The Wetlands Institute

What The Wetlands Institute does

The Wetlands Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation and education organization founded in 1969 in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, on the Cape May Peninsula. It studies, protects, and interprets coastal salt-marsh ecosystems with a particular focus on diamondback terrapins, horseshoe crabs, and coastal birds. The organization operates a single physical campus comprising an aquarium with live marsh animals, Marshview Hall, the Terrapin Station exhibit (the first exhibit dedicated to the species), a 720-foot ADA-compliant elevated marsh walkway, a quarter-mile salt marsh trail with a 125-foot pier, a forty-foot observation tower, and a 122-foot dock used for research and partner-operated on-water programming.

Name

The Wetlands Institute

Legal name

The Wetlands Institute

Website

https://wetlandsinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Wetlands Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, that researches, conserves, and educates the public on coastal salt-marsh ecosystems, with a focus on diamondback terrapins, horseshoe crabs, and coastal birds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wetlands Conservation and Environmental Education

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wetlands, Rivers & Freshwater Nature Tours (THAJAIAH), Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking) (THAAAEAD), River & Wetland Ecotours (Canoe/Kayak, Mangrove/Swamp Tours) (THAAAEAE)

Keywords

• Wetlands conservation
• Environmental education programs
• Coastal ecosystem research
• Wildlife conservation services
• Marine species research

Headquarters

HQ city

Stone Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Visitor Admissions: The Institute generates revenue through admission fees charged to visitors exploring the facilities, exhibits, aquarium, elevated walkway, salt marsh trail, and dock. Admission is $12 for ages 13 and up, $10 for ages 4-12, with free admission for members.
2. Membership Program: Annual memberships ranging from $40 (Individual) to $5,000 (Tower Lifetime for Two) providing year-round admission, discounts at the Tidepool Shop, newsletter access, and donor recognition at higher tiers.
3. Symbolic Animal Adoption Programs: Conservation adoption programs for Diamondback Terrapins, Horseshoe Crabs, and American Oystercatchers at price points from $25 to $500, providing digital certificates, merchandise, and experiences in exchange for donations supporting research and conservation activities.
4. Tidepool Shop Retail: Physical and online retail shop selling nature-themed gifts, books, jewelry, artwork, and merchandise. Operates weekends 9:30am-4:30pm in-person with online store available 24/7 and shipping throughout the United States.
5. On-Water Activities and Tours: Revenue from guided kayak tours ($60/person), back-bay birding and wildlife boat tours, and other on-water programming during summer season from mid-June through Labor Day.
6. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible charitable donations (IRS 501(c)(3)) supporting the Institute's mission in research, conservation, and education. Includes special events like Summer Celebration with sponsorship opportunities.
7. Graduate Fellowship Program: The Jeannie Morris Graduate Fellowship awards up to $10,000 to support graduate student research in coastal conservation, dispersing funds for tuition, fees, books, research supplies, and professional development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Wetlands Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization that operates a coastal wetlands visitor facility, aquarium, and elevated marsh walkway in Stone Harbor, NJ, providing environmental education, hands-on wetland experiences, and species-focused research on diamondback terrapins, horseshoe crabs, and coastal birds. It generates revenue from daily visitor admissions, tiered memberships, symbolic animal adoption donations, gift shop retail, guided on-water tours, grants, and event sponsorships. Its research has directly influenced New Jersey regulations on commercial crab-trap bycatch reduction devices (effective January 1998).

