Highlights from Charleston, SC
Nate Higbie, President
I recently had the opportunity to attend the annual National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA) conference in Charleston, S.C. The week-long conference drew over 200 attendees including NOAA staff, reserve staff and friends from around the country including Puerto Rico. Laurie Tompkins, Waquoit’s Volunteer Coordinator and I attended the two-day Friends and Foundations session, which also included joint sessions with Reserve Managers and the Education Coordinators. Highlights from the conference included sessions on resiliency and how the Friends can help during a disaster, communications and outreach and a joint session with the education coordinators on diversity and inclusion programs.
The joint manager’s session highlighted three Reserve’s that received a grant from the national Friends group, NERRA. The grants provided groups with in-kind services including strategic planning, graphic design and informational products. As a result, we plan to request a grant in the spring to have NERRA help us with a new brochure and other fundraising materials.
It was a great opportunity to meet with many Friends from other Reserves. It is always a delight to be around so many dedicated and enthusiastic people. I hope some of you may have the opportunity to attend one of these conferences in the future.
