Latest-news

by Brooke Knapick Environmental education for our youth is key to ensuring a future for the wetlands and coastal ecosystems. For many years, The Wetlands Institute has maintained long-standing partnerships with local schools in both Middle Township and...

by Dr. Lenore TedescoThis summer, I wrote about the sea of plastic and its impact on marine life. I spent a lot of time working with the Boroughs to craft appropriate ordinance language and educate the councils on the issues. I also challenged everyone to...

by Evelyn Rider, Herbert Mills Legacy Society Member Having been a member of the Wetlands Institute for nearly 20 years, I decided to include The Wetlands Institute in my estate planning. The natural world of the shore is both enjoyable and important to...

by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director As I write this column, the monarchs are migrating and the marsh has taken on a multitude of colors reminding us of the changing seasons. By now, you all know that my internal clock is tuned to the annual cycles of...

by Dr. Lenore TedescoMilestones are significant and here at The Wetlands Institute we are about to celebrate a milestone. The Wetlands Institute turns fifty in 2019. Fifty years is a notable achievement and especially for a small non-profit. It’s a great time to...

Coastal Conservation Research Program It was a busy, muddy summer with the Coastal Conservation Research Program interns. We were able to learn so much through their contributions, and had a great time doing it! The crew of six– all undergraduates or recent graduates...

In July, Quest for the Best Foundation awarded the Institute with a two-year grant of $82,698 to support the Diamondback Terrapin Conservation program. Grant funds are in support of the headstarting program, mark and recapture work, intern support and the Terrapins in...

by Brian Williamson In an effort to fill gaps in our knowledge of behavior and survival of juvenile terrapins, we initiated a telemetry study to track movements of head-started juvenile terrapins this summer. We are partnering with Cellular Tracking Technologies...

by Anne Galli For 50 years the Wetlands Institute has been moving forward founder Herb Mill’s vision for a coastal research, conservation and education facility supported by a community convinced that coastal wetlands are of paramount importance. Step by step,...

by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director Another summer is screaming by. Part of me can’t believe it’s going by so quickly, while another part of me is excited by all the wonderful accomplishments of the team here. Hundreds of children are exploring the marsh and...

Jamie is our new Manager of Advancement, and helps coordinate fundraising and marketing efforts at TWI. Her passion is connecting people with environmental issues, encouraging them to support projects which impact quality of life and the environment. A marketing...

by Dr. Lenore Tedesco I often wonder about my role, my contribution, my impact. Perhaps it’s because I think about the impact the average American lifestyle has on the environment so much that it has become alarming. I am talking about our disposable society, and the...

by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director For the past 4 years, scientists at The Wetlands Institute have been working as part of a project team that includes the US Army Corp of Engineers, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, The Nature Conservancy and many...

It’s mid-May as I muse. It’s been a busy few weeks for me – 4th annual native plant sale, World Series of Birding, Return the Favor Horseshoe Crab rescue walks, the Conservation Wine Series release with Jessie Creek Winery, and the Spring Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab...

by Deborah A. Hays, Chair of the Board of Trustees I have had a special relationship with The Wetlands Institute for decades, both visitor and volunteer. Every time I step onto the Institute’s grounds I am amazed by the bustling activity. Whether it is butterflies and...

by Kimberly Dmytro “There is nothing quite like the new Tidepool Shop at The Wetlands Institute…” – Camperways, September 1991. Nearly 30 years ago the Tidepool Shop and Front Desk were one and the same. In 1990, because of a generous grant in memory of William...

Yay! Spring! I have always felt connected to nature and that connection extends to the changing of the seasons. The rhythm that accompanies the earth’s cycles as the days get longer and the sun gets brighter permeates the Institute. It feels as if the marsh is...

Every spring, Delaware Bay host the largest concentration of spawning horseshoe crabs on the Atlantic Coast. Surveys estimate 300,000-1,300,000 horseshoe crabs annually come ashore onto NJ Bayshore beaches and are in greatest numbers during spring tides in May and...

If you have lived near the coast or have visited for many years, you have probably noticed the changes in water levels in our marshes. Lots of people have told me that it used to be a really big deal when the meadows were flooded because it didn’t happen very often....

by Sue Slotterback Everyone knows autumn is the tEdit Postime for change. It’s colorful panoramic views of the forest foliage just before it falls to blanket the ground insulating roots, crowns, seedlings, and many small creatures from winter’s frosty bite. These same...

by Sue Slotterback For the past seven weeks children ages 4 through 13 have been having fun getting wet and muddy. They’ve made animal costumes and had a parade, created a project for the Cape May County 4H Fair, presented a whale puppet show, caught fiddler crabs,...

The summer flies by fast when you are immersed in research and conservation projects (and mud and sand…) at The Wetlands Institute. From late May through early August, CCRP interns design and conduct independent research projects, contribute to annual data collection...

by Dr. Lenore Tedesco It's fall in Cape May and that means one thing – it’s time for the great migrations of wildlife headed south. Cape May sits in one of the world’s great migration corridors and in addition to being on one of these great highways, our area is also...