Species on the Edge Winners Explore Sedge Island

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by Rachel McGovern, Communications and Outreach Manager

Just off the coast of Island Beach State Park, you can find the Sedge Islands Marine Conservation Zone. This unique area is managed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and is home to a great number of wildlife species. Across this 1,900-acre preserve, one can find ospreys, rays, Northern diamondback terrapins, American oystercatchers, and many other incredible animals. Tucked away in this area is an island with a historic building that was once a duck hunting lodge but is now the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center.

The Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center is located in the Sedge Islands Marine Conservation Zone.

Each year, winners of the Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest are invited to the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center (often referred to as simply “Sedge” or “Sedge Island”) to spend a day exploring the salt marsh. The Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest is held annually for fifth graders in New Jersey. To enter, students submit an original art piece and essay centered around an at-risk New Jersey species of their choice. A panel of judges chooses a winner from each county in New Jersey. A trip to Sedge Island is one of the ways that we celebrate the winners’ achievements. Winners of the 2024 contest and their adult chaperones were offered a choice of dates to join us for a trip to Sedge Island this summer.

On those dates, we met at the dock in the morning to board a pontoon boat that carried us over to Sedge Island. After an introduction and a quick tour of the Sedge house, we loaded into kayaks for a paddle around the salt marsh. As we paddled, we passed several osprey platforms, where adults were busy caring for their young. We saw animals like crabs and terrapins scurrying beneath the water’s surface. A few times during the paddle, we pulled out kayaks over so that the Sedge Island staff could tell us about what we were seeing in the marsh. At one point, we hopped out of our kayaks to go on a “sensory hike,” traversing some of the marshy areas to feel the muddy detritus squishing beneath our feet, taste salty pickleweed, look at tiny fiddler crabs, and learn about life in the salt marsh.

Partway through our paddle, we stopped to go on a “sensory hike”

Later in the day, it was time for clamming! After a quick lesson on how to find clams and determine if they are eligible to be kept, we waded out into the water with floating baskets to begin clamming. The cool water was a welcome treat on these beautiful, warm, sunny days. After bringing in the nearly full baskets, our group sorted the clams by size. We saved some to eat and use as bait and tossed the rest back into the bay. Our program directors performed a clam dissection for us, helping us to understand the anatomy of a clam and learn how clams help filter water. Those who wanted to try them were offered raw and grilled clams to taste.

After clamming, we sorted through baskets to determine which clams to keep and which to toss back.

For our final activity, we fished from the island’s edge and dock. Fish are plentiful in the waters around Sedge Island, so most people in our group were able to catch at least one. This was a wonderful end to the day, allowing us to relax and see some of the fish species that live in the area. When we were done fishing, it was time to load back into the pontoon boat and head back to shore.

Thank you to everyone from NJDEP’s Sedge Island team, we had a great time and learned so much!

We also thank our sponsors for their generous support of the Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest: PSEG Foundation, Atlantic City Electric, Church & Dwight, NJEA, Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery, and Zoological Society of New Jersey.

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