The Society Blog

My R-Corps Experience with the American Littoral Society

10/23/2025

By Gabriella Santucci
Restoration Corps Member, 2025

Gabriella Santucci (center) with fellow Sandy Hook R-Corps members Vivian Oliver (left) and Rowan Semsel, working with students on Sandy Hook.

This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in the American Littoral Society’s Restoration Corps (R-Corps) program at Sandy Hook in Highlands, NJ. I had wanted to work with the Littoral Society for a few years and was thrilled to see that the Restoration Corps program was being offered at the Sandy Hook location for the first time ever. The goal of this program is to give young environmental professionals with little to no experience an opportunity to gain hands-on training in marine conservation and community engagement.

My favorite part of this program was working with the Littoral Society’s Restoration Team. Throughout the summer, we helped with many different projects across New Jersey — from digging on the beach to find horseshoe crab eggs, to floating all day in Barnegat Bay collecting aquatic vegetation data. There was never a dull moment!

I worked most closely with Julie Schumacher, the Littoral Society’s Habitat Restoration Coordinator, who has been an incredible mentor and friend. She was always willing to answer my questions, was incredibly knowledgeable about the science the Littoral Society conducts, and made even the longest field days fun. Gaining hands-on experience in the environmental sciences is so important, and we had many opportunities to do that this summer as part of the Restoration Corps program.

Join Us at Fortescue Beach for a Reef Build and Shell-A-Bration

10/15/2025

Join the American Littoral Society for a volunteer opportunity and appreciation event all wrapped into one! Come to work, stay after to Shell-A-Brate!

With the help of volunteers, we will be installing a new oyster reef at Fortescue Beach in Downe Township, NJ on Sunday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2:30p.m. Once the work concludes at 2 p.m., we will provide food and refreshments. You can signup to lend a hand on our registration page.

Participants will also help us roll out something brand new for this restoration project: Reef Prisms. These triangles are designed to not only provide a solid base for the reef sections, but also help us move away from using plastic mesh bags to hold oyster shell.

My R-Corps Experience with the American Littoral Society

Join Us at Fortescue Beach for a Reef Build and Shell-A-Bration

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