Timucuan Parks Foundation Preserve announces research grant award for students

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Two University of North Florida students have been awarded $1,500 collectively in grants from the Timucuan Parks Foundation and the National Park Service’s Timucuan Ecological Historic Preserve.

Victoria Hayes, an undergraduate student of anthropology, and Hunter Mathews, a graduate student and research assistant in the biology department, will be conducting research in the Timucuan Preserve over the next eight months.

The results of each project will be presented at the Timucuan Science and History Symposium on January 26, 2024.

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Hayes will be conducting topographic mapping and limited excavations of a mounded shell deposit at Cedar Point with the help of Dr. Keith Ashley. The pair will also be investigating the site to better understand the lives of the Indigenous people who lived in northeastern Florida.

The results of her archaeological testing will be used to guide future excavations and provide information to the Timucuan Preserve on how best to manage, interpret, and protect the site.

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Mathews will be working under the mentorship of UNF Associate Professor Kelly Smith to investigate the use of oyster shell habitat modules, at Kingsley Plantation.

These are oyster reef restoration devices made from recycled oyster shells and were designed at UNF to rebuild oyster reefs, stabilize shorelines, and provide habitat to improve ecosystem health with limited impact on the surrounding environment.

Mathews will assess the habitat model’s ability to sustain a healthy oyster population, create a habitat for important fish and crustaceans, and help build sustainable living shorelines.

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The student research grant program is funded through sponsorships of the symposium. It introduces students to field research to attract and retain their interest in ecological science, preservation, archaeology, and history of the Timucuan Preserve.

“The students have an opportunity to share their research results with an audience of research professionals. The program creates partnerships between university faculty, students, and NPS, and also provides NPS and the public with a better understanding of the resources within the Timucuan Preserve,” said UNF in a news release.

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