FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2026 CONTACT:

Blair Nelsen, Executive Director, Waterspirit (732) 923-9788, communications@waterspirit.org

Photos/video available upon request

Celebrate the Shore We Share

Monmouth County’s first ever City of Water Day was one of almost one hundred events across the region.

Keansburg, NJ – Forty people joined in at Keansburg Baywalk West on Saturday for the first ever City of Water Day event in Monmouth County, hosted by Waterspirit, Save Coastal Wildlife, Clean Ocean Action, and the Northern Monmouth Watershed Alliance. The event promoted ways that local waterways can stand up to climate change.

Save Coastal Wildlife board member and Northern Monmouth Watershed Alliance member Charlene Kiley said, “It brought me so much joy to see everyone celebrating along the very shoreline that first inspired my appreciation for the wonder of our waters. It is my ‘why’—the reason I dedicate my time and energy to protecting our natural resources.”

The event included a beach clean-up, seining, paddleboarding, kayaking, meditation, an ecology talk about the Raritan Bay, and a sunset walk.

Rachel Dawn Davis, Public Policy and Justice Organizer at Waterspirit said, "While celebrating the shore we share, all of our senses were attuned to sacred water. Being in the water felt like being home; everyone on the beach was part of the same human family. This City of Water Day event exemplified the notion that when we treat water as sacred, we are able to fully experience her beauty."

Communications Intern Nina DeSimone says, “I was brought to a place of deep appreciation for marine life, the ocean, and of course: water.”

About Waterspirit: Founded in 1998 by Sister Suzanne Golas CSJP, Waterspirit is a spiritual ecology nonprofit that empowers people of all faiths to protect the sacred gift of water. A reverence for water includes a commitment to preserve this source and sustainer of life.

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