MAF Grad and Undergrad Students Conduct Research in Rhode Island’s Coastal Salt Ponds

November 5, 2014

This summer, PhD student Jasmine Hwang, MAMA Grad students Eric Kretsch, Emily Patrolia, and Maria Vasta, and Undergrad MAF students Julia Bancroft and Sarah Robinson conducted boat-based surveys and land-based intercept interviews on the Salt Ponds in Rhode Island. The research was for Professors Tracey Dalton and Rob Thompson’s project to create high resolution inventory maps of recreational and commercial human uses of the ponds as well as economic valuations based on those inventories. Such maps would enable organizations such as CRMC, DEM, and MFC to better understand potential positive and negative interactions of human uses of the coastal ponds and thereby create long range plans for accommodating aquaculture and other human uses while protecting or enhancing ecosystem functions. The focus this summer was on Ninigret, Point Judith, and Quonochontaug Ponds. The research will continue next summer.

Julia Bancroft  explains her experience in her own words:

“In order to collect data on our boat surveys, we learned how to use laser range finder binoculars, and a hand held Trimble GPS. These two devices were connected and one person would use the range finders to “shoot” a person doing an activity and the other with the Trimble would enter in the description of what the person was engaged in doing.  Each point was plotted on to a map of the pond so we could start to look at areas of potential conflict and heavy use.

The in-person interview surveys allowed us to get the point of view of the users of the salt ponds. We asked people to draw on a map of the pond the areas where they spent the most time during there visit, what areas they chose to avoid and what activities they participated in during their visit of the salt pond. The results were interesting and we found that a lot of these users of the ponds were out of state residents, mostly from Connecticut and Massachusetts. We also asked people their opinions of the water quality, amount of trash and to rate their overall experience of the pond including how other users negatively or positively impacted their visit. I gained a lot of experience of conducting fieldwork, collecting data and operating a small boat, while working together with a great team of students. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better project to work on this summer!”