Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL)
Below are some interview questions that didn't make it into a podcast episode but still highlight some of the great work of the NERRS! The link to the reserve website is listed at the bottom of this page for further reading.
(interviewing Josephine Spearman, Education Coordinator)
A 2021 article described a project at GTM to bring living and built structures together to help stabilize the local shoreline and safeguard economically important habitats. This shoreline project was conducted by a University of Florida-led team. How do these students and professionals work alongside reserve staff?
Josephine: They work alongside staff very, very well. Dr. Angeline was the lead investigator on this project. She met with GTM NERR staff and she asked what were the pressing issues that we wanted to focus on with research and everybody came to table and they decided you know, really taking a look at high energy impact to the waterway, which is the Tolomato River's part of the Intracoastal Waterway. And then once that whole proposal was developed and they develop how they're going to monitor it, how they're going to manage that data, who was going to be working with the students, then the process from going there was just kind of working in different venues to get that information out. And it's an amazing process to see and also when we get a chance for other reserve departments to get pulled in and be a part of it too, just to see that collaboration and see what comes out of it and to see this is an issue and see you know, this is the solution to the issue, is when that process is really cool.
The reserve welcomes volunteers, interns, students and other researchers to participate in reserve research and monitoring programs or to carry out independent projects. What does the process look like to apply for opportunities as a visiting scientist?
Josephine: Anyone who's interested in becoming a visiting investigator would complete a form. It is on our website, and from there, the form asks everything from contact information to primary and co-investigators, what the proposed timeline is, project description and title, what location they are wanting to use, if they're needing assistance from staff or volunteers or facilities, so such as media, vehicles or something like that. And then once they submit that, our research director, Dr. Dix will go through and monitor it, see if there's any other questions she might need to get answered or see if there's any conflict with you know, is there a project already taking place in that site? Just things like that. So yeah, there's a process, it's not, it's not a really difficult process and I believe it's about a month in advance, at least, that they need to know if they're planning on coming in.
In 2020, 2 committed GTM volunteers were presented with the Daily Point of Light Award, which is a national award to recognize incredible volunteers who go above and beyond to donate their time and talent to better their communities. How do the reserve's Friends members and other volunteers help aid the research, education and outreach going on at GTM?
Josephine: We say this constantly, that we couldn't do this without our volunteers, and it's absolutely true. They are part of every single program, every single sector that we have. You can see volunteers on everything from fixing boardwalks to going out and volunteering at an outreach event at a table or tabling a festival. They might be helping with our school programs or going on a boat and doing oyster monitoring or going out collecting turtle eggs. Just everything you can think of that we do at the reserve, there's a volunteer who was a part of that event demonstration and our Friends board members, they cross over so seamlessly into our volunteer pool. So it's not uncommon for us to see board members there at the board meeting the night before, and then the next day, they're volunteering on school programs or they're going out on a boat. So everything that we do, basically the volunteers helped make it possible.
That's awesome! GTM offers a wide variety of education outreach programs and weekend events including guided exploration hikes, beach cleanups, a lecture series called GTM Talks and more. How do these programs work to foster stewardship at the reserve?
Josephine: With our outreach programs, one of our big goals is to introduce people, our community to who we are, what we do, and then also keep them engaged somehow. You found out what we do, so hey, here's this opportunity to come back out here. You could volunteer, we'll bring this other program to you. So just a really good way to get a meaningful understanding of what we do here. The work that we do here and why it's important, and kind of what's happening in their backyard, all while trying to encourage them to have conservation-minded thinking.
Do you have a favorite program that GTM offers?
Josephine: That's a tough one. I like all of them and it's such a beautiful place here. The environment is absolutely amazing. And I say that- so these programs take us outdoors, and I love being outside. So I would say my top two favorites are education programs. One is our salt marsh seining program, which takes middle and high school students out to our dam in our estuary to look at water quality, and then we also do some seining to measure biodiversity. So that's always fun. What you're going to find and seeing their faces as they find the critter, they're like, "Oh, we found a pipefish!". So we actually had a program yesterday and they found a pipefish and they're just like, "Oh, what is that? You see that moving around? That's amazing!" So just to see their reactions, and then you know, I'm right there with them. And then the other program that I really enjoy is our Forest Expeditions. And that's an elementary program that takes us on the trails and so they learn about the cultural history of the peninsula. They also learn about characteristics of the animals and the environment. They also get to interact with the snakes. So I love working with our animals here on site and then I love being on the trail. We get to go on a hike and talk about all the amazing plants and how they were used in the past and how are they used now and "You can eat that?", "Yeah, you can actually, that's used for medicine". So lots of really cool things in that program.
What makes GTM different from other National Estuarine Research Reserves?
