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. 

For just as long, we've been joined there by countless volunteers who help put those tags on horseshoe crabs so we can better gauge the effectiveness of our work restoring habitat along the bay. ​

Registration recently opened for any who would like to lend a hand with our horseshoe crab tagging program — and this year, we're heading to new beaches. Whether you're a seasoned tagger or putting on a headlamp for the first time, you're invited to take part in this important effort. 

The tagging program came soon after as a way to measure whether restoration efforts were actually working: Were crabs returning? Were restored beaches being used to spawn?   
 
The answer, it turns out, is yes. Data collected from surveys shows that both horseshoe crabs and Red Knots prefer restored beaches over unrestored ones.  

Each tag attached to a crab becomes a data point in a growing picture of how this species moves through the bay. When tagged crabs are resighted — either on the same beach or a different one — researchers learn about seasonal patterns, year-over-year movement, and population distribution. One intriguing finding so far: while crabs tend to appear near the same beach during spawning season, the broader distribution of local populations across the bay shifts from year to year. 
 
Monitoring of the restored Delaware Bay beaches also includes counts of crab egg density and, through partners, Red Knot numbers, which offer insight into beach usage and ideal spawning conditions. That kind of nuance matters for management decisions — including identifying which beaches might be candidates for future restoration. 
 
To date, the Littoral Society's horseshoe crab tagging program — helped annually by hundreds of volunteers — has tagged nearly 40,000 crabs across beaches including Thompsons, Moores, Fortescue, Dyers Cove, Reeds, Cooks, Kimbles, and Pierces Point. This year, the effort is expanding to Bay Point and Green Creek. 
 
The Society has also operated smaller programs along the Shark River in Monmouth County, New Jersey, as well as Slaughter Beach, Delaware. 
 
Find more information on our website about our crab tagging program and how you can participate. Space is limited for each tagging session to ensure a quality experience for both volunteers and wildlife, so sign up soon! ​

Many of the shorelines we work on today were influenced by his innovative, science-backed approach to restoration. His commitment to restore beach habitat in Delaware Bay after Hurricane Sandy, strengthen coastal resilience for vulnerable communities, Like Shark River Bay, and bring fish and wildlife back to places that depend on thoughtful stewardship. His work reflected what the Society stands for at its best: caring for the coast by working alongside the people who love it.

Capt. Al helped shape not only the places we restore, but also the can-do work ethic and the salty, vibrant culture that defines the American Littoral Society. His contagious enthusiasm, knowledge, his “get ’er done” attitude, and his steady encouragement shaped our organization.

The Society is strong because of the program, people and partnerships he helped build, and we are committed to carrying forward his legacy along the coasts he cared for so deeply.

Our hearts go out to Capt. Al’s family, his daughter, and his close friends. We know many of you came to know and care about Capt. Al over the years and we are holding our members, partners, volunteers, and the broader coastal community in our thoughts as well. He will be deeply missed by all of us who had the privilege to know him. 

We will share ways to honor Capt. Al and his legacy in the coming weeks. If you have memories or stories you would like to share, we would be honored to hear them.

In the first, we will partner with the City of Bridgeton and Gateway Community Action for a citywide cleanup intended to help us protect the Cohansey River Watershed. Meet at the Gateway Warming Center, 7 Washington St, Bridgeton, NJ, at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 18. Water, T-shirts, gloves, and trash pickers will be provided. Kids must be accompanied by a guardian. Find more info.

Later that same day, we will join the Rockaway Film Festival for a shoreline cleanup with a creative twist at Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary in Arverne, NY. From 3-5 p.m., volunteers will collect debris, and items with "art potential" will be set aside for future collaborative workshops. The cleanup is bookended by film screenings at Arverne Cinema, making it a perfect blend of environmental action and local culture. Find more info on the Rockaway Film Festival website.

