Impact Stories

Ohio Preserves Chagrin River Habitat

The Takeaway: The Chagrin River Floodplain Land Conservation Project has preserved 105 acres of habitat, contributing to a growing conservation corridor under NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative.

Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe's Return to the River

The Takeaway: The Upper Mattaponi Tribe’s historic reclamation of its ancestral lands along the Mattaponi River in Virginia not only preserves the tribe’s heritage but also ignites a visionary environmental stewardship, fostering harmony between tradition, culture, and ecological restoration.

Empowering Educators through Living Laboratories

The Takeaway: The Teachers on the Estuary program offers educators a way to access hands-on learning experiences at the Tijuana River Research Reserve. This effort enhances science education and promotes estuary stewardship for the next generation.

New Wetland Park in Delaware Solves Decades of Flooding Issues

The Takeaway: A formerly contaminated area in Delaware has been turned into a park that restores and enhances existing wetlands, provides a recreation area for the community, and hosts a stormwater management facility that reduces flooding.

Reviving Georgia’s Coastal Salt Marshes

The Takeaway: With the alignment of local and federal funding, the healing of Georgia’s salt marshes is underway as the Army Corps of Engineers corrects decades of environmental damage caused by the logging industry, with initial restoration efforts showing improvements to water flow and natural features.

Now You See Them: Wetland Wildlife on the Move

The Takeaway: Scientists across the National Estuarine Research Reserve System have conducted the first-ever North American inventory of coastal wetland wildlife using 140 cameras in 29 estuaries.

Tybee Island’s Dune Restoration Project Sets New Standard for Coastal Resilience

The Takeaway: Tybee Island restores eroding dunes using native plantings and innovative monitoring methods, leading to nationwide recognition and providing resources for other coastal resilience efforts.

Virginia Balances Economic Growth and Ecological Preservation through Ecotourism

The Takeaway: All told, Virginia has invested over $2.8 million in about 100 ecotourism planning and infrastructure projects over the years, with an impressive economic return of almost 12 times that investment.

Immersive Nature Tours at California’s Tijuana River Reserve

The Takeaway: Expertly guiding participants along the Tijuana River Reserve’s trails, Ron Peterson, a docent who is blind, showcases nature’s wonders beyond the realm of sight. Through his distinct perspective, he illustrates how engaging other senses deepens the connection with native plants.

Henderson Creek Hydrologic Restoration Project

Virginia Eelgrass and Bay Scallop Restoration in Burtons Bay

Coastal Conservation at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Padilla Bay Samish Conservation Area Protection Project

Chagrin River Floodplain Land Conservation Project

Coastal Habitat Resilience and Community Adaptation in Downeast Maine

Enhancing Climate Resilience through Coastal Ecosystem Restoration in Elkhorn Slough

Bay River Coastal Partnership

Improving Coastal Wetland Resilience within the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Conservation in the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Baldwin County, Alabama

Truro Pamet River Restoration

Critical Conservation for Climate Resilience in the Northeast Florida Blueway

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary Stream and Shoreline Restoration

Restoring and Strengthening Resilience of Maui Nui Reefs

South Carolina’s Black River State Park Land Conservation Project

Creating a Multi-Beneficial Stormwater Park Using Nature-Based Solutions

Protection and Restoration of a Bird Nesting Island in Aransas Bay

Beach Restoration to Create Habitat and Protect Tidal Salt Marsh Buffers within the Bay Point Area of Lawrence Township

Ossabaw Island Living Shoreline: A Collaboration to Model Resiliency through Ecosystem Restoration

Sand River Headwaters Acquisition

Conservation of Cape Foulweather Headland, an Icon of the Central Oregon Coast

Wasson Creek Watershed Ridgetop-to-Estuary Restoration Project

Establishing Regional Restoration Visions and Identifying Projects within the Lake Superior Headwaters Sustainability Partnership Region

Conservation of Coastal Pine Savanna and Emergent Marsh Habitat on West Fowl River, Mississippi Sound in Mobile County, Alabama

Mangrove, Seagrass, and Coral Restoration in the Vieques Bioluminescent Bay Natural Reserve

Conservation of Peatlands near Kachemak Bay

Manchester Central Street Bridge Replacement and Sawmill Brook Restoration Project

American Samoa Wetlands Delineation

Graveyard Spit Restoration and Resilience Project

A Path Forward; Codesigning Habitat Protection and Restoration and Community Resilience

Improving the Resilience of Salt Marsh Ecosystems within the ACE Basin through the Creation of Intertidal Oyster Reef Habitat

Acquisition of 2,001 Acres Protects Wisconsin’s Sand River Headwaters

The Takeaway: This significant acquisition is providing critical ecological benefits and promoting community resilience efforts.

