 Among the items available for auction at the Littoral Society's recent Littorally Local event was a tour of Jamaica Bay's salt marshes with Don Riepe, the Society's Jamaica Bay Guardian. The winner of that item, Russ Comeau, sent us the following account of the excursion, on which he was accompanied by four avid birders.
Our adventure began on morning of September 28th, an hour before high tide, which is best to float Don’s boat into the beautiful marsh creeks where saltwater bay birds abound, buffered and oblivious to the hubbub of surrounding New York City. Herons, Egrets, Gulls, and Cormorants were predominately present in good numbers, with a showing of waterfowl and Forster's Terns. A diversity of raptors included a Bald Eagle and Northern Harrier both sitting on the marsh, a Peregrine Falcon defiantly standing on an Osprey nest, as well as several circling Harriers, and treed Ospreys. Shorebirds were mostly absent on this tide. We missed a few salty sparrow types that deftly dodged us, way too elusive to ID. Two different pairs of chattering Belted Kingfishers circled us as we slowly glided past their favorite overhanging snags.
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 The Littoral Society is getting into the spirit of the season with Halloween-themed events at three locations.
The walk that started them all, the Sandy Hook Spooky Walk, returns on two dates this year: Thursday, October 20 and Thursday, Oct 27. Billed as Spooky Tales: Ghosts of Historic Fort Hancock, it will take participants on a moonlight walk through historic Fort Hancock, where ghosts have been known to linger. Cider and fall snacks will be provided after at Littoral Society headquarters in Building 18 of Officer's Row (GPS: 18 Hartshorne Drive, Highlands, NJ). Cost is $10 for members and $20 for non-members. To ensure the safety and enjoyment of participants, registration is limited. Given the popularity of these walks, anyone who would like to join us should register promptly. Contact Littoral Society Education Director Nicole Haines with any questions: nicole.haines@littoralsociety.org. In South Jersey, the Littoral Society's Creepy Coast Walk is returning for the second year on Friday, October 28 at 7 p.m. This walk will bring participants through the marsh and out to Thompsons Beach, guided only by the light of the moon.  Fair seas and a gentle breeze made for a sold-out boat of American Littoral Society supporters on Friday, September 16.
The 4th annual Littorally Local Sunset Cruise set sail on Sandy Hook Bay with well over 100 people on board for a night of fun, oysters from the Barnegat Oyster Collective, beer from Ross Brewing, and coastal conservation conversation. Since 1961, the Littoral Society has been caring for the coast in New Jersey, New York and beyond. We see the beauty and feel the energy that draws people to coastal communities. In addition to the cruise, which began with dockside cocktails in the Atlantic Highlands Marina aboard Teal Cruises' Festiva, the event included an online auction which concluded on Saturday, September 17. Proceeds from the cruise and auction benefit the Littoral Society.  On a nearly picture perfect day, 60 anglers from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania departed Atlantic Highlands, NJ on the annual Littoral Society Fluke Tagging Trip. This year's trip was in memory of the Society's long-time Fish Tagging Director Jeff Dement.
Aboard the Mi-Jo II, participants were carried to New York's Atlantic Beach Reef, where they caught more than 200 fish and tagged 120 fluke. The largest fluke hauled in measured over 18 inches. That fish, along with seven other keepers, were tagged and released. For experienced taggers and novices alike, the trip offered a great opportunity for novices to learn from experienced taggers. While tagging or marking animals has long been an accepted biological method for monitoring wildlife, it is even more important for fish because, unlike other animals, they spend almost their entire lives out of the sight of the researchers trying to learn about them.  Recently, the Young Stewards Summer Campers from Fernbrook Farms Environmental Education Center visited Thompson's Beach in Maurice River Township, along the Delaware Bay, to explore unique ecosystems and dive into marine science.
Led by Michelle Rebilas, the American Littoral Society’s Delaware Bayshore Education Coordinator, participants witnessed the beauty and biodiversity of the salt marsh and bay beach through their own eyes. The field trip is a new educational opportunity being offered through the Littoral Society's Delaware Bay office. They watched Ospreys swoop in with the catch of the day, searched for fiddler crabs in the marsh mud, and learned how to use scientific instruments to test water quality. Participants also practiced using a seine net and plankton net to discover what lives just under the surface of the water. Through hands on exploration and discovery, the campers learned what makes these habitats so important and why they must be protected. Are you a teacher or group leader looking for a field trip to the Delaware Bay? Read on to learn how you can book such an excursion through the Littoral Society.  Left to Right: Bridgeton City employee David Peterson, Lucia Osborne of the American Littoral Society and Esaul Martin of Gateway Community Action Partnership co-hosted Unity Day. On Saturday, September 3, more than 600 people came together to celebrate the diversity that brings their community together at Bridgeton, NJ's annual Unity Day. The American Littoral Society joined in the by talking to people about the Cohansey River - which runs through the center of the city - and how people can make changes in their own backyards to improve water quality. Lucia Osborne, the Littoral Society's Delaware Bay Program Director, along with David Peterson of Bridgeton and Esaul Martin of Gateway Community Action Partnership, served as co-MCs for the event. Among the notable participants were Dallas Cowboy player and Bridgeton native Markquese Bell, and House of Representatives hopeful Tim Alexander. If you missed us this year, don’t worry! We’ll be back next summer.  Dallas Cowboy player and Bridgeton native Markquese Bell was among the attendees at Unity Day.  The American Littoral Society hosted the media, project partners and the public at a special shell-a-bration which marked the next step in the Littoral Society's restoration project at Forked River Beach.
