Research conducted on Long Beach Island was used in the findings of eight college and post-college students who participated in this year’s Save Barnegat Bay Student Grant Program.
Sarah Moss of St. Joseph’s University conducted research for the LBI Terrapin Nesting Project, led by Kathy Lacey. The study collected data in the field to help evaluate nesting female diamondback terrapin body size, nest site location and reproductive output.
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| Photo via Facebook Programs serve citizens and institutions in the Barnegat Bay watershed. |
The students shared their findings at the program’s annual presentation, held at the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad in Seaside Friday, Aug. 8. The presentations included information on Barnegat Bay’s water quality, subaqueous soils, beach grass and secretion as well as diamondback terrapin nesting data and black sea bass tagging.
The program was established nearly 10 years ago to provide an opportunity for students studying marine science, natural resource management, environmental science, or related fields to conduct their own, independent research projects in Barnegat Bay. Students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, St. Joseph’s University, University of Rhode Island and University of Pennsylvania participated in the program, held from June to August.
“Our goal is to have them do meaningful marine science on Barnegat Bay, and then go on to have great science careers anywhere, maybe in Barnegat Bay, or maybe elsewhere,” said Willie deCamp, president of Save Barnegat Bay. “We’re one sort of step in their career, and they get to work closely with people that really know what they’re doing with respect to marine science.”
Research this year was conducted on LBI as well as in Island Beach State Park.
The Garden Club of Long Beach Island donated $1,000 specifically to those studying water quality in the bay. Through their research at Tices Shoal at Island Beach State Park led by John Wnek, supervisor of MATES, Laine Meelheim of Rutgers University as well as Jennifer Gardner and Alissa Pazienza, both from Stockton College, found that bacteria levels were elevated at times above the recommended swimming water standards of 200 colonies per 100 mL sample, but were not correlated with boat densities, said Britta Wenzel, executive director of Save Barnegat Bay. The results indicate that water quality at Tices may not be suitable for swimming at times and that suspended material may not be related to boat densities, she explained.
Save Barnegat Bay helps administer and fund the program through the Student Grant Program fund in memory of Paul “Pete” McLain, a prominent conservationist who helped found the program. The program is led by a committee of educators, including Wnek, who chairs the committee.
“It’s an exciting educational opportunity that we think professors should keep an eye on for their students and students should keep an eye on, too,” said deCamp. “A lot of students have gone through it and really found it useful. They’ve integrated it into their college work, or it’s just helped them choose a career path, to see what they’re interested in in the science field.”
Next year’s program application process will begin this winter, deCamp said. For more information, visit savebarnegatbay.org or call 732-830-3600.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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