Friends of Great Swamp NWR

08/27/2026

Today, great progress was made on the Friends Motus project, which will become part of an international bird tracking system. In spite of the cement truck arriving an hour and a half late, and intermittent thunderstorms, the Friends Construction Crew members were able to get the Motus Tower footing completed. The cement will now cure for 28 days before the 40 foot tower and antennas can be installed.

08/18/2026

More progress on the Visitor Center Expansion, but still a ways to go.

08/17/2026

08/07/2026

ATTENTION VISITORS: The Wildlife Observation Center will be closed to visitor access from Monday August 24th - Wednesday August 26th as the habitat restoration contractors from this past winter complete their work improving the habitat for a variety of wetland species, including waterfowl. Thank you for your patience and understanding and please use this time to visit the other wonderful trails on the refuge!

08/06/2026

Today, members of the Friends Construction Crew continued work on the Wildlife Observation Center (WOC) Visitors Shed. A porch is being installed that includes safety railing, mechanical door stops, an improved locking device, and other features. The project should be completed soon. The crew also worked on the footing for the Friends Motus Tower, which will be part of an international network for tracking birds. In other news, contractor construction of the Visitor Center Expansion continues.

08/02/2026

Attention visitors: A pair of black bears have been reported at the Wildlife Observation Center (WOC), so please be "Bear Aware" while you are walking the trails there over the next few days.

NJDEP| Fish & Wildlife | Bear Encounters | Page Description

08/01/2026

Here is the latest issue of Happenings. Enjoy.

Email from Friends of Great Swamp NWR Savor the last few days of Summer!   Happenings August 2026   Catbird in a pothole by Robert Lin Second Sunday Events To find more info on this or any event, go t

07/30/2026

Construction continues on the exterior and interior of the Visitor Center Expansion. Bathroom fixtures are currently being installed.

07/28/2026

When Friends Volunteers clean the hummingbird feeders and put out fresh nectar, there is often a rush of feeding activity. Sometimes they even share! Come to the Visitor Center to see for yourself.

07/16/2026

When you visit the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, you never know what you will see. First up is an insect that is often misidentified as a hummingbird. It is the Hummingbird moth. Hummingbird moths (Hemaris species) are day-flying insects widely distributed across North America. But if you want you best chance to see real hummingbirds, then you will want to head to the front of the Visitors Center.