Cultural ecosystem services (CES), one of four main categories of ecosystem services, are often described as the non-material benefits that humans receive from their interactions with the environment.

Seventeen projects involving 27 reserves across the nation and totaling more than $2 million have been recommended for support by NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative.

This presentation was developed for a public lecture series sponsored by the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute and the Mission-Aransas NERR a part of the 2020 catalyst project to integrate acoustic monitoring into multiple reserve programs in the southeast region.This presentation describes the acoustic monitoring framework with applications to research, stewardship, and education, co-produced with the North Inlet-Winyah Bay, Rookery Bay, and Mission-Aransas NERRs, along with other regional management users.

Project Lead Chris Biggs gives a 5-minute introduction to "Listen In: Acoustic Monitoring of Estuarine Communities Facing Ecosystem Change," a catalyst project funded in 2020 by the NERRS Science Collaborative.

Project Lead Nikki Dix (Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve) gives a 5-minute introduction to "Refining Techniques for High-frequency Monitoring of Chlorophyll Alpha in the NERRS," a catalyst project funded in 2020 by the NERRS Science Collaborative.

eDNA (environmental DNA) refers to the genetic material found in an environmental sample (water or sediment). eDNA comes from feces, gametes, scales, and cells that an organism sheds, and is easily collected from water and sediment samples.

To foster greater engagement in science learning among deaf and hard of hearing K-12 students and increase the number of deaf people entering science professions, The Learning Center for the Deaf, Boston University, and three national estuarine research reserves in New England collaborated to dev

These American Sign Language video modules address Watersheds, Water Quality, Water Quality Monitoring, Estuary Values, and Sea Level Rise, teaching important concepts as well as new scientific vocabulary in sign language.