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A Combination of Threats
Coastal ecosystems comprise less than 10 percent of our Nation’s
land area, but support a much higher percentage of the Nation’s
wetlands; migratory songbirds; fish and shellfish; waterfowl; shorebirds;
and threatened and endangered species. Coastal birds, fish, other
animals, plants, and scenic spaces are under pressure from a combination
of threats including: urbanization, contaminants, overfishing, oil
spills, wetland loss, invasive species, nutrient over-enrichment,
and fish barriers (e.g., dams).The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Coastal Program is developing innovative partnerships with governments,
businesses, and other conservation partners to identify, protect,
and restore some of the most valuable fish and wildlife habitat
in coastal regions around the country.
Program Facts
The Coastal Program focuses exclusively on the coastal watershed
and applies an ecosystem-level approach to solving resource problems.
The program focuses on strategic (rather than opportunistic) approach.
The Coastal Program has been successful in a variety of habitat
types from salt marshes along the ocean to riparian habitats up
in the watershed. The Coastal Program is a non-regulatory, proactive
program that relies on voluntary partnership building with a wide
variety of partners including federal and State agencies, local
and tribal governments, businesses, conservation organizations,
and private landowners. The program funds projects on private and
public lands that include habitat restoration and protection.
Accomplishments
The Coastal Program has been successful because it has low administrative
costs while providing a high level of on-the-ground benefit for
fish and wildlife. Since 1998, the Coastal program in New Jersey
has restored 660 acres of coastal wetlands; restored 35 acres of
coastal upland habitat; protected more than 70 acres through conservation
easement or purchase; restored 4 miles of coastal riparian habitat;
and reopened 12 miles of coastal streams for anadromous fish passage.
How to Become a Partner
The Service’s Coastal Program is working with our partners
to develop a variety of effective non-regulatory solutions to habitat
conservation problems. By working together and using innovative
conservation tools in a strategic manner, the Coastal Program and
its partners are protecting and restoring far more high-priority
coastal habitats for longer periods of time than they could achieve
independently. The Coastal Program in New Jersey has been successful
in protecting land in Strathmere through acquisition, building a
fish ladder in Camden, and restoring coastal wetlands on the Great
Egg Harbor River near Tuckahoe. However, together we can accomplish
much more to protect and enhance fish and wildlife habitats along
New Jersey’s coast. If you are interested in this meaningful
partnership program, please contact the Service’s New Jersey
Field Office.
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