Revolutionary Land Cover Data for Alaska

The Takeaway: This is the first time Alaska’s coastal zone has been mapped in this way. The NOAA-provided land cover data promises to be a game changer for those who want to protect this coast.

New Hampshire Towns Benefit from Tidal Crossing Flood Reduction Project

The Takeaway: A $2.9 million project will replace three small tidal culverts with larger, upgraded structures to reduce flood risk and provide other benefits.

Indiana Coast Comes Alive in Poster Series, with NOAA’s Help

The Takeaway: Full-color ecosystem portraits draw thousands of teachers, students, and outdoor explorers to a coastal stewardship message.

Program Draws People of Faith to Stories of Illinois Coast

The Takeaway: Thousands took part in the “Migration & Me,” program spotlighting the journeys of butterflies, bees, and people, with support from the Illinois Coastal Management Program.

Trail Heralds New Possibilities for Pennsylvania City

The Takeaway: An outdoor haven for walkers, runners, and cyclists adorns the City of Chester, which is designated an “environmental justice community” by the state.

Lake St. Clair in Michigan Sports Accessible Floating Dock, Launch, and Walkway

The Takeaway: This project brings the Michigan Coastal Program’s total water trail investments to $1.5 million, affecting 4,000-plus miles of scenic wonders.

Gulf Coast Towns Lower Flood Insurance Rates, with NOAA’s Help

The Takeaway: Dozens of communities in three states get the information they need to boost hazard resilience and drive down flood insurance costs.

Texas Scientists Investigate Record-High Numbers of Stranded Loggerhead Turtles

The Takeaway: The Mission-Aransas Research Reserve joins forces with other scientists aiding loggerhead rescue, rehabilitation, and research into stranding causes.

NOAA Gulf Coast Resilience Grants Go Far

The Takeaway: Five communities gained the assessments they need to guide resilience action, thanks to NOAA funds and community partners.

Restoration Efforts for Great Lakes Shoreline

The Takeaway: This shoreline report, co-authored by a Digital Coast scientist, makes plain the critical importance of NOAA’s nature-based restoration projects in the Great Lakes region.

Coastal Zone Management Makes a Difference

The Takeaway: The Coastal Zone Management Act has guided this nation’s approach to how we protect coastal economies and natural resources. These programs have served us for fifty years and continue to do so.

Massachusetts Map Tours Boost Accessibility, Safety, Program Transparency

The Takeaway: These colorful virtual tours, filled with facts, welcome everyone who has felt left out of coastal adventures and cast a bright light on a state coastal zone management program’s importance.

Virginia Collaborative Promotes Economic Perks of Lower Chickahominy Conservation

The Takeaway: The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and partners—buoyed by evidence that conservation funnels millions of extra dollars into the local economy—have signed a memorandum of understanding that promotes ecotourism’s economic benefits and helps preserve Indigenous and ecological assets.

Wade into Estuary Recreation at a Research Reserve

The Takeaway: Paddling azure waterways. Casting a line for that delectable campsite dinner. Spying an elusive warbler in a birder’s paradise. These adventures and many more await.

NOAA’s Historical Hurricane Tracks Tool

The Takeaway: This popular tool pulls in a wide net of users, from vacation planners and storm-history buffs to technical experts modeling storm risks.

North Carolina Oyster Farms Provide Several Ecosystem Benefits

The Takeaway: A research team’s discoveries are helping agencies and committees guide oyster aquaculture expansion in the state.

NOAA Helps Maine Communities Assess, and Expand, Working Waterfront Economy

The Takeaway: NOAA’s economic-analysis resources and workshops uncover the power of working waterfronts.

North Carolina Partners Analyze and Address Stormwater Pollution Threats

The Takeaway: Participants in this research reserve partnership project sized up the nature of the threat and produced resources designed to lessen risks for outdoor-recreation fans and the Rachel Carson portion of the North Carolina Research Reserve.

Introducing First-Generation College Students to Science-based Careers

The Takeaway: The “Step into STEM” mentoring and workshop series, initiated and co-led by a Margaret A. Davidson Fellow, guided these students on crucial first steps toward science, technology, engineering, and math careers.

NOAA Strengthens Resilience Before, During, and After Disasters

The Takeaway: NOAA initiatives and state partnership programs are making a difference throughout the nation’s coastal zone.

