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Welcome to Week 5 of the Coasts and Communities open course. During this final week of the
course, we’ll continue discussing one of my favorite topics, the role oysters can play
in restoring habitats and bringing coastal environments back into balance with the needs
of coastal communities. We’ll also visit a Living Lab located in Wellfleet Harbor where
members of the local community and outside organizations are collaborating to restore
the symbiotic relationships among salt marsh tidal systems, eel grasses and shell fish
populations. And we’ll come back here to the very different urban setting of Savin
Hill Cove to discuss how a healthy fringing salt marsh can provide the shoreline with
protection during severe weather events. This week we’ll also return to the topic of watersheds.
We’ll make a second visit to Julie Wood, Senior Scientist for the Charles River Watershed
Association. Julie will define challenges created by the network of dams along the Charles
River. She’ll describe how dams -- combined with chemical runoff from agricultural and
landscaping activities -- contribute to the over-growth of invasive water vegetation.
Dams can limit recreation on the river, and dams can prevent biodiversity that is necessary
for a healthy ecosystem. During week one of this course, we learned from Robyn Hannigan
about geological laws and principles, the formation of coastlines, and their rocks and
minerals. This week we’ll extend those ideas as we hear about glaciers from Jeremy Williams,
a Ph.D. candidate within UMass Boston’s School for the Environment. I’ve enjoyed
being one of your instructors for this five-week course. Our goal has been to peak your interest
and inspire you to explore natural environments around you. We’ve gone to unique places
in Massachusetts together. You’ve met faculty members and partners of the UMass Boston School
for the Environment and we’ve learned about their research. We look forward to hearing
from you, both during this final week’s course discussion forum, and beyond. We invite
you to maintain contact with UMass Boston’s School for the Environment, now that you know
who we are and some of the important things we do, in partnership with the larger community.
Thank you.