Mentor: Jameson Chace, Salve Regina University

Project Location

Salve Regina University

Project Description

Colonial nesting waterbirds occur on protected islands across Narragansett Bay and Osprey breeding populations have rebounded throughout many of the tributaries to the Bay. Whereas, the more numerous songbirds nesting in the coastal wetlands and maritime shrublands continue to experience long-term declines. These species, collectively, have responded to environmental quality in the past and are sentinels of future changes in the ecosystem.

During the breeding season, we will monitor the reproductive health of these species and combine current with historic breeding information and changes in land use. Furthermore, we will pilot a study to quantify the bioaccumulation of toxins sequestered in the tissues of the young born this year.