Designation of essential fish habitat requires a detailed understanding of how species-specific vital rates vary across habitats and biogeographical regions.

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.

The ability to quickly communicate local environmental changes in the aftermath of hurricanes helps impacted communities better understand storm events and support recovery.

Poster: Drones can revolutionize research and monitoring…can’t they? (NERRS/NERRA Annual Meeting 2020)

Project Lead Brandon Puckett (North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve) gives an introduction to "Bridging the Gap between Quadrats and Satellites: Assessing Utility of Drone-based Imagery to Enhance Emergent Vegetation Biomonitoring," aka "Drone the SWMP," a catalyst project funded in