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Dear Friends & Colleagues,

Summer is almost here, but we don’t need a calendar to know that, do we?  We can tell by the many visitors flocking to our Reserves. Since 2010, nearly five million students, educators, scientists, and other visitors have come to our Reserves to study, explore, and play. Why wouldn’t they? We offer 1.3+ million acres of very special coastal places, more than 4,000 miles of waterfront, and hundreds of trails, docks, and piers.

These are impressive numbers, but I find myself wondering about the stories behind them. What is it like to join a moonlit paddle on Oregon’s South Slough for the first time? How does it feel to see tiny turtles crawl out of the nests you protected at Florida’s Rookery Bay? To help archaeologists at South Carolina’s ACE Basin Reserve as they race to excavate Native American shell rings before they are swept away?

As scientists and science educators, numbers are important to us and our work. But this summer, I encourage you to think about the stories that give these numbers deeper meaning. Why do people come to our Reserves? How does the experience change them? Why do they return?  Ask them, and think about how their stories could help others understand why Reserves are special and worthy of preservation. And as always, feel free to share these stories with us. 

Fondly,

Lisa Auermuller & the rest of the gang at NERRA