Hi there! My name is Anna DeGloria. I am thrilled to have this platform to help share my experiences with the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) and the CLM internship program. This is my first blog, ever, so please bare with me.
It’s only been 2 weeks and so much as already happened. Just a few weeks before this all started I was working as the program assistant for the Environmental Program at the University of Vermont (UVM). The whirlwind of starting this internship has been both intense and exciting. Not even 24 hours into this experience did my NEWFS team experience our first challenge: LaGuardia Airport. En route to our east coast training at the North Carolina Botanic Garden our flight was cancelled due to poor weather. As we watched the rest of the passengers scramble and moan in disappointment I was both shocked and pleasantly relieved how cooly our group took the news. We sat down briefly and discussed the options: wait for the next flight to NC, go back to Boston, or rent a vehicle and drive.
We ended up renting a van and driving from LaGuardia to North Carolina through pounding rain storms. We made it to North Carolina by 4:30 am. As we were checking in, I was given a key to a room occupied by another east coast CLM intern. I was nervous to barge into the room and scare the crap out of her, but luckily she didn’t even flinch as I stumbled into our shared hotel room, desperately collapsing on the most welcoming sight: a bed.
The next day was jam packed with lectures and informational talks introducing us to our internship. It was neat to learn about how the east coast Seeds of Success (SOS) differs from the large majority of SOS interns based throughout the west. SOS east is possible due to a federal grant responding to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2013. SOS east is working to collect bulk seed from coastal wetlands for restoration projects.
I remember sitting in an advanced environmental studies course titled Adaptation to Climate Change when Superstorm Sandy battered the eastern coastline. While at UVM I learned quite a bit about our vulnerability to storms like this; Hurricane Irene hit Vermont in 2011 hard and quickly made me realize the seriousness of future strong storms. I became fascinated with the term resilience and have since then noticed its prominence in climate change dialogue. I am delighted that our work with SOS east will so directly apply to building resilience along the eastern coastline–an area I call home and care deeply about.
This week the NEWFS team has been busy getting in touch with land owners, reserve managers, and organizations that may want to partner with us or at least grant us permission to collect seed from their land. We traveled to Rhode Island to meet with National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) wildlife biologist Nick Ernst to discuss strategy and learn more about the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge and the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge.
NEWFS team walking with NFWF wildlife biologist Nick Ernst at the John H. Chafee Restoration site.
Nick showed us ongoing projects to measure a changing wetland and discussed the challenges his team is working on to build resiliency. He told us how Rhode Island is expected to experience 4 mm of sea level rise each year, seemingly insignificant but threatens the precious habitat and ecosystem services this wetland provides. The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) for instance, is threatened by this sea level rise because they nest in the salt marshes.
As we walked around these sites we discussed plant species of importance, the challenges of collecting enough seed and how best to serve the need of restoring Rhode Island wetland communities.
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge was once a dump site.
Salicornia, a tasty member of the Amaranthaceae, family commonly found in saltmarshes.
After meeting with Nick I believe the NEWFS team learned a tremendous amount about why our work is so important and why it’s going to be a challenge. We have a lot to do in the next 6 months and the only way we are going to accomplish our goal is by having partners like NFWF to team up with and to better understand what seed needs to be prioritized. Our goal is somewhat daunting but I am so happy to be working with the NEWFS team–we’ve already proved ourselves to be a resilient bunch and I believe our work will be rewarding and successful.
Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog, I hope it provided some insight into the SOS east program and how the New England Wild Flower Society is involved.
More to come!
Anna DeGloria, CLM Intern