On April 21, the day before Earth Day, you can join us on Sandy Hook for spring cleaning of the pollinator garden in front of the Littoral Society headquarters building at 18 Hartshorne Drive, in the Fort Hancock Section of Gateway National Recreation Area. We will be removing winter ground cover, repairing small fencing, and deadheading plants but no prior gardening experience is needed. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a first-timer, we’d love your help "sprucing up" the Hook. Please RSVP so we know how many to expect.

Also, on April 21 we will be joining a Teen Rain Garden Planting, Cleanup & Pizza Party from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Cumberland County Library, Fairfield, NJ. We’ll start with a short presentation and some pizza before heading out to the library’s rain garden to cleanup and install new plants. This is a great opportunity for students ages 13–18 to earn volunteer hours. Registration is required.

We will conclude our Earth Month activities on Sunday, April 26 with a pair of events - one in New Jersey's Point Pleasant Borough and the other in Far Rockaway, NY.

The former is our annual Christmas in Spring event at the Slade Dale Nature Preserve along Beaverdam Creek. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will help us place recycled Christmas trees in branchbox breakwaters - wooden structures set in stream that are designed control erosion by using trees and brush to slow currents and waves, as well as capture the sediment being carried in the water. The recycled trees were collected with the help of Point Pleasant Borough Public Works and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Please RSVP if you plan to lend a hand.

That same Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will be hosting a planting event at Arverne East Nature Preserve in Far Rockaway, NY. We will be planting a number of trees and shrubs to help beautify the new coastal park, and add wildlife habitat in honor and memory of local NYC native landscape gardener Cindy Goulder. Please RSVP on our website.

This Women’s History Month, we are proud to honor the legacy of Barbara Cohen, a woman and longtime member of the American Littoral Society whose volunteerism and passion advanced coastal conservation in New York. While we sadly said goodbye to Barbara in 2024, her impact remains visible on every shoreline across the state. ​

A lifelong educator with a degree in Art History from Hunter College, Barbara’s journey into environmentalism was fueled by a deep-seated commitment to activism. Alongside her late husband and "best friend," Mickey Maxwell Cohen, she spent decades marching for civil rights and anti-war causes before turning her formidable organizational skills toward the protection of New York’s natural spaces. 

Barbara was a driving force behind the New York State Beach Cleanup program, which is celebrating its 40th year in 2026 and is a cornerstone of the American Littoral Society’s Northeast Chapter. When she took over as lead volunteer coordinator in 1994, the program consisted of just four cleanup sites. Through her tireless advocacy, Barbara grew that effort into a massive network of 100 cleanup locations, coordinating an incredible 10,000 volunteers to participate in the International Coastal Cleanup. 

In 2024, more than 3,000 NYSBC volunteers collected 11,383 pounds of trash, with the most common items being cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic/metal bottle caps, and small plastic pieces. 

Her leadership led to the removal of a staggering 107+ tons of debris from New York City’s beaches and natural areas. Beyond the cleanup, Barbara was instrumental in establishing Bayswater Point State Park, serving as its first caretaker alongside her husband Mickey. Her expertise and dedication earned her a seat on the Board of Directors for both the New York City Audubon Society - now named NYC Bird Alliance - and the New York State Marine Education Association. 

Barbara’s lifelong service was recognized with some of the highest honors in the field, including: 

• The Environmental Quality Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 
• ​The Matthew Fontaine Maury Award from the NYS Marine Education Association. 
• The Grass Roots and Longtime Service Awards from the NYC Audubon Society. 
• A Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Littoral Society. 

Named an "Everyday Hero" by New York Newsday, Barbara remained an active volunteer well into 2019. Her legacy lives on in the cleaner sands of the Rockaways and the thousands of volunteers she inspired to care for our coast.  ​

Special thanks to the Cohen family for sharing their memories and photos with us to help honor Barbara’s incredible contributions to coastal conservation. 

