Full Program

Oral Presentations

• Mangroves, Nitrogen, and Oyster Rakes: Insights and Updates from the WETFEET Project- Lisa Chambers, University of Central Florida

• Mangroves on the Move: Decoupled Responses to Nutrient Enrichment in the Saltmarsh-Mangrove Ecotone- Loraé T. Simpson, St. Johns River Water Management District

• Plant and Depth Controls on Organic Matter Decomposition in the Florida Marsh–Mangrove Ecotone- Jose Rolando, University of Florida

• Establishing long-term marsh migration monitoring in the GTMNERR- Serina Wittyngham, University of North Florida

• Save Our Swales: Vulnerability and Effective Management for Resilient Coastal Freshwater Wetlands- Scott Jones, University of North Florida

• Southeast Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network at Fort Matanzas National Monument: Understanding Coastal Ecosystem Change Through Vital Signs- William C. Vervaeke, National Park Service

• Remote Sensing to Inform Coastal Restoration: Tracking Habitat Changes in Florida’s Coastal Wetlands- Adam Hymel, University of Florida

• A Song of Marsh, Mud, and Mangrove: Using Sediment to Restore Florida’s Changing Coastal Wetlands- Britney Hay, University of Florida

• Impacts of Shifts in Tidal Wetlands on Saltmarsh Mosquito Management in St. Johns County, Florida- Lauren Van Rhee, Anastasia Mosquito Control District

• Track that fish! Acoustic telemetry research in the GTM NERR: what have we learned and where do we go from here? Matthew Bernanke, GTMNERR; Phil Stevens, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and James Liao, University of Florida

• Reconstructing past oyster population metrics with the geohistorical record: A case study in Guana River, Florida- Jaleigh Goben, Cornell University

• The 2024-2025 Archaeological Investigation of the Tolomato Bar Anchorage, the Working Waterfront of Grant’s Villa (British Plantation 1768-1783) and Minorcan Farmsteads (1783 through the 19th Century)- Chuck Meide, Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Project

Poster Presentations Session 1

• Establishing a Long-term Population Study of Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina spp.) at the GTMNERR- Nichole D. Bishop, and Henry McClure, Flagler College

• Investigating Impacts of Anthropogenic Noise on Gopher Tortoise Behavior- Tara Coffin, Mae Swenson, Alison Swart, Adelyn Meyers, and Benjamin K. Atkinson, Flagler College

• DNA Alignments of Microsatellite Regions to Assess Genetic Diversity in the Unique Bermudian Diamondback Terrapin Population- Terri Seron, Benjamin Atkinson, Vaughn Blanchet, Christina Mark, Adrianna Peluso, Kaelyn Tumminelli, and Isabella Valladares, Flagler College

• Using Air Temperature as a Proxy for Sea Turtle Nest Beach Incubation Temperature within the GTMNERR- Jeffrey L. Finnan, GTMNERR Volunteer

• Investigating Marsh Bird Diversity at the Saltmarsh-Mangrove Ecotone Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring- Madeleine Doiron, and Elijona Soe, Flagler College

• The Role of Marsh Periwinkle (Littoraria irrorata) in the Nitrogen Budget of a Shifting Marsh-Mangrove Ecotone- Trinity Flores, Samantha Chapman, Adam Langley, and Shelby Ziegler, Villanova University

• Tropicalization of Coastal Wetlands: Long-Term Fish Community Shifts and Sportfish Dynamics Across a Changing Saltmarsh–Mangrove Ecotone- Meredith Pratt, and Geoffrey Cook, University of Central Florida

• Fish Assemblages and Water Quality Trends in the GTMNERR: Past, Present, and Future- Kaylee Tallon, and Maria Laura Habegger, University of North Florida

• Spatial and temporal patterns of plant community diversity are markers of resilience to saltwater intrusion- Emily Hill, Megan M. Howkins, Ellen R. Speirs, Elizabeth Terwilliger, and Scott F. Jones, University of North Florida

• Timing Matters: Understanding Spartina alterniflora seed development at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve- Tori Guarino, C. Reinhardt Adams, L. Reynolds, and C. Rohal, University of Florida

Poster Presentations Session 2

• Soil Fraction Controls on Nitrogen Mineralization and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Coastal Wetlands- Mercedez Pinzon, and Lisa Chambers, University of Central Florida, and Samantha Chapman, and Adam Langley, Villanova University

• Nitrogen loading and its effect on permanganate oxidizable carbon and microbial activity- Sophia Canabal, and Lisa Chambers, University of Central Florida

• Nitrogen Storage and Cycling: Effects of Mangrove Encroachment, Nitrogen Enrichment, and Hydrogeomorphic Setting on Soil Organic Matter Stability and Denitrification- Erin Tilly, Mercedes Pinzon, and Lisa Chambers, University of Central Florida, and Samantha Chapman and Adam Langley, Villanova University

• Migrating mangroves change carbon dioxide and methane gas exchange in coastal salt marshes- Elizabeth Mazel, Maija Zidek, Adam Krogmann, Jake Segars, and Scott Jones, University of North Florida, and Samantha Chapman, Villanova University

• Mapping Mangrove Expansion Using WorldView Imagery: A Comparison of Object-Based and Pixel-Based Classification Approaches- Samantha L. Russo, and Loraé T. Simpson, St. Johns River Water Management District, and William C. Vervaeke, National Park Service

• Sedimentation Rates and Elevation Change in the GTMNERR Wetlands- Jacob Berna, GTMNERR

• Two Decades of Chlorophyll-a in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Estuary- Shannan McAskill, St. Johns River Water Management District

• Sweet Relief: Assessing Human Wastewater Tracers in the GTMNERR- John Dickens, GTMNERR

• Traversing the Tolomato: An Investigation of Potential Eutrophication Within the GTM Research Reserve- Megan M. Howkins, GTMNERR