Species on the Edge Art & Essay Winners Join CWF and NJDFW staff for Sedge Island Eco-tours
by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist
This past August, Species on the Edge Art & Essay winners and their parents joined Conserve Wildlife Foundation and New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife biologists at Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center for a day exploring New Jersey’s only marine conservation zone.
Located in the Barnegat Bay, Sedge Island is a brief fifteen minute boat ride from a dock on the southern tip of Island Beach State Park. Sedge sits amongst a smattering of other land masses and channels which make up the marshy southern end of the barrier island and is home to countless osprey, terns, crabs, mussels, and other marine wildlife.
On the island sits a historic nature center, the Sedge Island House. Built almost a hundred years ago, the building was originally used as a hunting lodge for visiting duck hunters and tourists. Now the building is home to a number of biologists, researchers, and educators who use the island to host tours of the marsh and conduct biological and ecological studies of this one of a kind biome.
As a bat biologist, organizing field trips is not quite in my wheelhouse and I must admit I was nervous to head out to Sedge Island for the first time. However, as I found myself leading two groups of Species on the Edge winners and their parents as the Island Beach State Park staff showed us the natural wonders of Sedge Island, those nerves melted away.
Meeting this group of winners was a true honor. What an amazing group of young naturalists!
Not one kid showed any hesitation when it came to getting down and dirty with wildlife, whether it was digging in the sand for clams, handling fish caught in the seine nets, or even kayaking through the brackish waters of the Barnegat Bay. One young adventurer even tried a fresh caught RAW CLAM!
This should have come as no surprise after reading the wonderful essays and art pieces created by these young naturalists. Their love of nature and curiosity is an amazing thing to get to see first hand. I know for certain I’ll run into them years down the line as a new generation of ecologists and conservationists working to protect our wildlife and environment.
Check out the galleries below to see some shots from the trip and a look at some of the wildlife we encountered!
Sedge Island Eco Tour 2021 Photo Gallery:
Learning how to ID fish after seining. 
Showing off a decorator crab. 
The group stops along a waterway while kayaking to learn about ospreys. 
One adventurous winner gives a thumbs up while trying a fresh caught clam! 
Wading for clams. 
Looking out at all of the wildlife on the horizon. 
The group shows off their bounty of clams! 
A group photo with Blossom, the female mallard who stopped by Sedge Island House and was quickly named by the group.. 
Blossom poses for a close-up! 
Getting ready to kayak! 
A brave adventurer touches the spines of a fish! 
Pointy!! 
Biologist Ethan Gilardi takes a selfie in the marsh. 
Fishing at the end of a long tour.
A look at the wildlife of Sedge Island:
A massive hermit crab found while clamming. 
Using its claws as a “door,” the hermit crab seals its shell. 
A sea urchin scooped off the side of the Sedge Island Dock. 
The underneath of the sea urchin, showing off the animal’s mouth parts (known as Aristotle’s Lantern). 
A sea star captured while netting along the island dock. 
A crab caught in a seine net sports a missing claw, which will regrow within a few molting cycles. 
A large quahog clam dug up from the waters around Sedge Island. 
Fish flop about in the freshly dragged seine net before being collected in water buckets for identification. 
A larval crab found while digging for clams. 
A puffer fish caught from the Sedge Island Dock has inflated itself with water as a form of defense to trick predators into thinking the fish is much larger than it is. 
The same puffer fish, having emptied itself of water. 
Fish swim about while waiting to be identified after being caught by the seine nets. 
Decorator crabs adorn themselves in sponges to disguise themselves amongst the aquatic vegetation. 
A black widow spotted in a shell!
We would like to thank Island Beach State Park, Karen Byrne, John, Mae, and the wonderful staff of interns at Sedge Island. They made this a truly unforgettable experience.
Thank you to our generous Species on the Edge Art & Essay Sponsors:
