Friends of the GTM Reserve announces Oceanwise 2018 keynote speaker

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The Friends of the GTM Reserve recently announced that Barbara Blonder, associate professor of natural sciences and director of undergraduate research at Flagler College, will be the keynote speaker for the organization’s annual fundraiser benefiting the Reserve, Oceanwise, which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29. 

“We are thrilled that Professor Blonder has agreed to speak at this year's event," said Ellen Leroy-Reed, executive director of Friends of the GTM Reserve. “She has an extensive interest in how ecosystems work at all levels. She is also passionate about including her students in her research, which we hope to learn more about at Oceanwise.”

Blonder's research and training spans from working with The Nature Conservancy in both Putnam County and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to working for the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) as a stewardship coordinator, along with researching spiny lobsters in the Florida Keys for the Florida Marine Research Institute.

In 2016, she embarked on a research sabbatical with her two colleagues, Dr. Lee Newsom and Dr. Terri Seron. Some of her students were also recruited to record data for better understanding the ecosystem fire impacts in the coastal strand. She continued her research focusing on the food habits of the coastal strand gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) population and how they may have been affected by the impacts of hurricanes Matthew and Irma.

This is the ninth annual Oceanwise benefit to be held at the GTM Research Reserve’s Visitor Center located directly on the Guana River in Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are $65 per person and can be purchased online. Those interested in sponsoring Oceanwise can contact Ellen Leroy-Reed at GTM_Friends@gtmnerr.org or (904) 823-4527.

The Friends of the GTM Reserve is a private nonprofit citizen support organization established to support and enhance environmental education, stewardship of natural and cultural resources and scientific research of the GTM Research Reserve through volunteer initiatives, citizen involvement and community partnerships.

The GTM Research Reserve is one of 29 National Estuarine Research Reserves across the nation focused on researching, educating and protecting the natural biodiversity and cultural resources within the estuary. It is managed by Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Coastal Office, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Visitor Center is located at 505 Guana River Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 32082. For more information about the GTM Research Reserve, call (904) 823-4500 or visit http://www.gtmnerr.org./.