Eagle Fest Brings Community Together in Mauricetown, NJ

For many years, people have braved the cold February weather to come to the Winter Eagle Fest in Mauricetown, Cumberland County, for a chance to see some winter wildlife and talk to nonprofits, such as the Littoral Society, who are working to preserve and restore the local environment so that the eagles and all other creatures in the Delaware Bayshore ecosystem can continue to thrive.
 
This year the eagle fest took place during frigid weather on Saturday, February 7 and included a Littoral Society walk in conjunction with PSE&G. A small but dedicated group braved the chill to walk with us at the bird observatory on Strawberry Avenue and some trekked onto the boardwalk to get an up-close look at the electrical utility’s estuary enhancement site.
 
Participants also learned more about our nearby marsh restoration project along the Northwest Reach of the Maurice River. The view led to lots of great conversations and promises to take a better look at the work in warmer weather!

Mason Cain (r) with the Littoral Society's Zach Nickerson.

This year we were joined by Mason Cain, a junior at Arthur P Schalick High School in nearby Pittsgrove Township, NJ and an alumnus of our Restoration Corps (R-Corps) program this past summer, who volunteered to help us man the Society’s table and talk to the public about our work. We asked him a few questions about what brought him out with us.
 
What made you want to volunteer with us today?
I did R-Corps this summer and wanted to continue working with the Society. I’ve attended Eagle Fest before and was interested in finding a way to help this year, so working together with you all was a great way to do that.
 
Tell me about some of the things you brought with you to include at our table
I brought a board game about horseshoe crabs and red knots that I made when I was in R-Corps. We used it at some educational events we did at local libraries, and it is nice to get to bring it out again. I also brought packs of native seeds that I collected from my garden at home to give out. There’s bee balm, black-eyed susan, anise hyssop, and goldenrod.
 
How has your experience been today so far?
I loved talking to so many dedicated birders and conservation professionals. I also got to catch a couple of the talks that they had in the conference room earlier in the day that were very interesting, including the one about salt marsh restoration where they mentioned some of the Society’s projects. It’s also nice to be inside on such a cold day!
 
If you are interested in volunteering with us, please visit our website and fill out our volunteer interest form: Volunteer - Littoral​ Society

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Littoral Society Restoration Technician Kerstin Axe staffs our table at the Cumberland County Winter Eagle Fest.