On Tuesday, September 13 from 3-5 p.m., the Society held a volunteer work session at the project site, during which shell seeded with oyster larvae was brought to the reef constructed just offshore. That work was followed with a party from 5-7 p.m. to show appreciation for all those who have helped on this project. More than 60 people from the Forked River community and Lacey Township came out to lend a hand with the work and celebrate the milestone. “This is truly a community-based restoration project that’s been a partnership between volunteers, as well as private, public, and nonprofit entities,” said Capt. Al Modjeski, the Littoral Society's Habitat Restoration Program Director. “The project’s success to date has been built on the hard work and contributions of the volunteers from the community. They have made it happen.” The Littoral Society has been building oyster reefs and living shorelines in Barnegat Bay to reduce erosion, create wildlife habitat, and improve water quality. The Forked River Beach site has lost over a hundred and fifty feet of shoreline since 1995 and erosion there has been accelerating since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Increased sediment in water from shoreline erosion has impacted the water quality of Barnegat Bay.  Some came dressed in silly costumes or carrying outlandish floatation devices. Many attended for the fun and the refreshment of floating in the Delaware River or the party that came after.
But FLOATOPIA - which took place on Saturday, August 27 at Pyne Point Park in Camden, NJ - had a serious purpose: Raising awareness of how far the Delaware River has come and what more must be done to make it a swimmable, accessible, fishable and equitable (SAFE) waterway for everyone who lives along it. Hosted by Upstream Alliance and the American Littoral Society, the event brought nearly 200 people to paddle in the river and party in the park, including Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen, Camden Councilwoman Felisha Reyes-Morton, and Philadelphia Councilman Mark Squilla. The 330-mile waterway is touted as “America’s Founding River,” and hosts some of the best places to swim and fish in the country. Yet the 27-mile stretch from Philadelphia, PA to Wilmington, DE, the most populous and diverse stretch of the river, is the only portion that doesn’t meet the criteria for full recreational use.  Sunset at Cooks Beach, Cape May County, NJ with horseshoe crabs moments before high tide. by Toni Rose Tablante, American Littoral Society Habitat Restoration Technician
May and June are all about horseshoe crabs at the American Littoral Society. The season was jam-packed and non-stop…let’s find out why! Working in the heart of the largest horseshoe crab spawning area in the world has been nothing short of fascinating. I started my position with the Society right at the beginning of horseshoe crab season and it was amazing and demanding! In addition to jumping right into the Society's annual crab tagging efforts, this year also included days and nights of monitoring how the crabs are affected by a new restoration project near Nantuxent Creek in Cumberland County, NJ. Let's start with some background: The American Littoral Society has a long history of fighting for the protection of horseshoe crabs and was instrumental in restoring their spawning habitats in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. And for the last decade, our Habitat Restoration team has continued to rebuild beaches that support successful horseshoe crab spawning.   Basket Flats before restoration work began. Due to erosion, Basket Flats marsh at the Mouth of the Maurice River has shrunk by 100 feet in the last three years. At the Littoral Society, we believe this special place along the Delaware Bayshore should be protected and preserved. We are working hard to change the fate of this vital area, which is home to residents of Cumberland County, NJ, the oyster docks at Bivalve and Matts Landing, and rare wildlife such as the Saltmarsh Sparrow. To build back the marsh and prevent future erosion, the Society - in concert with the Wildlife Restoration Partnership, Stockton University, Mount Construction Company, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service and NJ Department of Environmental Protection - is undertaking the biggest nature-based shoreline restoration project in the Garden State right now. We are installing rock to protect the existing shoreline and will later plant native grass to revitalize the area. We will also build breakwaters and oyster reefs to reduce the force of waves on the shoreline, prevent further marsh loss, and encourage marsh growth. “We are protecting both the communities and local economies of Delaware Bay and its ecology with this project,” said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the Littoral Society. “These projects, because they are larger in scale, will give us a chance to prove that it can be done, and that it can be done collaboratively.” Follow along with us as we #BuildUpBasketFlats. |
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