What a year! We are so proud of everything we have accomplished alongside the Reserve this past year, and you helped make it possible! Read on below for all that’s happened, and we hope to see you in person soon.
Education & Children
- With the help of the Horizon Foundation and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, supported the Reserve’s free “Grab and Go” science kits, provided weekly from December 2020 through the end of this year (over 5000 have been handed out!)
- Brought more than 400 children from socioeconomically challenged schools back to the Discovery Center on fieldtrips this fall
- Supported improvements at the Wellenberger Woods natural play area, providing even more space for children, their parents, and grandparents to gather outdoors
Community Outreach
- Launched the Tide Turners program, inspiring area residents to commit to small changes that make a big difference to Great Bay’s future
- Received funding from AARP and the NHCF toward installing a sensory garden, new sculptures, and a more accessible playground
- Participated in the Planning Committee for the 2022 Beaches Conference
- Held a virtual Great Bay 5K Road Race, raising nearly $20,000 in our 22nd year with the support of all our fabulous participants, sponsors, and a continued partnership with area breweries and restaurants
- Launched the Great Bay 55K Challenge, designing a course around the estuary complete with information on scenic spots, trails, and historical spots along the way
- Ran a photo contest for our 25th anniversary, focused on celebrating the beauty and wonder of Great Bay
- Interviewed many former Stewards and published blogs in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the organization
- Held a community supper at Flatbread
Research & Stewardship
- Supported studies of salt marsh sparrows, a species of concern in New Hampshire
- Acted as a fiscal agent for grant money to GBNERR; these funds have advanced work on living shorelines, community resiliency, assessing marsh resilience to sea level change nationally, analyzing impacts of sea level rise on salt marshes across the country, developing a marsh by marsh plan for marshes in New Hampshire, and supporting teacher training workshops at GBNERR
- Completed a Stewards work day cleaning up the Great Bay Community Wildlife Garden; funded additional signage and completion of work on the site’s water feature
- Supported the continued the analysis of eDNA in partnership with the University of New Hampshire, learning about the diversity of species that live in the Bay and tributaries.
GBNERR Support
- Continued funding the full-time volunteer coordinator position, facility improvements, and employee development
- Invested in the new “Be a Saltmarsh Scientist” exhibit in the Discovery Center, as well as the live streaming of the osprey camera on the Bay
- Purchased two new game cameras for the Reserve
- Funded planning meetings with landscape ecologists and foresters, guiding future decisions around sustainable landscaping at the water’s edge
- Supported the production, printing and mailing of Great Bay Matters