The PIE LTER Schoolyard program is partnering with Mass Audubon to expand their Salt Marsh Science Project. The Plum Island site on the Parker River Wildlife Refuge has the potential to become the biggest salt marsh restoration project on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Middle School students from Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley and Ipswich are studying the invasive reed, Phragmites, in Plum Island Sound marshes, focusing on the effect of tidal restrictions, and collect data on fish abundance, salinity and vegetation.
Students shared their data at the 5th annual Coastal Science Conference held at the Nock Middle School in Newburyport.
The Schoolyard program provided professional development for teachers to learn field protocols, and complementary frameworks-based classroom activities.
SLTER-supported educators, Liz Duff and April Ridlon provided classroom and field support for students, whose data is compiled in their own online database: http://www.massaudubon.org/saltmarsh