The New England Chapter of SWS presents its Annual Chapter Meeting and Field Trip. Our theme this year is Coastal Restoration in the Face of Climate Change.

Field Trip Day (Friday May 4): A field trip to examine salt marsh restoration through thin layer deposition projects. Meeting at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge for presentations and restoration site visit, followed by a drive over to the John H. Chaffee National Wildlife Refuge restoration viewing and discussion.

Conference Highlights (Saturday May 5): Located at Save the Bay Conference Center, this full-day conference includes presentations about the previous day’s field trip, living shoreline design, IPCC update on salt marsh response to climate change, salt marsh restoration at Plum Island Ecosystems LTER and more. Additionally, we will have an update from our 2017 student grant winner on the impacts of road salt on the function and structure of forested wetlands. We will also update on current SWS activities, at the international and chapter level, and announce the 2018 student grant recipients.

Agenda

Friday, May 4 - Field Trip (capacity: 30)
​9:00am-10:00am – Early arrival and explore trails at Sachuest Point NWR
9:30am-10:00am – Field trip registration and check in (Please bring your own breakfast and coffee!)
10:00am-10:30am – Presentation by Jennifer White (USFWS)
10:30am-11:30am – Visit to Sachuest Point Restoration Area
11:30am-12:00pm – Drive to John H. Chaffee NWR, Narrow River restoration site
12:00pm-12:30pn – Lunch (provided)
12:30pm-1:30pm – Viewing of restoration site
1:30pm-2:15pm – Drive back to Sachuset or Providence

Saturday, May 5 - Conference (capacity: 60)
9:00am-9:30am – Registration and breakfast
9:00am-12:10pm – Program with a morning break
12:10pm-1:30pm – Lunch and Chapter Business Meeting
1:30pm-4:30pm – Program with an afternoon break