"A majority of coastal wetlands are on track to shift inland or disappear in the coming decades without intervention. That will have major consequences."

"STONE HARBOR, N.J.—Against a lush carpet of marsh grasses, the five-and-a-half acre island of muddy sediment, shallow pools and tufts of straggly vegetation stood out like a sore thumb. 

It wasn’t enough to catch the eye of young visitors to The Wetlands Institute, who were far more interested in the diamondback terrapin enclosure that was the centerpiece of “Totally Turtle Tuesday.” To the scientists studying it, however, this patch—known as the Scotch Bonnet Island enhancement project—is far more interesting. It’s an ongoing experiment in saving critically important marsh ecosystems from drowning in a relentlessly rising tide.

The restoration effort kicked off after The Wetlands Institute discovered that the marsh is disappearing at an alarming rate. Since the 1950s, more than 30 percent of the coastal wetland in the area has disappeared, becoming either mud flats or open water, and modeling projected that by 2050 just 34 out of 86 acres would remain."

Madeline Shaw reports for Inside Climate News August 19, 2026.