Josephine: Each reserve is super unique, you go through the system, some of us are in similar habitats and regions but some of them are just like, you know, completely new. You've got Kachemak Bay in Alaska, like, wow, that's completely different from over here in Florida. So thinking about our commercial and recreationally important species like oysters and white and brown shrimp and flounder and blue crabs and red drum and gag grouper and all that good stuff. Looking at the uniqueness of each reserve and us especially at GTM, we have large continuous stands of maritime hammock or forest in our coastal communities. So we have this huge forested area. We have kind of a unique habitat change called an ecotone. So we see the transition of salt marshes and now we see the transition of mangroves meeting at where we are. So that's another unique thing about GTM. We serve as an important habitat migration ground for North Atlantic right whales and species of sea turtles and a variety of birds. We are also situated at a place where it's very culturally rich as far as history. We are right in the oldest city in the nation, St. Augustine. We have, our peninsula has, huge archaeology sites there, anything from shipwrecks that we have found to a Menorcan well, to plantation, just... it's amazingly rich cultural history here. So there's a lot of uniqueness about GTM.
So what issues are currently of the greatest concern to the GTM reserve and how is the reserve working to address them?
Josephine: So within our management plan, we target everything that we find incredibly important in this area. So what we look at here specifically, all of our programs and research projects are formulated around improving natural biodiversity throughout the reserve, increasing awareness of cultural history while preventing negative impacts to it. Historical sites, improving water quality within the reserve, improving visitor experiences, reducing damage, and enhancing awareness and understanding of global impacts such as sea level rise and climate change.
How can listeners support the reserve? Are there any ongoing citizen science projects that they can be a part of?
Josephine: I think one of the biggest ways to show it is by being aware that we are here, just by understanding who we are and what we do. And understanding that as a part of the public or community, they can engage and help and support. Checking out our website, I think, is a good way, and our social media pages, and in reference to the citizen science projects, becoming a volunteer if they can, because there's so many projects that are so interesting that are available for people to work on. So work with the research team in oyster monitoring, there's a butterfly monitoring network for... there's just so much going on. And we're constantly working on expanding programs and just keeping the information fresh. You know, what else do we need to know, what else can we learn here? So, just reaching out to us and asking your questions and becoming involved.
Yeah, there's so many different branches at each of these reserve sites. There are so many different ways that you can get involved. Which is great! What is your favorite thing about the GTM reserve or maybe a favorite experience that you've had?
Josephine: Oh, that's another hard question. I would say one of my favorite things... I love the environment here. Like it's just so beautiful. I'm looking out the window as I say that and it's just an amazing place to be. And getting a chance- one of my favorite experiences is learning from our teachers that have come on our school programs, that because of the being a part of our education program, students decided to go into the field and study the environment or national sciences. And one of my particular favorite instances is watching one of our summer campers from you know, grow up through our program from seven until being a high school junior. And then still seeing that student interested in the environment, wanting to come back and see how can I volunteer with the campus next year, and just... that's an amazing process. And it just a big reminder of this is why you do what you do. This is super important, even on small scale.
What do you think is a misconception that the public has about the NERRs?
Hmmmm a misconception that the public has about the NERRs...
or something you would like the public to know about the reserve system?
Josephine: I don't think a lot of people know what we do. And then some people don't know where we are, like, you'll have people drive by and we're by the dam here. And people go fishing constantly. And then maybe one day they're like, "Oh, what's that? There's a building back here. Oh, what's there? What are they doing back there?". So even knowing what our name is, the really long one, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, knowing who we are what we do, that we conduct research, we manage lands, we practice and encourage conservation, we educate all types of audiences, we inform policymakers on the important research and data that goes on so that they can have you know, when they're making these decisions, they can have up to date information of, "Hey, if I'm making this decision, I probably need to know that stuff". So conducting science experiments and research projects, just so much that we do, I think there might be a misconception of it's just the NERRs, like, what is in there? What even does a NERR do?
What is one piece of advice you'd like to give to anyone interested in pursuing a career in conservation or environmental education?
Josephine: I would say to test it out. So just experiment. If you're curious if this is what you want to do, I would say volunteer or get an internship or both, and just start volunteering and interning in those areas where you think that you want to go to find out. You might find out maybe it's not for me, or you might find out this is amazing, or I want to go slightly down this path and not that. I actually started out as a volunteer here for about a year and then I became an educator and then I became an education coordinator. So it's a great way to not only get your foot in the door in the field, but a great way for the people who you may be working with to get to know you. And so then if you're working well with people on this team, they're going to be like, yeah, definitely want you on the team. You've been out there in the field with us, you know, hauling oyster bags or whatever you're interested in. So they've gotten to know you, they know who you are. So I think it's a great way to just get your start getting experience in it.
