The National Estuarine Research Reserve System has a proven track record of successfully transferring and translating reserve science to a broad suite of educators through teacher workshops. In recent years, teachers expressed a need for curriculum, data sets, and professional development related to climate change.

Through this project, four southeast National Estuarine Research Reserves created a region-wide student-driven program for teachers that furthered understanding of estuarine habitat restoration. The project built on the successes of previous efforts that engaged students in smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) restoration. Students at 18 participating schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida grew and transplanted smooth cordgrass to eroded marsh and/or floating cordgrass islands near their school, learned about estuarine habitat, and built scientific and technical skills. Reserves supported teachers through each stage of the project by providing professional development opportunities, standards-based lesson plans, and an online interactive resource center. The project grew a community of practice among educators and reserves, expanded the use of salt marsh focused curriculum, increased plant growth in degraded ecosystems, and gave students the tools to be effective ecological stewards in their communities. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

This project will enhance stakeholder capacity to make informed decisions on the protection and restoration of buffers around the Great Bay Estuary by addressing the following question: What are the options for addressing the challenges to effectively protect and restore buffer zones around New Hampshire's Great Bay? The project will support strategic agency and nonprofit investments; inform strategies for outreach professionals to work with towns on water quality improvement, habitat protection, climate adaptation, and nonpoint source pollution control; and lead to new research questions. This integrated assessment project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to evaluate options for action. It did not produce any new data.

This project will develop, produce, and implement role-play simulation case studies for Georgetown County citizens and leaders, with the goal of starting community discussions around climate adaptation and mitigation planning. The project team will develop the simulations based on localized climate information and data for temperature and precipitation. This will be combined with information gathered through key stakeholder interviews on their understanding of climate change, the climate-related risk factors that are of the greatest interest to them, and the social and political context in which decisions will be made. This information will then be used to create a scientific fact sheet for each case study, the roles within the case studies, risks that are present, and possible solutions based on sociopolitical context and scientific evidence. The project seeks to engage 150-200 participants in the role-playing simulations through a minimum of four community participation workshops throughout the county. The role-play will allow for collective community learning and engagement, and the potential for developing policy recommendations. It will help to incorporate climate risk management into local decision-making processes in the public and private sectors. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

Restore America's Estuaries is partnering with the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Training Program Initiative and the five research reserves in the Gulf Coast to promote blue carbon projects. Through workshops planned around the Gulf, the project team will facilitate discussions about current needs and opportunities related to blue carbon. The project team will also help to establish local working groups and provide technical assistance through a targeted Gulf Coast blue carbon training workshop. The goal is to support new projects that advance local understanding of blue carbon science and help pilot ways to use emerging carbon markets to fund coastal wetland restoration and conservation. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

The project team produces educational outreach materials for audiences throughout Grand Bay. The materials will raise awareness of the positive and negative effects of land-use change for the general public, community organizations, and decisionmakers within the region. The materials will educate audiences about the ways to preserve and protect Grand Bay from waterborne pathogens and excess nutrients. The team will use science-based information to reinforce the importance of reducing stormwater contamination, improving wastewater management, and implementing land-use planning that takes water resources into account. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

In South Carolina, the Eastern oyster is an ecosystem “all-star.” It filters huge volumes of water, creates habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries, and is a local delicacy. Thriving oyster reefs serve as natural breakwaters protecting South Carolina’s fringing marshes from wave action and erosion. The loss of oyster reefs—whether caused by development, pollution, overharvest, disease, or sea level rise—accelerates coastal erosion and causes ecosystem health to decline. These impacts are especially apparent along the state’s heavily trafficked Intracoastal Waterway and its barrier islands, which historically have protected the mainland from the Atlantic’s waves and storms.

This project supported the development of new, innovative visitor displays at three national estuarine research reserves. Guana Tolomato Matanzas, Mission-Aransas, and Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserves partnered with University of Delaware students to produce educational, gesture-controlled computer games installed on interactive screens in each reserve’s exhibit hall. Participants explore the dynamic nature of estuarine systems as they navigate situations involving plants, animals and people that draw from recent research at the reserves and illustrate common issues faced by estuaries across the country. The games offer visitors interactive learning opportunities and encourage stewardship by exploring actions individuals, families and communities can take to promote ecosystem resilience. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

In this project, National Estuarine Research Reserves in North and South Carolina worked to improve local understanding of climate change effects on southeastern salt marsh and provide decision makers with the information and skills they need to address these vulnerabilities. North Carolina Reserve staff members were trained in the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Coastal Habitats (CCVATCH) by their colleagues from North Inlet-Winyah Bay Reserve. This decision support tool incorporates existing information on climate change impacts with knowledge of local conditions to help users develop vulnerability scores for specific areas. The project team used CCVATCH to conduct habitat vulnerability assessments for seven estuaries in North and South Carolina, summarized regional findings to help managers in the Southeast improve salt marsh resilience, and developed guidance and outreach products. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

One of the few pristine, mangrove-forested estuaries in the country, Florida’s Rookery Bay Estuary is a critical breeding ground for the fisheries that underpin the region’s economy. Balancing the freshwater needs of the estuary with those of local communities is increasingly challenging as population growth and sea level rise tax freshwater resources. Decision-makers need information about freshwater requirements of the estuary and the perspectives of water users to effectively manage water resources.