The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey - Eldora Nature Preserve

Eldora Nature Preserve

Eldora Nature Preserve © Harold E. Malde

Why You Should Visit
Eldora Nature Preserve, site of the chapter’s Delaware Bayshores Center, is the first preserve established by the Conservancy expressly for the protection of rare moths. Historically, the land has been farmed, and a house existed on the site from at least 1872. Renowned entomologist and author Dr. C. Brooke Worth lived here from 1965 to 1981. In 1981, he donated 177 acres to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which in turn transferred the property to the Conservancy to manage as a nature preserve. In 1998, the Conservancy renovated the existing structure and opened the Delaware Bayshores Center.

Location
Dennis Township, Cape May County and Maurice River Township, Cumberland County

Directions

From the west and northwest:
• Take Route 55 South to the end until it merges with Route 47.
• Proceed on Route 47 South to Cape May County.
• Preserve entrance is the first building on the left after entering Cape May County, just after crossing West Creek. If you cross East Creek, you have gone too far.

From the northeast:
• Take Route 9 or Garden State Parkway South to Exit 25/Marmora.
• At end of ramp, turn right.
• Continue straight across Route 9.
• Take Route 631 West toward Tuckahoe.
• Turn left onto Route 610 West.
• Turn right onto Route 47 North.
• At light after El Dorado Motel, make left to continue on Route 47 North.
• Proceed through Eldora past Pine Lands Village gas station.
• Preserve entrance is on right.

From the south:
• Take Route 47 North.
• At light after El Dorado Motel, make left to continue on Route 47 North.
• Follow directions from Route 47 North above.

Size
250 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
The preserve is open from dawn until dusk.

Visitation guidelines
• No pets (except service dogs).
• No swimming, camping, fires, or alcoholic beverages.
• Littering and dumping are prohibited.
• No collecting, hunting, or trapping.
• Bicycles, motorized vehicles, horses, and firearms are prohibited.
• Stay on marked trail.

Trails
A marked trail winds through the woodland and marsh edges.

What to See: Plants
A nature trail traverses meadows, salt and cattail marshes, and an old orchard and continues through pine-oak woodlands and open, upland fields.

What to See: Animals
Bald eagles and other raptors winter at the preserve, and migrating songbirds and hawks rest and feed in the woods each spring and fall. Grassland birds such as grasshopper and vesper sparrows find habitat in the preserve’s open fields.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Eldora Nature Preserve supports a variety of endangered and rare moth, butterflies and skippers including the marbled underwing, the rare skipper, and the precious underwing. In fact, the discovery of the rare skipper in 1983 at the Eldora provides the earliest documentation of the insect in the state.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Threatened by encroaching development, the Conservancy has worked to safeguard this critical natural area through land acquisition and creative partnerships with local landowners. Creation of an interpretive trail at Eldora allows the public to enjoy the natural treasures of this special place.