2023 Dates:

January 21        Open

February 4       Open

March 18          Open

April 15              Open

May 20             Open

June 17              Open

July 29              Open

August 12          Open

September 9   Open

October 15       Open

November 4    Open

December 2    Open

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*2022 dates are all full. 

Thank you to everyone who helped and participated!

To better understand changes in water quality and population dynamics in Upper Newport Bay, the Back Bay Science Center conducts monthly biological surveies called Marine Life Inventories. This program is available to students and the public to assist with tracking local biodiversity and physical environment inside the Ecological Reserve.  It provides those involved with an immersive experience collecting local marine fish, invertebrates, and plankton.

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After an introductory lecture on the history and importance of the Back Bay, participants join us in the field to deploy scientific sampling equipment and learn about collection techniques such as: trawl nets used for collecting bottom-dwelling fish and other organisms, a beach seine to survey the animals living near the shoreline, mud sampling devices to capture invertebrates living in the sediment, and plankton nets for collecting the microscopic plants and animals drifting in the open waters of the bay.

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