US-MA-Long+Point+Wildlife+Refuge


 * =Birding in Massachusetts=

Dukes County
=Long Point Wildlife Refuge= Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts 02568 Long Point Wildlife Refuge webpage Long Point Wildlife Refuge map

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Long Point Wildlife Refuge
Coordinates: 41.3545043, -70.6384742 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Long Point Wildlife Refuge
Whether you want to play in the ocean, splash with the kids in sheltered salt- and freshwater ponds, or explore a rare grassland habitat, this spectacular reservation will become a favorite escape.

What makes Long Point a special place? At more than 600 acres, Long Point is one of the largest publicly accessible properties on Martha's Vineyard. The fact that it encompasses beach, dune, and woodland, which bracket a broad (and uncommon) sandplain heath, makes the reservation even more attractive, environmentally and recreationally. Understandably popular in summer, the property is also an off-season treasure, especially for birders and other nature-watchers.

Ice Age Remnants Long Point Wildlife Refuge is all that remains of a broad prairie with scattered woods that was formed over many years after the last ice age. The plants and wildlife here are uniquely adapted to this dry, acidic landscape, its coastal ponds, and its sandy beach. You can stay by the water to swim and relax or follow a two-mile trail that leads through oak forest and savanna bordered by Middle Point, Long Cove, and Tisbury Great Ponds.

Long Point is also part of an important sand barrens ecosystem that exists in patches from New Jersey to Maine. This ecosystem is home to many rare plants, including scrub oak shrublands, sandplain grasslands, coastal heathlands, and pitch pine barrens.

In recent decades, rare sand barrens communities have declined significantly throughout their range. To maintain and restore these rare communities, The Trustees are actively managing this landscape and helping to save plants and animals that depend on these open areas.

Trails 2.1 miles of flat trails through woods and open areas, plus beachfront. Easy walking.

When to Visit Mid-June to mid-September: 9 AM to 5:30 PM (last admission at 5:30 PM; gate closes at 7 PM). Mid-September to mid-June: daily, sunrise to sunset. Allow a minimum of two hours. From Long Point Wildlife Refuge webpage



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media type="custom" key="28816676" || L2040230 US US-MA US-MA-007 41.3545043 -70.6384742 Long Point Wildlife Refuge