Printer Friendly Version - Salt Marshes and Sea-Level Rise: In Branford and Beyond

These research-related miniature greenhouses in the Sybil Creek Marsh will be discussed when Branford Land Trust (BLT) welcomes Dr. Sarah Crosby of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk for “Salt Marshes and Sea-Level Rise: In Branford and Beyond!” on Thursday March 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the James Blackstone Memorial Library. The free event is sponsored by BLT. Photo courtesy of BLT

Branford Land Trust (BLT) welcomes Dr. Sarah Crosby of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk to discuss her research work during her presentation, “Salt Marshes and Sea-Level Rise: In Branford and Beyond!” on Thursday March 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the James Blackstone Memorial Library. Photo courtesy of BLT

Dr. Sarah Crosby, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk’s director of conservation and policy, will be giving a talk and PowerPoint presentation discussing salt marshes and the rise of sea levels at an upcoming event hosted by Branford Land Trust (BLT). Photo courtesy of BLT

Have you seen the miniature greenhouses in the Sybil Creek Marsh behind Lenny’s Indian Head Inn? Come find out about the salt marsh and sea-level rise research being done in Branford.

The Branford Land Trust’s (BLT) Winter 2024 Speaker Series is excited to welcome Dr. Sarah Crosby, the director of conservation and policy at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, for a presentation entitled, “Salt Marshes and Sea-Level Rise: In Branford and Beyond!” on Thursday March 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the James Blackstone Memorial Library.

Dr. Crosby’s talk and PowerPoint presentation will focus on work that has been conducted at the BLT’s Sybil Creek Marsh behind Lenny’s. The research project, which is being conducted by The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Harbor Watch, Sacred Heart University, and Northeastern University, aims to improve our understanding of how salt marshes will respond to rising temperatures. In this study, sections of salt marsh smooth cordgrass are being experimentally warmed by using miniature greenhouses to simulate future temperatures while measuring changes in plant growth, flowering, genetics, and other factors that may affect the resilience of these marshes to sea-level rise. This research will be used to improve salt-marsh management and restoration efforts in the future.

Dr. Crosby is an ecologist who is focused on the conservation of coastal and marine ecosystems. As the director of conservation and policy at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, she is responsible for leading the aquarium’s conservation initiatives and strategy, with a focus on the ecosystem of Long Island Sound. Prior to joining the aquarium in 2022, Crosby served for seven years as the director of the Harbor Watch program in Westport that focuses on Long Island Sound water quality and the application of data to watershed management.

Crosby’s approach has been to build collaborative initiatives bridging academic institutions, conservation organizations, businesses, and government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. Crosby received a BA in biology from Tufts University in 2006, a M.Sc. in biological oceanography from the University of Rhode Island in 2009, and a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Brown University in 2015.

Dr. Crosby’s presentation is free and open to the public. It will be held in person at the James Blackstone Memorial Library on 758 Main Street in Branford.

The BLT Winter 2024 Speaker Series is made possible by a grant from the Branford Community Foundation and Guilford Savings Bank.

Save the date for these additional presentations: “What Do You Do with Your Banana Peels in Branford?,” with Malaine Trecoske and Erica O’Brien on Thursday, April 18; and the BLT Annual Meeting, “An Introduction to the CT National Estuarine Research Reserve: A State and Federal Partnership for Coastal Research, Education, Training, and Stewardship” with Kevin O’Brien, manager of the National Estuarine Research Reserve, on Monday, May 13.