The Matanzas project is funded by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative, a program administered by the University of New Hampshire. The Science Collaborative program requires the projects it funds to demonstrate ongoing collaboration and applied science to coastal management problems identified by the research reserves.

The Matanzas project’s public and professional workshops are examples of collaborative efforts with intended users. Matanzas area local governments and stakeholders will ultimately use our toolbox of adaptive strategies and scenarios to plan for sea level rise. The project is also designed to be transferable to other reserves within the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. There are 28 research reserves across the country representing different biogeographic regions that are protected for long-term research, water-quality monitoring, education and coastal stewardship.

As part of the Science Collaborative program’s oversight of the projects it funds, funding program manager Justine Stadler attended our professional workshops on May 8th and 9th. Following the workshops, the project’s Principal Investigator Kathryn Frank and Collaboration Lead Dawn Jourdan showed Justine some of the special places in the Matanzas area. The project team thanks Justine for participating in our collaborative process and joining us for an eco-adventure.

Justine Stadler (left) and Dawn Jourdan (center) kayaking near Pellicer Creek with guide Brandon Mellin of Ripple Effect Ecotours.

Dawn (left) and Justine walking along the shoreline of Summer Haven near the Matanzas Inlet.