Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve

The Delaware National Research Reserve (DNERR) is one of 28 “living laboratory” reserves across the United States which serves to protect and manage natural estuarine habitats through the inter-woven combination of research, coastal stewardship, and education.

The DNERR involves student interns in research projects relating to the environment of the reserve. These include observations of bird species and monitoring bluebird boxes. While the monitoring is standardized, the questions that can be answered by carefully observing Bluebird boxes are endless.

The DNERR staff is trained to teach students the scientific method, but to also allow students to come up with their own hypothesis-driven questions. Bird observations require binoculars, and through this grant students will be equipped with four new pairs of binoculars.