Wertheim offers four miles of hiking trails and some of the best canoeing on Long Island.  You can also enjoy wildlife viewing, nature photography, fishing, environmental education, nature interpretation, hiking and cross-country skiing.   Waterfowl numbers peak in the winter, while bird watching during the spring and fall migrations allows you to view a variety of birds including raptors, waterfowl and songbirds.  The spring bloom decorates the refuge with colorful flowers such as irises, marsh buttercups and violets.  Autumn colors are equally splendid!  An information kiosk, wildlife observation blinds and public restrooms are provided for your convenience.

Yaphank Creek (Alex Krevitz)

The Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge is 2,550 acres in size and is situated on the south shore of Long Island in Shirley, New York. Wertheim NWR serves as the headquarters of the Long Island National Wildlife Complex. Refuges managed from Wertheim include Morton, Amagansett, Conscience Point, Target Rock, Oyster Bay and Seatuck along with Lido Beach Wildlife Management Production Area and Sayville Property.

The refuge is seven days each week. Visitors are welcome between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Please park near the refuge office, pick up a trail map and enjoy all that the refuge has to offer. The refuge entrance, on Smith Rd. in Shirley, leads to the main office, information kiosk, restrooms & White Oak Nature Trail (a 1.5 or 3 mile loop, with a 1 mile portion being wheelchair accessible).  There is also the Indian Landing trail accessible by canoe.

Note:  Canoes are not allowed to be launched or landed near the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge Complex office.

NWR Carmans River Canoe Trip

 

Directions to the Refuge

The Wertheim Refuge is the second largest NWR on Long Island and contains a diversity of habitats. The refuge is bisected by the Carmans River, a New York State designated Wild and Scenic River and is the second longest river on Long Island. Yaphank Creek, Little Neck run, Big Fish Creek and Little Fish Creek all join the Carmans River with Wertheim's boundaries.  The Refuge protects one of the last undeveloped estuary systems remaining on Long Island.  The USFWS Northeast Estuary Program has recognized the Refuge's wetlands as significant coastal habitat.

Approximately half of the Refuge is composed of aquatic habitats and the other half upland habitats. The former include marine bay, tidal river, freshwater streams, ponds, salt marsh, brackish and freshwater marsh, red maple swamps and shrub swamps.  Uplands, aside from a small portion in old field and brush, include mixed oak, oak-pitchpine, pitch pine, red maple, red cedar and others.

Because of the diversity of Wertheim's habitats, most wildlife species known to occur on Long Island have been documented on the Refuge.  The Refuge supports use by over 240 avian species of which over one hundred breed. The Refuge provides important winter habitat for waterfowl as the Carmans River is one of the last water bodies to freeze on the south shore.  Approximately two to three thousand ducks, principally black ducks, winter at Wertheim.  The Refuge also supports the largest breeding population of wood ducks for any park or preserve on Long Island.  Federal and State listed endangered and threatened which have been documented at Wertheim include bald eagle, peregrine falcon, roseate tern, common tern, least tern, eastern mud turtle, loggerhead sea turtle and northern harrier.

Wertheim NWR was acquired by the USFWS in 1947 as a donation from Cecile and Maurice Wertheim, who maintained the area as a private reserve for waterfowl hunting.  An additional donated parcel was added in 1974.  The most recent acquisition was the of Southaven Properties, which added an another 127 acres in 1998.

  

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