Last week, the American Littoral Society played a prominent role at the 2026 New Jersey Coastal & Climate Resilience Conference, a biennial gathering that convenes leaders, scientists, educators, and practitioners working to protect coastal communities and ecosystems in the face of accelerating climate change.

Held March 9 - 11 at the Seaview Hotel in Galloway, New Jersey, the conference brought together climate and resilience professionals from across New Jersey and beyond. Hosted by the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (NJCRC) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the event focused on advancing science based, collaborative solutions under the theme “Navigating Changing Tides.”

Throughout the three day program, Littoral Society staff were highly visible as session leaders, presenters, moderators, and panelists, demonstrating both our depth of expertise and our long standing commitment to climate-ready, community-driven coastal solutions.

Advancing Nature Based Solutions and Climate Ready Restoration
The Littoral Society has spent decades at the forefront of climate and coastal resilience work bridging scientific research, hands-on education, on-the-ground restoration, and community engagement.

Since Hurricane Sandy, the Society has led over 60 nature-based solution projects including large-scale beach and marsh restoration, green infrastructure, construction of reefs and other natural storm buffers. We also have led regional partnerships to restore ecological habitat function to Delaware Bay, plan resilience in the Shark River watershed, and connect students coast-wide through various program like Beach Grasses in the Classes and SeaQuest. Our experience and the impact of our work was on full display throughout the conference.

On March 9, McCulloch was part of the plenary session, "Climate Resilience in NJ: State of the Science - State of the Practice," which examined strategies to restore coastal ecosystems and included New Jersey's Chief Resilience Officer, the director of NJDEP's Division of Science and Research, and Rutgers climate scientists. Her presentation explored "Advancing Climate-Ready Restoration." 
 
Later that day, McCulloch moderated a session titled “Oyster Partnerships and a Program in Support of Coastal Resilience,” which examined collaborative work in North Carolina and New Jersey including how to overcome permitting hurdles. 
 
On March 10, McCulloch also joined a panel examining challenges and opportunities in ecological restoration, including how New Jersey can build on successful models from other states with the goal of sparking more oyster restoration in our state. She also fielded questions as part of a Q&A Panel with Nick Angarone, NJ Chief Resilience Officer, and other experts. 
 
On that same day, Rebilas presented on a climate change education panel alongside teachers, school administrators, municipality representatives, and staff from the New Jersey Department of Education's Climate Change Education Unit. The presentation highlighted the Littoral Society's partnership with Egg Harbor Township and Point Pleasant Borough school districts to facilitate student-led climate resilience projects in their local community supported by the NJDOE Climate Education funding. She discussed the Littoral Society’s role in advancing climate literacy and engaging students in community-based resilience projects. ​

Also on March 10, Modjeski took part in a session on nature-based restoration solutions, which included leading a sub-session on how living shorelines strengthen coastal defenses while enhancing biodiversity. 
 
Finally, on March 11, Modjeski and Godshall participated in the session "Building Resilience for Municipalities." Modjeski highlighted the Shark River Roundtable as a model for regional collaboration, while Godshall presented lessons learned from habitat restoration projects across New Jersey. 
 
The conference provided a useful opportunity to strengthen partnerships, share expertise, and advance science-based solutions that protect coastal ecosystems and communities. The Littoral Society was proud to contribute expertise and collaborate with partners to help build a more resilient future for New Jersey’s coast. ​

Alex’s connection to Jamaica Bay runs deep. For many summers, she worked alongside researchers studying nesting Diamondback Terrapins at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge—New York City’s only easily observable population of resident turtles. She has co-authored peer-reviewed research on terrapins and holds a B.A. in Biology from Eckerd College.

Whether she’s knee-deep in marsh mud or coordinating partnerships across Brooklyn and Queens, Alex embodies applied coastal science—rooted in research, powered by community, and grounded in a lifelong passion for turtles and marine conservation.


