By Michelle Byers, N.J. Conservation Foundation
Less than 30 miles from New York City, surrounded by suburbia, lie 12 square miles of wetlands and wildlife known as the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge’s forests, grasslands and marshes are home to an amazing diversity of wildlife, including migratory waterfowl and endangered bog turtles and Indiana bats. Visitors to its dense wilderness truly feel removed from civilization while being within a few miles of the most modern shopping malls and office parks!
The refuge is celebrating a big anniversary year — and bidding farewell to longtime manager Bill Koch, who just retired after 34 years in the Great Swamp.
"We’re calling this our 50-50-15 celebration," said Steve Henry, acting refuge manager. "It’s the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the refuge, the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the 15th anniversary of our Friends group. We’ve got a lot in the hopper."
May 31, Great Swamp staff and friends celebrated Bill Koch, whose career with the national wildlife refuge system spanned 43 years.
After earning a degree in wildlife management in 1971, Bill began work at the Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge, researching bird life, vegetation and public use. When that seasonal position ended, he volunteered at the Great Swamp and was subsequently hired to conduct deer research.
As his career took off, Bill moved to other national wildlife refuges in Massachusetts, New York and Maryland. When he returned to the Great Swamp in 1984, he was expecting a five-year assignment. But five quickly turned into 30 as Bill immersed himself in management programs, land acquisition and habitat restoration at the Great Swamp.
Under his watch, the Great Swamp became a national model and was chosen for a Department of Interior Achievement Award. Bill also was instrumental in building the refuge’s new visitor center.
Although Bill is officially retired, he still comes in part-time as a refuge volunteer.
"I just couldn’t go cold turkey," he joked. "There’s so much good stuff here; it’s not just a job."
Bill’s retirement celebration coincided with one of the refuge’s big milestones: The 50th anniversary of the its dedication, marking the triumphant end of a fierce, 4½-year grassroots battle to save the Great Swamp from being paved over for a 10,000-acre international airport.
The "jetport" was the idea of the powerful Port Authority, which kept its plans under wraps. But information was leaked in late 1959, and opposition quickly mobilized. The swamp’s defenders concluded the best strategy would be to secretly buy up as much as much land as possible and donate it as a national wildlife refuge.
Against all odds, the plan worked! May 29, 1964, the first 2,600 acres of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge officially were dedicated at a large ceremony attended by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, Gov. Richard Hughes, Congressman Peter Frelinghuysen and other dignitaries.
Later this year, the Great Swamp will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which was signed in September 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson. The eastern part of Great Swamp was the nation’s first protected wilderness!
As the Great Swamp celebrates historic milestones, it’s also looking toward the future. Recent legislation requires all national wildlife refuges to have a 15-year comprehensive conservation plan, and the Great Swamp’s is now out for public comment.
Have a say in the Great Swamp’s future! Read the conservation plan alternatives and submit your comments by June 27.
A summary can be found at www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/GRSDraftCCPNewsletter.pdf.
The website includes information on how to view the full plan.
Celebrate the Great Swamp’s "50-50-15" year with a visit to the refuge, a true New Jersey treasure!
Michele Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. For more information, contact her at [email protected] or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org.
