The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: master’s student, Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut

A Plant Litter Decomposition Approach to Assessing the Impacts of Changing Salinity and Inundation Regimes on Salt Marsh Carbon Storage Potential

Lemieux’s research of salt marsh salinity, carbon cycling, and storage potential will inform best management practices for ongoing restoration projects.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: PhD candidate in Ecology, University of Rhode Island

Local Adaptation in a Changing World: Characterizing Ecotype for New England Salt Marsh Grasses

Kang’s studies will inform New England salt marsh management facing sea-level rise.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: master’s student, Fisheries Biology, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt

Investigating Fish Communities in Coastal Artificial Wetlands

Olmo will explore abundance, diversity, and environmental drivers of different fish species and age classes. Results will inform future management of coastal wetlands.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: PhD candidate in Earth and Environment, Florida International University

Aquatic Carbon Cycling and Carbon Valuation of the Degrading Marsh Ecosystem of the Florida Everglades

DeVito’s work will inform management perspectives, policy action, and support for restoration strategies in South Florida Everglades.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: PhD candidate in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida

Developing Seed Addition Strategies to Enhance Resilience of Restored Salt Marshes

Lee’s work seeding recently restored salt marshes will enhance the resilience of these areas against erosion and future disturbance events.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: Master’s student, Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden

Migrating Mangroves: Exploring the Role of Pollinators and Floral Ecology in Mangrove Range Expansion

Focusing on mangrove range expansions into salt marsh ecosystems, Rosa will investigate pollinators’ biotic pull that contributes to a plant’s adaptation to climate change via migration. A comparative study of black mangrove reproductive ecology will be conducted along a latitudinal gradient on the east coast of Florida, from the species’ equatorial range core to its actively shifting range margin. Rosa’s studies will shed light on the global implications of mangrove migration and the importance of understanding the role of pollination when designing land management systems and refining conservation efforts.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: PhD candidate in Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of South Alabama

Limits to Oyster Development on Breakwater Structures

Built to protect habitat and provide substrate for oysters, many breakwaters fail to develop into oyster reefs. Bland’s studies will focus on the many ecological factors that might limit oyster settlement and survival, including larval supply, water quality, predation, and tidal elevation. Bland will test the importance of these ecological factors by monitoring bare and pre-seeded settlement tiles at various elevations at two restoration sites. Bland aims to identify factors limiting oyster development on breakwater structures to inform future project design and siting for more effective oyster restoration.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: PhD candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University

Effects of Plant Communities and Seasonality on Wetland Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Theus will investigate the linkage among wetland plant biodiversity, seasonality, and greenhouse gas emissions to inform restoration and conservation efforts. Research will focus on wetlands as sources of greenhouse gas Theus will look closely at plants’ influence on greenhouse gasses through the effects of traits on the environment.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
School: PhD candidate in Plant and Environmental Science, Clemson University

Guiding Successful Implementation of Floating Wetlands in Brackish Ponds

Escamilla will study how excessive nutrients entering stormwater ponds through runoff events lead to algal blooms and other water-quality concerns that impact senior coastal wetlands and estuaries. Knowing that many coastal ponds can be tidally influenced and brackish, Escamilla’s research will determine how floating wetlands can be used in brackish systems to improve water quality and provide additional ecosystem services.

The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies

Connecting Internal Wetlands and Foredune Plant Communities along a Climatic Gradient

Interested in how global change affects coastal plant communities, plant-trait expression, and ecosystem processes, Walker will examine the relationships between species and trait composition in threatened interdunal wetland and foredune plant communities and sediment accretion and erosion along Lake Michigan. Walker aims to understand connected community characteristics and processes, which may inform landscapelevel management of the highly dynamic and threatened coastal habitats.