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The National Estuarine Re-
search Reserve Association
(NERRA) held their annual
meeting this year in Mobile,
AL, hosted by both Grand
Bay and Weeks Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserves
(NERR). Over 200 people
representing all 28 of the
nationwide NERRs were in
attendance this year. This
meeting is a wonderful oppor-
tunity for bringing together all
sectors that make up the NERR
system, management, educa-
tion, stewardship, research,
and training. This is a time for
developing budgets and strat-
egies, and short and long term
plans for the NERR systems.
Over 100 people enjoyed a
field trip to Grand Bay NERR
to experience firsthand the
wonders of the Mississippi Gulf
Coast. Participants took a tour
of our green building, and
then were treated to a boat
tour through the Reserve’s
marshes and bayous.
Other meeting attendees took
a field trip to our sister re-
serve, Weeks Bay NERR locat-
ed in Fairhope, AL. There, they
toured the building, took a
carnivorous bog walk, and a
boat tour of that Reserve’s
marsh.
Following the field trips, the
meeting organizers held the
annual NERRA Auction. Each
Reserve brought items from their
area to put in the auction. The
auction acts as a fundraiser for
the NERRA. Proceeds are used to
support NERR programs.
National Estuaries Day 2
What’s In Bloom 2
Critter Corner 2
Upcoming Star Party 3
Looking Ahead 3
Meet Our Staff 4
Visit Us 4
Research Focus 5
From our Director 5
Inside this issue:
Volume 1, Issue 4 September-November, 2015
Bayou Buzz
Grand Bay NERR is a state-
federal partnership with the
Mississippi Department of
Marine Resources and the Na-
tional Oceanographic and At-
mospheric Administration,
Office for Coastal Manage-
ment. We are one of 28
NERRs nationwide.
NERRA Annual Meeting
Right: The gorgeous Grand Bay NERR.
Photo by: Coreen Weilminster, Chesa-
peake Bay NERR Education Coordina-
tor
Annual meeting poster session in Mobile, AL
Erica Seiden with plenary speakers: Director Patricia
Powell (AL), Mobile, AL Mayor ,Sandy Stimpson, and
Director Jamie Miller (MDMR).
Above: Weeks Bay NERR pitcher
plant bog. Photo by: NERRA
Steve Kirkpatrick, of Kirkpatrick Wildlife Photography, was this years’ keynote speaker.
At the end of every Sep-
tember, each Reserve in the
NERR system celebrates
National Estuaries Day. The
Grand Bay NERR cele-
brates Estuaries Day by
inviting the public to attend
our Seaside With a Scientist
event. Visitors were able to go
“behind the scenes” with us to
see what our scientists and
researchers work on every
grate south to Mexico and
Central America for the win-
ter, but the warmer winter
temperatures of the South-
eastern US allows these
birds to live here year-
round.
Each male Yellowthroat
works to protect a specific
territory and a female that
only he will mate with during
Check out the Common Yel-
lowthroat Warbler Geothlypis
trichas (left). The Common
Yellowthroat is a year round
resident of the Grand Bay
NERR. It is commonly spotted
low to the ground on the out-
skirts of marshy, wetland are-
as searching for small insects
and spiders. Northern species
of the Yellowthroat will mi-
National Estuaries Day: Seaside With a Scientist
Above: Oak Mistletoe, Phor-
adendron leucarpum, is a hemi-
parasitic plant, meaning it
day in order to learn more
about what the NERR does
and how we all can protect
and conserve our estuaries.
Included in these activities
was a birding expedition,
gets most of its nutrients from
another plant. This toxic plant
can be found in the tops of
hardwoods, especially water
oaks, in the NERR. Its bright
white berries can be seen from
November to February. Who
doesn’t love a kiss under the
mistletoe?
Right: Swamp Sunflower, Heli-
anthus angustifolius, is a bright
yellow sunflower that can grow
up to 6 feet tall! These beauti-
Blooms and Fruits of the NERR
Page 2 Bayou Buzz Volume 1, I ssue 4
breeding season. Sometimes
the male will fail to mate and
the female’s call will attract
other males to mate with her.
The oldest Yellowthroat on
record is 11.5 years old!
Come out to the NERR today
and spot one of these beauties
for yourself!
Critter Corner: Common Yellowthroat
Gu
est
enjo
yin
g ac
tivi
ties
off
ered
du
rin
g t
he
Sea
sid
e W
ith
A S
cien
tist
ful sunflowers can be
found blooming from
August to December.
