Wetlands Institute

      Tuesday, June 13, 2023: After going to mini-museums in Sea Isle City and Avalon each, and visiting a quaint-looking shopping area, I went to one more attraction on the above date in Cape May County, New Jersey: Wetlands Institute, 1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard, Stone Harbor (609-368-1211). In contrast to the other three places, this place educated others about the natural history of the coastal communities and of how those nature areas have been important to the environment! Starting with a 40-minute video in the lecture hall, I saw for myself how crucial these marshlands have been in several ways as I became informed about the everyday life of the flora and fauna of this area—and how it benefitted humans. Another section of this room provided a live closed-circuit camera view of an osprey nest outside in the marshes. In addition, I also noticed mobiles of wood-carved birds hanging above me. In fact, in different parts of the building, I glanced at both taxidermy and wood-carved animals, especially birds, which lived in the marshlands. Another room was the Terrapin Station where I looked at texts, pictures, and models of turtles native to here along with tanks of live turtles. The small aquarium also had its share of texts, pictures, and models of fish and other creatures that lived nearby, plus I saw tanks of live fish, reptiles, amphibians, and even an octopus. My favorite exhibit included a diorama about sex and gluttony at the shore showing models of horseshoe crabs and seagulls & other seabirds. As the female horseshoe crabs lay their eggs, the gulls and other birds eat those eggs. It has been estimated that on an average, out of 1,000 eggs laid, only one of them would be hatched. Once outside, wooden walkways through this property offered a closer look at some of what I saw displayed inside. If nothing else, you can get to know how these places looked before some areas around the shore got developed and why these places should be preserved.