“Those who are ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it” – Santyana

Those who are ignorant of the function and values of our natural resources are condemned to lose them, or in the words of Joni Mitchell, “…You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone..”.

To that end the Lloyd Center’s Research Program, since its inception, has been focusing on both environmental assessment and documentation of the distribution and ecology of our neighbors with whom we share this beautiful area called southern New England. Our research is applied, rather than basic, providing information to state agencies, land planners and conservators, and even developers so that our natural heritage is not lost. Part of this work involves collaboration with other agencies to assess impacted systems and make recommendations for remediation or management.

Turn the Tide – an assessment of the apparent water quality degradation in Dartmouth’s estuaries

SEANET – Seabird Ecological Assessment Network

Salt Marsh Monitoring pre-and-post Restoration

The Lloyd Center is a participant in Massachusetts’ salt marsh restoration program coordinated by MA Department of Fish & Game under the Division of Ecological Restoration. The Center has been contracted on a yearly basis since 2008 to conduct pre- and/or post restoration monitoring of vegetation, salinity, water level, waterbirds and fish in salt marshes that have been impacted by human activity, usually culverts that restrict flow into the marshes. Data has been collected from, Marshes in Somerset, West Island, Dartmouth, Mattapoisett and Oak Bluffs, which is then submitted to the state.

Our Research Associate, Jamie Bogart coordinates the sampling regime, assisted by interns and volunteers.

Vernal Pool Certification in the Towns of Dartmouth and Rochester

The Lloyd center was contracted through the then “Buzzards Bay Watershed Initiative” to ground truth potential vernal pools (PVPS) identified on aerial photographs. Vernal pools are generally seasonally flooded wetlands that contain certain “obligate” species that can successfully breed because fish predators are absent. The most common amphibian species found in vernal pools include wood frog and spotted salamander, with less common species such as Marbled Salamander (state-listed and pictured below) also periodically observed. The Lloyd Center visited public land in Dartmouth (2001) and private lands in Rochester (2002).