Look for them in either
wet or dry areas, in
ditches, along road-
sides, disturbed sites,
bogs, open woods, and
fields. Swamp sunflow-
ers are a wonderful
attractant for enticing
pollinators and make a
great addition to any
flower garden.
water quality monitoring,
and GIS and marsh monitor-
ing. Guests were also able
to explore the NERR’s
Coastal Resource Center
Interpretive Center and Oak
Grove Birding Trail.
Join Us! Stargazing Open House
DECEMBER
5: December Adventure Quencher- Winter
Birding Adventure: Join Ornithologist Dr.
Mark Woodrey on a tour of the Reserve’s
estuary in search of winter migratory birds
in the area. *UPDATE: this event is now full.
12: Stargazing Party and Open House:
Come out and learn about the Geminids
Meteor Shower and other constellations in
the winter sky. All ages welcome. Children
must be accompanied by an adult. 5-8PM
21: First day of winter
24-25: Christmas: office closed
Guests will load up for hayrides
down to the dock at the end of the
road. Here they’ll catch a few
shooting stars during the peak of
the Geminids shower. If the weather
is clear enough, up to 100 meteors
can be seen hourly with the naked
eye.
Guests will then be dropped off at
our Oak Grove Birding Trail for a
night hike. Our trail guide will at-
tempt to elicit response calls from
owls in the area. Keep an eye open
for other animals. Deer have also
been known to show themselves to
visitors on the trail at night!
This is a rain or shine event open to
all ages. Make sure to dress for the weather.
We recommend that you bring a blanket for
the hayride, a flashlight, binoculars or tele-
scope if you have them, and closed toed shoes
as the trail is not lit at night.
Come ready to have fun and don’t forget
your camera! See you there!
JANUARY
Dec 31-Jan 1: New Years: office
closed
23: January Adventure Quencher-
Shorebirds of the Reserve: Join Orni-
thologist Dr. Woodrey on a tour of the
Reserve’s estuary in search of local
birds that call the NERR home. Pre-
registration is required as space is
limited
26-28: Climate Adaptation for Coastal
Communities: Join our Coastal Training
Program to learn about how our
local communities can become more
resilient in the face of climate
change and sea level rise. Pre-
registration required.
Page 3 Bayou Buzz Volume 1, I ssue 4
Guests enjoying the hayride at last years’ Open House
Once again, it’s time for our annual Open
House Star Party! Come out on December
12th, from 5:00-8:00PM to meet and
greet our staff, enjoy a bowl of hot chili or
soup, meet a special guest, and observe
the Geminids Meteor Shower.
Looking Ahead...
For more information on
events, visit our website at
www.GrandBayNERR.org
Call us at (228) 475-7057
Or check out our Facebook!
Left: Grand Battures Island during a winter birding excursion.
Above: Sunrise at the NERR
Dates and times are subject to change.
Please see our website or Facebook page
for updates on upcoming events.
A few special guests stopped by last year!
Meet our new Coastal Training Program
(CTP) Coordinator, Margo Posten.
Margo joins us from the Apalachicola
NERR where she held the title of CTP
Specialist, so she’s no stranger to CTP.
Margo holds two Bachelor of Science
degrees; one in Marine Biology from
the University of West Florida and the
other an Interdisciplinary in Social Sci-
ence from the University of Houston-
Downtown. She continued from there
and gained a Master of Marine Affairs
from the University of Washington.
Before being in the NERR system, she
worked with Native Alaskan fishermen
in the Pacific NW fisheries and the Tex-
as Natural Resource Conservation Com-
mission in the municipal solid waste section.
Margo also worked abroad conducting
research in South Africa relating to the
feasibility of eco-tourism as an economic
development tool, as an English Teacher
in Taiwan, and as a Peace Corps Volun-
teer in the Philippines where she worked
with farmers on erosion control issues.
When Margo isn’t busy planning and co-
ordinating workshops and trainings with
Grand Bay NERR, she enjoys spending
time with her family camping, hiking,
kayaking, and traveling. She also spends
time reading and watching movies. Cur-
rently, she is spending hours trying to train
her 9 months old Blue Heeler, Junie.
We are ecstatic to have Margo join us!
Meet our Staff: Margo Posten
Ask for a tour of the building and learn how we received our Gold LEED Standard
Award for being green.
Don’t forget to say “Hello” to Tobi, the
Diamondback Terrapin, before you leave!
