Mullica River

Mullica River
Mullica River
Etymology	Named afterEric Pålsson Mullica
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Camden County
• coordinates	39°47′24″N74°54′46″W/ 39.7901°N 74.9129°W
Mouth	Great Bay (New Jersey)
• location	Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
• coordinates	39°33′03″N74°22′34″W/ 39.5507°N 74.3761°W
Length	50.6 miles (81.4 km)

TheMullica Riveris a 50.6-mile-long (81.4 km)^[1]river in southernNew Jerseyin theUnited States.The Mullica was once known as theLittle Egg Harbor River.

The river provides one of the principal drainages into theAtlantic Oceanof the extensivePinelands.ItsestuaryonGreat Bayis considered one of the least-disturbed marinewetlandshabitats in the northeastern United States.

In 2022, theMullica River Fireconsumed an estimated 13,500 acres (55 km²) of the relatedWharton State Forest.

Course

The Mullica rises in centralCamden County,nearBerlin,on the southeastern fringes of the New JerseysuburbsofPhiladelphia.It flows generally east-southeast across the state, crossing theWharton State Forestand forming most of the boundary betweenAtlanticandBurlington County.Near The Forks, where it receives theBatsto River,the Mullica broadens into a navigable river approximately 20 miles (32 km) long, stretching east-southeast and emptying intoGreat Bayapproximately 10 miles (16 km) north ofAtlantic City.It becomes brackish below the bridge atGreen Bank.Approximately 3 miles (5 km) upstream from its mouth on Great Bay, it receives theestuaryof theWading Riverfrom the north. Approximately 2 miles (3 km) upstream from its mouth, it receives theBass Riverfrom the north. The watershed drained by the river and its tributaries measures approximately 568 square miles, and is composed primarily of pine forests and scrub habitat.

The estuary is crossed by theGarden State ParkwayandUS 9near its mouth. The lower reaches of the river form an extensivewetlandsarea, which is protected on its southern bank as theEdwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Wildlife

Mullica River northwest ofLake Atsion

The Mullica River is noted as a spawning ground forstriped bass.Blueback herringmake a spring spawning run up the river and its tributaries. Freshwater portions are also home to healthy populations ofwhite catfish,pickerel,white perch,crappie,white sucker,andlargemouth bass.Brackish and saltwater portions of the river are inhabited byweakfish,winter flounder,bluefish,American eel,and summer flounder.Blue claw crabsare prevalent in the lower reaches of the river and in tributaries flowing through the surrounding salt marshes. These tidal creeks also support populations of the northerndiamondback terrapin,which is listed by the federal government as a species of special concern.

The river also provides a habitat for a broad assortment of nesting and migratory birds. Species of note include thecommon tern,black skimmer,laughing gull,piping plover,least tern,great black-backed gull,osprey,great egret,black-crowned night heron,clapper rail,Virginia rail,merlin,andmarsh wren,among others.Canada geese,American black ducks,mallards,tundra swans,northern pintails,and other migratory birds are often observed in the river estuary.

Name

The river is named afterEric Pålsson Mullica,earlySwedishsettler (withFinnishancestry) born in 1636 who founded a homestead on the river after moving there from the vicinity ofPhiladelphia.^[2]The settlement was located about 15 miles (24 km) upstream from the mouth near present-dayLower Bank.For many years it was known as the Little Egg Harbor River ('Little' to disambiguate it from theGreat Egg Harbor Riverto its south); before European colonization, theLenapecalled it the Amintonck.^[3]^: xi

Tributaries

References

^U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data.The National Map Archived2012-03-29 at theWayback Machine,accessed April 1, 2011
^"Finnish Place Names - New Jersey".The Genealogical Society of Finland.Retrieved2009-08-20.
^Beck, Henry Charlton(1945).Jersey Genesis: The story of the Mullica River(5th ed.).Rutgers University Press.ISBN 0-8135-1015-5.

External links

[NHD-1] U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data.The National Map Archived2012-03-29 at theWayback Machine,accessed April 1, 2011

[2] "Finnish Place Names - New Jersey".The Genealogical Society of Finland.Retrieved2009-08-20.

[beck-3] Beck, Henry Charlton(1945).Jersey Genesis: The story of the Mullica River(5th ed.).Rutgers University Press.ISBN 0-8135-1015-5.

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