Julie Schumacher
Habitat Restoration Coordinator
Based out of the Sandy Hook, NJ office, Julie Schumacher brings both scientific rigor and heartfelt commitment to habitat restoration. A graduate of Stockton University with honors in Environmental Science, Julie first joined the Littoral Society as a summer intern before becoming Education and Outreach Coordinator and later transitioning fully into habitat restoration work.

For Julie, the coast is more than a landscape — it’s a safe haven and a source of constant inspiration. From managing restoration efforts like the Wreck Pond Project to engaging the public through field trips and outreach, she connects people to the science behind thriving coastal ecosystems. Her work reflects a powerful intersection of restoration ecology and community engagement.


Kerstin Axe
Restoration Technician
A 2023 graduate of Stockton University with a degree in Marine Science, Kerstin Axe represents the next generation of coastal scientists. After serving as a Watershed Ambassador and working with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection in Coastal Land Use Compliance and Enforcement, she brought her expertise to the Littoral Society as a Restoration Technician.

Kerstin is actively involved in the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab tagging initiative and is eager to expand work in submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) restoration. Her background in regulatory compliance paired with hands-on ecological work underscores the importance of science-informed stewardship in managing coastal resources.


Lucia Osborne
Delaware Bay Program Director
Lucia Osborne leads the Littoral Society’s Delaware Bay Program, where she focuses on reducing stormwater runoff, advancing green infrastructure, and advocating for equitable access to clean water throughout the watershed. Since joining the Society in 2019, she has elevated community-driven conservation along the Cohansey River and throughout the Delaware Bayshore.

Lucia holds a certification in Green Infrastructure from the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional program and serves as chair of the Society’s DEIJ committee, as well as secretary of the South Jersey Bayshore Coalition. Her career reflects a systems-level understanding of watershed science—integrating ecology, environmental justice, and civic leadership.


Michelle Rebilas
Education Program Director
Michelle Rebilas grew up exploring the Delaware Bay shoreline, an experience that sparked her lifelong fascination with coastal ecosystems. Now, as the Society’s Education Program Director, she connects students, teachers, and communities to hands-on environmental learning.

With a B.S. in Marine Science from Stockton University and an M.S. in Environmental Education from Florida Institute of Technology, Michelle brings over a decade of nonprofit education experience to her role. She believes deeply in science literacy as a pathway to stewardship—ensuring that young people see themselves as participants in conservation, not just observers.


Samantha Hemming
Education Coordinator
After serving as a 2024 summer intern, Samantha Hemming returned to the Littoral Society as Education Coordinator at Sandy Hook. With a B.S. in Zoology and a passion for science communication, Samantha develops engaging educational materials and leads immersive programs such as seining, nature walks, and the SeaQuest middle school program.

Her work bridges wildlife research and public engagement, making marine and coastal science accessible to learners of all ages. By translating ecological concepts into hands-on exploration, she helps cultivate the next generation of scientists and environmental advocates.


Danielle McCulloch
Executive Director
As Executive Director, Danielle McCulloch brings nearly two decades of coastal conservation experience to the helm of the American Littoral Society. Her career began at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, where she studied oyster reefs, living shorelines, and fisheries management, earning a Master of Science in Environmental Studies.

Following Hurricane Sandy, Danielle led coastal resilience and habitat enhancement projects with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in New Jersey, earning two Strategic Conservation Awards for her leadership. Today, she advances nature-based solutions, improves policy pathways for ecological restoration, and strengthens collaborative partnerships across sectors.

Her leadership reflects the evolving face of coastal science—where research, resilience planning, and community benefit intersect.


Science in Action, Coast to Coast
From marsh restoration and terrapin research to environmental education and executive leadership, the women of the American Littoral Society demonstrate that science is not confined to laboratories—it lives in estuaries, classrooms, boardrooms, and communities.

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we celebrate their expertise, dedication, and impact. Their work ensures that horseshoe crabs continue to spawn, marshes continue to buffer storms, watersheds continue to provide clean water, and future generations continue to see themselves reflected in the field of science.

