Views from theTower
~ NEWSLETTER
SUMMER 2020 | VOLUME 48 | NO. 2
A Visit to the Enchanted Isles
TWI’s Excursion to a Nature Lover’s Paradise by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director Just weeks before the world changed so dramatically, Dr. Lisa Ferguson and I had the privilege of hosting a trip of exploration and discovery to Ecuador, the Galápagos, and Peru. We were joined on our sold-out trip by 19 fellow explorers and friends of the Institute, and all had the experience of a lifetime. The people in our independent-minded group met
Galápagos Sea Lion
up from far and wide for 8 days aboard the 109’ luxury motor yacht Coral I. We spent each day exploring different islands and their wildlife. The Galápagos is a fascinating place. The islands owe their birth to volcanic eruptions that gradually built them off the seafloor in a majestic chain with each island a different age. Our voyage began with the oldest islands of the eastern Galápagos and worked to the central “middle-aged” islands. Age dominates each island’s character, and in turn, helps determine what wildlife live there. The wildlife is phenomenal with the inhabiting species “finding their way” to the Galápagos largely on natural rafts and carried by currents from the South American mainland. Once they arrived, the ancestral species rapidly adjusted to their strange new world and many developed remarkable adaptations to evolve into species found nowhere else on Earth. This was Darwin’s laboratory. What he witnessed here ultimately led to his theory of evolution by natural selection. The Galápagos remains a
natural laboratory for the study of evolution because it is so apparent, with dramatic differences in species from island to island. We were treated to daily expeditions to spectacular locations. Each morning we would awaken to a new island, a new viewscape, and new experiences. We traveled to shore in small boats called pangas, each with a knowledgeable and dedicated guide. Most landings were “wet” landings on a beach. We set off on foot in small groups to explore landscapes like nowhere else on Earth and among wildlife that have no fear of humans. At every location, we were the only group. The number of people allowed at each stop is carefully controlled by the Galápagos National Park Authority. The entire archipelago is protected with 97% of the land mass designated as a National Park, and it is surrounded by a vast marine sanctuary. Human habitation is restricted to the remaining 3%. Galápagos guides and naturalists are native to the islands and serve as park rangers and stewards of this precious resource. They are independent from the travel companies and therefore able to help ensure that ecotourism works to sustain and protect this treasure without exerting damaging pressure on it. The historical impact of people on the islands has been significant. Introduced
Land Iguana
species have caused great harm to the ecosystems, and hunting decimated populations of some animals, notably the giant tortoises from which Galápagos gets its name. We learned of the extraordinary efforts to eradicate feral goats that were released on the islands to provide a source of meat to mariners. These goats decimated native plants, nearly stripping some islands bare and heavily impacting the giant tortoises. On other islands, the
Nazca Booby & chick
introduction of rats and free-roaming cats has had dire consequences to groundnesting birds and defenseless iguanas and lizards that are heavily preyed upon by these introduced animals. While we were worlds away from home, we were reminded that these conservation challenges are also significant management issues for us. Our beachnesting birds face similar threats including predation by free-roaming cats and other unnatural predators. The people of the Galápagos chose to preserve and protect their native species and it has made all the difference. The protection of our own native species depends on us making this choice as well, and I hope we will. You can check out our Galápagos photo diary at https://flic.kr/s/aHsmNjsW1U, and we hope to share our adventure in a lecture with you soon.
wetlandsinstitute.org | 1075 Stone Harbor Blvd, Stone Harbor, NJ 08247 | 609.368.1211
A non-profit organization studying, preserving, and protecting wetlands and coastal ecosystems. Founded in 1969 by Herbert Mills, Executive Director of the World Wildlife Fund.
