Seven Mile Times - Spring 2024

Wetlands U

People Whose Lives Have Been Impacted by Their Time at the Institute

By Executive Director Lenore Tedesco and Devin Griffiths of The Wetlands Institute

In 1969, Herbert Mills made a stand for wetlands protection when he purchased 6,000 acres of coastal salt marsh in southern New Jersey and founded The Wetlands Institute. Mills embarked on a mission to create a research and education center that would forever change the history of Seven Mile Beach, Cape May County, and the region. Nestled within the marsh in the luxurious green ribbon of wetlands extending along the Atlantic and Delaware Bay coasts, The Wetlands Institute continues to respond to the challenges facing this irreplaceable coastal ecosystem and remains resolutely and passionately committed to fulfilling the three priorities of its mission – research, conservation, and education – every day.

The Wetlands Institute is more than its four walls; it is a gateway. The marsh is our laboratory and classroom. It was Mills’ dream that the people of Seven Mile Beach and the surrounding region would take action to protect the marsh and the wildlife that depend on it. For more than 50 years, The Wetlands Institute’s research and conservation scientists, educators, seasonal staff, volunteers, and community scientists have brought this dream to life. We are honored to share a few stories of a handful of individuals whose lives have been impacted by The Wetlands Institute.

Forty-two years ago, John Flynn became a summer intern and discovered the world of land preservation. It changed his life.

“The summer of ’82 exposed me, for the first time, to the extraordinary community of people working in science and education,” he says. “I had never encountered individuals who were so talented and so completely committed to their work. I returned to Stockton that fall with a new focus. I had learned the cold, hard truth that I was not cut out to be a scientist myself, but I realized I could find a place where knowledge of the sciences could guide decision-making in policy-oriented areas.”

Flynn dedicated his career to land preservation and retired as the State Trails Coordinator for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program. He also serves on The Wetlands Institute Board of Trustees.

Three decades after Flynn’s experience, Jessica Klein was impacted by The Wetlands Institute’s internship program as well.

“[My time as an intern] instilled in me a lifelong love of coastal wetlands,” she says. “I keep an eye out for turtles every time I drive in late spring and early summer. On a purely personal level, my time at TWI made me a more confident

person. Having the support of my fellow interns and supervisors, getting to work with the public, learning new skills, and presenting my summer research really made me believe that I could make it in the environmental field. My time as an intern helped me to get my current job at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.”

Katie Sellers Reynolds is a former camp participant, then seasonal staff

member and fi nally, a staff scientist at TWI. She now is a regulatory affairs manager at Ocean Renewable Power Company, working to advance sustainable energy practices.

“TWI taught me valuable lessons on teamwork and how a small team can be mighty,” she says. “I recently moved to a smaller company and am thrilled to reacquaint myself with the small-team atmosphere and implement some of the day-

Julia Dahms, Oliver Puckett, Carly Shaw, and John Flynn.

continued from page 80

to-day tactics I learned at TWI. Along the same vein, TWI also taught me to be very versatile as I practiced public speaking and pure science, and blended the two with community science programming. I can bring those skill sets to the table as I coordinate with resource agencies, public stakeholders, or with prospective business clients.”

Chandler Clay grew up coming to The Wetlands Institute as a child and remembers seeing hatching terrapins and migrating birds.

“One thing I still love is the feeling

I get when I’m driving onto Seven Mile Island for the first time in early summer, rolling the windows down and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells,” she says. “Nothing is more beautiful or peaceful to me than seeing that mossy green and shimmering blue stretch across the horizon in both directions.

“I’ve dedicated my career to protecting the environment – for nearly 10 years at the Environmental Defense Fund working to protect ecosystems like wetlands, grasslands, and forests, and now in a corporate sustainability role at Com-

cast. My childhood experiences – being close to nature and understanding the critical role these ecosystems play in our communities – have profoundly impacted how I choose to spend my time, both professionally and personally.”

“My favorite TWI memory was going out in the middle of the night as a young kid with a group of scientists and volunteers to count spawning horseshoe crabs along the beaches of Delaware Bay,” says Garret Roach, a senior at the University of South Carolina. He represents the third generation of his family with connections

to TWI and the wonders of nature it has shared with them.

These stories represent only a fraction of this community that cares deeply for one another and for our marshes – this critical, irreplaceable resource. More than 50 years ago, Herbert Mills saw what so many could not – protecting wetlands is nonnegotiable because their protection safeguards the delicate and complex web of life that supports our fisheries, powers local economies, and sustains life. Today, the most serious threats to wetlands come from rapidly rising seas. The effects

Chandler Clay with her family

Katie Seller Reynolds

Jessica Klein

are more complex and affect marshes and coastal ecosystems regardless of their protected status.

Now more than ever, we must find and implement solutions to address these threats because letting nature run its course – the do-nothing strategy – is no longer viable. Doing nothing is causing harm.

We invite each of you to join our multigenerational community of wetland stewards, to find your connection to the healing power of nature, and to join with us as we continue to solve the complex challenges that face these marshes and our coastal communities. Together, we are a powerful force for change, and for the restoration and preservation of these valuable habitats and our coastal way of life.

Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend our Annual

Saturday, Ap,rn �6-_ 10am to 4pm Wisit"our participating businesses to apply in person.

...

...

Want to support The Wetlands Institute’s lifesaving work AND experience a year of everything it offers? Then

SaturdaYt May 4th � � 10am to 4pm :r

Young Garrett Roach (right) and his brother Justin at a horseshoe crab spawning count.