Sarai Piazza serves as the program manager for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA).
EDUCATION
M.S., Louisiana State University, 2003 -- Thesis: Nekton use and growth in three brackish marsh pond microhabitats
B.S., Marine Fisheries, Texas A&M University, 1998
B.S., Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 1998
Sarai began working at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in 2006 with a group of field ecologists interested in monitoring and assessment of coastal restoration projects. She now serves as the program manager for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). CRMS is one of the world's largest wetland monitoring programs with publically available data. Since 2006, nearly 400 CRMS sites have been collecting data throughout Louisiana's coastal zone monitoring aspects of wetland hydrology, vegetation, surface elevation and land area change. As program manager, Sarai represents USGS as the federal sponsor for CRMS. She is responsible for all aspects of budgeting, contracting, coordination, work planning, supervision and staffing. Program level interactions require regular coordination with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana and 5 federal partner agencies. She also acts as a liaison between the CRMS analytical teams and data delivery teams to develop web tools and maintain the CRMS website.
Science and Products
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program- DOI Monitoring and Adaptive Management Technical Assistance
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration: North Breton Island Component-Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana’s Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Creating a System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) for Coastal Louisiana
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
Science and Products
- Publications
- Science
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program- DOI Monitoring and Adaptive Management Technical Assistance
WARC researchers are providing support to Louisiana Monitoring and Adaptive Management activities.Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration: North Breton Island Component-Monitoring and Adaptive Management
In order to enhance habitat for nesting Brown Pelicans, terns, Black Skimmers, and gulls, the USFWS has contracted with USGS to conduct project monitoring on North Breton Island from FY23 to FY31. Monitoring conducted by USGS will facilitate evaluation of habitat characteristics and determine restoration success or need for adaptive management.Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana’s Monitoring and Adaptive Management
The USGS is participating in the Louisiana-Trustee Implementation Group Monitoring and Adaptive Management work group to assess the injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and to select the appropriate restoration measures to compensate the public for the injury to coastal and marine resources.Creating a System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) for Coastal Louisiana
USGS researchers will provide technical guidance to inform the development of monitoring plans for the western coast of Louisiana.Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program Monitoring and Adaptive Management
State and Federal agencies are working together to assess the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and to determine appropriate restoration actions to restore natural resources, ecological services, and recreational services injured or lost due to the incident.Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
CRMS uses a multiple reference approach to biological monitoring and uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling that address the limited effectiveness of the traditional paired-reference monitoring approach in Louisiana. This approach includes a suite of sites that encompass the range of ecological conditions for each stratum, with projects placed on a...Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
The Coastwise Reference Monitoring System was designed to monitor the effectiveness of restoration actions at individual sites, as well as across the entire Louisiana coast.Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
This study will employ a space for time substitution to show long-term effects of rising sea-level and increasing salinity on vegetation community structure, primary production and decomposition. Productivity and decomposition rates will be estimated for four wetland plant community types defined by salinity zones and dominant plant species. - Data
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