Deborah A. Hays, Chair Jane Rakestraw, Vice-Chair Robert Rich, Treasurer John Flynn, Secretary Jeffrey Alderton Raymond Burke, III Timothy Jon Clay, D.M.D Michael Craig John Cuthbert Roberta DeVries James Donohue Lois Hamilton
Trish Luing Mary Millar Wayne Renneisen Donna Rothman Hank Schellenger Amy Welsh William Wermuth
Staff Leadership
Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director Dr. Lisa Ferguson, Director of Research and Conservation Bonnie Girard, Director of Finance and Administration Brooke Knapick, Director of Educational Program Development
Research & Conservation Samantha Collins, Research Scientist Brittany Morey, Research Associate Brian Williamson, Research Scientist
Education
Danielle Meeker, Aquarist/ Environmental Educator Erin Rawls, Outreach Coordinator Sue Slotterback, Environmental Educator
Marsh Musings Never Waste a Good Crisis Boy, what to even say. As I reflect on the past few months, I can say with certainty that this has been an incredibly trying time for The Wetlands Institute. My thoughts about leadership during a crisis of this magnitude have evolved quite rapidly and I can finally say I think I have settled in a good place. I am sure that many of you have experienced some of the same feelings and even the same challenges as you navigate this crisis personally, and with your own businesses. As this pandemic was ramping up in the US, I was in the Galápagos and Peru with friends of the Institute. We were watching the rapidly evolving situation from a remarkable place where the theory of evolution was “discovered”. Perhaps this was fortuitous as evolution and the “survival of the fittest” were at the forefront of my thoughts as I returned home to face the incredible challenges that lay ahead. The survivors are those that are most able to adapt and those most able to adapt are frequently able to be even stronger under the new conditions.
Administration
Terrie Campbell, Financial Admin. Assistant Jeff Dix, Maintenance Technician Kimberly Dmytro, Tidepool Shop Christina Faulk, Administrative Assistant Devin Griffiths, Marketing and Communications Specialist Stephanie Stroble, Front Desk Receptionist/ Admissions Coordinator Jamie Warner, Manager of Advancement Dale Watson, Gardener
Visit Us Hours: As permissible by executive order, open 9:30 to 4:30 daily with special evening hours until 7pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday starting June 22 to September 7. General Admission: Members: Free. Non-members: $8 Adults, $6 Children 3-12. Views From the Tower is the quarterly newsletter of The Wetlands Institute and can also be found on our website.
wetlandsinstitute.org
I think I have heard the phrase “unchartered territory” more in the past two months than in my life leading up
by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director
to this point. When you break this term down, we are really just saying we face an adaptive problem without a tool kit of existing solutions and where leadership and laser-beam focus on mission takes on incredible new importance. My first definitive step was to protect our long-term mission and support our team. They are the heart of the Institute. I needed to keep them safe and employed. We did that by immediately providing remote access to all full-time employees and moving to work-fromhome schedules. We quickly defined essential mission components and concrete steps to deliver them. Animal care came to the top of the list and has been well managed. Maintaining our core research and conservation programs followed and I am pleased to say we have been able to deliver on this through a lot of planning and modifications to how we conduct projects. Our education programs and visitor services have been extremely hard hit but we are working to adapt. Providing engaging exploration of the natural world is at the heart of what we do. Connecting people with nature is a core competency of the Institute. We will retain this core and our goal is to develop new ways that allow us to deliver even better than before. We face a long and difficult road but we are a strong organization. We have turned a corner and are focused on building to be better than before. I draw my strength from your support. If you have ideas or ways you think you can help, my door remains open. Your support through these incredible times will be in important pillar of our strength. Stick with us and renew your commitment to the greatness we will continue to deliver.
Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab and the Restoration of Sturgeon Island by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director As we have reported in the past, TWI is part of a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the USACE Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) that has developed the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab (SMIIL). The Lab is a groundbreaking initiative to improve dredging technologies and advance the restoration of New Jersey’s coastal marshes through the beneficial use of dredged materials. Sturgeon Island is a 13½ acre marsh island owned by The Wetlands Institute that lies in the coastal bays behind Seven Mile Island. It, along with adjacent Gull Island, received material from dredging operations conducted prior to 1970. Vegetation growth on these higher dredge placement sites provides habitat for many colonial nesting species, such as Black-crowned Night-Heron, Glossy Ibis, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, and Snowy Egret. In fact, more than 25 percent of the wading birds in the state nest on these two islands. Six of the species are considered priority Species of
Great Egret chicks
Greatest Conservation Need and one – the Black-crowned Night-Heron – is listed as a state threatened species. Over the past several years, there have been declines in both habitat suitability and availability at Sturgeon Island, resulting in declining nest success overall and the outright loss of one nesting species from the island. The SMIIL team identified open pools and areas of low marsh on the north portion of Sturgeon Island for elevation enhancement. The goals are: restore a failing marsh; build marsh elevation in some areas high enough to allow for the growth of the birds’ favored shrubby nesting habitat; keep nest sites above the level of most storm-induced flooding; and stabilize the island so it can continue to provide protection to Seven Mile Island. This winter, restoration work began at Sturgeon Island using material dredged from the NJ Intracoastal Waterway (NJIWW). The focus for the first phase was testing innovative dredge material management approaches. Given the small island size and low island elevations, new approaches to material placement were needed. Habitat restoration work requires fine scale placement of material, but most dredge pumping operations are highpowered and difficult to control in small areas. We worked to develop new tools that can separate sand from mud, redirect material placement during pumping without the need to break down and move
Aquarium Update: Hank in the Tank Say hello to Hank, the newest addition to our Secrets of the Salt Marsh Aquarium! Hank was donated to The Wetlands Institute by Jeff Martin, Marine Science teacher at Lower Cape May Regional High School. Octopus are extremely curious and playful and Hank is no exception. Whenever we walk into the Aquarium, Hank swims out from his hiding place to say hello by crawling up and down the glass showing off his eight long arms. He loves to explore new items and toys, especially when they
Clean dredge material is pumped onto Sturgeon Island
systems, slow down material flows, and utilize natural island features to manage dewatering challenges. This fall, the team is planning to employ the techniques developed at Sturgeon Island over the winter to continue to build island elevation and habitat. The team is also in the planning phases for a fall project at neighboring Gull Island that also will utilize material from the NJIWW. Project teams from TWI are monitoring nesting at both Gull and Sturgeon Islands, ERDC scientists are monitoring island response to material placement, and several instrument platforms are being developed to provide information for Gull Island Project design. TWI is serving as a field station for research teams and providing expertise on area wetlands, sediment dynamics, and beneficial use of dredge materials. It’s an exciting time in our back bays and we are so pleased that we managed to get some work done before COVID restrictions ended the field season.
by Danielle Meeker, Aquarist/Environmental Educator have hidden treats inside. Hank is a fastlearner and can unscrew jars and solve tube puzzles. Although he has already shown how intelligent he is, Hank has also shown that he can be a little indecisive. Sometimes, the careful observer will find Hank holding on to two or three toys at once, as though he couldn’t pick just one. Hank adores the spotlight, and until you can meet him in person, keep an eye out for more photos and videos showcasing his daily antics.
find us on
Our Approach to Coping with COVID by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director
As Seven Mile Island and the rest of our region debate when and how to reopen, The Wetlands Institute is working diligently to be ready to welcome you back when we are able. We, like so many other organizations and businesses, have been significantly impacted by the quarantine, but we are committed to delivering our mission with laser-beam focus and by adapting our programs and space to accommodate necessary changes.
We continue to largely work from home but as spring progresses, the need for staff to be out working has increased. We have spread out staff by temporarily converting some formerly public spaces into offices and workstations and moved some operations out onto the back deck. Our research and conservation teams have modified their practices to work alone or separated in the field. Terrapin road patrols have been modified for staff safety, but we will be out stewarding terrapins as always. We have been spending time making more information available virtually so that you can still “visit” and stay connected to the marsh. We know this isn’t the same thing and that what we all love about The Wetlands Institute is being at the Institute. Soon, we will slowly reopen, taking all precautions to care for
our visitors, as well as our volunteers and staff. We are currently studying all of our operations with this in mind. We are opening the Tidepool Shop for enhanced online sales and curbside pickup and are putting together some great activity packages for families ready to be back out exploring the shore and all nature has to offer. If you haven’t checked in for a while, please do. I don’t doubt that we will have a tough year financially with so many event and program cancellations, but this is a great opportunity for us to embrace some changes that can improve our program delivery too. This is a very fluid situation so check out our website and follow us on social media for the latest updates. We look forward to welcoming you back and hope to do so soon.
