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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Cohansey River Corridor
Cumberland CountyCoordinates: N 39.44283
W 75.29083
Site Map Delaware Bay: New England / Mid-Atlantic CoastArea: 65,425 Acres Habitat: Primarily open water and tidal wetlandSite Description: The Cohansey River is a tidal river in the Delaware Estuary that is bound by extensive tidal salt marsh, mixed woods, cultivated fields and orchards. The river originates in Salem County and meanders through Cumberland County before reaching the Delaware Bay. This IBA includes the Bayside Tract, Dix Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Clarks Pond WMA and Bridgeton City Park in historic Bridgeton.
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| Snow Geese | Jim Gilbert |
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Birds: Several breeding pairs of state-endangered Bald Eagles, state-threatened Ospreys, and state-special concern Cooper’s Hawks occur along the Cohansey River. Wintering birds include Northern Harriers and Bald Eagles. Large numbers of waterfowl, including American Black Ducks, Mallards and approximately 30,000 Snow Geese, also congregate here each winter. Though not reported since the early 1990s, the area has historically supported breeding Black Rails.Conservation: Increased development pressure and non-compatible agriculture practices, including numerous nursery operations, are threatening water and habitat quality (and availability) throughout the Cohansey River Corridor. The Upper Cohansey River Watershed Restoration Plan aims to improve water quality by reducing fecal coliform and phosphorus through monitoring and the adoption of conservation and management practices. Partners of this plan include NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Rutgers University and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Management activities include the installation of water recovery systems that prevent herbicide and pesticide laden waters from entering the estuary and creating riparian buffers. Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a group of energy-related businesses, has targeted wetlands in the Delaware Estuary for restoration and preservation through its Estuary Enhancement Program (EEP). This program was initiated in 1994 as a component of Salem Generating Station’s water discharge permit. Restoration activities include removal of dikes originally constructed by early settlers for cultivating salt hay and control of the common reed (Phragmites australis) using herbicides and controlled burns. At its Cohansey River Watershed Wetland Restoration Site, PSEG is controlling the nonnative, invasive common reed that has outcompeted beneficial marsh plants, on 1055 acres. PSEG also manages the 4500 acre Bayside Tract Natural Viewing Area adjacent to the mouth of the Cohansey in Greenwich. Protection and restoration of agricultural and upland forests adjacent to the Cohansey River and its wetlands is also necessary to prevent residential development and non-compatible agricultural practices from threatening the health of this estuary. This can be accomplished by promoting landowner incentives for protecting and managing habitat and by prioritizing parcels for acquisition. NJ Audubon Society and the American Littoral Society are currently conducting outreach to communities and private landowners throughout the Cohansey River Corridor. Long-term monitoring at the Cohansey River Corridor IBA includes several years of wintering raptor and waterfowl surveys.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Cohansey River | Cristina Frank |
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