The Northeast Florida Coastal Research & Education Corridor

The partnership among the following partners--the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM-NERR), the National Park Service (NPS)and North Florida Land Trust (NFTL) collaborate to conduct research of vital importance to our region. The Reserve is one of 29 in the country, a result of a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Florida 

The State with the Greatest Number of Miles of Coastline

For twelve years, this partnership has provided unparalleled access to research and educational opportunities for UNF faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students to benefit the citizens of the state that has the greatest number of miles of coastline. The availability of nearby coastal estuarine conservation areas that are supported by partner staff and facilities creates incredible opportunities for multi-disciplinary research and scholarship, geared toward improving the ecology of our coast.

Everyone in the Region should Visit!

This is a place the residents of northeast Florida should visit—and bring their out of town friends when they visit. The 21,000-square foot Visitor Center includes interpretive exhibits, aquariums, classrooms, teaching and working laboratories, an auditorium and an outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Guana River Aquatic Preserve. The Reserve offers a stunning, pristine beach access point south of Mickler’s Landing in Ponte Vedra Beach. The GTM Research Reserve has over 200,000 visitors per year from all over the world. It is a fabulous community resource as a beautiful, interconnected ecosystem from the ocean to the forests. Education staff offer programming for all ages on the importance of the estuary; summer camps run for kids seven and older.

Faculty Research

Over the past several years, this collaboration has provided more than 40 important publications by UNF faculty as a result of this partnership. It allows for long-term ecological research, investigations that track ecological changes over many years and requires continuous access and dependable on-site research infrastructure. It is truly multidisciplinary: faculty in biology, chemistry, engineering, archaeology, history, and art and design, among others, have been involved in projects that advance knowledge of coastal communities and ecological resilience from both contemporary and historical perspectives. One of the most important projects is measuring the impact of climate change on mangrove estuaries

Student Research

The partnership features an Environmental Education Center that includes classrooms, seminar spaces, and wet labs used to teach UNF students. Both undergraduate and graduate students benefit from opportunities to work on projects sponsored by federal and state agencies.