-Experience^ - Higbee’s Firsthand Those interested in learning more about Higbee’s Beach will have two opportunities this week, both sponsored by the Cape May Geographic Society. For more sedentary types, Ray Sayre will talk on. Higbee’s past and future during an illustrated lecture 8 p.m. Thursday at Victorian Towers, Cape May. Then, on Saturday, he will lead a nature walk at Higbee’s. Participants may meet either near the beach at the end of New England' Road, S. Cold Spring, at 10 a.m.; or, for a car caravan, at the elementary school parking lot, Lafayette near Madison, Cape May, at 9:30.

DAVIE’S LAKE lies like an’oasis between dune ridges near the southern bayshore end of the managen/ent area. It is a freshwater pond of varying depths. For generations this picturesque spot at the foot of towering dunes has been a mecca for native youngsters playing pirates, hikers, and lovers.

with 800 feet of fencing already in place, and another 600 feet going up. Therq was a light setback last year when 800 feet of fencing were burned in bonfires. Not entirely coincidental, Sayre thinks, on the nights two local high schools held graduation parties. Which brings up another Of Sayre’s duties. Without badge.

which he is preparing for Higbee’s. Parts of the plan are already in place. Permits are needed to take vehicles past the parking lot, and these must be specially equipped to traverse the sand. Horseback riders from nearby stables use designated paths to ride up and down the beach. Sayre plans a

literally for the birds — and the other small residents that hop or

run or crawl.

In cooperation with the Cape May Bird Observatory, he’s conducting a three-year survey of the effect of recrentionalfuses on the feathered population, particularly the migratory raptors. Helping with many of the prbjpcl^ are

And something is working right. On a recent sunny, humid morning, a visitor dropped iato Sayre’s trailer office to pick up beach vehicle permits for friends. Also to inquire whether he knew that"' Higbee's had a visiting surf scoter . As a pelegic (seagoing) duck norrhally found on the arctic seacoast,, the scoter should not

Highee’s is not a park. It’s a wildlife n^anagement area

Smoke Bear hat or .45, he’s also a law enforcement officer. He can write citations for, violations. Mostly he relies on suasion, ifn more critical situations, like raucous and illegal beach parties\ the Lower Twp. police provide quick response and the sobering effect of armed authority. It is not a favorite facet of his job. Neither is the paperwork which takes up much of his time, as witness the 40-page outline for the comprehensive management plan

permit system for them, and other bridel paths which will take riders through without damage to the dunes. Fishermen — up to 75 on a busy yeekend — come to the tiny lone jetty to try their luck. There are better spots to fish, Sayre concedes, but it’s tough to beat the surroundings. Birders and nature lovers wander trails through the woodlands. Sayre makes it clear: Higbee’s is not a park. It’s a wildlife management area, and it’s

Joan Galli, who is a non-game zoologists for the state division; Anne Galli of the Wetlands Institute, and Peter Dunne, naturalist who is director of the Cape May Bird Observatory. Two college students, summer help, assist Sayre in the daily maintenance, construction, and restoration jobs. All this, is taking'place within a\ $25,000 budget, including Sayre’s salary. In today’s economy, that edges beyond the bargain class.

have been in New Jersey,certainly ndt in July. Sayre said that the bird had

shown up the iweek before, and a fifst guess that it was sick and had been,abandoned It seemed that it just liked the accommodations. The errant scoter was overshadowed, though, by the shared neWs that a ruff had been spotted in the hearby South Cape May meadows. What made it remarkable is that the ruff is indigenous to Eurasia, and it wasn’t thlking about how it got here. Hoffs clopped on the roadwav as a gaggle of riders passed on their way to the beach. At the far end of the jetty, a man and a woman hopefully cranked their fishing reels. An elderly, straw-hatted hiker made his way up the beach from the magnesite plant at Sunset Beach. None of th^ feathered and furry Higbec tenants seemed tp mind. Gulls, mewed, birds sang, and assorted bugs made insect noises. One mosquito got carried away and tasted a reported. It gave reason to’hope that Sayre's survey will show that man, the birds, the southern great tree frog, and even the bugs can share the bounty of Higbce Beach without unbearably, cramping theif life styles.

DUNE WOODLAND Community at some spots stretches along the top of the dunes right to the edge of the bay a testimony to the erosion that has steadily washed away the dune grass and dune shrub thicket which, normally, would provide a buffer between bay and trees. This particular spot is 30 ft. or more above the bay waters.

Ed Harni>ll is contributing editor of the Herald & Lantern. CAH MAY COUNTY MGSZINCSS