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Lucia Osborne, Delaware Bayshore Program Director  Over the past few months, we’ve been talking with Philadelphians about what their local waterways mean to them. The answer has been clear: rivers and creeks are deeply valued. As one resident put it, they “are like the blood of the city that runs through it.” These conversations show just how connected people feel to the water that shapes their neighborhoods and daily lives.
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Justin Saginor, Fish Tagging Manager  This spring and summer, the American Littoral Society partnered with the national park service for our second consecutive year of the Junior Ranger Angler Program. This program brings children’s age 10 to 16 out to Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook. Each session runs approximately three hours and has a maximum of twelve attendees.
Michelle Rebilas, Director of Education Tara Tucci, Environmental Educator  The team conducting a marsh assessment. Many college students choose environmental majors because they want to get out of the office and into the world around them. They want to get their hands dirty, see the impact of their work, and make a real difference. Getting that hands-on experience, however, is not always easy, especially for community college students. Unlike 4-year universities, many community colleges do not offer consistent, in-the-field experiential learning opportunities for students. Most opportunities that are offered are outside of class time and costly, forcing many students to spend their free time and money to gain career experience outside of school while balancing other responsibilities.
Danielle McCulloch, Executive Director How communities, agencies, and partners are working together to turn resilience planning into action.  American Littoral Society Executive Director Danielle McCulloch speaking at the Shark River Watershed Tour for New Jersey Flood Safety Week After a summer of intense storms and repeated flash flooding across Monmouth County, the need to prepare communities for future flooding is increasingly clear. In the Shark River watershed, the American Littoral Society is working with five municipalities, Monmouth County, state agencies, community organizations, and technical partners to help coordinate that work.
Big decisions are coming for the “most important fish in the sea.” Here’s why they matter, what managers will decide, and how you can speak up.  An osprey catching a gizzard shad. Photo credit: Sue Allen Bunker Feed the Coast Have you ever seen a patch of rippling ocean that looks like wind moving across the water? Or a flock of birds circling and diving in one place? You may have been watching a school of bunker. Atlantic menhaden, also known as bunker, are schooling fish that fuel our coastal food web. Charles "Chuck" Werbany  Working with the American Littoral Society has been an insightful opportunity to learn the importance of conservation and restoration while also providing a look into the challenges these efforts have today. Working in the field with the American Littoral Society was like walking into the lecture hall, seeing firsthand the significance of climate change and the work that is being done to do something about it. While working on projects aimed at conserving horseshoe crab populations, and monitoring restoration efforts and watersheds, I have seen the larger scope of the endeavors at play to tackle climate change. Observing different metrics of the coastal environment such as looking at the population health of local wildlife, the progression of reestablished habitat, and water quality informs us what else is needed to control the damage that we have done to our planet. These problems are not only specific to the Delaware Bay region but also the entire globe.
Derick Smith, Restoration Corps crew member  Hi, I’m Derick and I am a Restoration Corp Crew Member here at the American Littoral Society. I am stationed at the office in South Jersey over in Millville. I have worked here for 3 years now. This little blog blurb will teach you all about rain gardens and why they’re so important.
Lucia Osborne, Delaware Bayshore Program Director Warning: Toilet Talk Ahead!  map of E.coli levels in the Delaware River Everybody poops! It’s a natural function and the body’s way of getting rid of excess waste. Our poop comes in a variety of sizes, colors, and smells, but for the most part, it’s all healthy and normal and bears little consequence on the rest of the world. It’s what happens after we flush the toilet that impacts our water, communities, and ecosystems.
A recent report from our partners at PennEnvironment showed that the Delaware River frequently has unsafe levels of E.coli, a bacteria that’s commonly found in poop, in the stretches of the river that flow through Philadelphia. That’s interesting because Philadelphia has a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system. It’s an old style of water utility where the sanitary lines – the pipes that transport wastewater from where people live, work, and poop – are connected to the stormwater lines – the pipes that carry rainwater that runs off of our streets and buildings. When it rains too much, the system gets overwhelmed and raw sewage overflows into our waterways, and sometimes backs up into people’s basements and streets. Charlie O.D. Smith, Restoration Corps crew member  When Melissa Young, a professor at Rowan College of South Jersey, first suggested I apply for the American Littoral Society, I hesitated. Environmental science had never really been on my radar. As someone who’s always dreamed of becoming a physician, my focus was firmly on human health. But looking back, I’m so glad I took that leap of faith. This experience has completely reshaped the way I think about health. Through the Society, I’ve gained a deep appreciation for One Health [the idea that human health is inseparable from the health of our environment]. It turns out, you can’t truly care for people without caring for the world they live in.
Tara Tucci, Restoration Corps crew member  Tara conducting a horseshoe crab egg density survey on Sunray Beach My name is Tara Tucci, and I am a 2026 Restoration Corps member with the American Littoral Society. I recently graduated from Rowan University in May of 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, and a minor in Biological Sciences. Although my academic background is in both the arts and environmental sciences, my experiences throughout college strengthened my interest in conservation and restoration. Joining the Restoration Corps gave me the opportunity to build on that interest through hands-on experience and introduced me to a career path I had not previously considered for myself. When I began this experience, I was uncertain about what I wanted my career after graduation to look like. By the end of my time with the Restoration Corps, I had gained a clearer sense of direction, a deeper appreciation for marine ecosystems, and a renewed confidence in pursuing a future in conservation.
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