(interviewing Josephine Spearman, Education Coordinator)
A 2021 article described a project at GTM to bring living and built structures together to help stabilize the local shoreline and safeguard economically important habitats. This shoreline project was conducted by a University of Florida-led team. How do these students and professionals work alongside reserve staff?
Josephine: They work alongside staff very, very well. Dr. Angeline was the lead investigator on this project. She met with GTM NERR staff and she asked what were the pressing issues that we wanted to focus on with research and everybody came to table and they decided you know, really taking a look at high energy impact to the waterway, which is the Tolomato River's part of the Intracoastal Waterway. And then once that whole proposal was developed and they develop how they're going to monitor it, how they're going to manage that data, who was going to be working with the students, then the process from going there was just kind of working in different venues to get that information out. And it's an amazing process to see and also when we get a chance for other reserve departments to get pulled in and be a part of it too, just to see that collaboration and see what comes out of it and to see this is an issue and see you know, this is the solution to the issue, is when that process is really cool.
The reserve welcomes volunteers, interns, students and other researchers to participate in reserve research and monitoring programs or to carry out independent projects. What does the process look like to apply for opportunities as a visiting scientist?
Josephine: Anyone who's interested in becoming a visiting investigator would complete a form. It is on our website, and from there, the form asks everything from contact information to primary and co-investigators, what the proposed timeline is, project description and title, what location they are wanting to use, if they're needing assistance from staff or volunteers or facilities, so such as media, vehicles or something like that. And then once they submit that, our research director, Dr. Dix will go through and monitor it, see if there's any other questions she might need to get answered or see if there's any conflict with you know, is there a project already taking place in that site? Just things like that. So yeah, there's a process, it's not, it's not a really difficult process and I believe it's about a month in advance, at least, that they need to know if they're planning on coming in.
In 2020, 2 committed GTM volunteers were presented with the Daily Point of Light Award, which is a national award to recognize incredible volunteers who go above and beyond to donate their time and talent to better their communities. How do the reserve's Friends members and other volunteers help aid the research, education and outreach going on at GTM?
Josephine: We say this constantly, that we couldn't do this without our volunteers, and it's absolutely true. They are part of every single program, every single sector that we have. You can see volunteers on everything from fixing boardwalks to going out and volunteering at an outreach event at a table or tabling a festival. They might be helping with our school programs or going on a boat and doing oyster monitoring or going out collecting turtle eggs. Just everything you can think of that we do at the reserve, there's a volunteer who was a part of that event demonstration and our Friends board members, they cross over so seamlessly into our volunteer pool. So it's not uncommon for us to see board members there at the board meeting the night before, and then the next day, they're volunteering on school programs or they're going out on a boat. So everything that we do, basically the volunteers helped make it possible.
That's awesome! GTM offers a wide variety of education outreach programs and weekend events including guided exploration hikes, beach cleanups, a lecture series called GTM Talks and more. How do these programs work to foster stewardship at the reserve?
Josephine: With our outreach programs, one of our big goals is to introduce people, our community to who we are, what we do, and then also keep them engaged somehow. You found out what we do, so hey, here's this opportunity to come back out here. You could volunteer, we'll bring this other program to you. So just a really good way to get a meaningful understanding of what we do here. The work that we do here and why it's important, and kind of what's happening in their backyard, all while trying to encourage them to have conservation-minded thinking.
Do you have a favorite program that GTM offers?
Josephine: That's a tough one. I like all of them and it's such a beautiful place here. The environment is absolutely amazing. And I say that- so these programs take us outdoors, and I love being outside. So I would say my top two favorites are education programs. One is our salt marsh seining program, which takes middle and high school students out to our dam in our estuary to look at water quality, and then we also do some seining to measure biodiversity. So that's always fun. What you're going to find and seeing their faces as they find the critter, they're like, "Oh, we found a pipefish!". So we actually had a program yesterday and they found a pipefish and they're just like, "Oh, what is that? You see that moving around? That's amazing!" So just to see their reactions, and then you know, I'm right there with them. And then the other program that I really enjoy is our Forest Expeditions. And that's an elementary program that takes us on the trails and so they learn about the cultural history of the peninsula. They also learn about characteristics of the animals and the environment. They also get to interact with the snakes. So I love working with our animals here on site and then I love being on the trail. We get to go on a hike and talk about all the amazing plants and how they were used in the past and how are they used now and "You can eat that?", "Yeah, you can actually, that's used for medicine". So lots of really cool things in that program.
What makes GTM different from other National Estuarine Research Reserves?