The coast is stronger because of them.

This year we were joined by Mason Cain, a junior at Arthur P Schalick High School in nearby Pittsgrove Township, NJ and an alumnus of our Restoration Corps (R-Corps) program this past summer, who volunteered to help us man the Society’s table and talk to the public about our work. We asked him a few questions about what brought him out with us.
 
What made you want to volunteer with us today?
I did R-Corps this summer and wanted to continue working with the Society. I’ve attended Eagle Fest before and was interested in finding a way to help this year, so working together with you all was a great way to do that.
 
Tell me about some of the things you brought with you to include at our table
I brought a board game about horseshoe crabs and red knots that I made when I was in R-Corps. We used it at some educational events we did at local libraries, and it is nice to get to bring it out again. I also brought packs of native seeds that I collected from my garden at home to give out. There’s bee balm, black-eyed susan, anise hyssop, and goldenrod.
 
How has your experience been today so far?
I loved talking to so many dedicated birders and conservation professionals. I also got to catch a couple of the talks that they had in the conference room earlier in the day that were very interesting, including the one about salt marsh restoration where they mentioned some of the Society’s projects. It’s also nice to be inside on such a cold day!
 
If you are interested in volunteering with us, please visit our website and fill out our volunteer interest form: Volunteer - Littoral​ Society

From the 1930s through the 1960s, this beach became a vibrant hub of leisure and artistry, drawing legendary performers who would play late‑night sets in nearby clubs before relaxing on the sand by day. It offered safety, belonging, and celebration at a time when Black visitors were excluded from other parts of the city’s famous boardwalk and beaches. The stories held in this shoreline—of resilience, creativity, and collective pride—anchor it as a defining site in the history of the Jersey coast.
 
Its importance during Black History Month is both symbolic and deeply practical. Chicken Bone Beach embodies the ways Black communities shaped coastal culture, tourism, and the arts even while navigating exclusion. Honoring it means recognizing the generations who built Atlantic City’s musical and social legacy, from jazz icons to local families who made the beach a sanctuary. It also invites a broader understanding of coastal history—one that includes the full spectrum of people who shaped it—and reinforces the ongoing work of preserving Black cultural spaces along the shore.

Harriet Tubman Museum, Cape May, NJ
The Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May stands as one of the most powerful coastal landmarks of Black history, rooted in the lived presence and leadership of Harriet Tubman herself. In the early 1850s, Tubman lived and worked in Cape May, earning wages that helped fund her rescue missions along the Underground Railroad. At the time, Cape May’s bustling maritime economy and active abolitionist community made it a critical hub for organizing and resistance.

Through artifacts, oral histories, and storytelling, the museum preserves Tubman’s time in Cape May and illuminates the broader network of free Black residents, church leaders, and allies who supported freedom seekers moving north. Its significance lies in how it reframes the shoreline as a landscape of liberation. Cape May was not only a seaside resort—it was a corridor of freedom. Honoring this site during Black History Month reminds us that coastal communities were central to some of the most courageous acts of resistance in American history.

Bayshore Center at Bivalve, NJ: Black Oyster Farmer Exhibit
At the Bayshore Center at Bivalve, the Black Oyster Farmer exhibit restores a vital chapter of Delaware Bay history by honoring the generations of Black watermen whose labor and expertise shaped the region’s maritime economy. For more than a century, Black oystermen worked the schooners, captained vessels, shucked oysters in the sheds, and sustained the cultural and economic backbone of the bay—often without recognition.

Through photographs, oral histories, and artifacts, the exhibit brings these stories forward, reframing the working waterfront as a place of skill, stewardship, and community. Its importance during Black History Month lies in how it expands our understanding of who built and cared for these shorelines. By centering Black maritime workers, the exhibit challenges historical erasure and highlights the deep connections between labor, ecology, and justice along the Delaware Bayshore.

