Explore the wild edible plants that flourish throughout the park on this guided walk. Learn how to identify seasonal species and sample a few along the way.Find more info and register on our website.
Come along with the American Littoral Society for a day of coastal exploration and hands-on learning at Sandy Hook! Homeschool students ages 5 and up will connect with other families while discovering Sandy Hook’s unique marine environment.Find more info and register on our website.
Shark River Horseshoe Crab Tagging
Neptune, NJ
May through June
Horseshoe crab tagging along New Jersey's Shark River resumes on Saturday, May 16 and will continue through Tuesday, June 2. Join us at Memorial Park in Neptune City to lend a hand.Find more info and register on our website.
Save the Date: Sunset on the Bay
Fortescue, NJ
Saturday, June 13, 5pm - 8pm
Celebrate spring migration along the Delaware Bayshore during peak horseshoe crab spawning season. Enjoy guided bird walks, beachcombing, live music, food, and more.Get details and register here.
Society’s Annual Members Day 2026
Sandy Hook, NJ
Saturday, June 27, 9am - 2pm
The Society’s Annual Members Day is our yearly celebration of the people who make the Society’s work possible! Join us for awards, activities, the Board of Trustees election, and a BBQ picnic lunch as we come together to celebrate another year of coastal conservation and community impact. This event is free for members of the American Littoral Society. Not a member yet? Join today and be part of the celebration.
If you are a current member, in the next few weeks you should receive an email with a link to register online. If you do not receive a link, please contact [email protected] to check or update your membership status.
April arrived with a poignant mix of reflection and renewal for the American Littoral Society. It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Capt. Al Modjeski. Al was a cornerstone of our restoration family, a true champion for the coast, and a mentor to so many. His passion for the water and his unwavering dedication to "doing the work" on the ground — and in the mud — leaves an indelible mark on our organization and the shorelines he spent his life protecting. As we move forward, we carry his spirit with us in every reef we build and every acre of habitat we restore.
Despite the weight of our loss, the rhythm of the littoral zone continues, and our team has stayed busy honoring that mission. In addition to providing testimony for implementing New Jersey's REAL rules for flood protection, our staff also took part in an award ceremony on how the state is turning climate funding into on-the-ground projects that protect both communities and ecosystems.
Along the shores of Jamaica Bay, we also just completed dune grass planting season with our partners from the National Wildlife Federation, the Resilient Schools Consortium (RiSC), and NYC Parks. Thanks to an incredible "army" of intergenerational volunteers, students, and partners, we have tucked tens of thousands of beachgrass plugs into the sand at Coney Island Creek Park. These new dunes are already beginning to take root, providing a natural line of defense against erosion and coastal flooding while creating vital habitat for coastal wildlife.
As the dune grass season ends, a new and ancient cycle is just beginning to stir. Horseshoe crab tagging season begins at the end of the month on our restored beaches along the Delaware Bay. This work is a vital piece of our ecological puzzle, helping us track the health of these "living fossils" and ensure the survival of the migratory shorebirds that depend on them. Read more about these and other Littoral Society initiatives in the April edition of our Field Notes newsletter.
Remembering Captain Aleksandr “Capt. Al” Modjeski
Sandy Hook, NJ
It is with deep sadness that we share the loss of our friend and colleague, Capt. Aleksandr “Captain Al” Modjeski. He died unexpectedly in April. Read more on our website.
Littoral Society Advances Major Marsh Restoration at Mouth of Maurice River with NJDEP Natural Climate Solutions Funding
Point Pleasant, NJ
The 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. 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. Read more on our website.
Littoral Society Speaks Out In Support of NJ PACT REAL Rules at Trenton Earth Day Hearing
Trenton, NJ
On Earth Day, the American Littoral Society defended the coast by speaking out against SCR-106, a resolution from the New Jersey State Senate that attempts to invalidate the NJ PACT REAL Rules, which protect coastal environments, steer development away from high risk areas, and require new homes be built with climate change in mind. Read more on our website.
Plants and Volunteers Bring Dune Restoration to NYC's Coney Island Creek Park
Brooklyn, NY
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. Read more on our website.
It's Living Fossil Season - Volunteer to Help Tag Them
Delaware Bay, NJ
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. Learn more on our website.
Still Time for Joy: Seals of Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook, NJ
Hear from the Littoral Society's Samantha Hemming about the return of seals to New Jersey, the Marine Mammal Protection Act that helped bring them back, and how to properly interact with them in an episode of "Still Time for Joy" with Sandra Levine. Watch video through our Facebook page.
Edgar Returns to Jamaica Bay
Broad Channel, NY
We are happy to share that Edgar the Egret made his much-anticipated return to Jamaica Bay on Monday, March 30. Captured here in all his glory by Don Riepe, the Littoral Society's Jamaica Bay Guardian, Edgar’s arrival is one of the surest signs that the season has turned.. Read more on our Facebook page.
Good News for National Wildlife Week (April 5-11)
Neptune Twp., NJ
We are thrilled that Yellow-crowned Night Heron have returned to the rookery overlooking our living shoreline project along South Riverside Drive in the Shark River Hills section of Neptune Township. Read more on our Facebook page.
Winter Deepfreeze Forces Replacement of Jamaica Bay Osprey Platforms
Jamcia Bay, NY
This past winter brought a deeper freeze to Jamaica Bay than has been seen in over 15 years, and while the thick ice offered some rare sights such as ice skaters and ice boats, it left behind a significant challenge for local wildlife. Massive, shifting ice sheets uprooted and carried away many of the man-made Osprey nesting platforms that dot the bay. In response to this "ice-pocalypse," the community around the bay rallied for a solution. Read more info on our Facebook page.