Oregon Adds Emergency-Supplies Guide to Disaster Resilience Efforts

The Takeaway: Already, 10 jurisdictions have incorporated tsunami considerations for safer land-use plans. Now, all of Oregon’s coastal communities have “disaster cache” guidance to increase local survival odds in the wake of tsunamis and earthquakes.

Delaware’s Climate Action Plan Takes Off

The Takeaway: The Delaware Coastal Management Program helped develop the plan, and public-private leaders have embraced it, proposing initiatives that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fast-track adaptation steps.

NOAA Cheers Citizen Scientists

The Takeaway: These coastal volunteers walk the talk of science and stewardship by gathering data to help ecosystems remain vibrant and communities grow more resilient.

Blue Plan Maximizes Coastal Coordination, Minimizes Conflict

The Takeaway: This inventory of the natural resources and uses of the Long Island Sound represents a guide for the future.

Largest-Ever West Coast Oyster Data Map

The Takeaway: The findings could spark restoration efforts that are much more strategic and effective, thanks to project leaders and partners that include California’s Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve.

Blue Carbon Enterprises Lessen Climate Change Damage

The Takeaway: Coastal wetlands research, restoration, tools, data, workshops, and partners—NOAA brings every blue carbon asset to the fight against climate-change-related hazards and harm.

NOAA Research Reserve Receives Enthusiastic Welcome in Connecticut

The Takeaway: NOAA’s Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve, the nation’s 30th, signals an exhilarating new era for the state’s coastal education, research, and ecotourism sectors.

NOAA’s “Green” Expertise Meets New Infrastructure Era

The Takeaway: Some U.S. infrastructure funding that is headed NOAA’s way will maximize the benefits of nature to lessen climate change damage.

Befriending Coastal Birds

The Takeaway: At a critical time for many species, NOAA collaborates with partners to protect coastal bird habitats and populations.

Native Americans Play Critical Roles in Many NOAA Projects

The Takeaway: We take a look at the great things that can happen when NOAA and Indigenous communities work together on coastal issues.

NOAA Boosts Coastal Hardiness

The Takeaway: The agency and its partners help coastal communities lessen hazard dangers, curb carbon emissions, and protect the coast’s environmental and economic assets.

3D Model of Bay Sheds Light on Eelgrass Restoration Strategies

The Takeaway: A NOAA-supported analysis of California’s Morro Bay estuary found links between seagrass collapse and later erosion that will inform bay-area adaptation strategies and could influence global seagrass conservation strategies.

Programs Improve Public Access for All

The Takeaway: NOAA safeguards coastal public access and inclusive adventures through the efforts of the National Coastal Zone Management Program and National Estuarine Research Reserve System.

Environmental Educators Tailor Lessons to Diverse Student Needs

The Takeaway: Students of the coast love to learn when educators reach them where they are—whether that’s online, in the field, or through the wisdom of their own culture and stewardship traditions.

Four Research Reserves Produce $165 Million in Yearly Economic Benefits

The Takeaway: The four Florida and Oregon reserves studied feature innovative programs and a combined 423,475 acres of habitat, all of which keep nature-based businesses, researchers, and nonprofits humming along.

NOAA Provides Assistance to Coastal Communities

The Takeaway: Some U.S. coastal communities have plentiful data for creating robust resilience plans. Others are struggling to catch up. NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management is focused on providing equal access to the data, tools, and expertise they deserve.

First-Ever Carbon-Offset Initiative by U.S. Pro Football Team

The Takeaway: The Philadelphia Eagles football team will expand mangrove and seagrass restoration efforts at Puerto Rico’s Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in order to offset travel-related emissions, in a partnership with the Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Foundation.

Ohio Water-Quality Grades Educate and Inspire Action

The Takeaway: “A to F” report cards enlighten residents on the “where” and “what” of water-quality problems, as well as actions to take that could help improve grades.

Report Card Increases Stewardship of Galveston Bay Ecosystem

The Takeaway: Data on saltwater and freshwater wetland losses, from the Digital Coast, inform this scientific analysis and the stewardship actions that follow.

Digital Coast Informs Texas Decisions on Conserving Bird Habitat

The Takeaway: Coastal managers can assist migratory bird survival by learning more about changing marshes, land cover, and sea level rise. Digital Coast data helps.

NOAA Commemorates Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

The Takeaway: Community pride and the centuries-old practices of Native Pacific Islanders inform several NOAA-supported projects to protect this region’s natural treasures.

