The nationally recognized Wild and Scenic Maurice River is a clean, natural environment which supports a great variety of plant and animal life. Citizens United has chosen to work to protect this region for many reasons.
National Park Service: Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers
National Park Service: Maurice River, National Wild & Scenic River
• Ecological Significance
The state’s largest stand of wild rice attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl to the area each year. The mouth of the river is a critical staging area for migratory shorebirds. The immense variety of habitats throughout the watershed support such endangered and threatened animals as osprey, bald eagle and southern gray treefrog.
• Rich Cultural History
Thousands of years before European settlers, Native Americans used the resources of the river. The river’s name is thought to be derived from the Prince Maurice, a 17th century Dutch ship reputed to have sunk in its waters. Today, the AJ Meerwald, a 1928 oyster schooner, has been restored by the Bayshore Discovery Project and provides educational experiences for school groups and the general public.
The Burcham farm is the last dyked marsh farm on the Maurice River, the sole survivor of the many dyke farms that once lined the waters of the Delaware valley. - Burcham Farm at Millville, NJ by Patricia Bovers Ball, December 1995 (pdf-14.3 MB)
• Economic Importance and Recreational Opportunities
The Maurice River supports such industries as commercial crabbing, eeling, net fishing and oystering; activities which are dependent upon the river’s ecological integrity. Pleasure boating, canoeing, fishing and railbirding are just a few of the recreational activities pursued on the river.
If you're planning a river adventure these two web sites are great. They can help with river flow and tidal water levels.
For tidal water levels:
http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/newjerseysites.html
For canoe trip in the nontidal Upper Maurice River:
USGS Maurice River Station
Real time flow data from the USGS's Maurice River station at Norma, NJ. You may wish to browse the USGS site further it has endless information on the earth's happenings. (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nj/nwis/uv?01411500)
If you are planning a canoe trip for the year 2010 you may have to reconsider--at least if there are drought conditions. According to the USGS's recent study of the Maurice River's ground water withdrawals, the surface water flow is projected to be non existant in northernmost portions of the Maurice River! Presently, even in drought conditions the river is navigable. "Hydrogeology and Simulated Effects of Ground-Water Withdrawals, Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer System, Upper Maurice River Basin Area, New Jersey" (pdf download)
Slide Shows
The Maurice River…