Marsh Madness

On a brisk evening in early October, Shelby Ziegler, a Carolina Ph.D. student and her team set out for a long night in the marshes around Emerald Isle. Over the course of several hours, they’ll visit four different sites to set nets and traps to catch fish. She wants to find out how different marshes serve the animals residing there.

As an undergraduate, Ziegler conducted fieldwork that allowed her to establish a connection between the environment and the local community. At Carolina, she has had that opportunity to expand her research, which hopes to rebuild the fragmenting marshes by gathering data from the healthy wetlands that remain.

“When it gets cold overnight, and you’re wet, and you’re waiting for the nets to soak for hours — you have to keep a good attitude and be positive,” said Ziegler.

“It’s definitely tough…but it’s worth it.”

Read the complete Carolina Story…

This is story number 162 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.

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