Discover Your Summer Nature Program Adventure Chest by Brooke Knapick, Director of Educational Program Development much thoughtfulness that we determined the best course of action would be to cancel the in-person component of our Summer Nature Program for this year.
As the early realities of this pandemic unfolded, Education staff were planning several different Summer Nature Program scenarios that included delaying the start of the program, operating programs at reduced levels, and/or cancelling the program this summer, among others. As we carefully considered all options, the health and safety of our program participants remained our first priority, and it is after
However, we hold strong to the notion that children need nature, and nature needs children. Summer Nature Program is full immersion in science exploration, the warmth of the sun, the saltiness of the breeze, the smell and feel of the salt marsh, and the joy of being outdoors. It is at the heart of what we do, and while our in-person Summer Nature Program is canceled, the Summer Nature Program experience is not! This summer, we are launching our brand new Summer Nature Program Adventure
Chest. Over the course of nine weeks, we will offer a once weekly Summer Nature Program Adventure Chest filled with arts and crafts, activities and artifacts, things to do and places to go, as well as easy instructions and live-session virtual components with our educators, allowing your child to explore deeper the nature theme of the week. A few of the exciting nature themes we are looking forward to this summer: The Magic, Mystery, and Wonder of Nature, Whatever Floats your Boat, Overnight and Under the Sun, The Forces of Nature, Marine Mammal Soundings, and What Color is Nature? Full details available at: wetlandsinstitute. org/education/summer-nature-program/.
Learn, Support, Experience! Our Adoption Programs offer the chance to learn more about the coastal animals you love while supporting the work we do to research and protect them. Each program has several options to symbolically adopt an animal and receive an adoption certificate, educational newsletter, and other fun items. Adoptions make a great gift too. Check them out on our website, www.wetlandsinstitute.org.
Summer Happenings As conditions allow, The Wetlands Institute will be open daily from 9:30am-4:30pm, with extended evening hours and activities until 7:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from June 22-September 7, 2020! Unless otherwise stated, all activities are free with admission and occur onsite at The Wetlands Institute. For the most up-to-date information, visit wetlandsinstitute.org/events. The Wetlands Institute is closely monitoring COVID-19 developments and the guidance issued by state and local agencies, specifically as they relate to our Summer Happenings programs. As needed, we are planning for and adjusting our programs and operations accordingly to promote community and staff safety, both on our grounds and during our programs. When visiting us, please join us in creating a safe, enriching, and fun summer experience for all of our visitors by understanding our programs may be modified in accordance with this guidance. We will see you soon!
Salt Marsh Safari
Aquarium Feeding
10AM, 12PM, 11AM & 1PM
3:15PM 2:15PM
2PM
Monday - Friday Saturday & Sunday Watch our award-winning film, Secrets of the Salt Marsh, then head out for an interpretive marsh walk along our elevated walkway and onto the dock overlooking Scotch Bonnet creek. &
Tuesday & Thursday Saturday
Watch us feed the local marine life! We will open up feeding three times each week so you can see the octopus eating crabs and the horseshoe crab gobbling shrimp.
Seashell Sunday
Creature Feature Monday - Friday 11:15AM & 1:15PM Get up close and personal with a host of live animals, including turtles, fish, crabs, sea stars and urchins, mollusks, horseshoe crabs, or the popular animals of Finding Nemo.
Special Evening Happenings 5PM Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights are bursting with fun! Meet live animals, learn about our latest research, release a terrapin (Tuesday) or horseshoe crab (Thursday) from our dock or spend an evening with the fish (Wednesday)!
Catch o’ the Day
Sunday 10AM Seashells at the seashore! Join us to learn all about seashells, how to collect them without harming the environment, and view an assortment of live mollusks and cool artifacts.
