Fifteen dedicated volunteers contributed 1,200 hours to Bay research at the Horn Point Laboratory in 2016. Essential tasks included feeding sturgeon and monitoring the water quality in their tank, sorting marsh grass by species and counting attached insect larvae, organizing an insect collection, counting phytoplankton under a microscope, and growing copepods in the lab.
“Volunteering gives me the opportunity to contribute to the recovery of the endangered Atlantic sturgeon," Volunteer Barbara Boyd said. "Cleaning their tanks isn't glamorous but with the help of staff and fellow volunteers, it can honestly be fun and rewarding! I also enjoy the opportunities to learn about the status of the Chesapeake Bay environment through lectures, casual conversions with HPL students and faculty and fellow volunteers.
“Our volunteers are terrific contributors to the lab’s ability to identify the causes of Bay pollution and solutions for restoration," Horn Point Volunteer Coordinator Linda Starling said. "We will also begin training volunteers as tour docents this spring. I welcome any one who would like to know about volunteering at the lab to contact me at starling@umces.edu.”