Product overview

The Wetlands Institute is a conservation organization offering a platform of research, conservation, and education programs centered on wetlands and coastal ecosystems. Its core offerings include physical exhibits (Terrapin Station, Aquarium, Marshview Hall), facilities (Elevated Marsh Walkway, Salt Marsh Trail, Observation Tower, Dock), and digital experiences (Virtual Wetlands Experience, Aquarium Bytes). Conservation programs include terrapin, horseshoe crab, and coastal bird conservation with adoption programs for public participation. Education offerings encompass field trips, traveling programs, the SEAS program, and educator resources. The Institute also operates a Summer Celebration event, offers membership programs, and provides research opportunities through the CCRP internship and Jeannie Morris Graduate Fellowship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Visitor Admission Daily paid admission granting the public access to the Institute's aquarium exhibits, Terrapin Station, Marshview Hall, the 720-foot elevated marsh walkway, a quarter-mile salt marsh trail with stations, a 40-foot observation tower, and the 122-foot research dock. Open daily 9:30am–4:30pm in spring and summer and on weekends in fall and winter.
• Membership Program Annual memberships tiered from $40 (Individual) to $5,000 (Tower Lifetime for Two), providing year-round free general admission, a 10% Tidepool Shop discount, quarterly newsletter access, donor recognition at higher tiers, invitations to special donor events, and lifetime admission for the two highest tiers.
• Adopt-A-Terrapin Program Symbolic animal adoption donations funding diamondback terrapin conservation, with tiers from $25 (Adopt an Egg) to $500 (Adopt a Nest) including digital certificates, stickers, car magnets, tote bags, tagged terrapin information, and private release experiences for groups.
• Adopt-A-Horseshoe Crab Program Symbolic adoption donations supporting horseshoe crab conservation through spawning surveys, aquaculture, and reTURN the Favor walks, with tiers from $25 (Adopt HSC Eggs) to $500 (Adopt an HSC Pair) including certificates, merchandise, and spawning survey invitations.
• Adopt-An-American-Oystercatcher Program Symbolic adoption donations supporting American Oystercatcher research and conservation including banding, field research, and outreach, with tiers from $25 (Adopt an AMOY Egg) to $500 (Adopt an AMOY Pair) including progressive benefits and educational updates.
• On the Water Activities Summer guided water-based recreation including Morning Back-Bay Kayaking, Sunset Kayaking ($60 per person), Back-Bay Birding Tours, and other wildlife boat tours operated in partnership with Harbor Outfitters departing from the Wetlands Institute dock during the mid-June through Labor Day season.
• Field Trip Program On-site educational field trip program for K-12 and undergraduate students featuring hands-on wetland exploration, aquarium and exhibit immersion, terrapin and marsh ecology experiences, and curriculum-aligned educator resources.
• Traveling Education Program Off-site educational programs delivered to schools, homeschool groups, scout groups, and adult organizations throughout the Southern New Jersey region, bringing wetlands education directly to groups unable to visit the Institute.
• Science Education at Sea (SEAS) Program Sea-going educational program for students in the Cape May and Wildwood areas providing hands-on marine and coastal ecosystem learning experiences aboard vessel-based programming.
• Tidepool Shop Nature-themed gift and book shop offering gifts, books, jewelry, artwork, and merchandise in-store on weekends from 9:30am–4:30pm, online 24/7 at tidepool-shop.myshopify.com, and via curbside pickup or US shipping.
• Jeannie Morris Graduate Fellowship Annual fellowship awarding up to $10,000 to graduate students pursuing degrees in natural resources, environmental science, wildlife ecology, or coastal and wetlands science, with funds available for tuition, fees, books, research supplies, and professional development.
• Coastal Conservation Research Program (CCRP) Internship 10-week summer internship program for undergraduate students interested in coastal conservation careers, providing mentorship and the opportunity to conduct independent research projects on coastal birds, diamondback terrapins, horseshoe crabs, and ecosystem dynamics.
• Virtual Wetlands Experience Online gateway featuring virtual salt marsh tours, live Osprey camera feeds, a virtual Terrapin Station, Aquarium Bytes creature feature videos, Salt Marsh Safari interactive experiences, educator activity packets, and at-home resources accessible globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million horseshoe crabs saved by reTURN the Favor volunteers since 2014
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• reTURN the Favor Program PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Multi-partner volunteer program formed in 2014 to organize volunteers to rescue stranded horseshoe crabs on Delaware Bay beaches. The Wetlands Institute serves as the lead partner. Collectively, volunteers have saved over one million crabs since the program's inception.
• Boat U.S. FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Wetlands Institute partners with Boat U.S. Foundation's 'Reel In And Recycle Monofilament Recycling Program' to install monofilament recycling stations at local marinas, fishing piers, and tackle shops throughout Southern New Jersey.
• Berkeley Conservation InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonofilament line collected by The Wetlands Institute is sent to the Berkeley Conservation Institute, which recycles the material into raw plastic pellets used to make new plastic products such as park benches or tackle boxes.
• ICONA AvaloncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICONA Avalon hosts The Wetlands Institute's annual Summer Celebration event, providing venue for the organization's signature fundraising gala.
• Harbor OutfitterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHarbor Outfitters serves as the booking and operational partner for morning and sunset kayak tours departing from The Wetlands Institute dock during summer season. Reservations made through Harbor Outfitters at 609-368-5501.
• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJDEP adopted Institute research findings to create state regulations requiring Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) on commercial crab traps, effective January 1, 1998, for waters less than 150 feet wide.
• New Jersey Audubon SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Wetlands Institute participates in NJ Audubon's World Series of Birding, an annual competitive birding event to raise funds for conservation.
• Local Schools and UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with local schools and universities on the terrapin head-start program where hatchlings are raised for one year before release into the wild.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: National parent organization of New Jersey Audubon. Comparable mission around birds and coastal habitats, with similar membership and education revenue architecture, but at national scale and with substantially larger programmatic footprint.
• National Aquarium (Baltimore): Major urban aquarium with strong conservation and education programming. Comparable in pairing live aquatic exhibits with conservation storytelling and K-12 field-trip revenue, though with a much larger facility and capital base.
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Large regional conservation nonprofit focused on Chesapeake Bay restoration. Comparable in combining education, advocacy, and on-water programming (including boat-based learning), but operates at a significantly larger geographic and budget scale.
• Audubon Nature Institute (New Orleans): Multi-facility conservation and education nonprofit combining an aquarium, zoo, and nature exhibits. Closest large-scale analog to the Institute's aquarium-plus-walkway-plus-education hybrid, though operating at a substantially larger scale in a different coastal region.
• The Nature Conservancy - New Jersey: New Jersey chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the largest global conservation nonprofit. Broader incumbent with overlapping coastal and wetlands protection work in New Jersey but operating at national scale with a much larger land-and-water portfolio.

