North Inlet - Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Georgetown, SC)
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 Erik Smith, Reserve Manager)
North Inlet offers a variety of programming supporting environmental education, including K through 12 activities, events for the general public, and professional teacher development. What kinds of activities are these visitors able to partake in?
Erik: Oh, we offer a range of activities, getting people to experience North Inlet and the various habitats of North Inlet and learn why they're so important. It's really central to our mission. We love, you know, school groups and busloads full of school kids to come out and tromp around in the marsh and understand the different habitats and why they're important for the shrimps and crabs and the fishes that we like to eat. We have very popular kayaking trips and biking to the boardwalk trips, always to get out and really know the estuary and get to love and understand the estuary.
The Baruch Marine Field Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility that hosts over 100 scientists from the University of South Carolina each year, as well as researchers from more than 20 other institutions. What are some of the lab features that draw researchers to Baruch?
Erik: Well, I think I think the biggest draw is it sits right next to North Inlet, and North Inlet is one of the last few relatively unimpacted estuaries in the area. So it provides a real living laboratory to understand how estuaries work without sort of the confounding impacts of lots of development and sprawl right next to the estuary. So lots of studies on how climate change and larger natural forces are acting on the estuary. I think the monitoring, the long-term data that the reserve provides is a real draw for researchers. There's already so much known and so much data being collected in the reserve or in the estuary, thanks to the reserve, that it is a very appealing place to do additional research.
2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the South Carolina NERRs. If there was a North Inlet-Winyah Bay highlight reel, what accomplishments would be featured?
Erik: I think it would be a long reel. We're a relatively small reserve, small staff, compared to many, but we have continued to grow and expand. We've expanded our monitoring programs, we have expanded in a variety of ways through partnerships, expanded our education program. I think it's hard to pick, you know, just one highlight. I think we are all very proud of how we have continued to make progress in expanding our monitoring program. I think one thing very recently that we're very proud of is- and I think would be a very recent highlight- is how we've expanded our training opportunities for our citizen science programs. Citizen science is becoming so important these days or recognized as such an important way to collect additional information and bring the public in to being a part of the data collection, getting to know their local environment. So in the last two years, we became a hub for the new saltwater Adopt-A-Stream program. That's one great example of our citizen science programs. So I'd go with that.
How do North Inlet and the ACE Basin NERR work together to serve South Carolina?
Erik: Well, South Carolina is fortunate that it has two reserves within its state and it's not that big a state. I mean, Florida has three but they have a much larger coastline. California has three but a huge coastline. South Carolina has two reserves, the ACE Basin and North Inlet-Winyah Bay, which work together in a variety of ways. I mean, it really makes sense for us to combine forces, particularly in our education and training mission so that we cover the whole state so that there are no gaps in the the information delivery, so nobody's left out along the coast. We have a long history of research projects together, we just recently completed a living shoreline project together. The ACE Basin and some of the researchers have been very involved in the stormwater research I talked about earlier. It's been a very good collaboration. And of course, we continue to collaborate.
Awesome! You mentioned citizen science projects. Are there other ways that listeners can support North Inlet? Are there any volunteer or internship opportunities at the reserve?
Erik: We have a variety of volunteer opportunities through our citizen science, particularly for older members of the public. The Adopt-A-Stream, the phytoplankton monitoring, our phenology, we will use volunteers for our bird surveys, a variety of bird surveys. For students, we have a variety of internships. These are mostly undergraduate college internships. For for the K12, most of our opportunities come through working with their schools, like our "From Seeds to Shoreline" program and things like that. And we're always trying to grow our college internship program. This past summer was the first summer we offered an education internship. Mostly they've been research-focused internships and we'd like to continue to expand the types of internships we offer for our younger students.
That's awesome. What is the Winyah Wildlife project? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Erik: Oh, that's another great way for the public to get involved and help us collect very important data about the biodiversity of the Winyah Bay watershed and the surrounding areas and it's a web-based program. It's through the iNaturalist app. And it's a way to help us document the diversity of life around our homes and the diversity of habitats in the Winyah Bay watershed. And if you Google "Winyah Wildlife" or "Winyah Wildlife project", you'll find the website, you can get more information there.
What makes North Inlet different from other National Estuarine Research Reserves?
Erik: Well, there are 30 reserves around the country, I think in in some respects, they're all different. They all have the characteristics of the particular part of the coast that they encompass. While all reserves have the same core missions, research and education and stewardship responsibilities, at some reserves the state partner is a big state agency, and at some reserves the state partner is a university. I think, you know, one nice and unique thing about the North Inlet- Winyah Bay reserve is the partnership with the University of South Carolina and the fact that we are co-located at a marine lab, an academic marine lab that allows us to really leverage and partner well with all the other researchers that that work here.