Shirley Chisholm State Park, Brooklyn, NY
Shirley Chisholm State Park honors the legacy of one of the most influential political figures in American history in the community that shaped her fearless leadership. As the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress — and the first Black candidate and woman to seek a major party’s presidential nomination — Chisholm transformed American politics through her unwavering commitment to representation and justice.

Built on reclaimed land overlooking Jamaica Bay, the park embodies Chisholm’s belief that every community deserves access to beauty, green space, and opportunity. Its significance to Black History Month lies in how it connects political power to place. The park stands as a living tribute to civic transformation, reminding visitors that the coast is not only a site of environmental restoration, but also a landscape where leaders reshaped the nation’s understanding of who belongs in public life.

Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ
The Count Basie Center for the Performing Arts in Red Bank celebrates the enduring legacy of one of jazz’s most influential bandleaders while serving as a cultural anchor for the community that shaped him. Born just blocks from the theater, William James “Count” Basie carried the rhythms of Red Bank into a global career that transformed American music.

Today, the center honors that legacy by fostering creativity, performance, and arts education—ensuring that Basie’s spirit of swing, innovation, and excellence continues to thrive on the Jersey Shore. Its importance during Black History Month lies in how it connects a local coastal story to a national cultural movement, highlighting the power of Black artistry to shape American identity and sound.

Together, these sites tell a fuller story of our coast—one rooted in creativity, resistance, labor, leadership, and community. Honoring them during Black History Month deepens our understanding of coastal history and affirms that these shorelines have always been places where Black lives, culture, and contributions mattered—and continue to matter today.

As part of this funding, the Littoral Society will undertake a beach restoration project to restore approximately one mile of critical beach habitat along the New Jersey portion of Delaware Bay, an area of global ecological importance for horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds. The work will include placing tons of sand on the beach in order to stabilize eroding shorelines, reverse habitat loss, and ensure the continued availability of spawning and foraging grounds essential to the survival of these species.

Beyond its ecological benefits, the Kimbles and Bay Cove restoration will also enhance coastal resilience for nearby communities. Stabilized beaches act as natural buffers against storms and sea-level rise, reducing flood risk and protecting homes, infrastructure, and local economies.

This dual focus—supporting wildlife while safeguarding people—reflects the broader goals of the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund, which in 2025 will collectively open nearly 4,000 acres to public access, implement dynamic restoration across more than 11,000 acres of forestland, and restore wetlands and floodplains to improve water quality and mitigate flooding throughout the watershed.

The Delaware River watershed spans parts of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, encompassing one of the most densely populated regions in the nation while remaining nearly 50 percent forested. It supports millions of people who depend on the river and its tributaries for clean drinking water, recreation, and jobs, as well as hundreds of native fish and wildlife species.

The American Littoral Society is proud to contribute to this collaborative, watershed-wide effort and grateful to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NFWF, and funding partners for recognizing the importance of Delaware Bay beach restoration. Learn more about this round of funding from the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund.

To learn more about the American Littoral Society’s beach restoration work and its role in protecting horseshoe crab and shorebird habitat, visit: https://www.littoralsociety.org/beach-restoration.html.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a powerful reminder that every community holds tremendous strengths — and that each of us is able to help those strengths shine. On this day, we honor Dr. King’s belief that “everybody can be great, because everybody can serve” by working together to create meaningful, positive change where it’s needed most. 

One accessible and impactful way people contribute to their neighborhoods is through community cleanups. A cleaner environment not only improves public spaces but also encourages others to care for the places they call home. With consistent effort and supportive policy, cultural norms around litter can shift — helping all residents enjoy healthier, safer, and more vibrant surroundings. ​

This year, the Littoral Society and our partners at Southeast Gateway Community Action Partnership and United Advocacy were awarded a small grant from the New Jersey Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission to host a community cleanup in Bridgeton  where we’ve long collaborated on green stormwater infrastructure projects.  ​