Skip to content
Sand dunes stretch out into the horizon with tall green sand grass growing in rows across the sand.
Delaware Bayshore Healthy sand dunes stretch across the horizon of the Delaware Bayshore. © Erika Nortemann

Newsroom

The Nature Conservancy Welcomes Will Helt as the Delaware Oceans and Coasts Director

Helt will focus on implementing science-based strategies to improve the climate resilience of coastal habitats and natural communities

August 28, 2022 | Wilmington, DE

Media Contacts

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Delaware and Pennsylvania announced today that Will Helt has joined the organization as Oceans and Coasts Director. Helt joins the Delaware TNC team following work for the Rhode Island TNC chapter working on coastal resiliency and marine science projects.

“The Nature Conservancy in Delaware and across the globe is focused on climate change and coastal resilience,” said TNC Delaware & Pennsylvania Executive Director Lori Brennan. “As we look to the future, we knew it was important to invest in new staff with an expertise in coastal programming. I am so pleased to welcome Will to our team as our chapter’s first Oceans and Coasts Director.”

The Nature Conservancy’s Delaware chapter was founded in 1990 and merged with the Pennsylvania chapter in 2020. The organization’s work in Delaware includes land protection,  stewardship, and advocacy including the Milford Neck Preserve, urban conservation, the citizen science Stream Stewardship program, and educational volunteer opportunities.  

“Delaware is home to iconic coastal communities, important bio habitats and almost 300,000 acres of wetlands,” said TNC Delaware and Pennsylvania Director of Conservation Keith Fisher. “It is also struggling with the challenge of sea-level rise, a changing climate and more intense storm events. Will’s background in coastal habitats and restoration make him the perfect fit to join the team.”

The Director of Oceans and Coasts will lead a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and practitioners focused on implementing science-based strategies to improve the climate resilience of coastal habitats and natural communities along the Delaware Bayshore while incorporating natural infrastructure solutions that help human communities adapt to the impacts of sea-level rise. Through this work, Helt will regularly work with academic, municipal, state, non-profit and federal partners.

“I am thrilled to join the Delaware & Pennsylvania TNC Chapter,” said Will Helt. “I look forward to hearing the concerns of Delawareans in terms of sea-level rise and storms, and I am excited to think about natural solutions that benefit both the residents and the environment.”

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in more than 70 countries and territories, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.