National System Protects Vital Estuaries

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is a network of protected estuaries and other habitats in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories. Estuaries are vibrant but vulnerable areas where freshwater flowing from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean. Although the Great Lakes are exclusively freshwater, their coasts share many characteristics of estuary ecosystems. The freshwater and salt marshes, seagrass, mangroves, vernal pools, upland forests, and riverine islands in the reserves provide shelter and food for fish, shellfish, wildlife, and birds; buffer developed areas from storms and sea-level rise; define coastal communities; and support recreation and resource-based economies.

The NERRS supports research and stewardship of U.S. estuaries and strong collaboration among federal and state officials, academics, nongovernmental organizations, and other individuals and entities invested in healthy coasts. Each reserve is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which provides funding, national guidance, and technical assistance, and a state- or territorial-based entity, such as a natural resource agency or university, which is responsible for the day-to-day management of the site, with input from the local community.

The Pew Charitable Trusts works with scientists, allied organizations, and national, state, and local officials to strategically expand the NERRs network and implement resilience-focused management plans. These plans equip site managers and communities to identify and prepare for environmental threats, such as increasingly severe storms, oil spills and other pollutants, coastal development, and worsening droughts and wildfires. The plans also boost the reserves’ ability to fulfill their core missions of education, research, monitoring, training, and stewardship of these vulnerable but vital ecosystems.

The research and analysis collected here explore the ways the reserves benefit ecosystems, communities, and economies, and examine Pew’s efforts to support and strengthen the NERRS.