NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program Launches 2025-2035 Action Agenda at “Ripple Effects” Conference

New plan outlines 41 priority actions to strengthen ecological resilience, improve water quality, and expand public access across the Estuary.

HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 6, 2025) — The New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP), hosted by the Hudson River Foundation, today announced the release of its 2025-2035 Action Agenda, a ten-year plan that defines the shared priorities and commitments of HEP and its partners to restore, manage, and strengthen resilience across the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. Unveiled at HEP’s annual Ripple Effects: Local Actions for Estuary-Wide Change conference, the plan outlines 19 objectives and 41 collective actions designed to enhance the health, resilience, and accessibility of the region’s shared waterways.

The Action Agenda builds on findings from the 2025 State of the Estuary Report released earlier this fall, as well as decades of collaboration to ensure that communities have access to clean water, nature, and decisions about estuary management. It is organized around five long-term goals—Water Quality, Habitat and Ecological Health, Public Access, Port and Maritime, and Community Engagement—and continues the progress achieved under HEP’s 2017-2025 Action Agenda while charting new priorities to help partners align their efforts and guide collective action for the decade ahead.

“The 2025-2035 Action Agenda represents both a blueprint and a call to action for our partners throughout the Estuary,” said Rob Pirani, Director of the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program at the Hudson River Foundation. “It reflects years of collaboration between scientists, government agencies, wastewater and port authorities, civic advocates, and community partners to advance the goals of the Clean Water Act, and reiterates the shared belief that local actions, when connected and sustained, can ripple outward to strengthen resilience across the entire Estuary.”

Realizing the Clean Water Act’s vision of clean, fishable, and swimmable waterways for all will require a sustained, coordinated, and data-driven approach—and the 2025-2035 Action Agenda delivers a framework of goals, objectives, and actions to achieve this. That same commitment was reflected in this year’s Ripple Effects conference, where partners gathered to share ideas, highlight progress, and explore how local actions can influence policy, strengthen resilience, and inspire lasting, estuary-wide change.

“Clean, accessible waterways are essential to building resilient communities,” said Congressman Rob Menendez, Representative of New Jersey’s 8th district and a keynote speaker at the conference. “I’m grateful to the Hudson River Foundation, the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program, and everyone who joined today for their tireless leadership and stewardship of our shared waters. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I’m committed to creating a more sustainable future and protecting New Jersey’s environment for generations to come.”

The conference also served as a forum for scientists, funders, and community leaders to examine emerging ecological trends and share examples of successful local projects that could be replicated and scaled across the Estuary.

“We know that warmer air and water temperatures, more frequent extreme weather, and rising sea levels are changing baseline conditions and affecting people, habitat, and wildlife across the Estuary,” added Rob Pirani. “The Action Agenda translates those findings into practical steps partners can take to guide decisions and strengthen regional collaboration, while this conference provides a platform to continue that dialogue—whether by advancing watershed plans that reduce flood risk and improve water quality, maintaining green stormwater and nature-based infrastructure, or integrating habitat restoration with coastal protection strategies. Together, these efforts will help us adapt to changes in the watershed and ensure that every local action—every restoration project, every partnership, every new idea—contributes to a healthier, more resilient estuary for all.”

The release of the Action Agenda also carried a commitment to turning its priorities into progress. During the conference, HEP announced the launch of its second Advancing Habitat Restoration with Community Request for Proposals, offering up to $260,000 to support projects that enhance habitat, engage residents in stewardship, and expand access to nature in communities across the Estuary (visit https://hudsonriver.org/article/habitat-restoration-grants/ for more information).

Grounded in data and community input, the 2025-2035 Action Agenda draws on 27 indicators of estuarine health compiled through more than 25 years of monitoring and research, as well as insights from HEP committees, technical work groups, and community-based meetings held across New York and New Jersey. The 2025-2035 Action Agenda and 2025 State of the Estuary Report are available online at https://www.hudsonriver.org/ccmp/. More information about the NY-NJ Harbor and Estuary Program is available at www.harborestuary.org.

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Hudson River Foundation: For over 40 years, the Hudson River Foundation (HRF) has supported scientific research and engagement that has informed decision making for the stewardship of the river, estuary, and watershed. HRF hosts and manages the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program.

NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program: The New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) engages people, partners, and communities to collaboratively advance understanding, improve stewardship, and enhance our shared waters and watersheds.  Created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the request of the governors of New York and New Jersey, HEP is an ongoing effort to develop and implement a consensus driven plan to protect, conserve and restore the estuary. HEP decisions and activities are carried out by Hudson River Foundation staff and partners organized through committees and work groups.