What is your favorite thing about the reserve? Do you have a favorite North Inlet- Winyah Bay memory?
Erik: That's a hard question. It's like asking what my favorite species of bird is, well I like them all, I like all my North Inlet-Winyah Bay memories. I think going back to the question of, you know, what makes our reserve special... although Myrtle Beach and the developments associated with Myrtle Beach are not far to our north and the sprawl of Charleston is not too far to our south, North Inlet really is this very minimally-impacted, undeveloped system, and it's getting increasingly rare particularly in this part of the coast to find those systems. And so, just being out in the marshes and on the waters of North Inlet, sometimes when the the office work and the bureaucracy gets to me, I find an excuse to get out on the water, be in peace with that nature and it really is just so special. I don't know that there's one particular favorite memory, but you know, I never get tired of seeing the dolphins strand feed. I never get tired of seeing the black skimmers in the creeks. I never get tired of the the annual migrations of the shorebirds that come through and depend on these marshes, the oystercatchers raising young out at the mouth of the estuary. You know, they're all special.
Do you have any advice for anyone interested in getting involved in conservation or environmental education in the future?
Erik: Well, whether you're directly involved in conservation and education or not, I think learning and understanding about the issues, about the impacts of coastal development and growth and climate change and all the ways that our societies, our actions on the coast affect the ecosystems the organisms, everything that makes the coast special and important, not only as a wonderful place to live, but as a major component of our economy is important. Really getting engaged, understanding and getting engaged with those issues. I think, having now had a career in environmental research and education, decades, it's a wonderful career. It may not pay the best compared to others, but the rewards, the intangible rewards are really very gratifying. In addition to getting to hang out in all these wonderful estuaries and coastal zones, and- starting with education young and like, it's not all just swimming with dolphins in biology, it's math and it's rigor and it's, you know, the science, technology. Doing well in school. Taking the hard courses too. This field needs, it needs bright minds. It needs creative, young new minds that are willing to think outside the norm. We definitely have some challenges as a society and with the coastal zone. And I encourage, I encourage everybody to get involved, particularly the creative ones, because we're going to need some creative solutions.
(interviewing Erik Smith, Reserve Manager)
North Inlet offers a variety of programming supporting environmental education, including K through 12 activities, events for the general public, and professional teacher development. What kinds of activities are these visitors able to partake in?
Erik: Oh, we offer a range of activities, getting people to experience North Inlet and the various habitats of North Inlet and learn why they're so important. It's really central to our mission. We love, you know, school groups and busloads full of school kids to come out and tromp around in the marsh and understand the different habitats and why they're important for the shrimps and crabs and the fishes that we like to eat. We have very popular kayaking trips and biking to the boardwalk trips, always to get out and really know the estuary and get to love and understand the estuary.
The Baruch Marine Field Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility that hosts over 100 scientists from the University of South Carolina each year, as well as researchers from more than 20 other institutions. What are some of the lab features that draw researchers to Baruch?
Erik: Well, I think I think the biggest draw is it sits right next to North Inlet, and North Inlet is one of the last few relatively unimpacted estuaries in the area. So it provides a real living laboratory to understand how estuaries work without sort of the confounding impacts of lots of development and sprawl right next to the estuary. So lots of studies on how climate change and larger natural forces are acting on the estuary. I think the monitoring, the long-term data that the reserve provides is a real draw for researchers. There's already so much known and so much data being collected in the reserve or in the estuary, thanks to the reserve, that it is a very appealing place to do additional research.
2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the South Carolina NERRs. If there was a North Inlet-Winyah Bay highlight reel, what accomplishments would be featured?
Erik: I think it would be a long reel. We're a relatively small reserve, small staff, compared to many, but we have continued to grow and expand. We've expanded our monitoring programs, we have expanded in a variety of ways through partnerships, expanded our education program. I think it's hard to pick, you know, just one highlight. I think we are all very proud of how we have continued to make progress in expanding our monitoring program. I think one thing very recently that we're very proud of is- and I think would be a very recent highlight- is how we've expanded our training opportunities for our citizen science programs. Citizen science is becoming so important these days or recognized as such an important way to collect additional information and bring the public in to being a part of the data collection, getting to know their local environment. So in the last two years, we became a hub for the new saltwater Adopt-A-Stream program. That's one great example of our citizen science programs. So I'd go with that.
How do North Inlet and the ACE Basin NERR work together to serve South Carolina?
