Brigantine Wilderness

The Brigantine Wilderness is a tidal wetland and shallow bay habitat on one of the most active flyways for migratory waterbirds in North America. Birdwatchers, binoculars in hand, have zoomed in on close to 300 species here, including Atlantic brant and American black duck. The Wilderness protects Holgate and Little Beaches, two of the few remaining barrier beaches in New Jersey. Grasses on these shores stabilize the fragile dunes and safeguard the rare piping plover, black skimmer, and least tern. It also preserves the original site of one of the many life-saving stations found along the Atlantic coast, which predated the creation of the Coast Guard.