The End Users

This NOAA NERRS Science Collaborative (NSC) project developed from discussions among resource managers, restoration practitioners, and scientists from the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US National Park Service, Save The Bay, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, Louisiana State University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the US Geological Survey. From these conversations our team learned that (1) there are important knowledge gaps about the processes contributing to pool formation and expansion, (2) there is concern about how marsh ecosystem services and sustainability are impacted by ditches and pools, (3) it is currently difficult to predict ditch infilling and where maintenance is needed, and (4) end users want prescriptive information about the effects of management strategies. This is critical for maximizing both budgets and person-hours at a time of shrinking financial resources and increasing threats to human health (e.g., mosquitos) and marsh sustainability and ecosystem service delivery. Through the collaborative process our team will develop decision support tools to address knowledge gaps and end user needs.