Join the American Littoral Society's expert birder, Dan Burgoyne, for mornings and evenings of birding along the coast as we explore Sandy Hook’s rich and diverse habitats. We’ll walk through forests, marshes, and shoreline areas in search of shorebirds, songbirds, wading birds, ospreys, terns, whip-poor-wills, and more. Along the way, we’ll share bird ID tips and highlight Sandy Hook as an important habitat for wildlife.Find more info and register on our website.
Join us at a cove on Sandy Hook Bay for a guided Sunset Seining adventure. Participants will help pull a seine net through the bay and experience the thrill of discovering fish, crabs, and other fascinating marine creatures.Learn more and register here.
Explore the diverse wildlife that calls our coast home. We’ll meet at Memorial Park, where participants will help pull a 45-foot seine net through the bay and see what marine wildlife we can find. Learn more and register here.
Paddle through the calm, protected waters of Sandy Hook Bay on a guided ecological tour led by a naturalist from the American Littoral Society. Explore this unique barrier peninsula while learning about estuaries, marine life, and coastal birds. A certified lifeguard from Sandy Hook Kayaks will accompany the group for added safety.Find more info and register on our website.
Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival
Broad Channel, NY
Sunday, August 16
10am - 2pm
Join us and our partners for the 20th Annual Shorebird Festival. August is the perfect time to explore the diversity of New York City’s shorebirds! Festival attendees will have the opportunity to spot and learn about the scores of shorebird species and their natural habitat of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, filled with marshland, fresh and brackish water ponds, and grassy fields.
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel, Queens, NYC. Visit the east and west ponds to view shorebirds as they migrate southward. Free. Kids welcome. For more information visit our website.
Community Kayak Day in Bridgeton
Bridgeton, NJ
August 17
5 - 7pm
Join us and our partners for an afternoon of kayaking in Bridgeton, NJ. All skill levels welcome. First time paddlers can participate in a demonstration of basic paddling and receive help from Society staff on the water.Find more info and register on our website.
The Littoral Society and the National Park Service will be teaching young people surf fishing on Sandy Hook. As part of the program, we will cover the basics of casting, knot tying, lure/bait selection, and “reading” a beach. All skill levels are welcome. Rods, reels, and tackle will be provided. Children 10-16 are welcome with a supervising adult.Find more info and register here.
Our work is powered by people like you. Whether you're helping us tag horseshoe crabs, joining a coastal learning program, or advocating for cleaner water, your support safeguards the coast. Donate today to protect the habitats that sustain our marine life and communities.
American Littoral Society loves summer on the shore!
What have we been up to? We gathered at Sandy Hook for a special Members Day honoring Tim Dillingham and his remarkable 23 years of leadership protecting the coast, wildlife, and waters in our region. Thank you to everyone that helped honor Tim and his many accomplishments for the coast.
We also collected important data at Kimbles Beach to guide future restoration, wrapped up another busy horseshoe crab tagging season along Delaware Bay and the Shark River, and continued pushing for cleaner and safer waters in the Delaware River. This month, we are celebrating 40 years of New York Beach Cleanups!
All of this work is made possible by the people who join us to tag horseshoe crabs under the moonlight, lead beach cleanups, attend shorebird walks, support our on-the-ground work through generous gifts, and are as passionate about conserving the coast for the future as we are.
Thank you for being part of the American Littoral Society and for helping us protect, restore, and celebrate the coast.
See you on the shore!
40th Anniversary of New York State Beach Clean-ups
Queens, NY
The Littoral Society has been coordinating and hosting volunteer beach cleanups on New York’s shorelines and beaches since 1986! Which means that this year we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of our beach cleanup program. Read more on our blog.
Farewell (For Now) to our Favorite Friends
Delaware Bay, NJ
The American Littoral Society began its 14th season of horseshoe crab tagging along the Delaware Bay back in April and finished at the end of June. Read all about the great season we had working with these incredible creatures on our blog here.
Monitoring Kimbles Beach
Middle Township, NJ
Over the past two months, we have been monitoring horseshoe crabs at Kimbles Beach to better support our restoration work. By comparing the baseline data we collected this spring, to data that we collect after the beach restoration, we will be able to assess the effectiveness of our restoration work and design and implement better projects Read more on our blog.
Photo credit: Sue Allen
The Historic River Town of Philadelphia - and the Urgent Need for Swimmable Waters
Philadelphia, PA
As Philadelphia celebrated America's 250th birthday in the midst of a blistering 100‑degree heat wave, it is worth remembering that this city is one of the world’s great historic river towns. Yet these waters are still burdened by one of the most persistent and solvable pollution challenges of the 21st century: raw sewage discharges, known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs), contaminating our waterways as many as 195 days out of the year. Learn more on our blog.
Shark River Tagging Recap
Neptune City, NJ
In Shark River, the data from the 2026 horseshoe crab season is in, and the results are exciting! Shark River is a unique location for horseshoe crabs to access and utilize. Compared to the open waters on Delaware Bay, horseshoe crabs must travel through a turbulent inlet to access the Shark River basin and are then met with a predominately hardened shoreline. Learn more on our blog.
Members Day Recap
Sandy Hook, NJ
Our American Littoral Society family gathered at Sandy Hook for one of the most meaningful Members Days in our history. Together, we celebrated our coast, enjoyed the company of old and new friends, and most importantly, honored Tim Dillingham and his extraordinary 23 years of leadership. Read more and see photos on Facebook.
Social Media Update
The Interwebs, USA
A small but not insignificant win: we have officially surpassed 10,000 Facebook followers! It's wonderful to see so many people interested in and dedicated to coastal conservation. Keep an eye on that page, as well as our Instagram, for plenty of upcoming opportunities to learn and participate in the work that we do to protect and restore coastal habitats. We're also working on a TikTok page, so consider following us there too!
Our work is powered by people like you. Whether you're helping us tag horseshoe crabs, joining a coastal learning program, or advocating for cleaner water, your support safeguards the coast. Donate today to protect the habitats that sustain our marine life and communities.
