New York - New Jersey Harbor Coalition
The Campaign for a World-Class Waterfront
The NY-NJ Harbor Coalition is a group of like-minded organizations that joined together to transform the region’s waterways into a truly world-class harbor and estuary with urban waterfront parks, ecological health and critical infrastructure to meet the needs of the 22 million residents of the nation’s largest, most diverse urban area.
The value of this region’s harbor – America’s harbor – is immense, from its diverse ecology to its incredible opportunities for commerce, recreation and transportation. It is a cultural icon, with the Statue of Liberty and the nation’s first urban National Park, the Gateway National Recreation Area.
But despite local, state and federal efforts to protect and restore these incredible natural and historic resources, public access to the water remains limited, iconic parks and landmarks are crumbling, maritime commerce is impeded, and the region’s biodiversity and ecology continue to suffer – a status quo that harms everything from wildlife to commercial fishing to children seeking a clean, safe place to swim.
The Harbor Coalition was formed to address these deficiencies and transform America’s harbor into a 21st Century by galvanizing and elevating public support for our waterways and working with elected leaders and other stakeholders to increase funding for regional waterfront projects. The group will also build on the comprehensive research and planning done by local, state and federal agencies to advocate for public policies and resources that can sustain the waterfront’s restoration and transformation into the future.
The Coalition is led by a Steering Committee of eleven members who have national reach and represent hundreds of thousands of groups and individuals in the New York-New Jersey region. The Steering Committee includes: The Environmental Defense Fund, Hudson River Foundation, Ironbound Community Corporation, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, National Park Conservation Association, New Jersey Audubon, NY/NJ Baykeeper, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, Regional Plan Association, Trust for Public Land and WE ACT.
Support for the New York-New Jersey Harbor Coalition's work is provided by the J.M. Kaplan Fund, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and others.
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Harbor Coalition Developments
Calling Upon Congress.....
In March 2012, the Harbor Coalition sent a letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, as well as members of the NY-NJ Delegation, asking for Congressional support of the President’s FY 2013 budget proposals that will protect funding for key programs that are vital to the improvement of the NY-NJ harbor region. View a copy of the letter here.
Increased Public Outreach.....
The Harbor Coalition is stepping up its public outreach campaign. Check us out on NJ Capitol Report and our first e-newsletter!
