Underwater in Salem Sound Lecture Series

One Million Seeds, Countless Lessons: Preparing for Large-Scale Seagrass Restoration

Attend in person by registering below. 

Attend online via Zoom by registering HERE

One of Salem Sound’s underwater wonders is hidden beneath the waves, yet plays a crucial role in supporting a healthy marine ecosystem. Eelgrass meadows provide habitat for fish and shellfish, stabilize our shoreline, and capture carbon, but have declined from much of the Sound and Massachusetts coastline.

Join us for an inside look at local efforts to study and restore eelgrass in Massachusetts using innovative techniques. Learn how the team from the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership, MA Division of Marine Fisheries, and Salem Sound Coastwatch are conducting research on eelgrass seeds and testing new approaches to restore eelgrass. We’ll share exciting discoveries uncovered from our data and discuss implications for future restoration work that can help reestablish this critical marine habitat for generations to come.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a hybrid event, taking place in person at the library and online via Zoom, and registration is required. Please register to join in person below OR join online via Zoom HERE. If registering for Zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting online.

Jill Carr is MassBays NEP’s Program Manager for Coastal Habitat Restoration and Data Quality. She specializes in coordinating environmental monitoring and coastal habitat mapping projects. Carr enjoys interdisciplinary collaborations and research projects that influence natural resource management, and that aim to restore, inventory, and protect coastal habitats, with special expertise in seagrass systems. Carr holds a bachelor’s in Coastal Studies from the University of Connecticut and a master’s in Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing from Salem State University.

Dr. Forest Schenck is a Marine Fisheries Habitat Specialist with the MA Division of Marine Fisheries’ Habitat Program. His work focuses on developing and implementing strategies to protect and enhance the health of marine ecosystems in Massachusetts to support sustainable fisheries or, as he likes to put it, ‘healthier habitats for more fish.’ Schenck holds a bachelor’s in Biology from Macalester College and a Ph.D. in Marine and Environmental Sciences from Northeastern University.

As Associate Director at Salem Sound Coastwatch, Alison Frye supports projects that strengthen coastal resilience and protect marine habitats. Her work includes researching and restoring seagrass habitat, monitoring salt marsh health, and developing strategies to enhance coastal communities’ resilience to climate change. Frye earned a bachelor’s in Biology from Bates College and a master’s in Marine Biology from Northeastern University, where her research focused on nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, particularly site-selection for constructed oyster reefs.

For the past fourteen years, Underwater in Salem Sound has been jointly sponsored by Salem Sound Coastwatch and Abbot Public Library. All the lectures are free and open to the public. Upcoming lectures will be on Feb. 18, March 18, April 15, and May 20.

For more events and to register in person, please visit abbotlibrary.org/events.