SOPHIA KHEBOIAN
Sophia is part of Great Bay’s land stewardship team as the Conservation Land Assistant to work with staff on a variety of research and monitoring programs.
What is SWMP?
In 1995, with the goal of understanding how estuaries change over time, the National Estuarine Research Reserve network implemented a standardized monitoring program across all 30 Reserves known as the System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP). This long-term program aims to measure and determine how conditions on the Reserves are changing in both the short and long term.
Blue Crabs
As ocean temperatures continue to rise, marine organisms are being forced to adapt. The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, an iconic Chesapeake Bay species, is an example of a species that is moving north to the Gulf of Maine’s warming waters. Historically, blue crabs have been rare north of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but have been observed in New Hampshire and Maine more often recently.
Osprey on Great Bay
The Great Bay Estuary is home to several types of birds. Some are common backyard birds while others are wading birds like the the seasonal Great Blue Heron. If you’re lucky, you might even see some larger predatory birds including the Bald Eagle or Osprey. Each year, several pair of osprey return to Great Bay to lay their eggs and start the next generation.
Tracking Eelgrass in Great Bay
Eelgrass is a cornerstone species of healthy estuaries and the status of eelgrass populations gives us insight into the overall health of Great Bay.
Building Community Support for Sustainable Stormwater Funding
To help towns and cities around Great Bay address this challenge, GBNERR partnered with the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, NH Sea Grant and the New England Environmental Finance Center to host an eight-part workshop series for municipal engineers, planners and leaders.
