So, you want to be a scientist? What if I said you can, and that it’s easy?! I’m talking about participating in community science, regardless of age, background, or experience. Anyone, including you, can be a community scientist.
Environmentally Speaking
The DWR Algae Lab has compiled a database containing more than two decades of information on phytoplankton in North Carolina.
Kara Guthrie paid more interest than usual when she saw the email pop up in her inbox with subject: “Coastal STEM Career Fair” last year. When she opened it and learned the event was “geared toward Middle & High School students from … Teen Centers through Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain…”, she knew she had to get involved.
The N.C. Wetlands Passport is a printable map and list of 240 wetlands on public lands or publicly accessible property in North Carolina – including wetlands in local, state or national parks or forests, and on state game lands. The passport, which was created by the DEQ Division of Water Resources Ecosystem Branch, is available in both English and Spanish.
The DWR Biological Assessment Branch benthic biologists have discovered new species of macroinvertebrates through their work of collecting samples of small aquatic animals that live on the bottom of streams, rivers and swamps. The biologists sample for these critters because their presence – or lack of it – is an indicator of the health and cleanliness of the water they live in.
Through a collaborative research project funded in 2022 by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative, a team of researchers is assessing the use of uncrewed aircraft systems or drones for monitoring oyster reefs. This multi-reserve undertaking is the “Collaborative Development Of Novel Remote Sensing Workflows For Assessing Oyster Reef Structural And Demographic Characteristics To Inform Management And Restoration”.
Spread the word! The North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve has four internship positions open. Interested applicants can learn more about the Reserve on our website and our social media channels.
This past summer, the reserve had four outstanding interns. They contributed to our mission and learned a lot along the way. Below they each share a bit of advice or memories from their experience.
The DWR Surface Water Identification Training and Certification course, or SWITC, ensures staff and consultants can identify streams that will be subject to state rules for riparian buffers, which are areas where trees, grass or other vegetation are required to be preserved alongside streams.
The North Carolina Coastal Reserve consists of 10 sites. Many birds call at least one of the 10 sites home, while many others use them as resting stops along the Atlantic Flyway.