From sunrise to sunset, one can stroll – with dogs as well, if leashed – along the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Trail on Bonnet Island, located off the westernmost bridge between the mainland and Long Beach Island. The N.J. Department of Transportation, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, created the path as part of an environmental mitigation initiative connected to the federally funded Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project.

In June of last year, the trail was unveiled. As Refuge Manager Virginia Rettig said at the time, “Creating nearly 20…