Cody Jernigan

CONSERVATION RESEARCHER

Cody Jernigan grew up in a beach town along the Gulf Coast, which instilled in her a great concern for the conservation of coastal areas and their inhabitants. After completing her BA in psychology at the University of West Florida, she joined the animal behavior and conservation MA program at Hunter College. When she learned about the City Island Oyster Reef, she chose oyster reef restoration as the focus of her thesis, which was completed in December 2022. While working as an intern and educational coordinator at CIOR, she was able to conduct the research necessary for her thesis and learn about the impact that involving the community can have on a conservation project. She hopes to put these skills to use not only with CIOR, but with other conservation projects near her home in Florida.