Welcome to Peaslee WIldlife Management Area and the Auto Nature Trail
One of New Jersey's greatest assets is the richness and diversity of its wildlife. The New jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife helps promote diversity by maintaining and managing a system of Wildlife Management Areas.
Peaslee Wildlife Management Area is one of over 100 areas encompassing hundreds of thousands of acres statewide.
Auto Nature Trail
This 4-mile-long auto trail has been designed to provide you with a wildlife viewing opportunity. Points-of-interest are marked with interpretive sign of exhibit to further describe the area.
One of the largest Wildlife Management Areas in the state, Peaslee is located within the Pinelands national Reserve. As a typical pinelands site, Peaslee has thousands of acres of upland forests, cedar bogs, and hardwood swamps, many of which are old cranberry bogs.
The auto trail will provide you with views of a variety of habitats. The road takes you past a wooded edge, typical pine-oak and oak-pine forest, an Atlantic white cedar bog, scrub oak forest, a scrub-shrub area, fields, and wildlife food plots. The large anthills of the Allegheny mound any can be found in the wooded uplands. Walk along some o the unmarked trails to look for signs of wildlife. White-tailed deer, wild turkey, bobwhite quail, wood thrush, prairie warblers, gray catbirds, fence lizards and eastern box turtles are residents of the area.
Side Bar Text
In cedar bogs the dense growth creates a microclimate. These bogs are cooler in the summer and warmer in winter than surrounding areas. They provide important shelter for wildlife.
The full length sign (approximately 5 feet) also features a full map of the trail with a color key for points of interest as well as the ubiquitous You Are Here feature. There is a picture of an eastern box turtle.
The agency's listed on the bottom of the sign (presumably taking credit for the placement of the interpretive) are the National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior and State of New Jersey - Division of Fish and WIldlife.