This week at NFWF!

             I’ve been doing a lot of research this week at NFWF. Our finalized proposals should be coming in from various agencies over the next two weeks. Hopefully, the different organizations have taken NFWF’s comments from the pre-proposals into consideration and have ensured that all their details and goals are on track. We will then decide if they meet all the requirements set forth by NFWF to get funding for their projects. I have been researching the science behind a few of the proposals to determine if they are feasible and if they will be cost efficient if funded.  I like finding the details they may have left out or ideas that haven’t been taken into consideration yet. Some of the big concepts that I have been looking into include building sustainable oyster reefs for commercial use and putting other artificial reefs in the Gulf for important fish species to use them. I’m starting to understand that there are so many things that can go wrong with these reefs if they aren’t researched and planned out properly beforehand. For oysters, things like salinity, location, and substrate are crucial factors on whether or not they will survive. Artificial reefs are also tricky because you can’t just drop anything in the ocean. Some structures can deteriorate over time and pollute the water which becomes extremely harmful to the fish.

                 This week I was also able to meet more of NFWF’s staff that work with the Gulf Environment Benefit Fund. I was able to sit in on a conference call between these people while they updated each other on what is happening in different parts of the country. They all check in with each other once a month to make sure that everything is on task, and they discuss any concerns or accomplishments. They ensure that all of their funding is on track and going to the proper places.

                On Wednesday, Jon and I took a trip to Gulfport to for a coastal streams meeting. This is a project that has been funded by NFWF to improve the streams that makeup coastal Mississippi’s watershed. The main goal for this project is to mend the quality of the water that is eventually emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. This could mean removing bulkheads and replacing them with living shorelines or educating the community on how to care for the creeks that run through their properties. I was so excited to meet so many different people at this workshop. Some of the representatives included people from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, USGS, the Nature Conservancy, and the Audubon Society. All of these people collaborated to come up with strategies on how certain streams needed to be improved. Because each region being considered is different, we broke out into groups to come up with ideas for each area. We also identified overreaching problems like invasive species. I enjoyed being able to contribute to these conversations and introducing new ideas that others may not have thought of.

               I’m excited for our proposals to come in soon! I’m also looking forward to doing more site visits for places that may be locations for potential restoration. I’m also very excited to start networking with people that do work in areas that I am very interested in. My boss is eager to set up meetings for me with people from NOAA or other parts of NFWF that have jobs that I may want to look into in the future.