In Northeast Florida, oysters are a foundational species and highly valued for their ecosystem services. Several entities from across Northeast Florida (St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida Fish and Wildlife, Northeast Florida Aquatic Preserves, University of Florida) met at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve recently for a workshop to plan standardized oyster monitoring for winter 2026.
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) staff were happy to get three new students some muddy estuary time this week. From University of Central Florida, two new graduate students joined Dr. Lisa Chambers to collect water level loggers in marshes which were part of a study to assess whether oyster shell rakes changed water flow and vegetation.
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) staff assisted Dr. Serina Wittyngham of the University of North Florida with fieldwork on the Guana Peninsula as part of a long-term monitoring project tracking marsh migration into upland areas.
Last week, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve completed the first phase of its aquatic acoustic telemetry array when Stewardship Coordinator Matt Bernanke deployed 11 receivers in the Matanzas River and its tributaries, bringing the total number of receivers within the NERR to 33.
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) hosted its annual Spring TOTE (Teachers on the Estuary) professional development training in partnership with the Guy Harvey Foundation. GTMNERR also partnered with Awareness and Appreciation Coordinator Maya Bhalla-Ladd from the Coral Reef Conservation Program to debut a new set of educational lessons teachers will soon be able to reserve and take into the classroom.
This month, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve’s (GTMNERR) resource management team had a very successful trash cleanup day. They collected 751 pounds of trash, including two tires weighing 57 pounds. A group from St. Johns County, led by Kelly Ussia, kayaked to the spoil island and met everyone there, so more trash was collected than usual.
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve's (GTMNERR) education team is gearing up for Adventures in the Estuary summer camp with early registration open to Friends of GTM Research Reserve members. This hands-on camp runs June 1–June 26, 2026, for ages 6 to 12 and offers sessions from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (8 a.m.–2 p.m. on Friday), Monday-Friday. On July 13–July 17, 2026, STEAM Camp will be held for children ages 12 to 15.
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and her calf passed through GTMNERR’s Middle Beach area heading south towards St. Augustine. Many staff ventured out to view this rare event. Each year from November to April, female right whales migrate from their northern feeding grounds to their southern calving areas to give birth and raise their calves.
Oyster monitoring season is underway at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR), marking the start of another year of hands-on data collection across the Reserve’s intertidal reefs. The season began in mid-December with a volunteer training day focused on assessing oyster reef condition, including estimating percent cover and counting oyster clusters.
Guana Tolomato Matanzas Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) Water Quality Manager Katrin Villinger and Volunteer Coordinator Abby Kuhn hosted Pam Shipley, the winner of Friends of GTM’s “Researcher for a Day” fundraiser prize.