Jamie Longo Blog 3: Suffolk County Vector Control: Nekton, Vegetation, Conclusion!

 For my final blog, I will share my experiences with our nekton and vegetation sampling as well as some closing thoughts! 

For both of these tasks, we returned to the same marshes we surveyed for mosquitoes since the goal is to monitor the marsh health as in-depth as possible. I was worried about getting the hang of identification but again learned pretty fast with my supervisor’s guidance. Unlike for tick sampling, the sites have designated points we revisit that are chosen based on the topography and where water features are. 

For nekton sampling, it’s a 2 day process. The first day we set our traps in the flooded ditches nearest to our points, throwing them in the middle and tying them to a nearby post. Gee-style minnow traps, the ones we used, catch small fish using a dual funnel design that acts as a one way valve. The trap consists of two wire mesh baskets that clamp together, each with an inward pointing, cone shaped opening. Fish enter the wide end of the cones just swimming with the natural flow of the current, and then get funneled in through the small end, which most cannot find or use to exit on the other side. On the second day, we go out with tubs and rulers as well as pencils and clipboards. One person records data such as temperature, percentage of living fish, time, measurements, and salinity (recorded using a refractometer). The others each have a tub and ruler and measure 30 of each species inside the trap. We had Mummichog and Sheepshead for the most part, but we found a few eels, crabs, shrimp, and jellies too. After measuring 30 of each, we simply took a headcount for the rest, and just one trap has had hundreds of fish on multiple occasions, sometimes getting close to a thousand! Once recorded, we throw them back, and thankfully they don't leave that film on your hands or a strong smell, so it wasn't a problem at all. While it may be tedious, it’s a good thing we’re finding so many because they play a great role in maintaining marsh health and equilibrium, for example, by controlling the mosquito populations!

As for Vegetation, we bring quadrant frame sticks and use the stakes at our points to guide where we lay them to form our sampling grids. There are 50 sections per grid, which we stick point rods into, and we record every species of plant that touches it. My favorite species to sample was the salicornia because it looks like a succulent and turns pink over time, and my least favorite was the spicata because of how pokey it was. Distichlis spicata, along with Spartina patens, or salt hay, were, as previously mentioned in my first blog, a resource settlers wanted to maximize for profit, and this can be partially attributed to the reasoning behind why we first started tampering with the marshes. Said tampering damaged the vegetative ecosystem greatly, throwing the growth and balance off, allowing invasive species like phragmites to spread. Today, marsh conservation is focused on restoring the balance, plugging old mosquito ditches and restoring natural tidal flows, allowing the tides to naturally weed out invasives and support native plants the ecosystem relies on. 

For both of these sampling tasks, we registered the recordings to respective databases as well. We had to write which people sampled, so it was fun to think about my name being in the database and a part of the records. In August, more vegetation began blooming, and there was a lot of powdery pollen in some areas, but I didn't mind because all the new flowers gave the marsh a whole new life! My favorite plant to find was the pink marsh mallow! 

Other than what I needed to find on our trips, I found a lot of other cool stuff and got to experience the wildlife up close and personal in a way I never have before, which I’m really grateful for. The coolest time was when I saw a deer and her fawn, but unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to capture that. From my first day on the marsh, I found some mussel shells on the ground in the shape of a heart, and then I found a shotgun shell (I didn’t know until I asked someone). From there, I wondered what else I’d find and decided I’d make a little collection of the lost things. It’s become a mix of natural remnants and traces of what we’ve left behind. My favorite natural finds were all the pretty feathers with size and pattern variation, and my favorite people find was a zodiac themed lighter. The fun part is imagining the stories of how every thing ended up with me in the marsh/forest.

Most notable sidequests I enjoyed were unpacking a huge agricultural drone the crew will utilize for applying treatments to the marshes in the future, and testing kayaks for their usability. Even on the long days though, this job was peaceful and grounding. With my amazing team, it felt fulfilling and rewarding every day. Even collecting thousands of tick larvae in the heat, chatting and laughing throughout, almost made me feel good about sweating it out together. To commemorate such a wonderful summer I brought a cake! And our supervisors decided we could have a pizza party and gave us fun certificates! It was really so nice connecting with everyone individually and growing into a team I’ll remember for a very long time. To the coordinators and my supervisors, and anyone else who made this possible, thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Best,

Jamie Longo