Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Adds 27 Acres

The township's Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge got a little bit bigger this week.

The area is already home to a significant array of birds, amphibians and endangered species. But on Monday, the New Jersey office of the Trust for Public Land purchased a 27-acre area adjacent to the existing 7,700-acre refuge and immediately gave the land over to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge's land.

It is the seventh property the Trust has acquired for the area. It cost $700,000, and was paid for with funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The land was previously owned by a private group called Swamp Road Trust.

New Jersey Trust for Public Land Director Anthony Cucchi said the piece of land had been on the Wildlife Refuge's radar for quite some time. The acquisition process as a whole, he said, lasted about one year.

"It actually was a fairly fast moving project," Cucchi said. "The property had long been identified as a priority to the National Wildlife Refuge by the wildlife manager—one which they would have wanted to see added to the Wildlife Refuge given its ecological [status] and significance."

The 27 acres are located in the refuge's southwestern corner. Cucchi said there is "a fairly rustic cabin" that is part of the land that could eventually be used for office space. Local refuge employees could also potentially use the building for housing.

It also increases the amount of land that can be used by members of the public for activities such as hiking and bird-watching.

"The refuge is public land and open to the public, and that's one of the priorities of the Trust for Public Land—to acquire land and to create parks for people," Cucchi said. "That's our primary goal and our mission."

A news release said more than 240 bird species live in the refuge. The refuge also home to the state-endangered bog turtle.