TWI 50th Anniversary Impact Report

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The Wetlands Institute ®

IMPACT REPORT

Nearly 50 years ago, the founding of The Wetlands Institute marked a milestone in the history of the conservation movement.

The founding of The Wetlands Institute, construction of the iconic building, and the commitment to preserve, protect, and steward our wetlands and coastal ecosystems has had a lasting impact.

Every season, every day since, The Wetlands Institute has worked to fulfill that founding vision, as a force for research, conservation and education. It is this long-term commitment to our mission that drives our success. So many volunteers, friends and supporters over the years have worked to ensure that we have the strong foundation to be the visionary leaders to carry out the next crucial phase of our work. We are so grateful to every one of them that stepped up at their moment to lead.

I accepted the challenge to steward this organization through a revitalization process. We refocused our efforts and fine-tuned research, conservation and education programs to meet the current and future challenges facing our marshes and coasts.

We have been remarkably successful in a short period of time. We have again positioned The Wetlands Institute as a contemporary 2

organization that is contributing vital work to help address the pressing issues of coastal response to rising sea level, intensifying pressures of development on key wildlife populations, and the declining connections of our youth to nature. We have renewed our commitment made in the early days of The Wetlands Institute - to preserve a majestic ecosystem that holds different meanings for each of us, but is vitally important to all of us.

As we prepare to embark on the next 50 years, we pause to reflect on the recent accomplishments of this great organization, and look ahead to the next generation of ideas and actions that will shape our community and these ecosystems. This report of impact documents the key areas of our accomplishments and the people and projects that have served as the ripples that are creating a sea of change.

Sincerely,

Lenore P. Tedesco Executive Director 3

It all starts here I never knew that the wetlands were so important…

Mia, Middle School Program

Our journeys begin with experiences— Surrounded by extensive salt marsh, The Wetlands Institute’s iconic building and programs provide an anchor, a starting point, a laboratory and classroom, and a permanent sense of place and connection to ignite in each of us, our very own spark of passion. Each year, more than 25,000 students, researchers and visitors immerse themselves in scientific exploration, research, and nature appreciation.

The accessibility of The Wetlands Institute’s salt marshes and programs guarantees that, for each of us, it all starts here.

During my internship at TWI, I fell in love with saltmarshes and coastal estuaries, and I developed my obsession with marine invertebrates... The Wetlands Institute profoundly impacted my life.

Anna Caputo, Education Intern

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Building strong conservation leaders and stewards Supporting a rich history of stewardship, The Wetlands Institute is building strong conservation leaders and stewards by offering high school and undergraduate internships in coastal conservation and research and environmental education, nurturing a targeted and focused volunteer program, and increasing education and citizen-science engagement opportunities and therefore touching lives. Each year, program participants are empowered to be the stewards of our wetland and coastal ecosystems.

This is a place where I discovered so many new things - about myself, the world, and the ecosystems around us. This is a place where I discovered my passion. This is a place where every little thing that we do makes a difference, in the lives of both people and creatures. I am so proud to be a part of this incredible community.

Celina Ceballos, Junior Volunteer

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Expanding beyond our footprint The Wetlands Institute is expanding beyond our footprint to share best practices in research, conservation and education discovered and developed here. We work closely with partners and in advisory roles at the state, national and international level to translate our research into practice and influence policy decisions for the future.

These powerful collaborations are making significant strides towards linking people and nature and building resiliency for our coastal communities.

Acting Locally‌ The Wetlands Institute has helped to lead the hugely impactful reTURN the Favor initiative working to rescue stranded horseshoe crabs, a critical species for our health and the survival of migrating shorebirds. This incredible program rescued 275,649 horseshoe crabs with the help of 7,017 volunteer hours since 2013.

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Putting data to work The issues involved in conservation efforts are complex. By putting data to work, we ensure that conservation choices are approached and programs are implemented using proven methods and best practices. Communicating these practices and engaging the public in conservation is a cornerstone of The Wetlands Institute’s programs. Whether it’s terrapin conservation, marsh restoration, or science exploration programs for school children, data drives all we do.

Engineering with nature partnerships The Wetlands Institute, working with partners including the federal government and state of NJ, has been at the forefront of beneficial reuse efforts in New Jersey. The beneficial use of dredged material involves utilizing clean dredged materials in ways which provide ecological uplift to marshes and wildlife struggling under pressures of sea level rise. One benefit? The creation of nesting habitat for marsh nesting birds on Ring Island. The project used fine sand from local waterway dredging and the results have been promising—leading to the potential to create more of these pilot sites in our area. ...In the past 10 years we’ve never seen as many Black Skimmers as we have in the past 2 years right outside our window. We really enjoy the Black Skimmer’s distinctive call and precision flight skimming the water to feed, and up until a few years ago they were not as common a sight. While you have all the data, I have to believe the recent resurgence in the area is at least partially connected to the Ring Island Project. - Andy Majka, Stone Harbor Resident 7

Building for the future Conservation begins with understanding - something Herbert Mills understood keenly when he led the movement to preserve this 6000 acre marsh wonderland. It is a place that has fostered discovery, inspiration, and which is unique and treasured by the surrounding community. When he set aside the marsh, Mills understood that without an interpretive space his vision of an integrated natural environment would be lost. Conservation of the marsh was not an act of setting it aside or up on a shelf, but rather an act of drawing us in, recognizing its value, building for the future, and making it a defining factor of who we are.

For 50 years, we have been the interpreters of this vision and the marsh itself. As the next 50 years dawn, delivering the vision has never been more important. Building an endowment means The Wetlands Institute can be agile and innovative as new challenges and opportunities arise. A strong endowment will ensure that we can continue to protect, preserve, and steward these marshes for generations to come.

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The Wetlands Institute ÂŽ

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