What are the questions?
Why are Spartina alterniflora seedlings found in the same areas every year when no visible sources of seed are present in Padilla Bay?
Are they being deposited from seed sources outside Padilla Bay?

How will you answer these questions?

By comparing location of known stands with ocean currents in the bay to find a possible correlation between ocean currents and stand location. By comparing known waterfowl habitat to stand location to find a possible correlation between waterfowl and seed deposition. By performing DNA tests on stands inside and outside Padilla Bay to see if those seeds found every year in the same spots are the results of nearby stands or if they are being transported from further away.

How will you communicate your results
With several maps showing ocean currents in Padilla Bay, waterfowl habitat and Spartina alterniflora stand location which should make any qualitative correlations between these factors evident. Also, I would write a report including the results of the DNA tests. All this could be posted onto a website so residents of Padilla Bay and other interested people to view the information.

What data sets and tools are required for you to accomplish these tasks?
I need waterfowl numbers and past nesting/resting locations in Padilla Bay. I need new and old aerial photographs of the area to identify Spartina stand location. I need an ocean current dataset or chart of the area. I will need survey equipment to survey the bay because much of the bay has not been surveyed. I will need access to the appropriate GIS software. Also, I will need access to DNA testing equipment or the ability to send samples to an appropriate lab.

How will you acquire thse data sets and get access to these tools?
I can acquire the waterfowl data from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife or from Skagit County. I already have several aerial photographs from NOAA and the Huxley Map Library. New photographs would have to obtained for the most current data. I have access to GPS units and other survey equipment for surveying the bay. I can find an appopriate lab for DNA testing on the internet or in the phonebook.

Would it be appropriate for others to help you?
Yes. I would need help doing the surveying and collected genetic samples from the various stands.

Do you have institutional support from involved parties such as governmental agencies that might be interested in your results?
I have not contacted anybody about this project because I just made it up for this lab, but I'm pretty sure that the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Reseach Lab would be interested in the results as they have been on the forefront of controlling Spartina in the bay. Other city or state governments where Spartina has become a problem may be interested in the results also. The Environment Defense Fund is funding the research that this project is based on, so they might also be interested.