Research Reserve Restoration Funds Strengthen Tribal Partnership

The Takeaway: California’s Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve was awarded $1.3 million to safeguard habitat and bolster stewardship efforts in a partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.

Record Number of Turtles Saved from Cold

The Takeaway: More than 900 cold-stunned sea turtles were rescued and treated, thanks to quick mobilization by Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve staff members and volunteers.

Social Science Course Illuminates “People Part” of Managing the Coast

The Takeaway: In Florida, past course participants are enhancing partnerships to safeguard mangroves and the community benefits that spring from these ecosystems.

Exploring Macroalgae as Renewable Energy Source

The Takeaway: The cultivation of marine macroalgae, such as seaweed and kelp, could benefit both human energy needs and ocean ecology.

The Digital Coast Strengthens Students’ Case Studies

The Takeaway: NOAA’s Sea Level Rise Viewer and other resources deepened student insights on the environmental and societal implications of climate change, and on potential adaptation strategies.

NOAA Report Informs Florida’s “Blue Economy” Strategies

The Takeaway: Study team recommends connecting ocean economy leaders and cultivating businesses and employees in “high return on investment” fields.

MarineCadastre.gov Played a Part in Reef Project’s Success

The Takeaway: Scientists used vessel-traffic data and maps when considering the best test reef spot for boosting the vulnerable Lake Sturgeon population in Michigan.

Illinois Boosts Ecology, Community along Lake Michigan Industrial Corridor

The Takeaway: Habitat restoration, multiuse trails, an accessible kayak launch, a more effective port district—the Illinois Coastal Management Program helps bring a fresh new spirit to this area.

Grants Bolster Illinois Port District’s Financial and Community Assets

The Takeaway: Funding and assistance by the Illinois Coastal Management Program strengthens operations and helps remedy infrastructure problems.

Shipwreck Project Preserves Indiana’s Maritime History

The Takeaway: Researchers conducted a survey of shipwrecks in the coastal waters of Lake Michigan to update records and understand how to continue conserving these underwater museums.

Students Care for Watersheds Using Traditional Hawaiian Practices

The Takeaway: Participants in the Bay Watershed Education and Training program learn that culturally-based practices benefit the Heʻeia community’s environment and quality of life.

Socially Distanced Volunteers Clean Up 9,000-Plus Pounds of Trash

The Takeaway: Much credit for the impressive haul goes to the commonwealth’s coastal zone management program and the volunteers, who followed strict health and safety protocols.

Thirty Years of Horseshoe Crab Surveys Reveal Increase in Species

The Takeaway: Each year since 1990, volunteers from around the Delaware Bay estuary join forces to count and document these important, joint-legged arthropods.

Washington Coastal Resilience Project Ups Hazard Readiness

The Takeaway: New sea level rise projections and guidance are informing community policies, plans, development, and funding projects, with help from NOAA programs and grants.

Redesigned Parking Lot Improves Stormwater Management

The Takeaway: When flooding caused parking and runoff issues, the Florida Coastal Management Program stepped in to fund a parking lot redesign with irrigation, a rain garden, and porous pavement that allows rainwater to pass into the ground below.

Hawaii Scientists Cultivate and Replant Heat-Resistant Corals

The Takeaway: Groundbreaking experiment in coral “assisted evolution” is made possible by the long-term support of NOAA and Hawaii partners.

Alaska’s Digital Coast Fellow Boosts Community Storm Resilience

The Takeaway: Community storm histories, an online tool, and flood-risk maps prompt a $1 million-plus resilience grant to aid 44 additional Alaska Native communities on the hazard frontlines.

Pandemic Presents No Obstacle to North Carolina’s Achievements

The Takeaway: In a year complicated by quarantine, the state’s research reserve personnel rack up awards and accomplishments.

NOAA Helps Alaskans Plan for Imminent Threats and Future Resilience

The Takeaway: A project to collect critical water-level information in remote communities is backed by NOAA’s geospatial services contract, technical assistance, and oceanographic data program.

New Metrics and Models Help Quantify Coastal Ecosystem Benefits

The Takeaway: Research reserves are using these aids to understand and communicate how their projects promote cleaner water, improve resilience, expand habitat, and more.

A Road-Flooding Fix for California State Park

The Takeaway: Park visitors and bayside neighbors will enjoy a safer, more accessible area because a group organized by NOAA’s Science Collaborative studied and rated various adaptation options.

