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The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey New Jersey Home Contact Places We Protect Field Trips & Events Press Releases Volunteer Ways of Giving |
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Save Indian Trail Swamp! We need to move quickly to protect New Jersey's disappearing natural lands and waters. Help us protect Indian Trail Swamp in Cape May County and the migratory bird populations that rely on this region. What's the rush? The forest and the entire peninsula are facing tremendous land-conversion pressure. As unprotected land, it is also beset by dumping and inappropriate recreational use. The seller is eager to complete the sale, and the Conservancy is working to raise the funds needed to ensure long-term protection of this extraordinary area. Send your gift via snail mail to: The Nature Conservancy, 200 Pottersville Road, Chester, NJ 07930 Attn: Indian Trail Swamp, or call Kathy Yvinskas at (908) 879-7262 to make a credit card gift by phone. |
 Indian Trail Swamp © The Nature Conservancy |
Indian Trail Swamp Preserve
Town
Middle Township
County
Cape May
Acres protected
110
Established
1998
Managed by
The Nature Conservancy
Why you should visit
Situated in the outer coastal plain on the Cape May peninsula and within the richly diverse Cape May Forest, Indian Trail Swamp Preserve helps protect a state-imperiled Cape May lowland swamp community. The preserve derives its name from Indian Trail Road, which harkens back to trails used by members of the Kechemeches, Lenni-Lenapes, and other Native American tribes as they crossed from the bay to the ocean to fish and gather oysters and clams. The swamp area contains the headwaters and watersheds of Dias and Green creeks. Many imperiled raptors and migrating neotropical songbirds seek out its oak forests to rest and feed. The site also supports a significant concentration of plants considered imperiled in New Jersey.
What to see: Plants
Several plants considered to be imperiled in New Jersey may be seen in the preserve: glade spurge (Euphorbia purpurea), dwarf azalea (Rhododendron atlanticum), dog-fennel thoroughwort (Eupatorium capillifolium), Walter’s St. John’s-wort (Triadenum walteri), swamp oats (Sphenopholis pennsylvanica), and bristly smartweed (Polygonum setaceum).
What to See: Animals
Imperiled raptors and migrating neotropical songbirds.
Trails
Trails wind through the marsh edges
Why the Conservancy selected this site
The forested wetlands of Indian Trail represent one of the largest unbroken forests remaining on the lower half of the Cape May peninsula. In addition to supporting rare plants and natural communities, the site plays an extremely important role in providing habitat for migratory and resident birds. The forest is a critical stopover for migrating songbirds as they pass through the Cape May area during their spring and fall migrations. In an area once considered relatively safe from development, the forest is now – as is the entire peninsula – facing tremendous land-conversion pressure. As unprotected and unmanaged land, it is also beset by dumping and inappropriate recreational use.
What the Conservancy has done/is doing
Over the next three years, the Conservancy will be acquiring 500 acres of the property and establishing an endowment to properly manage the wide range of special resources that it harbors. The management of the site will also focus on a variety of public recreational opportunities that will include nature trails and bird watching opportunities. By acquiring these additional acres, the Conservancy will be leveraging its current 110-acre foothold and 2,000 acres of adjacent land protected by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to create, in effect, a magnificent 2,600 acre swath of protected land.
Visitor Information
The preserve is open from dawn until dusk; however, no parking facilities currently exist. Please contact The Nature Conservancy’s Delaware Bayshores Office for visitor information: (609) 861-0600.
Visitation guidelines
• No pets (except service dogs).
• No camping, fires, or alcoholic beverages.
• Littering and dumping are prohibited.
• No collecting, hunting, or trapping.
• Motorized vehicles, horses, and firearms are prohibited.
