Currently, Maurice River Township's major industries are resource extraction and water-based activities. Marinas dot the shoreline of the Maurice from Spring Garden down to Matt's Landing. Commercial and sports fishermen together with recreational boaters share the waters of the rivers and bay, and a shipyard carries on the local boat-building tradition.

In addition, Maurice River Township's unspoiled woods, meadows, creeks and marshes offer outstanding opportunities for passive recreation such as hiking, camping, canoeing, art, photography, and birding. The Delaware bay towns of Moore's Beach, Thompson's Beach and East Point are excellent sites to view the globally significant shore bird migration in the spring. Over 1.5 million birds, some arriving non-stop from South America, congregate to feast on the annual horseshoe crab egg banquet laid out on the sandy beaches of the Bay. In addition, the Maurice River hosts large numbers of bald eagles, in the winter as many as 16 individuals have been counted in one day. According to Birding Cumberland, the second edition of the Birding Guide to Cumberland County, many of the area's richest habitats occur in Maurice River Township, easily accessible by car.

To celebrate our avian resources, the county has recently instituted the Winter Raptor Festival and the Purple Martin Festival, which use the areas east and west of the Mauricetown Bridge as viewing sites and also guide people to other sites to enjoy the extensive bird life in our region. (Call the Cumberland County Department of Planning and Development at 856-553-2177 for dates and locations.)

For the artist and history buff, the often-painted East Point Light, built in 1849 and the last remaining lighthouse on the Delaware Bay, is also worth seeing. With its rivers, marshes, meadows, and breathtaking sunsets, Maurice River Township offers a special environment indeed both to its residents and its visitors!

• Shorebird migration in May at the Delaware Bay towns of Moore's Beach, East Point, and Thompson's Beach, PSE&G public viewing platform at Thompson's Beach
• Neotropical songbird migration, both spring and fall, around East Point

• Autumn raptor migration around East Point/Delaware Bay
• Wintering waterfowl and raptors with large populations of bald eagles on the Maurice River
• Nesting bald eagles hunting the Maurice from early spring through summer
• The osprey colony project, established by Citizens United, approximately 27 active nests along the Maurice

• Heislerville and Corson Fish and Wildlife Management Areas, near Heislerville
• Peaslee Wildlife Management Area, containing much of the headwaters of the Manumuskin River and Muskee Creek, includes Cumberland Pond on Route 49
• Nesting bald eagles hunting the Maurice from early spring through summer
• Menantico Wildlife Management Area, at the head of the Menantico River

The Manumuskin Preserve, a 3,200 acre parcel owned by The Nature Conservancy, is home to numerous threatened and endangered species. Hikes and other activities are offered by The Nature Conservancy, call 609-861-0600.

Maurice River Township includes all four of the recently designated Wild and Scenic Rivers - the Maurice, the Menantico, the Manumuskin and the Muskee Creek. Although they contain typical Pine Barrens flora and fauna, each has its own unique characteristics. Of particular interest, the Manumuskin drainage basin harbors thirty-two rare plants, making it one of the most botanically significant areas in New Jersey. The reptile and mammal diversity is unusual and 15 of New Jersey's 25 threatened and endangered bird species breed here.