Bayside Tract Preservation
Overview
The Bayside Tract Preservation Site spans more than 4,000 acres along the Delaware Estuary in Greenwich Township, Cumberland County. The site includes broad salt marshes, quiet forests, and active farmland, and is permanently protected under a conservation restriction to preserve its natural resources, cultural character, and agricultural history.
The Bayside Tract is part of an early English-speaking settlement along the Delaware River, dating to the 1680s. Residents cleared forests, diked marshlands, and used marl fertilizer for farming. The area later supported an Atlantic sturgeon fishery and a small port called Caviar. Farming traditions continued after the fishery declined.
Goals
The goals the Bayside Tract include preserving ecological resources, maintaining farmland, enhancing wildlife habitat, supporting public access consistent with conservation, and protecting the landscape’s long-term cultural and natural heritage.
Actions Taken
Actions include conservation-minded agricultural practices, maintenance of wildlife enhancement areas and natural buffers, allowing natural vegetative succession, and adding multiple parking locations following community input.
Accomplishments
Accomplishments include preserving over 4,000 acres of diverse habitats, maintaining agricultural land uses, enhancing wildlife habitat, and supporting recreational and educational uses such as hiking, wildlife viewing, and seasonal hunting.
Other Enhancements
Enhancements include multiple visitor parking areas, opportunities for photography and passive recreation, and preservation of cultural heritage features and long-standing coastal traditions.
Visitors can enjoy wildlife viewing, hiking, photography, fishing, crabbing, and seasonal hunting. Multiple parking areas allow easy access. The site is open from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
Continuing Activities
Continuing care includes regular inspections, habitat management, trail and signage maintenance, and agricultural oversight to ensure long-term conservation.