California Opens Up Public Access in a Big Way

The Takeaway: Adventurers now exploring 1,000-plus miles of land and waterway trails owe much to the three agencies of California’s coastal zone management program.

South Carolina Produces Award-Winning Report on Living Shorelines

The Takeaway: Data, case studies, and a decision tree will improve regulations, the permitting process, and the ability of homeowners to select effective treatments for various shoreline conditions.

Digital Coast Program Gets “Blue Carbon” Added to U.S. Emissions Inventory

The Takeaway: In a global first, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management ensures that the carbon stored in coastal ecosystems is being counted, aiding U.S. conservation efforts, greenhouse gas cuts, and “blue carbon” market trading.

Making Virginia Beach “Sea Level Wise”

The Takeaway: Six-year study details urgently needed adaptation strategies, complete with potential benefits, costs, and challenges.

Coastal Program Chips in to Keep Beaches Clean

The Takeaway: Unspent travel funds from Texas’ coastal zone management program will aid with beach maintenance expenses so local governments are able to keep the public safe as beaches reopen.

California Balances Habitat Conservation with Public Beach Access

The Takeaway: The California Coastal Commission acted on the pleas of local residents in a win for both environmental justice and public health.

Program’s Leadership and Data Maps Lessen Ocean-Use Conflicts

The Takeaway: As offshore wind energy comes to the state, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program helps a variety of sectors air concerns and document existing ocean uses.

New Hampshire “Green Credits” Process Okayed by Two Regulators

The Takeaway: “Credit for Going Green” provides a strategy for earning regulatory credits by installing natural buffers, plus a way to calculate buffer pollution-removal rates, with support from four national estuarine research reserves and NOAA’s Science Collaborative program.

Florida Experiment Lessens Shoreline Damage from High-Energy Waves

The Takeaway: A dual-defense strategy led to a 30- to-90-percent reduction in destructive wave energy.

Role-Play Workshops Accelerate County’s Adaptation Action

The Takeaway: Officials and residents in South Carolina’s Georgetown County practiced working through adaptation-related decisions and trade-offs with the help of a South Carolina research reserve and NOAA’s Science Collaborative program.

Community Leadership Paves the Way to Promising Erosion Treatment

The Takeaway: A project that mimics aspects of cobble sand beaches virtually stopped the erosion of shoreline uplands in pilot studies aided by NOAA and Washington State’s coastal zone management program.

U.S.-Mexico Partners Cut Borderlands Plastic and Marine Debris

The Takeaway: The Tijuana River Research Reserve provides technical assistance and training for the effort.

Fire Safety Initiative Showcases Cultural and Ecological Connections

The Takeaway: Collaboration between Oregon’s South Slough Research Reserve and local tribal groups ensures a maximum use of forest resources and plentiful opportunities for environmental education.

Officials and Tribal Groups Restore Wisconsin Point

The Takeaway: This revitalized Lake Superior peninsula—a win for cultural, ecological, and recreational reasons—was made possible by $1.5 million in grants administered by Wisconsin’s coastal zone management program.

Maryland Hosts New NOAA National Marine Sanctuary

The Takeaway: Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary protects wetlands and the nation’s maritime history, aided by the state’s coastal zone management program.

Oregon Reserve’s Paddle Sport Investments Spur Eco-friendly Tourism

The Takeaway: The South Slough Research Reserve’s water trail system, tours, and outreach contribute to a growing South Coast market for canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddling adventures.

Protecting Reefs That Boost Resilience and the Economy

The Takeaway: A road improvement partnership on Puerto Rico’s Culebra Island lessens sediment and pollutants that harm this irreplaceable resource.

Rookery Bay Ecotours Are Rewarding, in More Ways Than One

The Takeaway: An innovative public-private partnership supports the work of the Rookery Bay Research Reserve while fostering estuary education and stewardship.

Expanding Coastal Opportunities for People with Disabilities

The Takeaway: Creating sign language for “estuary” and other coastal terms, and trails that accommodate wheelchairs and the needs of the visually impaired—these are just two of the contributions from research reserves and coastal zone management programs.

Learning about Estuarine Ecosystems in American Sign Language

The Takeaway: Three New England research reserves, the Center for Research and Training at The Learning Center for the Deaf, and Boston University created an immersive instructional experience for educators of the Deaf. The benefits keep adding up.

Urban Golf Course-Turned-Wetland Cuts Storm and Flood Impacts

The Takeaway: The project, supported by Texas’ coastal zone management program, provides recreational opportunities and slashes flood risks for thousands of area homes.