“The JC NERR: A Living Laboratory” (watch on YOUTUBE, 4 minutes and 41 seconds, all ages)
The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, located within the highly protected Mullica River-Great Bay watershed, is an ideal “living laboratory”. The Reserve serves as a sentinel site, a designation that allows us to compare this estuarine system against other systems altered by human activity.
Here, along the southern NJ coast, we study shifts in habitats, living resources and water quality, occurring as a result of environmental change. In turn, we utilize this research to inform decision makers about mitigation and adaptation strategies. The role of a “living laboratory” enables us to inform New Jersey residents, visitors and decision makers so they can take an active role in increasing the resilience of the places they love.
The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR) is administered through Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and is one of the 29 National Estuarine Research Reserves created to promote the responsible use and management of the nation’s estuaries through a program combining scientific research, education, and stewardship. JC NERR Coastal Educaton Center is located in Tuckerton, Ocean County. JC NERR encompasses approximately 116,000 acres in southeastern New Jersey.