Over the last 9 weeks, I have gained experience working with
over 100 volunteers on 5 different projects. I learned how eel monitoring was
conducted in Oyster River by dedicated volunteers that were passionate about
the population numbers in the river. I helped gather water quality samples at
Sagamore-Hampton Golf course and helped plant a stream buffer. I worked with
many groups teaching the importance of dunes and dunes plant species and how to
successfully restore them. I learned how oyster restoration plays a role in the
Great bay Estuary and helped with those efforts.
Most recently, my efforts have gone to the project I
designed and carried out at Hampton Beach state park. My goals were to identify
methods of growing non- dune grass plant species that would further inform
future restoration efforts and I am pleased to say my project was successful. I
was able to collect seven sets of data over the last seven weeks I got results
that showed there was no large influence of using the companion planting method
on non- dune grass species. I learned an incredible amount from designing and
setting up this experiment. I am proud to say that my results produced
information that will be beneficial for further restoration efforts.
Overall, this summer was an invaluable experience and I am
very grateful for the people I have met and the knowledge I have gained. Thank
you to NH Sea Grant, everyone at the Sea Grant office, UNH Cooperative
Extension, and especially Alyson Eberhardt for such an incredible summer.
