About the Project

In collaboration with local reserve staff, technical advisors, and local and national partners, this project brought together local and historical knowledge to comprehensively map past and present estuarine habitat across all 30 NERRs. Project findings revealed regional differences in how estuaries have changed over time and suggest that multiple mapping methods complement each other and should be integrated to provide a more accurate understanding of estuaries—past, present and future. This project has strengthened strategic planning for estuarine habitat conservation and restoration at both national and local scales in the face of sea level rise and lake-level change.

About this Resource

This webpage is a comprehensive collection of project materials and products, including a guided StoryMap tour of national and Reserve-level results, an interactive web application for data exploration, detailed technical reports for each reserve, recordings of webinars summarizing the project, downloadable data, and more! The webpage is an accessible starting point for a variety of audiences interested in learning more about this project. Use the webpage to learn more about the importance of mapping estuaries, the project’s approach, findings about estuary change over time, and examples of how results might be applied. The webpage also includes an interactive map where reserve-specific resources can be viewed, including a unique StoryMap, project brief, and technical report for each individual reserve.