Editing Cape May County, New Jersey (section)

===Parks and recreation===
[[File:Corson’s Inlet and Russ Chatin Bridge.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Corson's Inlet State Park]] along the [[Jersey Shore]]]]
[[File:Anthropoides virgo -Cape May Zoo, New Jersey, USA -head-8a (1).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A [[demoiselle crane]] at [[Cape May County Park & Zoo]]]]
As of 2015, 49% of the lands in Cape May County were preserved open space.<ref name="strat"/> On November 9, 1989, the voters of Cape May County approved the Open Space Preservation Tax, which generates $4.9 million each year. Since then, the program spent $65 million to preserve open space, farmlands, and historic sites.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cape May County Open Space Program Guide|year=2018|publisher=Cape May County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Program|access-date=April 18, 2018|url=https://capemaycountynj.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4692|format=PDF|archive-date=April 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419121956/https://capemaycountynj.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4692|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Belleplain State Forest]] was established in 1928 in northwestern Cape May County and adjacent Cumberland County, and consists of {{convert|21254|acre|ha|abbr=on}} of young pine, oak, and Atlantic white cedar trees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/belle.html|title=Bellplain State Forest|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Division of Parks and Forestry|access-date=April 11, 2018|archive-date=April 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408194906/http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/belle.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Corson's Inlet State Park]] was established in 1969 near the southern end of Ocean City to protect and preserve one of the last undeveloped areas of land along the [[Jersey Shore|New Jersey coastline]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/corsons.html|title=Corson's Inlet State Park|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Division of Parks and Forestry|access-date=January 22, 2018|archive-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230005725/http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/corsons.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Cape May Point State Park]] was established at the southern end of the county in 1974, having been previously used as a military base until the [[Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962]] damaged the facility.<ref name="strat"/><ref name="birdy">{{cite book|title=Birds and Birding at Cape May|author=Clay Sutton|author2=Patricia Sutton|publisher=Stackpole Books|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8117-3134-8|page=470|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6HY9FX_ZfcwC&q=cape+may+point+state+park+1964&pg=PA470}}</ref> There are 10 [[List of New Jersey wildlife management areas|wildlife management areas]] in the county, including Peaslee, which extends into neighboring Cumberland County, and Tuckahoe/MacNamara, which extends into neighboring Atlantic County.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wildlife Management Areas|date=April 11, 2018|publisher=New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife|access-date=April 22, 2018|url=http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/wmaland.htm|archive-date=November 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124181331/http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/wmaland.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1942, a {{convert|40|acre|ha|abbr=on}} area of wooded land was donated to the county, which housed the [[4-H]] fair. In November 1962, county residents approved a referendum to create a park commission, which was established in 1967 to maintain the county's parks. The lands donated in 1942 became Park Central, and is now over {{convert|200|acre|ha|abbr=on}}. In 1978, the [[Cape May County Park & Zoo]] was created within Park Central, which houses 250 species of animals. Nearby Cape May County Park East has basketball and tennis courts. Park North is the Richard M. Cameron Wildlife Sanctuary, located in [[Palermo, New Jersey|Palermo]]. Park South is the Fishing Creek Wildlife Preserve, which is {{convert|1700|acre|ha|abbr=on}} of wetlands and trails.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cape May County Parks|access-date=May 16, 2018|publisher=Government of Cape May County|url=https://capemaycountynj.gov/1021/Parks|archive-date=May 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517083111/https://capemaycountynj.gov/1021/Parks|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Cape May County Park & Zoo|title=History of the Cape May County Park|access-date=May 16, 2018|url=https://www.cmczoo.com/history.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517152817/https://www.cmczoo.com/history.php|archive-date=May 17, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The {{convert|93|acre|ha|abbr=on}} undeveloped Great Sound State Park is in Middle Township.<ref>{{cite report|title=Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition|page=159|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJrtBQAAQBAJ&q=%22great+sound+state+park%22&pg=PA159|year=2004|publisher=Skinder=Strauss Associates|isbn=1-57741-187-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Transcription of Commission Meeting of State House Commission|date=June 30, 2016|publisher=The New Jersey Office of Legislative Services|access-date=June 26, 2018|url=http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/pubhear/shc06302016.pdf|archive-date=June 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627005534/http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/pubhear/shc06302016.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1978, the [[New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve]] became the first National Reserve in the United States,<ref>{{cite web |title=New Jersey Pinelands Commission {{!}} The Pinelands National Reserve |url=https://www.nj.gov/pinelands/reserve/ |website=www.nj.gov |access-date=January 22, 2019 |archive-date=January 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108022403/https://www.nj.gov/pinelands/reserve/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a {{convert|1100000|acre|ha|abbr=on}} region of South Jersey that spans seven counties, including Cape May. The act, and additional legislation from the New Jersey legislature, created the Pinelands Commission, which manages the growth in the [[Pine Barrens (New Jersey)|Pine Barrens]], and coordinates federal, state, and local governments. Each county appoints a commissioner, and since January 2018, Woodbine mayor William Pikolycky has represented the county.<ref>{{cite web|title=CMP Summary|year=2015|access-date=April 18, 2018|publisher=Pinelands Commission|url=http://www.nj.gov/pinelands/cmp/summary/|archive-date=May 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504234444/http://www.nj.gov/pinelands/cmp/summary/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Commission Members|access-date=April 18, 2018|publisher=Pinelands Commission|url=http://www.nj.gov/pinelands/about/memb/|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505010633/http://www.nj.gov/pinelands/about/memb/|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1988 until 2011, the National Park Service operated the [[New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route]], which promoted awareness and protection of nearly {{convert|300|mi|km|abbr=on}} of New Jersey coastline.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route, 2011 Strategic Plan|year=2011|publisher=United States National Park Service|access-date=April 18, 2018|url=https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=258&projectID=35779&documentID=42791|archive-date=April 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419183215/https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=258&projectID=35779&documentID=42791|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1989, the [[Cape May National Wildlife Refuge]] was established from lands purchased by the [[Nature Conservancy]], and has grown in size since its establishment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cape May National Wildlife Refuge|publisher=United States Fish and Wildlife Service|access-date=April 18, 2018|url=https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_5/NWRS/North_Zone/Cape_May_Complex/Cape_May/CapeMayBrochure.pdf|archive-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710232638/https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_5/NWRS/North_Zone/Cape_May_Complex/Cape_May/CapeMayBrochure.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Nature Conservancy|title=U.S. Public Lands|access-date=April 18, 2018|url=https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/americas-public-lands.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324103514/https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/americas-public-lands.xml|archive-date=March 24, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>