RUMSON – Community members gathered at Bingham Hall Sept. 26 to learn more about the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers at the first event in Rumson and Monmouth University’s Two River Seminar Series.
The discussions are part of a broader educational collaboration, as the future Monmouth Marine and Environmental Field Station is being developed behind borough hall in Rumson along the Navesink River. The “future state-of-the-art field station” will provide direct access to the Navesink and Shrewsbury estuaries, said Rumson Mayor Joseph Hemphill.
“The field station will also help educate our residents and neighbors about the fragile ecosystem that we enjoy every day, through programs like tonight’s seminar series,” Hemphill said.
Organizers streamed a video of what the station will look like, a building that includes light-colored wooden shingles and many windows. It will have classrooms, laboratories and meeting rooms to accommodate and allow for research oppor tunities by Monmouth’s staff and students as well as the Rumson School District.
“I see no better way to learn science than to actually do science, and getting students involved in authentic research experiences is absolutely imperative to their science education,” said Jason Adolf, endowed professor of marine science and speaker at the Sept. 26 event. “You cannot learn science by just reading books or doing planned exercises.”
Discussion topics at the Thursday night event centered around the Two River watershed, historical issues, research opportunities, emerging research and coastal resiliency tools to combat climate change.
Discussion leaders included Adolf; Monmouth University’s John Tiedemann, assistant dean of the school of science; and Tom Herrington, associate director of the Urban Coast Institute. Additional remarks were given by Hemphill and Monmouth’s Steven Bachrach, dean of the School of Science.
The seminar concluded with a question-and-answer session with the nearly 20 attendees in the audience. One attendee asked about payment for the field station in Rumson and Tiedemann said officials are “embarking on a fundraising campaign” that will allow for its construction. They are awaiting an estimate and will proceed from there, he said.
The next seminar will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 and is entitled Rivers Alive: Wildlife and Habitats of the Two River System. It will again be held at 40 Bingham Ave. in Rumson.
Events are free and open to the public.
