After a busy summer and brief hiatus, Graceanne and Avery are thrilled to be back on Drift: The Podcast, hosting conversation about the people, places, and science of Barnegat Bay. The fall return of the show welcomes two incredible interviewees, Emily Pirl and Rita Hjelm, who share their experiences running community science programs and the important contribution these efforts bring to the scientific understanding of our local environment.

Community science, which involves training and empowering citizens to go out into the field and collect observations as part of a project, is a powerful tool in advancing science and connecting people to the health of their communities.

No matter one’s interest or ability level, there is a plethora of ways for people to get involved with the stewardship of Barnegat Bay. In this episode, Graceanne and Avery discuss the different opportunities in our local community to join community science efforts and contribute to meaningful bay science. Explore the links below to see how you can get involved with the programs mentioned in this episode.

Plastic Wave Project - Microplastics Surveys: https://plasticwaveproject.org/microplastics

Clean Ocean Action - Beach Sweeps: https://cleanoceanaction.org/beach-sweeps

Rally for Barnegat Bay - Community Science Sampling: Email Assistant@SaveBarnegatBay.org to join the team

Great Backyard Bird Count: https://www.birdcount.org/

Paddle for the Edge: https://www.barnegatbaypartnership.org/protect/restoring-barnegat-bay/volunteer/paddle-for-the-edge/

Light Pollution https://scistarter.org/

Local Sea Level Rise Photo and story collection

https://mycoast.org/nj

Salt watch https://www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/salt-watch

Nitrate Watch https://www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/nitrate-watch