The American Littoral Society is an American conservation, research, and education organization focused on the Intertidal zone and coastal habitats. It was founded in 1961 and is headquartered on Sandy Hook in New Jersey in a building that was formerly Army barracks.
The American Littoral Society was founded in 1961 by marine biologists Lionel Walford and John R. Clark, who were director and assistant director, respectively, of the Sandy Hook Marine Laboratory. It was a way to engage the public and manage volunteer efforts, beginning with a group of skin divers who had been volunteering for the laboratory. Its focus is on conservation, education, research, and advocacy to protect coastal habitats (the word littoral, from Late Latin littoralis, means "related to the shore"). Some members are people like fishers whose professions depend on a healthy ecosystem, some are marine biologists or other scientists, and many are amateur naturalists, divers, and conservationists.[1] Its headquarters is on Sandy Hook in New Jersey in a building that was formerly Army barracks.[2]