Final week, a bipartisan group of Congress members, led by Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Mike Haridopolos (R-FL), launched a resolution dedicating this week as National Estuaries Week. Whereas this week has lengthy been celebrated every September by federal and nonprofit companions, the decision formally acknowledges estuaries as crucial habitats and ecosystems for birds, fish, and different endangered and guarded wildlife.
Estuaries are the assembly level between rivers, streams, and the ocean—the place salty and recent water meet in bays, sounds, and different vital coastal areas. They’re probably the most productive environments on the planet and assist vibrant communities of wildlife whereas additionally defending our coasts from harmful waves, storms, and erosion. Estuaries additionally present very important habitat for sea- and shorebirds, like oystercatchers, pelicans, and Ospreys, in addition to migratory birds in want of stopovers on their journeys, like Least Terns.
As Audubon celebrates Nationwide Estuaries Week and attends the 2026 Restore America Estuaries Conference in in San Francisco, the place our Audubon California workplace introduced on nature-based shoreline projects in Northern San Francisco Bay, we additionally wish to highlight Audubon’s assist of vital laws designed to guard estuaries and coastal habitats.
The ESTUARIES Act
- The Enhancing Scientific, Therapy, and Repairs of America’s Resilient and Necessary Estuarine Programs Act, which handed the Home of Representatives late final yr, is included within the present Senate model of the Water Sources Growth Act as that strikes ahead this fall. This language reauthorizes the essential Nationwide Estuary Program (NEP), administered by the Environmental Safety Company in partnership with states, tribes, and native governments, to handle and enhance habitat and water high quality in designated estuaries all alongside our coasts. The NEP facilitates and implements Complete Conservation and Administration Plans, primarily based on native priorities, which have efficiently preserved and restored estuarine habitats, improved group flood resilience, contributed to vital financial industries, like business and leisure fishing, and improved water high quality throughout our coastlines. This model would additionally add the Mississippi Sound Estuary Program to the group of federal NEPs—an enormous win for that area as it could present federal assist to the individuals and wildlife, together with birds like Plovers and Nice Blue Herons who name coastal Mississippi house. Tell your Senators to support this bill!
The Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act
- This invoice reauthorizes crucial parts of the Coastal Zone Administration Act, the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Packages (CELP) and Nationwide Estuarine Analysis Reserves System (NERRS). The CELP permits states and native communities to amass, restore, and preserve coastal areas, defending very important habitats for sea- and shorebirds, in addition to migratory birds who make the most of these areas as stopovers on their journeys, and quite a few fish and different wildlife species. The NERRS is a community of coastal analysis websites designated by NOAA to review estuarine ecosystems together with native communities. Reauthorization of those packages is lengthy overdue, and coastal communities and habitats throughout the nation would profit immensely from devoted annual federal funding and enhancement that reauthorization brings.
The Nice Lakes Restoration Initiative
- The Nice Lakes kind the most important recent floor water system on Earth, offering habitat for tens of millions of birds and ingesting water for 40 million individuals. Since 2010, The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), has funded greater than 8,000 initiatives throughout the Nice Lakes area leading to cleaner water, more healthy habitats, and stronger, extra resilient Nice Lakes communities—together with Audubon’s work with companions to revive and preserve greater than 10,000 acres of coastal wetland habitat for weak marsh birds just like the Black Tern and Nice Lakes Piping Plover. Audubon Nice Lakes additionally makes use of the GLRI for restoration work – for instance, working intently with the aforementioned NERRS program within the Allouez Bay Estuary in Wisconsin to make sure this Lake Superior wetland stays a thriving habitat for birds like rails and bitterns, along with different native fish and wildlife. Whereas this system has continued to obtain funding by way of appropriations, with out Congressional motion, this system will expire on September 30. Reauthorization of this system is required to make sure that initiatives can proceed throughout the area to enhance water high quality, restore wetlands, strengthen coastal resilience, and defend hen and wildlife habitat. The Home included reauthorization of GLRI when it handed the American Water Stewardship Act; Audubon is urging the Senate to go its GLRI reauthorization invoice shortly to complete this work earlier than the tip of the Congress. To get entangled, you possibly can write to your Senators to support reauthorization!
Audubon is working to advance these payments, along with different coastal and waters payments, to make our coastlines extra resilient for the birds and people who depend on them.
