The 2025 Symposium included 18 presentations and several interactive activities that helped us think more deeply and collaboratively about what it means to restore ecosystems in a rapidly changing world. A terrific line up of 5 and 10 minute talks focused on the science and practice of restoration in the Great Bay Estuary and the NH coastal watershed, including: science that informs restoration, new or improved techniques, lessons learned from successes and failures, and examples of innovative engagement and collaboration. You can access a recording of the presentations below.
Resources
Meeting Packet (Agenda, Participant List and References)
Small Group Discussion Summary: Restoration and Research Ideas
Blog Post about the Symposium
Presentations were organized into thematic blocks. Follow the links below to access a recording of the presentations, and then use the YouTube video description to navigate between presentations within the block.
Block 1 – Water Quality Trends | Access: Block 1 Recording
- Water quality trends in rivers draining to Great Bay, Michelle Shattuck & Chris Whitney, UNH (15 min)
- Nitrogen inputs to watersheds and riverine exports, Clarisse Ishimwe, UNH (5 min)
- College Brook water quality and planning for its restoration, Wil Wolheim, UNH (10 min)
Block 2 – Dam Removal and Fish Movements | Access: Block 2 Recording
- Adaptive management at the Sawyer Mill Dam Removal Project, Kevin Lucey, DES (10 min)
- Tracking herring in the Bellamy River and Great Bay, Ryan Adams, UNH (10 min)
- How can we better count River Herring in an era of dam removal? Nathan Furey, UNH (5 min)
Block 3 – Human Dimensions of Restoration | Access: Block 3 Recording
- Decision making in the bay under uncertainty, Easton White, UNH (5 min)
- A Participatory Science Approach on PFAS in Surface Water Foams, Paula Mouser, UNH (5 min)
- Using Restoration Data in STEM Education, Laura Reynolds, WSU (5 min)
- What Works to Recruit Outdoor Volunteers?, Charlotte Thompson, UNH (10 min)
Block 4 – Restoring Oyster Populations | Access: Block 4 Recording
- Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) Program Overview and Results, Kelsey Meyer-Rust, TNC (10 min)
- Insights from a citizen science program to support oyster survival and growth, Jannine Chamorro, UNH (5 min)
- Seascape genomics and common garden experiment, Katie Lotterhos, NU (10 min)
Block 5 – Eelgrass Restoration Techniques | Access: Block 5 Recording
- Restoring eelgrass in the Great Bay Estuary, Trevor Mattera, PREP (10 min)
- Dynamics of eelgrass seed dispersal, Theresa Oehmke, UNH (10 min)
Block 6 – Restoring Salt Marsh Hydrology and Habitat Function | Access: Block 6 Recording
- Population dynamics of the imperiled Salt Marsh Sparrow, Talia Kuras, UNH (10 mi)
- Lessons learned from drainage enhancement projects in New England, Grant McKown, UNH (10 min)
- Lessons learned restoring the Philbrick Pond marsh, Joanne Glode, TNC (5 min)
The symposium was organized in partnership with a terrific planning that helped shape the theme, solicit and select presentations, and facilitate the event.
Aidan Barry, NHDES Coastal Program
Brianna Group, The Nature Conservancy
Steve Jones, NH Sea Grant
Trevor Mattera, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership
Michelle Shattuck, NH Water Resources Research Center
Chris Peter, Great Bay NERR, christopher.r.peter@wildlife.nh.gov
Lynn Vaccaro, Great Bay NERR, lynn.e.vaccaro@wildlife.nh.gov
Lauren White, Great Bay NERR, lauren.e.white@wildlife.nh.gov