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30 Places to Discover, A Community to Join
Every National Estuarine Research Reserve begins with the passion of someone like you. At 30 Reserves, thousands of us have to come together to form community & build resilience around the places we love.Discover Your Reserve
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Support Reserves and their mission
80,000 Students & Educators
Empowered by Reserve education
~12,500 Leaders, Businesses & Residents
Rely on Reserve science, data, and training
0+ Million Visitors
Contribute ~$1.15 billion to local economies each year
~.2 Million Acres Protected
In 25 states and Puerto Rico
13+ Million Data Points
Power science-based solutions for coastal communities
Reserves In Action
Stories from the front lines of a changing coast.
Restoring a Marsh, Restoring a Bay
Over the years, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) staff at the Weeks Bay Reserve began observing periodic algal blooms in the...
A Partnership That Delivers for the Coasts
Unsafe for swimming. No fishing allowed. Shellfish beds closed. These are the last signs anyone wants to see on summer vacation, but they are...
NERRS Science: 50+ Years of Covering the Coasts
For more than five decades, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) has been the nation’s go-to source for estuary science and a critical...
News from Around the System
NERRA's Mission
Reserves and their friends groups rely on NERRA to help enhance successful programs, strengthen the network, and enable reserves to better address challenges to our nation’s estuaries, coasts, and communities. NERRA communicates the funding needs and priorities of Reserves to Congress and federal agencies and educates the general public about the importance of estuaries and coasts.
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Keep current on NERRA’s work to support Reserves, how you can help, and good news from around our national system. Subscribe to All Together Now, our monthly online newsletter.
Wetland Resilience Toolkit
U.S. wetlands prevent ˜$267 billion in storm damage annually, promote clean water, and support fisheries. Reserves have built a science-based toolkit to protect the wetlands that safeguard people and property around the coasts.Grounded in the experience of six Reserves, this guide supports collaborative efforts to identify, protect, and manage lands that provide pathways for tidal wetland migration.
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Support projects seeking to identify, protect, and manage lands that provide pathways for tidal wetland migration
Help site monitoring and research sites to understand how marshes are migrating
This national study found that U.S. tidal marshes are undergoing significant changes as sea levels rise and other environmental conditions shift.
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Evaluate the impact of sea-level on tidal marsh plant communities at the site, regional, and national scales
Serve as a model for other monitoring programs focused on monitoring vegetation response to sea level rise
This study explored how the extent of 30 U.S. estuaries and their habitats are changing over time, using a unique combination of elevation-based methods and historical maps.
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Serve as a model for using GIS and historical data to evaluate the extent of estuaries and their habitats across a range of geographies world-wide
This first-ever North American inventory of coastal wetland wildlife provides a unique foundation for addressing important questions related to wildlife science and management.
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Serve as a model for broad-scale, image-based coastal wildlife monitoring programs and protocols
Support research focused on wildlife, habitat function, and related benefits to society
Advance scientific understanding of how wetlands support wildlife
This national assessment offers “apples to apples” comparisons of U.S. tidal marsh resilience using metrics of current marsh conditions, vulnerability to sea level rise, and potential for adaptation.
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Assess overall marsh resilience, or a single or subset of metrics
Evaluate and compare the condition of tidal wetlands at multiple geographic scales
Provide quantitative tool that anyone can use to apply Marsh Resilience Assessment to their sites
This multi-Reserve project created guidance to inform future research and restoration work using thin layers of sediment to elevate tidal marshes threatened by rising seas.
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Advance the science of thin-layer placement of sediment
Design thin-layer placement of sediment restoration projects
Navigate the permitting process associated with thin-layer placement of sediment
Design monitoring protocols for thin-layer placement of sediment projects
Identify conditions where thin-layer placement should be considered
This project developed new tools to process, analyze, and communicate Reserve Surface Elevation Tables data.
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Process, analyze, and communicate about marsh surface elevation change
This ground-breaking study examined the ability of U.S. tidal marshes to keep pace with rising seas, revealing that marshes on the Pacific Coast appear more likely to survive than those along the Atlantic.
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Run plot-scale, intensive assessments in one marsh or within networks of marsh sites, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuges, or in support of coordinated federal agency monitoring
This Reserve-designed process, brings scientists and decision makers together to create a shared understanding of how changes in climate and management practices will make a habitat more or less vulnerable in the future.
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Support designs related to funding applications