Raccoon and Oldmans Creek Watersheds

Located within the Delaware Bayshore region, the Raccoon and Oldmans Creek
watersheds are nestled side-by-side. The Oldmans watershed straddles the
border of northern Salem and southern Gloucester Counties, with the Raccoon
watershed running alongside to the north. Significant woodlands and wetlands
throughout the area provide critical habitat for bog turtles, among numerous
other threatened and endangered species. Surface water throughout the area
is shed into the marshlands and tributaries of the Raccoon and Oldmans
Creeks, which serve as important headwaters that feed the Delaware River and
Bay.

Two New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife properties offer the public an opportunity to experience the beautiful region: Harrisonville Lake Wildlife Management Area (pdf) on Oldmans Creek in South Harrison Township and Raccoon Creek Wildlife Management Area (pdf) in Woolwich Township.

Raccoon and Oldmans also features one of the Delaware Bay’s most fertile farmbelts and includes many working family farms. The area is under intense development pressure. Farmland preservation is one of NJCF’s highest priorities in the Delaware Bay region, which includes one of the last large expanses of contiguous farmland in the state. NJCF is currently preserving many farms in the area with the support of several state and federal grants. Protecting the region from development is vital for the future of the region’s agriculture.

Saving the Delaware Bayshore Region

The Delaware Bayshore spans southwest New Jersey and is bordered by the Delaware River and Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and is best known for its vast wetlands and associated wildlife. NJCF has led conservation efforts in the region for two decades, starting with the publication of Charting a Course for the Delaware Bay Watershed, the first comprehensive planning guide for the region. NJCF with its preservation partners have saved over 2,000 acres of farmland, wetlands and forested areas in the region.

The Delaware Bayshore is under increased development pressure due to rising demand for residential housing for workers commuting to Philadelphia and Wilmington. The Bayshore offers resting and feeding grounds for more then a million migrating birds each spring. The shorebird population that gathers on the Delaware Bay each May and June is the second largest in the Western Hemisphere. American egrets, great blue herons and other water birds typically found in the region are declining due to loss of wetlands and the development of shoreline areas.

For more information about NJCF’s preservation work in the Delaware Bayshore, please contact NJCF Regional Manager Janet Eisenhauer at 856-589-4317 or

Janet@njconservation.org.