National Estuaries Week

National Estuaries Week 2025

Thank you to everyone who celebrated National Estuaries Week 2025 from September 20 – 27! In partnership with our friends at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA), and the Association of National Estuary Programs (ANEP), we hope that you took the chance to explore, celebrate, and protect your local estuary.

This year had more volunteers and volunteer events than ever before – a testament to the desire to connect with our estuaries! Together, across 56 projects, almost 4500 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty to clean up their estuary.

National Estuaries Week Resolution

In Washington, D.C., our elected officials have demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting and preserving estuaries by officially designating September 20-27, 2025 as National Estuaries Week through resolutions passed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate resolution, led by Senators Cassidy and Whitehouse, garnered support from a group of 30 bipartisan Senators. In the House, the resolution was championed by the co-chairs of the Congressional Estuaries Caucus—Representatives Bonamici, Larsen, Mast, and Posey—alongside 19 bipartisan Representatives, recognizing the vital importance of our bays, coasts, sounds, and estuaries.

NEW Nationwide Project Map

Submit Your Project

Thanks to everyone who hosted a clean-up or restoration project at your local estuary and submitted the project description to our form below to be featured in our 2025 National Estuaries Week Project Map!

This year, we partnered with the National Environmental Education Foundation to highlight our estuary conservation projects as a part of National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 27. Projects were shared across both platforms to demonstrate how we care for “Our Home Outdoors” wherever we #WadeIn.”

Show Your Support on Social Media

Use the hashtag #WadeIn and be sure to tag RAE and our partners on social media with a story or image detailing why your estuary is important to you! Leading up to and during National Estuaries Week, RAE will be featuring posts across our social media channels highlighting what makes the estuaries we reside in our homes. Check out our social media toolkit if you need inspiration or visit our channels to learn more!

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About National Estuaries Week

National Estuaries Day began in 1988 to promote the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them. In partnership with the National Estuaries Program, National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, Restore America’s Estuaries, and many other organizations, we have extended the festivities to a whole week. It is an annual celebration and campaign to increase public awareness of estuaries and to encourage people to become involved in the protection of these important natural resources.