Dune and Beach Walk 9:30AM Wednesday Meet at 48th Street and Dune Drive in Avalon for an interpretive walk along the maritime forest and dune trails to learn about the flora and fauna that call this area their home. Free to attend and generously sponsored by Avalon Free Public Library.
Crabbing at the Dock
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 3:15PM Helping you discover what swims in the back bays, Education staff will get their feet wet as they drag seine or dip nets through the water to find crabs, shrimp, fish and more.
Saturday 9:30AM Sunday 2:15PM Drop a line in the water and see what pinches it! We’ll provide the bait, handlines, and nets - You reel in the blue crabs!
Exploration Point 9:30AM Monday Bring your buckets! Meet at the trailhead at 122nd Street in Stone Harbor and explore Stone Harbor Point for awesome seashells, cool birds, and fun things that live under the sand. Suggested $3 per person donation to The Wetlands Institute.
A Note to Our Friends These have been difficult times for all of us at The Wetlands Institute. Along with cancellations of programs and events, we have sadly been unable to welcome your visit. Your membership helps support all of our programs and underpins our ability to fulfill our mission, and we hope you will renew your membership and continue to support our work. For many, admission to the Institute is an important member benefit that you have been unable to enjoy. In recognition of this, we are able to extend your membership for an additional month. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please contact Christina at cfaulk@wetlandsinstitute.org and with your renewal, you will have a 13 month membership.
Go Paperless
Paperless newsletters are more sustainable and they help reduce our cost so a larger portion of your gifts directly support our research, conservation, and education programs. Sign up for our e-newsletter at wetlandsinstitute.org/about-us/newsletter.
Virtual Connections in a Hands-on Experiential World by Brooke Knapick, Director of Educational Program Development Necessity is the mother of invention. It sounds clichĂŠ, but in the evolving and uncertain landscape of environmental education today, this sentiment is extremely applicable. For more than 50 years, a visit to The Wetlands Institute has been a hands-on, feet wet educational experience. The Wetlands Institute hosts more than 20,000 visitors each year and our formal education programs serve over 12,000 children from nearly 150 local schools and organizations, bringing science concepts to life through interactive programs and real-world applications.
Earlier this spring, as schools abruptly closed, with students sent home with laptops, field trips and assemblies canceled, and businesses closed, it became clear that for the remainder of this year, and likely into the next, environmental education would be a largely, if not entirely, virtual experience. Environmental education centers and non-formal educators across the country immediately felt the impact, not just financially, but pedagogically. So much of what makes outdoor and environmental education impactful, and real, relies on the interaction of participant, educator, and outdoor experience, all working in concert to create a genuine human connection to the environment. It is the sights, the smells, the sounds, the feelings, the immersion in the environment that creates connection, and it is the pursuit of fostering this connection that guides our life’s work. Duplicating this emotional and experiential connection in a
virtual milieu seemed unfathomable. Many environmental education professionals began to wonder, is it even possible? Replicating this exact emotional and experiential connection might not be possible, but innovating and creating an entirely new and equally profound virtual connection is possible. Challenging, yes, but possible; and with possibility comes opportunity for invention and growth in new and unexplored directions. With any new teaching method, including a virtual one, varied pedagogical approaches are essential. The personalities and learning styles within the audience are diverse and individuals respond differently in similar situations. In modifying and adapting our programs, we must still present information in a combination of ways that cohesively encompass visual, aural, written and hands-on applications, all while participant, educator, and the environment remain physically distant from one another. With that in mind, Education staff began to conceptualize and create a framework, a Virtual Wetlands Experience, to rework our visitor and formal education programs to inspire and foster this new virtual
Our 2020 Institutional Sponsors
connection to the natural world, while seeking to maintain a competitive edge in a new and emerging frontier. This portal is a new gateway to learning about and exploring our surrounding wetland and marine environment, for both general admission visitors and student-teacher virtual classrooms alike. It will include virtual and interactive tours along our Salt Marsh Trail and Elevated Walkway, in our Aquarium and Terrapin Station, and at our Aquarium Teaching and Touch Tank; live animal Creature Features; virtual exploratory Environmental Education Field Trips and Traveling Environmental Education Programs; downloadable teacher and parent resources; and much more!
