The American Littoral Society is advancing marsh restoration at the mouth of the Maurice River with new support from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection through the Natural Climate Solutions Program. Announced on Earth Day, the investment highlights how New Jersey is turning climate funding into on-the-ground projects that protect both communities and ecosystems.
 
The announcement was made during an Earth Day award ceremony in Point Pleasant, where Society staff joined partners from across the state and met with NJDEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak to recognize new investments in nature-based resilience projects statewide.
 
This phase of work will restore 13 acres of marsh directly while helping stabilize conditions needed to recover more than 375 acres of degraded marsh that protect communities along the Delaware Bayshore. By reducing wave energy and capturing sediment, the hybrid breakwater system rebuilds marsh elevation and strengthens the landscape’s ability to buffer storms, support fisheries, and store carbon. In a state surrounded by water, restoring marsh systems like these is one of the most effective ways to reduce coastal risk.

Thousands of plants in the sand and hundreds of hands on the beach is the testament to another successful season of beachgrass planting at Coney Island Creek Park in Brooklyn, NY.

In March and early April, the American Littoral Society — in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation's Resilient Schools and Communities (RiSC) program and NYC Parks -- brought in nearly 700 intergenerational volunteers to the park who helped plant 38,000 plugs of beachgrass along the shoreline in order to stabilize dune, reduce erosion and strengthen natural defenses against coastal flooding.

Along the way, the program also delivered hands-on environmental education to 520 students and 60 teachers, while also removing nearly 600 pounds of debris from the park. Together, these efforts are helping transform Coney Island Creek into a more resilient and ecologically vibrant space.

Every spring, something ancient and extraordinary unfolds along the sandy shores of the Delaware Bayshore. Thousands of horseshoe crabs — creatures that have roamed Earth's oceans for hundreds of millions of years — crawl ashore to spawn. And for over a decade, the American Littoral Society has been there to meet them, with tags in hand. 

For just as long, we've been joined there by countless volunteers who help put those tags on horseshoe crabs so we can better gauge the effectiveness of our work restoring habitat along the bay. ​

Registration recently opened for any who would like to lend a hand with our horseshoe crab tagging program — and this year, we're heading to new beaches. Whether you're a seasoned tagger or putting on a headlamp for the first time, you're invited to take part in this important effort.