Elizabeth Alexandra Morton National Wildlife Refuge

Established in 1954, the Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge protects a 187-acre peninsula on Noyack and Little Peconic Bays. Exceptionally diverse habitats include sandy and rocky beaches that fringe the peninsula, while wooded bluffs overlook the Bays. Morton consists of upland forest, fields, ponds, salt marsh, beach and a lagoon. These habitats are used by a variety of wildlife including white-tailed deer, eastern chipmunk, painted turtles, green frogs, songbirds and osprey. Waterfowl, such as long-tailed duck, common goldeneye and white-winged scoter, are common during the winter months, while piping plover, terns, and other water birds use the beach during the spring and summer months.

A major portion of the beach habitat of the refuge is known by the local residents as Jessup’s Neck. It separates Little Peconic Bay from Noyack Bay. The north-south axis of the peninsula between Long Island’s two forks also makes the refuge an important migration corridor for a variety of birds. The peninsula consists of three miles of undeveloped shoreline; one of the few shorelines without armoring or development that remain in the area. The tip of the Neck has steep, heavily eroded bluffs approaching 50 feet. Its habitats are varied and include sandy and rocky beaches; salt and freshwater marshes; brackish and freshwater ponds; lagoons; tidal flats; old fields; and oak and cedar forests.