Our Virtual Wetlands Experience is only the beginning, a first step in addressing the changing landscape of environmental education. Like all new inventions, it will grow and evolve amid successes and failures, but the environmental educators behind its creation and content are adaptable, innovative, and flexible. These current challenges are embraced not only by The Wetlands Institute, but also the entire environmental education community. We are in this together and are excited about the opportunities we have to expand our programs both this summer and into the next school year. Check out our progress at: wetlandsinstitute.org/ virtual-wetlands-experience.
Tidepool Shop
Welcome to the Team!
Among the challenges presented by COVID-19 is how to manage our book and gift shop. In order to maintain the health and safety of both staff and visitors, we have decided to keep the physical space closed and reopen our online Tidepool Shop. We'll relaunch with even more of the books, educational resources, unique artwork, and wearable items you love, and add new items each week. We're also planning some great nature discovery and rainy day activity packages for days at the shore.
Meet Jeff Dix
For your convenience, we'll be offering both shipping and curbside pickup. Browse our online Tidepool Shop at tidepool-
shop.myshopify.com and see what we have in store!
Jeff Dix, a South Jersey native, joined The Wetlands Institute as our Maintenance Technician in February 2020. Growing up along – and often in – South Jersey's bays and tidal creeks, he quickly developed a great love of the outdoors – a love that he's never lost. Having over 30 years of experience in carpentry (he recently retired from the carpenters' union), as well as in property maintenance, construction, landscaping, plumbing and electrical, Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge that will keep The Wetlands Institute’s buildings and property in tip-top shape for all our visitors (he made sure the Osprey platform was repaired and ready for their return). Jeff loves to solve problems, enjoys a good challenge, and is an added asset to our team.
2020's World Series of Birding Draws to a Successful Close by Devin Griffiths, Marketing & Communications Specialist challenges this year, but the event went off successfully and safely, and everyone involved enjoyed a great – if unexpectedly cold – day out.
Eastern Kingbird by Aidan Griffiths
On Saturday, May 9 - the coldest May day in recent memory – TWI’s team of intrepid birders, The Marshketeers, gave up sleep and braved the weather to spend 24 hours birding for conservation during NJ Audubon’s World Series of Birding. COVID-19 presented some significant
The Marshketeers closed the day with 132 species – including the Eastern Kingbird, this year's bonus bird – and claimed the Swarovski Carbon Footprint Cup, birding exclusively by carbon-neutral means (including a bit by horseback). But the birds were the real winners: through generous donations and pledges, The Marshketeers raised more than $5,500, which goes directly to The Wetlands Institute's coastal bird research and conservation programs and supports the lifesaving work we do on behalf of our imperiled beach-nesting birds. The Marshketeers, L to R from top: Lenore Tedesco, Lisa Ferguson, Samantha Collins (and Dunlin), Devin Griffiths, Aidan Griffiths
Presort Non-Profit US Postage PAID Permit 1940 Bellmawr, NJ
1075 Stone Harbor Blvd. Stone Harbor, NJ 08247-1424
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A non-profit organization studying, preserving, and protecting wetlands and coastal ecosystems
As a conservation organization, we have a special responsibility to address the global challenges of climate change and sustainability. We are committed to minimizing environmental impacts in all aspects of our operations. Visit our website at wetlandsinstitute.org/about-us/ sustainability/ for more on our sustainability initiatives.
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Views from theTower
The Wetlands Institute’s Annual
Call 609.368.1211 to buy tickets. Drawing: December 16, 2020, 1:00pm at The Wetlands Institute
Only 240 tickets being sold... Get yours today! *$12,000 if all 240 tickets are sold. No substitution of the offered prize may be made. Winner does not need to be present to win. Must be 18 years of age or older to participate. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call toll-free 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Net proceeds will be used to To further environmental education and conservation programs at The Wetlands Institute. RA# 09-20 481-5-25895 Middle Township.