Grace McCulloch is a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire who is preparing for a career protecting vulnerable ecological communities. Great Bay NERR is fortunate to welcome her as our new Margaret A. Davidson Fellow. She will be joining us for the next two years and has spent this summer researching habitat use of the saltmarsh sparrow, a state listed Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
Flooding, erosion and other climate impacts are affecting NH’s coastal towns in different ways, and the strategies for increasing resilience will look different too. Despite these differences, there is a lot to be gained by sharing ideas across towns, visiting projects in progress, and looking for new partnerships.
Come explore the Great Bay Community Wildlife Garden! This beautiful demonstration garden is a place where everyone is invited to relax and get inspired to make their yards more wildlife friendly. This page explains the garden’s design so you can find a few ideas for your own yard or window box.
Anyone who has participated in fieldwork has learned the valuable lesson: expect the unexpected. Even when you’ve prepared for every “what if” scenario, something will inevitably happen where you need to think quickly on your feet; whether that is pushing a boat across a mudflat to chase the outgoing tide, saving a boat from sinking using the shirts off your back, showing up to your first day of fieldwork with everything but a writing utensil, or finding make-shift tools in the field.
Many people recognize the firey hue glasswort brings to a salt marsh as it turns red in the fall. Even from a distance, those with a discerning eye can pick out the bands of low marsh that fringe the water’s edge. Real connoisseurs of drive-by marsh plant identification can even pick out the dusty grey-green of spike grass (Distichlis spicata) interwoven with the backdrop of salt marsh hay (Spartina patens), but why do these plants grow in the places they do?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Connecticut have officially designated the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve in the Federal Register.