Emerging players

• South Carolina Aquarium: Mid-sized regional aquarium with strong sea turtle and coastal conservation programming. Comparable as a hybrid aquarium-conservation-education nonprofit on the U.S. coast, but at a larger scale than the Wetlands Institute and with different geographic focus.

Direct peers

• Delaware Center for the Inland Bays: Nonprofit focused on protecting the Delaware Inland Bays. Direct peer given shared Delaware Bay / southern New Jersey coastal ecosystem, comparable wetland conservation mission, and similar reliance on grants, memberships, and education programming.
• New Jersey Audubon Society: Direct peer in New Jersey conservation. New Jersey Audubon co-hosts the World Series of Birding with the Wetlands Institute and operates comparable bird and habitat programs across the same Cape May / southern New Jersey geography.
• Cape May Bird Observatory: Operates a research and education facility in Cape May focused on migratory birds and coastal habitats. Direct peer given shared regional geography, overlapping bird conservation mission, and similar visitor-and-research hybrid business model.

Others

• Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL): Ecosystem peer in coastal and estuarine research, located in Woods Hole, MA. Comparable in running long-term coastal species and ecosystem research programs and graduate training, but with a more academic and lab-based operating model than the Institute's visitor-facing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WetlandsInstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/wetlandsinstitute
• Xx.com/wetlandsshnj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-wetlands-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wetlands Institute