Muckshaw Ponds Preserve

Muckshaw Ponds Preserve
© Dwight Hiscano

Town: Fredon Township, Andover Township

County: Sussex

Acres Protected: 412

Established: 1988

Managed by: The Nature Conservancy

Muckshaw Ponds Preserve contains a series of sinkhole ponds and one larger pond surrounded by steep limestone ridges supporting a mature hardwood forest. The bedrock which underlies the ponds and the surrounding ridges dissolves slowly over geologic time, making the groundwater mineral rich and the soil highly alkaline. This ongoing process forms sinking streams, caves and sinkholes characteristic of the area's topography. Ponds at Muckshaw exist in many of these sinkholes, filling with water in the winter and spring and then drying out in the summer and fall. This unique combination of geology, topography and hydrology supports a high concentration of state-endangered plants and animals. Torrey's bulrush (Scirpus torreyi), rush aster (Aster borealis), small bedstraw (Galium trifidum), small skullcap (Scutellaria leonardii), arum-leaved arrowhead (Sagitartarua cuneata), hop-like sedge (Carex lupuliformis), few-fruited sedge (Carex oligocarpa) and white-grained mountain rice (Orysopsis asperifolia) have been identified in the area. The rare longtail salamander (Eurycea longicauda longicauda) makes its home in this habitat as well.

A large rock shelter on the southern edge of Muckshaw Ponds Preserve served as a hideout and headquarters for Revolutionary spy, Lt. James Moody. Many legends arose about Moody and his exploits during his stay in a Muckshaw cave and have become part of the area's folklore.

The Conservancy has worked to help balance local agricultural needs with the health of a fragile wetlands community at the preserve. The Conservancy’s most recent addition to the preserve comprises the 198-acre Valley View Farms, a working farm that abuts a sinkhole pond, home to many of the threatened species listed above. To safeguard this natural area, the Conservancy has entered into an innovative partnership between the state and George Fetzer, the tenant farmer. Plans are underway to install a new irrigation system to reduce stresses to the pond community by more efficient drip cultivation. Native plants cultivated by local farmers will be transplanted to the restored buffer areas surrounding the pond, as well.

How may I visit?
The preserve is open from dawn to dusk, however no parking facilities currently exist. Contact the New Jersey Chapter Office at 908-879-7262 for more information.