Downe Township, NJ,  September 16, 2020 – Today, the American Littoral Society announced that it has received a $500,000 grant to improve horseshoe crab and shorebird habitat at South Jersey’s Fortescue Beach, while also making the shore more resistant to coastal storms and sea level rise.

​The grant comes from the Resilient Communities Program, a collaboration between Wells Fargo and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) that aims to help communities better prepare for and respond to climate-related natural disasters by investing in green infrastructure. The Resilient Communities grant unlocks an additional $522,440 in matching funds from external sources for a total conservation impact of $1,022,440.
 
The project will improve the resiliency of 0.34 linear miles (5.8 acres) of important horseshoe crab spawning and red knot foraging beach habitat in Downe Township, NJ by creating up to 1,200 linear feet of hybrid living reef breakwaters that will minimize sand loss during winter storms. The project will engage eight local partners, 250 volunteers and reach 2,500 people through our existing outreach programs, which include horseshoe crab tagging and re-sighting.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 17, 2020 – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today announced more than $37 million in new grants from the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) that will support coastal resilience projects in 25 states and U.S. territories. The 46 grants announced today will generate $55 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $92 million.

The NCRF grants will contribute to the restoration or enhancement of natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, mangroves, forests, coastal rivers and barrier islands. These natural buffers can help reduce the impacts of storms, rising sea levels and other extreme events on nearby communities and habitats.
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The American Littoral Society, a membership-based coastal conservation organization headquartered in Highlands, New Jersey, was awarded $4.9 million for its proposed work Restoring Ecologically Beneficial and Resilient Infrastructure at the Mouth of Maurice River (NJ).  

Man, do we need something to celebrate.

No one wants to read a recitation of the challenges we have faced during the past year as Americans and people who care about the coast, much less those burdens unique to our own lives and paths.

So, as we head into the shortest days of the year, which will bring to many the cold winds of winter, lets focus on celebration.
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Let’s celebrate the coast. Let’s celebrate the salt life. 

According to a Giving USA 2019 report, only 3% of philanthropic giving across income levels in the United States, goes to the environment and that is up from previous years. As coronavirus persists, sea levels continue to rise, while water and air pollution levels increase. Your support is integral to the health of our local waterways and communities!

​The American Littoral Society is participating in #GivingTuesday today because we need your support. Today we celebrate the mission of promoting the study and conservation of marine life and habitat, protecting the coast from harm, and empowering others to do the same; and honor all the work that would not be possible without supporters like YOU. Now more than ever the coast, your coast, needs your help.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is ever going to get better. It's not.”
~ The Lorax, Dr. Suess

When I think of an advocate, I often think of the Lorax, the iconic conservation figure created by Dr. Suess. The Lorax spoke for the trees, which had no tongues.

The lesson of the Lorax was that there are things that must be cared for, resources that need to be stewarded. Often we need someone to remind us what we have or what may be lost. We need someone to speak out on behalf of the things that can’t speak for themselves – whether trees or horseshoe crabs.

Without an advocate we might not even hear about important things until they are gone.
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However, what may be the saddest aspect of the Lorax is that there was just one, fighting a lonely battle.

A number of organizations called on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to follow through on efforts to help protect a crucial fish species. That effort was rewarded on Oct. 28 with a vote by ASMFC's Atlantic Menhaden Management Board to reduce the Atlantic menhaden quota by 10 percent.

The decision established a quota of 194,400 metric tons for the 2021 and 2022 fishing years. Atlantic menhaden are a primary food source for numerous sportfish populations, especially striped bass.
 
Menhaden have been called the "most important fish in the sea." In the bays and estuaries of the east coast they create a vital connection between the bottom and top of the food chain.
 
They eat tiny plants and animals and are a rich food source for many predator fish — including rockfish (striped bass), bluefish, and weakfish, as well as ospreys, bald eagles, dolphins, and whales.
 
Menhaden migrate along the Atlantic coast from Florida to Maine. ASMFC, an interstate governing body manages the fishery for the 15 states that share the coastline.

The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed hosted a webinar on Monday, October 5 to share information on a project seeking to promote fair and equitable opportunities to “get more people, more often, in more places” swimming, paddling and enjoying the 27 mile stretch of the Delaware River flowing past Philadelphia, Camden and Chester. 

The Water Center, University of Pennsylvania, and the American Littoral Society, with the support of the William Penn Foundation, are creating a “road map” of possible improvements and a process to advise policy makers on preferred paths for relatively short-term action that would result in better water quality in targeted areas of the Delaware River in order to support swimming, wading, and paddling.