CT National Estuarine Research Reserve / Blue Heritage Trail  

The CT National Estuarine Research Reserve (CT NERR) and the CT Blue Heritage Trail (BHT) are complementary assemblages of local sites with environmental, economic, historical and cultural significance. Both recently achieved major milestones in their establishment due to support from multiple partners including CT Sea Grant. The CT NERR, part of the national NERR system, is comprised of aquatic and land-based sites along the southeastern coast of Connecticut, including the lower Connecticut and Thames rivers. The BHT is a network of coastal sites in Connecticut at this point centered in the greater Thames River watershed, created to raise public awareness of the critical importance of the marine environment, maritime economy and culture in Connecticut. It is comprised of individual sites connected to walking, car and boat tours, augmented by physical signage and virtual content on the IZI travel app.

The field trip will begin with a brief visit to Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, one of the BHT sites and an historic Revolutionary War site which offers panoramic views of the lower Thames River watershed. The second site visited will be the UConn Avery Point campus, an important component of the CT NERR and BHT, as well as the location of the offices of CTSG. There we will meet with some of the leaders of the CT NERR and visit its headquarters. We will then travel to Bluff Point State Park for a guided 2.5-mile hike. The park is also part of the BHT and CT NERR. A short hike at nearby Haley Farm State Park, part of the CT NERR, will conclude the field trip.

Resilient Coastal Forest, Marsh Migration and the Emerald Tutu Project

Visit a 200-acre coastal forest in Stonington where in order to promote a healthier forest, over 60 acres were either cleared or thinned in late 2019. In 2020-2022, CTSG worked with Avalonia Land Conservancy to not just plant these cleared/thinned areas, but to promote forest resilience with tree and shrub species identified as appropriate for projected site conditions in 2050. After a hike through the forest, we will head to the coast to another ALC property where CTSG worked with volunteers to develop a marsh migration buffer and hear about a potential living shoreline. Time permitting, we will head to Mason’s Island in Stonington for a quick stop to see a small floating island deployed as part of the Emerald Tutu green infrastructure experiment. (https://emerald-tutu.com/)

Napatree Point Field Visit

Napatree Point, a barrier beach that fronts Little Narragansett Bay, is a shared ecological resource connecting Connecticut and Rhode Island. Hear about the history, geology, and ecology of this unique resource from Watch Hill Conservancy staff and Science Advisory Team researchers. After a short introduction at Conservancy offices in Watch Hill the group will walk a portion of the barrier beach. Bryan Oakley will highlight geology, sea level rise, storms, and resilience of the barrier; Peter August will highlight ecology; Daniel Cole will highlight education and conservation programs. Dress for the weather and be prepared to walk on sand and cobble. There are bathrooms at the Conservancy office, but the meeting space is not heated. We will visit during a falling tide so the probability of flooding/walking through water is low. While March is not in the midst of avian migration times, Napatree Point is a renowned birding hotspot so feel free to bring binoculars and a camera.

Shellfish aquaculture in Eastern Connecticut (Capped at 15)

This excursion will visit a variety of shellfish aquaculture operations that work in the Mystic/Stonington area of Connecticut.  First, learn about the Noank Aquaculture Collaborative, a COOP that contains one of Connecticut's only commercial shellfish hatchery and well as infrastructure for shellfish farms in the area.  If weather conditions allow, this will include a visit by boat to some of the shellfish aquaculture farms along the Mystic River.    

On-Your-Own Options (No lunch included)

Coastal Community Monitoring of Shorelines

This session is the culmination of the Northeast Sea Grant Program’s Learning Network around community monitoring and outreach related to coastal flooding and erosion.  By the end of the session, participants will have an understanding of the range of community science projects used to achieve different monitoring goals. Over the past two years, this group has been building the capacity of Sea Grant resilience programs to transfer knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned that link across three key vision topics (Community Response to Flooding, Weather and Climate, and Community Science) in a multidisciplinary way. At this session we will review the many methods/tools examined during the project, specifically learn about MyCoast and Coast Snap, and discuss good practices and successes of community science programs.

Aquaculture

This session is intended to bring together aquaculture extension staff, communicators, educators, and others to discuss the state of the industry in the Northeast U.S., emerging issues of concern, and funded SG projects. 

Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Overview presentations on current Sea Grant efforts and funded research and extension projects, followed by discussion of knowledge needs, data gaps, and directions going forward.  *If you or your program is doing CEC-related work, please come prepared to give a brief (1-3 minutes) description of that work.*

Many contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) emerged from the development of new technologies that provide people with therapeutic benefits or improve some aspect of their everyday lives.  However, proliferation of these persistent and often toxic chemicals and their release to fresh and marine waters may have serious implications for aquatic life.  While CECs are generally found in low concentrations in sediments and water column, they can bioaccumulate in marine organisms, and while concentrations are typically highest near sources, they have been found in locations as remote as Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean.  Research on environmental impacts has not kept pace with releases of CECs, and has not adequately addressed their accumulation in humans, wildlife, or ecosystems.  In this session we will discuss (1) the current state of the science and knowledge gaps in CECs, and (2) Sea Grant’s efforts to identify, monitor, and mitigate impacts of CECs in our coastal waters.

Environmental Justice Mapping Open Session

This session will provide an overview on Environmental Justice (EJ), how it’s showing up in Sea Grant programming, and how it’s related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (JEDI).  We will also discuss, and demonstrate, how mapping tools are being used to allocate funding and resources under federal and state initiatives - including the new Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEIJST) as part of the Justice 40 initiative.  Together we will think through our roles in engaging potential EJ communities beyond identifying them with EJ mapping tools.

Diadromous Fish Research, Extension, Education & Communication  Projects in the Northeast

Sea Grant staff from Maine, New Hampshire, MIT, and Woods Hole Sea Grant will give short presentations on lessons learned from recent research, extension, education, and communications projects focused on diadromous fish species such as sturgeon, salmon, and river herring. 

Open Networking/Meeting 

This space is available to anyone who is not interested in participating in either of the other topical sessions being offered at this time. It can be used to catch up on emails, meet with colleagues or break between sessions.

Coastal Resilience Program Updates

Each northeast Sea Grant program will give a brief update on their recent work in coastal resilience.

Workforce Development

Practitioners from each SG program will discuss the opportunities and challenges in building WD programs in their respective states.  This will be followed by a panel discussion with the following prompted questions:

1. What are some of the differences between training programs and WD programs? How can training programs be adapted to better address WD?

2. What opportunities are there for developing WD partnerships in your state? What types of organizations have delivered the most valuable partnerships?

3. What are the largest challenges/barriers to building effective WD Programs in the Northeast?

4. From your perspective, how do Sea Grants WD priorities interact with our priorities in DEJIA? What are some ways in which both priorities can be acted on simultaneously? 

Open Networking/Meeting

This space is available to anyone who is not interested in participating in either of the other topical sessions being offered at this time. It can be used to catch up on emails, meet with colleagues or break between sessions.