Robert's Introduction

Hello! I am Robert Lafreniere, a soon to be senior at The University of New Hampshire. Throughout the next couple months I will be working with NH Sea Grant/ UNH Cooperative Extension as one of the 2018 Doyle Fellows. My main area of focus will be on dune restoration by monitoring the success of dunes which were planted in prior years. I have been a member of the UNH Coastal Habitat Restoration Team for over a year prior to starting this fellowship and look forward to continuing my restoration work.

I have had an unrivaled obsession with aquatic life beginning as soon as my father began taking me fishing while I was still in diapers. Through volunteering with Trout Unlimited over the years I have developed a passion for conserving and teaching others about the fantastic natural resources we have in New Hampshire and throughout New England. Nowadays, I spend much of my free time stalking the New England coastline in search of striped bass on the fly rod so I am no stranger to the dunes and beaches being effected.In my past few years living on the seacoast I have noticed some dramatic changes in dune composition as a result of dune grass die off and winter storm erosion. My own first hand accounts of the changes taking place along our coastline has helped fuel my interest in restoring and managing these fragile ecosystems.

My mentor Alyson Eberhart along with Caitlin Mandeville have given me a plan of work which should make for an exciting summer filled with a mix of field work, project development and community outreach. The end goal of this fellowship is for me to design a dune monitoring protocol and implement this at restored dunes along the coast of Northern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In addition to dune work, I will be helping with a number of other citizen science projects over the summer such as glass eel monitoring, beach profiling and many community oriented events. I look forward to sharing this experience and updating you all with my progress on my various goals!