The Wetlands Institute

09/05/2026

We’re pleased to share this Seven Mile Times story. Executive Director, Dr. Lenore Tedesco, explains what's happening at The Wetlands Institute this fall; why the Salt Marsh Trail work is so critical now; and what the future holds for The Wetlands Institute.

https://www.sevenmiletimes.com/endless-summer-2026-articles/the-wetlands-institute-reimagines-its-future

09/04/2026

Important Dates at The Wetlands Institute

🕊️ Last Weekend the Building is Open
Labor Day Weekend — September 5, 6, 7
Visit us now while public programming is still inside the building.

🏛️ Temporary Building Closure
The building is closing temporarily while we begin our resilience work to reimagine the marsh — Beginning September 8.

🌿 Birding on the Salt Marsh Trail
Continues through Sunday September 13.
The grounds and trail remain open.

📍 Fall/Winter Weekend Hours Begin
Saturday, November 7.
Join us at our temporary transition location: the New Jersey Coastal Conservation Center, Cape May Court House, 600 North Delsea Drive, Cape May Court House.

09/02/2026

Calling All Graduate Students! 🎓

Are you passionate about conserving coastal ecosystems and advancing environmental science? The Wetlands Institute is now accepting applications for the Jeannie Morris Graduate Fellowship!

🌿This competitive fellowship supports graduate students pursuing degrees in natural resources, environmental science, wildlife ecology, or coastal and wetlands science. Research projects should focus on the health, ecology, and conservation of mid-Atlantic tidal salt marshes, barrier beach systems, or the wildlife that depend on them.

Application Deadline: October 25.

Learn more and apply at: https://wetlandsinstitute.org/research/fellowship/

Advance your research.

Support vital ecosystems. Apply today!

09/01/2026

We already introduced you to our 2026 Shorebird Steward Team who are ensuring beach nesting birds and beach-loving people enjoy Stone Harbor Point in harmony.

Alaina Young, Crew Leader for the team, explains why keeping our shoreline safe for wildlife and meeting with locals and visitors is personal for her.

We appreciate the important contributions Alaina and this team are making to our research, conservation, and education efforts.

08/31/2026

The same beaches that welcome thousands of people also provide critical nesting space for shorebirds raising their young. Our Shorebird Steward Team is spending the summer helping beach nesting birds thrive alongside the many visitors who enjoy our coastline.

At Stone Harbor Point, they're protecting the nesting area and educating beachgoers about sharing the shore responsibly to reduce recreational disturbance to shorebirds. This small section of beach is one of the most important sites in New Jersey for nesting American Oystercatchers and Black Skimmers. The steward team’s efforts are helping both species have a successful breeding season, ensuring another generation of these beautiful birds.

08/30/2026

Did you know that staff, interns, and volunteers from The Wetlands Institute have been conducting regular patrols of local roads during the terrapin nesting season to help nest-seeking female terrapins safely cross since 1989?

That’s over 35 years of terrapin crossings!

So, what do we do when we encounter a terrapin on these road patrols? Live terrapins are moved out of harm’s way and injured terrapins are given aid or sent to rehabilitation professionals. When road-killed terrapins are encountered, researchers retrieve viable eggs through a process called an “eggectomy” and place them in incubators until they hatch. The hatchlings are raised for one year through our “head start” program in collaboration with local schools and universities, then are released into the wild.

2026 was a record-breaking year; amidst our combined staff and volunteer efforts, we have:
🐢 Crossed 1,258 terrapins on local roadways
🥚 Collected 635 eggs from terrapins fatally injured during road crossings
🤕 Sent 25 turtles to the vet or a rehabber
💧 Released 15 treated/rehabbed turtles back into the wild

Learn more about how we study and protect diamondback terrapins: https://wetlandsinstitute.org/terrapin/

08/28/2026

In case you missed it, we’re sharing our proposed plans for Reimagining The Wetlands Institute. The stories you’re sharing here and as you visit us about your connections to the Institute reinforce the importance of our focus on caring for our marsh. Here’s a picture of what our new facility might look like. Read our press release here: https://wetlandsinstitute.org/reimagineupdate/

08/27/2026

We are pleased to announce our proposed plans for Reimagining The Wetlands Institute to transform our facilities into a modern hub for research, conservation, and public engagement.

For more than 50 years, The Wetlands Institute has been about more than a building. It is about research and discovery. It is about connecting with nature and one another.

Our goal is to better connect people with the marsh while strengthening our ability and capacity to conduct the research and restoration work that is so critical to protecting coastal ecosystems and communities.

We are grateful for how you have inspired us, joined us in conservation, participated in our education programs, and supported our research.

We look forward to your continued support as we tackle this innovative, ecosystem-based approach to reimagining the wetlands.

https://wetlandsinstitute.org/reimagineupdate/

The Wetlands Institute Takes Steps to Reimagine its Marsh Campus Aug 27, 2026 Salt Marsh Trail improvements to begin, followed by proposed plans for a new building Middle Township, NJ (August 27, 2026)— The Wetlands Institute (TWI) has unveiled plans for a reimagined campus, designed to strengthen...

08/25/2026

Don’t worry.

Though The Wetlands Institute will temporarily close its Stone Harbor Boulevard location for improvements, we’ll reopen with fall/winter hours on November 7th in our transitional location – the New Jersey Coastal Conservation Center (NJCCC) at 600 North Delsea Drive in Cape May Court House. We will be returning to our marsh home of more than 50 years when we complete our restoration and improvement work.

The NJCCC will house TWI staff, educational spaces, and our Tidepool Shop. Our research and conservation teams will continue their terrapin, marsh and coastal bird work uninterrupted.

We will continue to provide public programming and education programs from the NJCCC, including:

🕰️Opening to the public for our standard fall/winter weekend hours of 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM Saturdays and Sundays, beginning Saturday, November 7.

🌱Continuing partnerships for school field trips, homeschool classes for the 2026/2027 school year (including our monthly Nature Education for Homeschool Students and Teachers), and scout programs, though we might slightly modify some education programs.

📍Remember, you can visit us in our Stone Harbor Boulevard location through Monday, September 7.

🧭 We encourage you to visit us at the NJCCC – pictured in our post – and to explore the trails and native gardens, marsh overlooks, and the newly renovated space when we kick-off our fall/winter season November 7.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we reimagine our Stone Harbor Boulevard marsh home. You’re helping us change things for the better for people, communities, and wildlife.

08/22/2026

This week we appreciated the opportunity to welcome some of the invaluable state partners who share our commitment to caring for the state’s marshes.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Ed Potasnak and Deputy Commissioner Joe Seebode; New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Assistant Commissioner Dave Golden, Assistant Director Habitat, Access & Endangered Species Element Jason Hearon, Chief of the Bureau of Land Management Pete Winkler, and Aide to the Acting Commissioner Isabel De Vita met with our Executive Director Dr. Lenore Tedesco to discuss collaborations and upcoming projects.

These essential partners took in bird’s-eye views and a down-to-earth tour of our wetlands and the projects of the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab. We discussed The Wetland’s Institute’s 50 year history of caring for the marsh and our plans to strengthen its resilience for the decades ahead.