Description
The Nature Conservancy prides itself on protecting great places like Maurice River Bluffs Preserve. Located along the 35.4-mile “Wild and Scenic” Maurice River, the 535-acre preserve gets its name from the majestic bluffs overlooking the river. The preserve provides crucial stopover habitat for migrating and breeding birds, including songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors like nesting osprey and bald eagles. The nature preserve also hosts productive freshwater ponds and unique plant communities, including some of New Jersey’s largest contiguous wild rice marshes. The preserve is a freshwater haven for the many species of odonates that make their home here.
Freshwater for People and Nature
The Maurice River corridor is an unusually pristine Atlantic Coastal river with nationally and internationally important resources. Its clean waters and related habitats are vital to the migration of shorebirds, songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, rails and fish. The river supports New Jersey's largest stand of wild rice and 53% of the animal species that New Jersey has recognized as endangered, excluding marine mammals.
The Conservancy’s Maurice River Bluffs Nature Preserve encompasses 4.5 miles of river frontage along the Maurice River, providing a buffer from encroaching development that threatens the water quality of the river. Rivers like the Maurice provide clean drinking water for surrounding communities. By preserving the health of land around rivers and lakes, we can keep pollution out of our water.
The Maurice River is a critical link between the Pinelands National Reserve and the Delaware Estuary, both nationally and internationally important. The Maurice River corridor serves as the western boundary of the Pinelands and includes the cities of Vineland and Millville, and the townships of Maurice River, Commercial and Buena Vista.