The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Coast Guard today announced the transfer of 532 acres from the Coast Guard to Cape May National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, conserving vital habitat for a wide variety of migratory shorebirds such as rufa red knot, piping plover, and American oystercatcher.
The acquisition will allow the Service to conserve an additional .75 miles of Atlantic beachfront with intact dunes and maritime forest habitat.
The land is located immediately south of the refuge’s Two Mile Beach Unit, which was originally acquired in a land transfer from the Coast Guard in 1999. Conservation of this property will protect some of the only remaining undeveloped beach and dune habitat in the area.
This land transfer also allows the Service to evaluate opportunities for off-season recreation uses such as birding and surf fishing, among other activities for the approximately 145,000 people who annually contribute to the local tourism economy by visiting Cape May National Wildlife Refuge.
“This addition to the refuge creates exciting opportunities for the wildlife that depend on the undisturbed beach habitat and the visitors who come to Cape May in the off season,” said Refuge Manager Robin Donohue. “We appreciate our partnership and collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard to bring this land into the National Wildlife Refuge System.”
The 532-acre parcel was formerly managed by the Coast Guard as part of the LORAN (Long Range Navigation) Support Unit (LSU) – Wildwood. In 2010, the Coast Guard shut down the LORAN program and closed their facility at LSU – Wildwood. The Coast Guard subsequently agreed to initiate a no-cost transfer of the property to the Service, completed in January 2025.
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1989 to protect crucial habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. Located throughout the Southern tip of New Jersey and along the Atlantic flyway, the refuge is renowned for its spectacular migratory bird populations and has become a key area in the recovery of several threatened and endangered species. It has also been designated a “Flagship Project” of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and identified as an Important Bird Area that offers world-class birding experiences.
For more information, please contact capemay@fws.gov and visit www.fws.gov/refuge/cape-may.
