beach WMA has, for many decades, been well-known as a birdwatching "hotspot". Roughly 250 bird species have been recorded from the site. The use of recording devices to attract birds is illegal on the site.

Fishing and hunting
Fishing is permitted in Davey's Lake, a 4.4 acre freshwater lake on the site. Surf fishing is also permitted along the Delaware Bayshore. Hunting for small game and waterfowl is also allowed, though autumn hunting activities are regulated differently for Higbee's than for other WMAs in the state.

Other recreational possibilities
Horseback riding is allowed on all trails in the WMA, though a permit must first be acquired from the New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife. Cross-country skiing is allowed on all trails on Sundays.

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