Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project is off on their first mission of 2025 in Papahānaumokuākea. For the next few weeks, the team will remove debris from the waters and shores of Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll, Pihemanu). The Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project team is working diligently to solve the problem of marine debris within Papahānaumokuākea, one of the planet's largest fully protected marine conservation areas. To date, the team has removed over one million pounds of debris from Papahānaumokuākea. This April mission is the first of three in the 2025 season. Follow along for updates and read more about the project on the NOAA Marine Debris Program website.

A groundbreaking event took place earlier this month for the Raritan River Floodplain Reforestation Project in central New Jersey. This project will create 112 acres of forested floodplains and wetlands at property owned and managed by the Duke Farms Foundation adjacent to the Raritan River—approximately 2.8 miles upstream of the American Cyanamid Superfund Site. Trustee partners were on site to officially kick off the restoration work that began in March. Along with our U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection colleagues, NOAA will oversee the progress of the plantings and review monitoring reports to verify the project has met performance goals on an annual basis. The first inspection was conducted ahead of the groundbreaking. NOAA inspected the 19,000 nursery plants delivered to the site. An additional 30,000 trees and shrubs will make their way to the planting site over the next year. The restoration project is designed to compensate the public for potential injuries to floodplains and wetlands resulting from releases of hazardous substances at the American Cyanamid Superfund Site. The Raritan River Floodplain Reforestation Project is separate and distinct from the cleanup of the Superfund Site.