Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve: A Living Laboratory

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HOST: This is the NOAA Ocean Podcast, I’m Marissa Anderson. There’s a lot to love about estuaries. You can find these bodies of water and their surrounding wetlands where rivers meet the sea or lakes. They can be either salt or freshwater, and can connect to different environments like lakes, forests, grassy plains, and the ocean. Estuaries have so much to offer! They provide habitats for plants and animals, help to protect coastal communities against storm surge and prevent erosion, and support the economy and tourism.

Today, we’re going to be talking about one particular estuary: The Connecticut Research Reserve. This site is part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, a network of 30 coastal sites designated to protect and study these valuable ecosystems. This program was established through the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 and is a partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states.

Today, we’re joined by Erica Seiden, manager for the Ecosystems Program and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System at NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management or OCM for short; and Nelle D'Aversa, a coastal management specialist also with OCM.

So Nelle, let’s jump right in - why was the Connecticut location chosen to be part of the reserve system?

Nelle D'Aversa: This site includes unique habitat types that are not found in other national estuarine research reserves in the Northeast. It provides examples of offshore characteristics such as rocky hard bottom areas and different habitats and species that occur over shallow to deep water depths. These areas, as well as the upland components of the reserve, provide a diverse mosaic of sea and landscapes for a host of species, including many that are threatened and endangered. Additionally, Connecticut was one of only two saltwater states that did not have a national estuarine research reserve.

HOST: This sounds like a great spot for the reserve. Where is it exactly located and how big is it?

Nelle D'Aversa: The Connecticut Reserve is generally located in southeastern Connecticut and is composed of over 52,000 acres of Connecticut state-owned lands and portions of public trust waters. These locations provide critical habitat for birds, fish, and other marine and coastal species of plants and animals in the region and the designation of these areas as a research reserve will help provide valuable opportunities for these “living laboratories” to advance relevant efforts in environmental science, monitoring, education, and stewardship.

HOST: So your point about the reserves serving as living laboratories is really interesting. So with that in mind, Erica, could you talk more about why NOAA studies and protects these estuaries?

ERICA SEIDEN: Estuaries provide many critical services to coastal communities. We really want to preserve these unique, dynamic ecosystems and understand how we can protect them and the values that they provide. They are prime study areas for understanding how our environment is adjusting to climate change and human influences like development. So by protecting these invaluable resources, this not only allows researchers to continue to study them, but it also provides an outdoor classroom for local communities and our students, our youth, our future generations where they can learn about the environment and how humans and estuaries are so closely intertwined. And what each person can do to protect them for the future.

HOST: It sounds like we have a lot to learn from estuaries. Let’s dive a little bit deeper. What role does the National Ocean Service play in studying and protecting our nation’s estuaries?

ERICA SEIDEN: So within the National Ocean Service we have dedicated staff in the Office for Coastal Management, which is where Nelle and I work. We work closely with each reserve to support operational implementation as well as guide our system-wide and national programs. And those programs include our System-wide Monitoring program that monitors water quality, weather and habitat condition and extent. It includes the Coastal Training Program which provides coastal decision-makers with tools and information to make wise decisions. It includes our K to 12 Estuarine Education Program which educates and engages youth on the value of estuaries and how these youth can make a difference. It includes the Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship program which supports masters and doctoral students conducting research at each reserve, and last but not least, our Collaborative Science Program, which supports a competitive collaborative research portfolio to not only conduct and support innovative research at reserves, but share those findings across the nation.

HOST: So I’d like to touch on some other benefits that the Connecticut site can provide. So Nelle, how does the Connecticut site support the blue economy and what are the economic benefits for the surrounding communities?

Nelle D'Aversa: The Long Island Sound is a major economic driver of Connecticut’s blue economy. It contributes about $7 billion annually to the regional economy. So protecting portions of the tributaries that feed into the Long Island Sound and a section of the Sound itself will help protect the resources within it. Additionally, tourism is a major contributor to the economy, especially in the coastal areas. People love to visit for recreational opportunities the estuaries can provide. But not only do they visit the estuary, they stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, shop at local stores, all boosting the local economy.

HOST: How will the site work to engage and provide benefits to under represented or underserved communities?

Nelle D'Aversa: Yeah, that’s a really great question and is actually a major effort throughout the national reserve system. Reserves across the entire country are trying to figure out ways to engage with indigenous communities and underrepresented or underserved communities. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice was an important topic that was emphasized during the Connecticut management plan stakeholder meetings in 2021 and is a priority for the reserve as it becomes established over the first five years. These themes will be incorporated into and will be given special attention to projects, programs, Friend’s Group, and staff as they come online and just to name a few. It’s too early right now to know the details, but in working with the established programs nation-wide, the Connecticut Reserve plans to make this a priority.

HOST: Some locations within the Connecticut Reserve include existing state parks and other public lands that people can access and use for recreation like fishing, boating, swimming and hiking. Visit the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s website for a list of permitted activities before visiting a location. If you’d like to learn more about the Connecticut Reserve and the other sites that make up the Reserve System, check out our show notes. This has been the NOAA Ocean Podcast. Thanks for listening.