We hope you were able to join as at our annual meeting this October! If you missed it, we want to make sure you see all that we have achieved alongside the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in the past year – with help from friends like you!
EDUCATION & DISCOVERY CENTER
- Support for facility planning at the Discovery Center for future research, education, and meeting space
- Providing field trip funds for nearly 500 students from socioeconomically challenged schools through our Estuary Explorers program
- Keeping the Discovery Center beautiful through supporting the living wall, landscaping and painting projects throughout the campus
- Supporting research and education fellows and interns that start their career at GBNERR
- Continued our role as a fiscal agent for congressionally directed funds toward the eelgrass exhibit and related educational programming
- Supported the production, printing and mailing of Great Bay Matters
- Through designated funds managed by the Stewards, continued to support the full-time volunteer coordinator position at the Center as well as ongoing maintenance needs
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
- Co-lead the Seven Rivers to the Coast website, a shared communications platform for increasing awareness and engagement in efforts to protect the Great Bay Estuary and its watershed
- Help manage the Great Bay Changemaker program, which educates residents about the region’s waterways, empowers them with the skills and confidence to become environmental advocates, and creates a cohort of changemakers who feel empowered to take action.
- Sponsored a Green Grass, Clear Water workshop alongside the Reserve, Sea Grant, and UNH Cooperative Extension
- Continued development of Great Bay for the Ages, helping supporters to remember the Stewards in their estate planning
RESEARCH & STEWARDSHIP
- Completed our campaign to support opening the property at Glenn Cove, raising more than $400K, and continuing to provide support for the property’s maintenance and other needs
- Sponsoring the upcoming third annual Research Symposium at the Center, an opportunity to plan for a changing climate, share the latest science, and spark new ideas for investigation
- Support for research into marsh migration and mapping, acoustic studies in Great Bay, invasive crabs, and ongoing salt marsh monitoring
- Removing invasive species from Reserve lands and replacing them with native plants
- Provided ongoing support for the Community Backyard Wildlife Garden, which demonstrates wildlife friendly landscaping practice
STEWARDS
- Completed an updated five-year Strategic Plan for the Stewards
- Co-hosted the National Estuarine Research Reserve annual meeting, bringing educators and scientists from 29 other Reserves nationwide to Great Bay
- Continue to advocate for the Reserve in the face of threats to federal funding
- Worked alongside the Reserve to evaluate our organization and programs to ensure they are accessible to all; worked with community-based organizations such as Northeast Passage and Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire as part of the process
- Celebrated the 27th annual Great Bay 5K, with over 900 registered participants, and the 19th annual Art of Great Bay, which brought hundreds of visitors over the weekend of the show
- Brought on new board members with experience in science, sustainability, marketing, and outreach