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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