NERR Designation Presentation Planned for July 27

Sturgeon Bay – The Door County Environmental Council will host a presentation by Emily Tyner, the first director of freshwater strategy at UW-Green Bay, about the bay of Green Bay NERR (National Estuarine Research Reserve) designation process. 

The free program will take place July 27, 7 pm, in person at the Door County Maritime Museum, 120 N. Madison Ave. in Sturgeon Bay, and via Zoom through the link at dcec-wi.org.

Tyner will address the significance of the bay of Green Bay NERR as the third NERR within the Great Lakes and the only site to represent the Lake Michigan-Lake Huron biogeographic area. Attendees will learn what this NERR will mean to northeastern Wisconsin, can ask questions and provide input to the site-designation process.

Tyner is a doctoral candidate at UW-Milwaukee, where her dissertation focuses on the human dimensions of natural resources and science communication.

At the request of the state of Wisconsin, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has initiated a six-step designation process to establish the bay of Green Bay NERR. It would become the nation’s 30th such reserve. 

NERRs are dedicated to the study of marine and freshwater estuarine systems, each providing a “living laboratory” for research, outreach, education and stewardship that’s managed by a lead state agency or university with significant input from local partners. Each is funded through a combination of federal and state monies.

The bay of Green Bay is the world’s largest freshwater estuary: a place where rivers meet the lake and provide recreation, critical habitat for wildlife and improved water quality. The bay of Green Bay NERR will attract scientists, students, tourists and educators, drawing significant research dollars and injecting money into the local economy. Most importantly, a bay of Green Bay NERR would facilitate local stewardship of the aquatic natural resources of the bay and address local coastal-management issues.