Learn what it really means to “live life on the edge” by visiting the
Grand Bay NERR today!
Quench your thirst for outdoor adventure by hik-ing the Oak Grove Birding Trail. You’ll see birds, butterflies, and lots of other animals that frequent the area. What will you spot? Make sure to put it
on our sightings board at the Interpretive Center!
Warm up with a visit to the Interpretive Center located in our Coastal Resource Center. Inside you can learn about everything an estuary has to offer. You’ll learn about everything from wildlife, weather, and wildfires, to the culture and history
of the area!
Page 4 Bayou Buzz Volume 1, I ssue 4
Have You Visited Lately? Interpretive Center
Hours:
Monday through
Friday
9 am – 3 pm
A Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar, Papilio troilus, visits.
Grand Bay NERR’s Stewardship team has recently finished collecting biomass sam-ples from sites throughout the Reserve’s salt marsh. Biomass samples are made up of organic material from living or recently liv-
ing organisms.
Fifty-two randomly selected vegetation plots were sampled consisting of both above and below ground components. In order to ob-tain samples, scientists use a 0.25m² PVC quadrat placed over these previously select-ed sites (see photo to the right). All plants that are located within the quadrat are clipped down to the soil and bagged for the
aboveground sample component.
To get the below ground sediment core, a 10cm diameter PVC corer is hammered down into the soil until the top is flush with the ground. After the sample is extracted from the PVC corer, it is then sliced into three 10cm sections and placed in separate bags labeled according to the depth of each slice. This gives scientists an idea of how much root material is accumulated from each species in
each core section.
All samples are then taken back to the lab at the NERR’s Coastal Resource Center to be sorted by species and then dried in an oven to get an accurate biomass weight. Other measurements will also be taken on the tissues
of the plants and soil.
Research Focus: Marsh Grass Biomass Study
Page 5 Bayou Buzz Volume 1, I ssue 4
From our Director: Dr. Ayesha Gray
Above: Coastal Ecologist, Mike Archer, takes readings at a Black Needle Rush, Juncus spp. marsh.
Below: A sediment core sample ready to be cut into three 10cm sections and brought back to the lab for analysis.
This work is primarily being done to fill in some of the variables in mod-els used to predict change in marsh elevation. It will also help scientists to understand how the salt marsh will respond to sea level rise. Similar data are being collected throughout the US, so these data we collect at the Grand Bay NERR can be easily compared with samples from other
locations.
Below: Mike collects marsh grass for identi-
fication and measurement using a quadrat.
What a quarter it has been at the
Grand Bay NERR! We hosted our local
community at our annual National Estuar-
ies Day event, the entire NERR system
came to Mobile, AL, and then I attended
the Coastal and Estuarine Research Fed-
eration (CERF) in Portland, OR, and was
able to highlight the innovative programs
from Grand Bay for a national audi-
ence. I worked with colleagues to devel-
op a new session for CERF called “Artistic
Pathways to Scientific Understanding”.
We challenged scientists to communicate
their work using art, and the response
was tremendous. Our presenters included
a singer, a poet, an old-time radio show
host, a filmmaker, a painter, and a danc-
Joe Germoano performaing at CERF
Artistic Pathways session
er. Each one translated their science
using art and demonstrated how this
method increases comprehension and
retention for their audiences. There was
amazing response to our session with a
packed house. The presenters impressed
the audience so much a standing ovation
was received—quite a rare thing at a
scientific meeting– and we were asked
by CERF to make the session a perma-
nent addition. The science world is full
of artists and by combining the creativi-
ty from these two worlds, amazing
things can happen. As one of the pre-
senters said, “When science meets art,
wonder happens.” Come visit us today
and find your inspiration!
Address for Mailing
Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
6005 Bayou Heron Road
Moss Point, MS
39562
We’re on the Web!
Visit GrandBayNERR.org
Phone: 228.475.7047
Office hours: M-F 8am-4pm
Interpretive Center Hours: M-F 9am-3pm
Contact Us Grand Bay NERR Newsletter:
Bayou Buzz
The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) was designated in 1999 as part of a system
of 28 reserves around the nation. We are a “state-federal” partnership managed by the Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for
Coastal Management. This NERR is co-located with a USFWS National Wildlife Refuge. The Grand Bay
NERR is comprised of approximately 18,000 acres of pine savannas, salt marshes, salt pannes, open
water and bayous, as well as other terrestrial habitats that are unique to the coastal zone.
Come visit us!
Can’t wait to see y’all!
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