Join Thaïs M. Fournier, the Natural Resources Department’s Water Resource Specialist for an engaging talk on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Nantucket’s ponds; what they are, what harm they can cause, and what we all can do to help.

Thaïs Fournier is the Water Resource Specialist for the Town of Nantucket’s Natural Resources Department. Ms. Fournier received a B.S. in Biology from the University of New Hampshire and an M.S. in Marine Science from the University of San Diego, where she concentrated on habitat connectivity amongst coastal communities. Ms. Fournier’s broad research experience in New England, Southern California, Mexico, and New Zealand, has spanned a range of taxonomic levels and across habitats. Ms. Fournier has worked in several National Estuarine Research Reserves monitoring water quality as well as invasive species in coastal habitats and human-induced effects related to climate change. In in her career, Ms. Fournier worked for the New Hampshire Lakes Lay Monitoring Program (LLMP), monitoring lake water quality and managing their long-term datasets for informed watershed management decisions. Ms. Fournier has also participated in NOAA oceanic cruises assessing populations of Coastal Pelagic Species off the Pacific Coast while obtaining oceanographic data for analysis of environmental monitoring. Prior to joining Nantucket’s Natural Resources Department, Ms. Fournier worked at the EPA Headquarters to develop recommendations on policy and program issues to better characterize potential impacts of biosolids on water quality and human health, while working collaboratively with federal, state, and local environmental agency officials.