Chilly Weather Can't Stop Volunteers Helping Restore Shark River Island Marsh

​Nearly a dozen volunteers braved chilly temps and misty skies on Saturday, April 12 to lend a hand with a planting event at the living shoreline project on Shark River Island in Neptune, NJ. The work will help reduce erosion and protect a vital marsh.

The American Littoral Society is coordinated the volunteer event as part of a resiliency project funded by Neptune City and the Seaview Condo Association of Shark River. The overall project combines natural solutions - such as the living shoreline - with hard barriers, like concrete mattresses.

"This area has suffered heavy erosion that not only impacts the condo owners but also the ecological community," said Capt. Al Modjeski, Habitat Restoration Program Director for the Littoral Society, who was on hand April 12 to help plant dozens of saltmarsh cordgrass plugs.

"The Littoral Society is working to show that working with nature is not just possible but also effective for protecting coastal areas and helping them adapt to the impacts of climate change,” said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society. “We are working from Jamaica Bay to the Delaware Bay to create models for living shorelines, restore neglected natural areas – including salt marshes – and rebuild habitats for endangered species such as red knots and horseshoe crabs.

“While there are similarities to all coastal environments, the unique characteristics of each has led us to work with projects that range from entirely nature-based to hybrids designed to deal with higher energy waves or currents,” Dillingham added. “We believe the work on Shark River Island will lead to ecological restoration and coastal resiliency at the site, while also pointing toward a new way to care for the coast.”