The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed on February 11. It is intended to recognize the role women and girls already play in science and promote the idea of STEM careers to future generations of women.

On this day, we would like to highlight the female scientists on the Littoral Society staff, which include: 

• Alexandra Kanonik, Jamaica Bay Program Director; 
• Julie Schumacher, Habitat Restoration Coordinator;
• Lucia Osborne, Delaware Bay Program Director;
• Michelle Rebilas, Delaware Bay Outreach and Education Coordinator;
• Nicole Haines, Education Director;
• Quinn Whitesall, Habitat Restoration Technician; and
• Toni Rose Tablante, Habitat Restoration Technician.

Read on for brief profiles of the American Littoral Society's Women in Science.

It's World Wetlands Day, so we want to recognize the importance of the soggy-grassy places that can often be found along estuaries and coastal areas. Besides being home to 40 percent of life on earth, these often reviled marshes and swamps serve as sponges for flood waters, a supermarket for fish and birds, a filter for drinking water, and a vacuum for carbon in the atmosphere.

But wetlands are at risk from rising seas, the changing climate, human development and pollution. Which is why the Littoral Society puts a great deal of focus on protecting the wetlands we still have and restoring those we might lose.

Our  education staff bring bring people to wetlands through such things as nature walks, school programs, and sunset seining. We advocate for them through support of legislation including the Clean Water and Living Shorelines act. We help conserve them through activities such as coastal cleanups, community science programs, and dune planting. Plus we work to restore them in New Jersey and New York at places that include Basket Flats at the mouth of the Maurice River, the marsh islands of Jamaica Bay, the Slade Dale Sanctuary near Barnegat Bay, and shorelines around the Shark River.

You can help. Sign up to be a volunteer for one of restoration projects, join us for an upcoming event, lift your voice with ours in support of wetlands protections, become a member, or help support the Littoral Society financially with a donation.