The annual Salt Marsh Conference sponsored by the North Shore at Mass Audubon was a virtual conference this year.  The Saints Academy shared their data and analysis of the marsh at Conomo Point in Essex.  The students focused on two integral concerns appearing on the marsh:  fragmentation (the loss of marsh due to nitrification) and the spread of phragmites, an invasive plant. The 8th grade studied the chemical relationship between the amount of nitrate present in the water and its effect on marsh fragmentation. They also created a baseline study of the loss of land using GPS.  The 6th grade shared their data regarding the spread of invasive plants and the correlation between the spread and the water’s salinity.
Three keynote speakers were also in attendance.  Dr. Danielle C. Perry, PhD:  Director Mass Audubon Coastal Resilience Program Director, Dr. Alyssa Novak :  Coastal Ecologist from BU, and David Moon: Community Science and Coastal Resilience Manager, North Shore at Mass Audubon