Illustrated here is a 1960s post card view of the display case at the small parking area on Third Avenue with the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary in the background.
In 1941 the Stone Harbor Bird Club was organized and soon thereafter they recognized an area in the lower or southern part of town being a unique wild life sanctuary that was especially home to large numbers of nesting and migratory birds. The name of the Bird Club was soon changed and became the Witmer Stone Club recognizing the well known South Jersey naturalist and ornithologist by the name of Witmer Stone.
In order to preserve and protect this natural habitat, a petition was presented by members of the community and the Witmer Stone Club to the mayor and the borough council expressly for the creation of the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary. A huge attraction has brought many visitors to Stone Harbor over many years and most importantly Stone Harbor had became the caretaker, if you will, of the largest permanent heronry in the United States sponsored by a municipality. The site consists approximately of 21 acres bounded by Third and Second Avenues and situated between 111th and 117th Streets that is enclosed by a wire fence and remains off limits to all visitors. Clearly one can see the prominent “NO TRESPASSING” sign depicted in the post card scene.
The birds can be observed at all hours of the day, especially in the evenings at dusk when the flocks return to their nests after a day of feeding in the nearby meadows. Among the many species of birds observed are several types of egrets along with numerous different types of herons. The display case shown in this post card view was maintained by the Witmer Stone Club and presented a number of colorful sketches of different and distinctive birds frequently visible at the Bird Sanctuary for identification purposes. By the year 1965, the National Park Service registered the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary as a national landmark.