The Nature Conservancy and University of Rhode Island Team Up to Award Student Research Grants

Narragansett, RI — March 31, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy Global Marine Initiative and the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography have awarded $12,000 grants to two outstanding students at URI/GSO who are studying biodiversity in oceans and coasts.

The awards were given to Richard Bell, who is studying the effects climate change may have on the decline of winter flounder in northeast estuaries, such as Narragansett Bay; and to Scott Stachelhaus, who is examining the impacts of nutrients on Rhode Island’s South County coastal salt ponds.

“The Nature Conservancy is pleased to be able to tap into URI’s students and advisors who are working on cutting-edge ocean and coastal science,” said Lynne Hale, director of TNC’s Global Marine Initiative. “This competition is a fine example of the collaborative work being done as a result of the TNC/URI Partnership, and how the great work being done by URI’s scientists can contribute to conservation.”

The research proposals that are submitted for the grant competition can cover any geographic area, from local to global systems. Two previous awards examined the warming of Narragansett Bay’s waters and its affects on quahogs; and how scuba divers can have a positive impact on efforts to protect coral reefs within marine protected areas.

TNC is particularly interested in obtaining research information that will provide insights into advancing the conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems in places where the Conservancy works, including Rhode Island and southern New England.

“The relationship with TNC allows the top future scientists at GSO get a taste of real world problems and how to solve them,” explained GSO Dean David Farmer. “Applying sophisticated research in hands-on settings is the key to understanding and meeting the challenges we face in protecting and maximizing the benefits of our environment.”

Richard Bell has been studying under GSO professor of oceanography Jeremy Collie. Bell will look at the warming trend in estuaries along the east coast, particularly at the critical winter development stages of the economically valuable winter flounder, which has suffered a major decline in Narragansett Bay over recent years. His work with TNC will be to examine if there have been temperature-related shifts in their distribution in the area, and how those temperature changes may affect the survival of young winter flounder. The results will help fisheries managers anticipate and overcome further threats to the winter flounder population.

URI/GSO oceanography professor Bradley Moran is overseeing the work of award grantee Scott Stachelhaus on nutrients flowing into the coastal salt ponds, which are important for their economic value and biological diversity. The groundwater and nutrient flows into the ponds reflect how changes in land use in the ponds’ watersheds can greatly affect them, potentially causing harmful nutrient concentrations. More information will help support effective management of the ponds’ ecosystems.

“It is also very rewarding to see that the benefits we gain through this local partnership can eventually have positive impacts on the other side of the world when we look at the lessons learned,” said Janet Coit, director of the Rhode Island Chapter of TNC. “Both GSO and TNC are bringing their special areas of expertise to bear on environmental challenges, and are encouraging better science and conservation in the future through the work of these young researchers."

TNC is working with a wide range of local, national and international partners to conserve important ocean and coastal areas for the benefit of marine life, local communities and economies. The organization works to restore degraded habitats and to protect the best and most resilient examples of healthy habitats—from shellfish reefs, sea grasses and kelp beds to mangroves, fish spawning sites, coral reefs and estuaries.

Through its Global Marine Initiative, the Conservancy develops and promotes innovative strategies including marine protected area networks, community-based restoration and a range of market-based approaches. Strong science, adaptive management and effective partnerships form TNC’s foundation for lasting conservation results.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.