Josephine: Each reserve is super unique, you go through the system, some of us are in similar habitats and regions but some of them are just like, you know, completely new. You've got Kachemak Bay in Alaska, like, wow, that's completely different from over here in Florida. So thinking about our commercial and recreationally important species like oysters and white and brown shrimp and flounder and blue crabs and red drum and gag grouper and all that good stuff. Looking at the uniqueness of each reserve and us especially at GTM, we have large continuous stands of maritime hammock or forest in our coastal communities. So we have this huge forested area. We have kind of a unique habitat change called an ecotone. So we see the transition of salt marshes and now we see the transition of mangroves meeting at where we are. So that's another unique thing about GTM. We serve as an important habitat migration ground for North Atlantic right whales and species of sea turtles and a variety of birds. We are also situated at a place where it's very culturally rich as far as history. We are right in the oldest city in the nation, St. Augustine. We have, our peninsula has, huge archaeology sites there, anything from shipwrecks that we have found to a Menorcan well, to plantation, just... it's amazingly rich cultural history here. So there's a lot of uniqueness about GTM.
So what issues are currently of the greatest concern to the GTM reserve and how is the reserve working to address them?
Josephine: So within our management plan, we target everything that we find incredibly important in this area. So what we look at here specifically, all of our programs and research projects are formulated around improving natural biodiversity throughout the reserve, increasing awareness of cultural history while preventing negative impacts to it. Historical sites, improving water quality within the reserve, improving visitor experiences, reducing damage, and enhancing awareness and understanding of global impacts such as sea level rise and climate change.
How can listeners support the reserve? Are there any ongoing citizen science projects that they can be a part of?
Josephine: I think one of the biggest ways to show it is by being aware that we are here, just by understanding who we are and what we do. And understanding that as a part of the public or community, they can engage and help and support. Checking out our website, I think, is a good way, and our social media pages, and in reference to the citizen science projects, becoming a volunteer if they can, because there's so many projects that are so interesting that are available for people to work on. So work with the research team in oyster monitoring, there's a butterfly monitoring network for... there's just so much going on. And we're constantly working on expanding programs and just keeping the information fresh. You know, what else do we need to know, what else can we learn here? So, just reaching out to us and asking your questions and becoming involved.
Yeah, there's so many different branches at each of these reserve sites. There are so many different ways that you can get involved. Which is great! What is your favorite thing about the GTM reserve or maybe a favorite experience that you've had?
Josephine: Oh, that's another hard question. I would say one of my favorite things... I love the environment here. Like it's just so beautiful. I'm looking out the window as I say that and it's just an amazing place to be. And getting a chance- one of my favorite experiences is learning from our teachers that have come on our school programs, that because of the being a part of our education program, students decided to go into the field and study the environment or national sciences. And one of my particular favorite instances is watching one of our summer campers from you know, grow up through our program from seven until being a high school junior. And then still seeing that student interested in the environment, wanting to come back and see how can I volunteer with the campus next year, and just... that's an amazing process. And it just a big reminder of this is why you do what you do. This is super important, even on small scale.
What do you think is a misconception that the public has about the NERRs?
Hmmmm a misconception that the public has about the NERRs...
or something you would like the public to know about the reserve system?
Josephine: I don't think a lot of people know what we do. And then some people don't know where we are, like, you'll have people drive by and we're by the dam here. And people go fishing constantly. And then maybe one day they're like, "Oh, what's that? There's a building back here. Oh, what's there? What are they doing back there?". So even knowing what our name is, the really long one, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, knowing who we are what we do, that we conduct research, we manage lands, we practice and encourage conservation, we educate all types of audiences, we inform policymakers on the important research and data that goes on so that they can have you know, when they're making these decisions, they can have up to date information of, "Hey, if I'm making this decision, I probably need to know that stuff". So conducting science experiments and research projects, just so much that we do, I think there might be a misconception of it's just the NERRs, like, what is in there? What even does a NERR do?
What is one piece of advice you'd like to give to anyone interested in pursuing a career in conservation or environmental education?
Josephine: I would say to test it out. So just experiment. If you're curious if this is what you want to do, I would say volunteer or get an internship or both, and just start volunteering and interning in those areas where you think that you want to go to find out. You might find out maybe it's not for me, or you might find out this is amazing, or I want to go slightly down this path and not that. I actually started out as a volunteer here for about a year and then I became an educator and then I became an education coordinator. So it's a great way to not only get your foot in the door in the field, but a great way for the people who you may be working with to get to know you. And so then if you're working well with people on this team, they're going to be like, yeah, definitely want you on the team. You've been out there in the field with us, you know, hauling oyster bags or whatever you're interested in. So they've gotten to know you, they know who you are. So I think it's a great way to just get your start getting experience in it.
GTM NERR Website gtmnerr.org/