Final Oyster Restoration Project

http://youtu.be/L6CGxOciWig

Oyster Project

Project Update

I have been asked to provide an update on my final multimedia project, which is about 3 weeks in and 4 weeks left to complete.  I have begun to take pictures around the Durham, Newmarket and Portsmouth areas of the water and estuaries.  I went to the Jackson Estuarine Lab last week to take some pictures and meet with Dr. Grizzle and we have an interview scheduled for this Wednesday around 2 p.m.  I told Dr. Grizzle that the interview is going to be a big part of the project because of his knowledge and expertise in the field.  For my interview I am going to bring a video camera with a tripod to film and record Dr. Grizzle's thoughts.  I may bring a recorder as well for backup and high quality sound.  After the interview is complete, Dr. G and I are going to plan a day in the next week or so to go out into the field and record more video, take more pictures, and capture the real essence of what he is doing to rebuild the oyster population.  When I am not working Dr. Grizzle I plan to speak with some local residents about the project and how they have been effected throughout the years.  I also plan to examine the oysters contribution to the big picture of their role along the East Coast.

Plan for Final Project

After completing my first multimedia project with photos and audio I have decided what I will do for a topic for my final assignment.  Going to UNH I always have had interest in the oceanic research the university conducts being in such an ideal location in the Seacoast.  I have decided to do my project on the oyster restoration project being done by Dr. Ray Grizzle at the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory at Adam's Point.  I was initially interested in the work the Lab was conducting thinking about current events and ways research being done a UNH relates to the big picture.  I called the Lab's General Manager, Dave Shea to see what was going on at the lab this spring.  I went down to the lab last Wednesday and met with Dave as well as few of the researchers.  After speaking with a few scientists I was introduced to Dr. Grizzle and was given the low-down on the work being done to restore oyster populations in the Great Bay estuary.  In the mid 1990's pollution destroyed nearly the entire oyster population that plays a vital role in the ecosystem.  The oysters provide an ideal habitat for many fish in the area, and Dr. Grizzle has been working for years to restore the species back to its prevalent occupation in the Great Bay.  The location of the Lab provides many research opportunities with the vast array of wildlife living in the fresh and saltwater estuary.  The destruction of the oyster population in Durham and the Great Bay over the past couple decades has also occurred across the East Coast.  Grizzle has been called the leader in his field and his work may have greater implications.  I am looking forward to the many great photo and video opportunities this project will provide with the coastal scenery as a backdrop.  I think Dr. Grizzle's passion for his work will help make my project intriguing to watch.  I look forward to getting started in the next few weeks as well as Spring's arrival and this cold weather to disperse.


Here is a link to what I thought was a very good piece of reporting journalism about the situation in Libya:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/03/20/world/africa/100000000735006/libya-airstrikes-david.html

FireFighter Video Project

Hanging out with Durham Firefighter Pete Leavitt

Our person we chose to work with for our project on the unsung heroes of UNH is firefighter Pete Leavitt.  Pete is a forty two year old resident of Alton, New Hampshire.  Leavitt is listed as a firefighter and EMT Intermediate, and has worked as a firefighter for eight years and two and half years in Durham.  Prior to being a firefighter, Leavitt was a chef.  Leavitt told me of over seventy people that applied for the job in Durham, Leavitt was the only remaining candidate through a rigorous application process.   This means Pete does things from putting out fires to administering the jaws of life to tear open cars to save victims from automobile accidents.  Leavitt is known around the station as the handyman of the house.  On Leavitt’s shifts that last 24 hours and usually two days a week he is busy fixing equipment, completing essential paperwork, out on calls or in the kitchen preparing the entire stations meals.  When I entered the fire department, I gained an immediate sense of family and togetherness amongst the firefighters.  They crack jokes, rag on each other like brothers do, but always do their work with complete seriousness.  Inside the house, an array of photographs with different teams of firefighters line the wall with fires they have worked on.  The pictures tell stories and help preserve the tradition of one of the oldest jobs in the United States.  Leavitt and other firefighters explained the responsibility of being a firefighter in Durham and how the job requires only the sharpest individuals for the job.  All Durham firefighters are required to know the location of every hydrant in the town, the complex fire codes for every building of the university as well being on the scene to calls in the surrounding towns of Madbury, Dover and Lee.  Leavitt says the job comes with great responsibility, but he says he loves the people he works with and things he does everyday at the station.