Posted on December 17, 2025
New Jersey Fish & Wildlife (NJFW), through the Bureau of Land Management’s Coastal Unit, is partnering with federal, state, academic, and nonprofit organizations on a series of coastal habitat restoration projects utilizing Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (BUDM) across three Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in southern New Jersey. These projects aim to enhance coastal resilience, restore degraded marsh habitats, and support both species of greatest conservation need and popular game species managed under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) nexus through nature-based solutions.
What is Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (BUDM)?
Beneficial Use of Dredged Material is a nature-based solution that repurposes clean sediment from navigation channels to restore degraded coastal habitats. In New Jersey, many saltmarshes are experiencing net habitat loss due to sea-level rise and erosion. Traditional marsh accretion processes are often insufficient to keep pace with these stressors.
By strategically placing dredged sediment to raise marsh elevations, BUDM helps restore proper tidal inundation, promotes the growth of native saltmarsh vegetation, and enhances habitat resilience. These projects support biodiversity, improve flood protection, and align with conservation goals outlined in New Jersey’s State Wildlife Action Plan.
The following BUDM projects are expected to be implemented in January 2026 and are to be completed by March 2026. Due to the hazardous conditions associated with unconsolidated dredge sediment, these areas will be closed to public access through the sediment consolidation period, which will be monitored by project partners. Please check the Wildlife Management Area System webpage and the Wildlife Management Explorer for updates and information on closure areas. We appreciate the public’s understanding as we restore and enhance habitat for the benefit of wildlife and wildlife-related recreation.
Gull Island – Cape May Coastal Wetlands WMA
Located in Cape May County, Gull Island is a 287-acre marsh island that has largely subsided below mean high water. Historic dredged material placement has created remnant high marsh areas that support significant wading bird colonies, accounting for nearly one-third of nesting activity in New Jersey.
Building on prior restoration efforts under the Seven Mile Island Innovation Laboratory (SMIIL) lead by The Wetlands Institute , the upcoming phase will expand beneficial use placements to:
- Enhance marsh elevation and resilience
- Restore mudflats to resilient marsh habitat
- Reduce marsh edge erosion
- Improve tidal flats for aquatic vegetation and fish habitat
Project Partners:
- The Wetlands Institute
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Philadelphia District
- USACE Engineer Research and Development Center
- NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
Boot Island – Absecon WMA
Boot Island, located in Brigantine, Atlantic County, is the focus of a targeted restoration effort to create high-quality foraging habitat for the State Endangered Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger). The project will place dredged sediment at elevations designed to create intertidal mudflats, providing optimal foraging conditions for skimmers and other estuarine species.
The restoration builds on a previous restoration effort in 2020 and aligns with the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). This site was identified as a priority under The Nature Conservancy’s “Pipeline of Marsh Restoration” initiative.
Project Partners:
- NJDOT Office of Maritime Resources
- The Nature Conservancy
- NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
Northwest Reach – Heislerville WMA
Northwest Reach, located at the mouth of the Maurice River in Cumberland County, was historically a mix of high and low marsh habitats. Over time, it has degraded into mudflat and open water.
In partnership with NJDEP Coastal Engineering and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and funded by FEMA, NJFW completed initial dredge material placement in December 2023. The upcoming phase will build on this success by:
- Rebuilding a gradient of resilient marsh habitat across approximately 15 acres
- Softening the shoreline along the dike to reduce wildlife impingement
- Enhancing natural wave attenuation
Project Partners:
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Philadelphia District
- USACE Engineer Research and Development Center
- NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
These projects represent a strategic investment in coastal resilience and wildlife conservation, leveraging innovative dredge sediment reuse to restore critical habitats. NJFW’s Coastal Unit will continue to monitor ecological outcomes and adaptively manage these sites to ensure long-term success.
For more information, contact:
Tyler Kinney, Coastal Biologist
New Jersey Fish and Wildlife – Bureau of Land Management
Tyler.Kinney@dep.nj.gov
