Delaware Bay Coastal Program

Our Priorities

We currently focus much of our time and resources on making a meaningful impact on these three priorities. 

Delaware Bay shorebirds

Monitoring the delicate balance between the second largest population of spring migrating shorebirds in North America and the food source they rely on, the eggs of the largest spawning population of horseshoe crabs in the world. Data collected on these species are directly applied to ongoing conservation efforts.

Coastal Resilience and shoreline habitats

Conserving and restoring beach and intertidal shoreline habitats relied on by fish, wildlife, and communities. We facilitate ecologically-responsible solutions to shoreline erosion and beach degradation to create shores resilient to storms, sea level rise, and navigational impacts for the benefit of many coastal habitat-dependent species, including shorebirds and beach nesting birds.

Delaware and New Jersey salt marshes

Conserving, restoring, and studying the vulnerable salt marshes of Delaware and New Jersey to protect and improve the habitat of the unique variety of fish and wildlife relying on them. We especially explore novel restoration and monitoring techniques that address tidal marsh birds such as saltmarsh sparrow and black rail.

Our Secondary Priority

Though we are focused primarily on the above priorities, we focus on efforts that connect people with nature as resources allow. We believe this is important to the watershed and communities that reside within it. We provide funding, organizing, technical, and on-the-ground assistance through partnerships we are currently part of.

Connecting people with nature

Supporting efforts to get students and communities outside and have meaningful experiences in nature in the lower Delaware River Watershed and to learn through outreach associated with our restoration and conservation projects we work on throughout our work area.

Click the link below to learn more about some of our special projects.