USFWS · New Jersey

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge located in southern and south-central New Jersey, along the Atlantic coast, north of Atlantic City, in Atlantic and Ocean counties. The refuge was created in 1984 out of two existing refuge parcels created to protect tidal wetland and shallow bay habitat for migratory water birds. The Barnegat Division is located in Ocean County on the inland side of Barnegat Bay. The Brigantine Division is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Atlantic City along the south bank of the mouth of the Mullica River. The two divisions are separated by approximately 20 miles (32 km). The refuge is located along most active flight paths of the Atlantic Flyway, making it an important link in the network of national wildlife refuges administered nationwide by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Forsythe Refuge is a part of the Hudson River/New York Bight Ecosystem and The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. The refuge is named for Edwin B. Forsythe, conservationist Congressman from New Jersey. The refuge was named as a Ramsar Site of international importance in 1986.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge44,151 acresUSFWSNJ
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNew Jersey
Size44,151 acres
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point39.47° N, 74.43° W
Night skySome glow on the horizon (Black Marble reading 49)

Boundary map

44 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.09 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.27 inches of precipitationMarch: 4.27 inches of precipitationApril: 3.36 inches of precipitationMay: 3.10 inches of precipitationJune: 3.23 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.75 inches of precipitationAugust: 4.13 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.56 inches of precipitationOctober: 4.25 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.44 inches of precipitationDecember: 4.17 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 35.8°F averageFebruary: 37.2°F averageMarch: 42.6°F averageApril: 51.4°F averageMay: 60.3°F averageJune: 69.9°F averageJuly: 75.4°F averageAugust: 74.8°F averageSeptember: 69.3°F averageOctober: 59.3°F averageNovember: 49.0°F averageDecember: 40.9°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Atlantic City, 6 miles from the center point at 10 feet, station USW00013724 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 44 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
Park Unit · 15 mi
Great Egg Harbor River
National Reserve · 22 mi
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve
National Register listings within 15 miles · 85 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for New Jersey

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Birding the Hudson Valley
    Kathryn J. Schneider, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • AMC's Best Day Hikes in New Jersey
    Priscilla Estes, 2024
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Rail-Trails New Jersey and New York
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge?

44,151 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in?

New Jersey.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 39.471° N, 74.426° W. Great Egg Harbor River is 15 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge?

Great Egg Harbor River (15 mi) and New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (22 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 85 listings within 15 miles, including Georgian Court Mansion and Camp Evans Historic District (Boundary Increase and Decrease).

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q5346225), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.