Erik: Well, South Carolina is fortunate that it has two reserves within its state and it's not that big a state. I mean, Florida has three but they have a much larger coastline. California has three but a huge coastline. South Carolina has two reserves, the ACE Basin and North Inlet-Winyah Bay, which work together in a variety of ways. I mean, it really makes sense for us to combine forces, particularly in our education and training mission so that we cover the whole state so that there are no gaps in the the information delivery, so nobody's left out along the coast. We have a long history of research projects together, we just recently completed a living shoreline project together. The ACE Basin and some of the researchers have been very involved in the stormwater research I talked about earlier. It's been a very good collaboration. And of course, we continue to collaborate.
Awesome! You mentioned citizen science projects. Are there other ways that listeners can support North Inlet? Are there any volunteer or internship opportunities at the reserve?
Erik: We have a variety of volunteer opportunities through our citizen science, particularly for older members of the public. The Adopt-A-Stream, the phytoplankton monitoring, our phenology, we will use volunteers for our bird surveys, a variety of bird surveys. For students, we have a variety of internships. These are mostly undergraduate college internships. For for the K12, most of our opportunities come through working with their schools, like our "From Seeds to Shoreline" program and things like that. And we're always trying to grow our college internship program. This past summer was the first summer we offered an education internship. Mostly they've been research-focused internships and we'd like to continue to expand the types of internships we offer for our younger students.
That's awesome. What is the Winyah Wildlife project? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Erik: Oh, that's another great way for the public to get involved and help us collect very important data about the biodiversity of the Winyah Bay watershed and the surrounding areas and it's a web-based program. It's through the iNaturalist app. And it's a way to help us document the diversity of life around our homes and the diversity of habitats in the Winyah Bay watershed. And if you Google "Winyah Wildlife" or "Winyah Wildlife project", you'll find the website, you can get more information there.
What makes North Inlet different from other National Estuarine Research Reserves?
Erik: Well, there are 30 reserves around the country, I think in in some respects, they're all different. They all have the characteristics of the particular part of the coast that they encompass. While all reserves have the same core missions, research and education and stewardship responsibilities, at some reserves the state partner is a big state agency, and at some reserves the state partner is a university. I think, you know, one nice and unique thing about the North Inlet- Winyah Bay reserve is the partnership with the University of South Carolina and the fact that we are co-located at a marine lab, an academic marine lab that allows us to really leverage and partner well with all the other researchers that that work here.
What is your favorite thing about the reserve? Do you have a favorite North Inlet- Winyah Bay memory?
Erik: That's a hard question. It's like asking what my favorite species of bird is, well I like them all, I like all my North Inlet-Winyah Bay memories. I think going back to the question of, you know, what makes our reserve special... although Myrtle Beach and the developments associated with Myrtle Beach are not far to our north and the sprawl of Charleston is not too far to our south, North Inlet really is this very minimally-impacted, undeveloped system, and it's getting increasingly rare particularly in this part of the coast to find those systems. And so, just being out in the marshes and on the waters of North Inlet, sometimes when the the office work and the bureaucracy gets to me, I find an excuse to get out on the water, be in peace with that nature and it really is just so special. I don't know that there's one particular favorite memory, but you know, I never get tired of seeing the dolphins strand feed. I never get tired of seeing the black skimmers in the creeks. I never get tired of the the annual migrations of the shorebirds that come through and depend on these marshes, the oystercatchers raising young out at the mouth of the estuary. You know, they're all special.
Do you have any advice for anyone interested in getting involved in conservation or environmental education in the future?
Erik: Well, whether you're directly involved in conservation and education or not, I think learning and understanding about the issues, about the impacts of coastal development and growth and climate change and all the ways that our societies, our actions on the coast affect the ecosystems the organisms, everything that makes the coast special and important, not only as a wonderful place to live, but as a major component of our economy is important. Really getting engaged, understanding and getting engaged with those issues. I think, having now had a career in environmental research and education, decades, it's a wonderful career. It may not pay the best compared to others, but the rewards, the intangible rewards are really very gratifying. In addition to getting to hang out in all these wonderful estuaries and coastal zones, and- starting with education young and like, it's not all just swimming with dolphins in biology, it's math and it's rigor and it's, you know, the science, technology. Doing well in school. Taking the hard courses too. This field needs, it needs bright minds. It needs creative, young new minds that are willing to think outside the norm. We definitely have some challenges as a society and with the coastal zone. And I encourage, I encourage everybody to get involved, particularly the creative ones, because we're going to need some creative solutions.
NIWB NERR Website northinlet.sc.edu/