Sarah shares with us the final chapter in Isabella's story, bringing up many years into the future. Isabella is still living next to the big tree behind the dike, and the marsh is still there on the other side, stronger than ever. Her love for the marsh has grown even more over the years into a career, and it all started because of that little message she found in a bottle. What she doesn't know is that another letter is sitting in her mailbox, just waiting for her to come home.

Sarah and Connor are joined for this final episode by Pim to continue the conversation about the future of our salt marshes and to examine the metaphors we use when we talk about our relationship with the sea.

This series was developed and produced by the Story Engineer, Connor McMullen, as is distributed in collaboration with the Dutch International Storytelling Centre.

The Living Dikes Project is a consortium of Universities, research institutes, and Dutch Water Boards and provinces. In this episode we hear from Sarah Dzimballa, a PhD Candidate at the University of Twente and Pim Willemsen is a Researcher at Deltares with expertise in sludged coastal ecosystems, Nature-based Solutions and ecosystem services for climate adaptation and mitigation.

Special thanks to the sound artists whose Creative Commons sounds and recordings helped bring our stories to live. Most of the birds, animals, and nature sounds you hear in these stories are from the collection of Klankbeeld, the Dutch Sound Museum.

Arjan brings our story to its crescendo, ending the meeting with a bang that propels people out the door, along the dyke, and eventually to a familiar tree. Its familiar view over the marsh provides the backdrop for the final drop of wisdom needed set the wheels of change in motion.

In this episode Arjan and Connor are joined by Elien to talk about the many things salt marshes bring to our coastal communities, the future of salt marshes, and how the story might change how we see our world.

This series was developed and produced by the Story Engineer, Connor McMullen, as is distributed in collaboration with the Dutch International Storytelling Centre.

The Living Dikes Project is a consortium of Universities, research institutes, and Dutch Water Boards and provinces. In this episode we hear from Arjan Conijn, a PostDoc at Groningen University, and Elien Sipma, a PhD Candidate at the University of Twente.

Special thanks to the sound artists whose Creative Commons sounds and recordings helped bring our stories to live. Most of the birds, animals, and nature sounds you hear in these stories are from the collection of Klankbeeld, the Dutch Sound Museum.

Connor walks us out the door, Isabella gliding on anticipation between the reserved pair of elders flanking her. The square is abuzz with anticipation for the big town meeting, and the mayor ushers them all inside. A string of interruptions and missteps building until a roaring storm, as the meeting falls into chaos. Until that is, an unlikely figure stands up to speak.

Connor is joined by Arjan and Esmee to try and make sense of the chaotic meeting. They talk about the inspiration for these characters, how the meeting in the story is different from the best practices of today, and the importance of working with young people to help determine the future of our salt marshes.

This series was developed and produced by the Story Engineer, Connor McMullen, as is distributed in collaboration with the Dutch International Storytelling Centre.

The Living Dikes Project is a consortium of Universities, research institutes, and Dutch Water Boards and provinces. In this episode we are joined by Arjan Konijn, a PostDoc at Groningen University and Esmee Bannenberg, a PhD candidate in the Policy Analysis section of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.

Special thanks to the sound artists whose Creative Commons sounds and recordings helped bring our stories to live. Most of the birds, animals, and nature sounds you hear in these stories are from the collection of Klankbeeld, the Dutch Sound Museum.

Tori tells us how Isabella, Grandpa and Tante Hilde make their way back through the marsh over the dike and back to Tante Hilde’s house. There they find a warm fire, a hearty bowl of salt marsh soup, and the answer to their question: what’s in the bottle. What they find inspires Isabella but Grandpa and Tante Hilde have their own reservations about the girl's newfound mission.

Tori and Connor are joined by Paran to talk about the importance of plants during a storm, and how they test their impact during storms using field experiments and models.

This series was developed and produced by the Story Engineer, Connor McMullen, as is distributed in collaboration with the Dutch International Storytelling Centre.

The Living Dikes Project is a consortium of Universities, research institutes, and Dutch Water Boards and provinces. In this episode we hear from Victoria Mason, a PhD Candidate at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Paran Pourteimouri, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Twente and a guest researcher at Deltares.

Special thanks to the sound artists whose Creative Commons sounds and recordings helped bring our stories to live. Most of the birds, animals, and nature sounds you hear in these stories are from the collection of Klankbeeld, the Dutch Sound Museum.

Marte picks our story up in the morning, Isabella naturally is the first one up and out the door, rushing to check if the salt marsh has survived the big storm. After breakfast her and Grandpa set off to check how the rest of the community faired, especially Tante Hilde. Together the three of them head into the marsh to forage for dinner. While they are there, Isabella spots something extraordinary.

In this episode Marte and Connor are joined by Thomas to talk about the plants of the marsh, how they respond in stormy conditions, and how humans help sustain marshes through things like brushwood dams.

This series was developed and produced by the Story Engineer, Connor McMullen, as is distributed in collaboration with the Dutch International Storytelling Centre. In this episode we hear from Marte Stoorvogel, a Postdoc at University of Twente, and Thomas van Veleen, a postdoc within the Marine and Fluvial Systems research group at the University of Twente.

The Living Dikes Project is a consortium of Universities, research institutes, and Dutch Water Boards and provinces. In this episode we are joined by Jos Muller, a PhD candidate at the University of Twente and Dimitris Dermentzoglou a PhD candidate at TU Delft.

Special thanks to the sound artists whose Creative Commons sounds and recordings helped bring our stories to live. Most of the birds, animals, and nature sounds you hear in these stories are from the collection of Klankbeeld, the Dutch Sound Museum.

Jos Muller introduces us to Isabella and her beloved salt marsh that lies beyond the big dike. She doesn't have time to visit, Grandpa warns her a storm is coming, so instead she heads to her favourite tree, one tall enough to see over the expansive dike that protects her village. Will it alone be enough to hold back the coming waters?

After the first chapter of Isabella's story, we are joined by Dimitris to reflect on the meaning of Isabella's story. We talk about what happens when it storms, how they model this using Delta Flume experiments, and the capacity salt marshes have to help reduce the impact of storms on our communities.

This series was developed and produced by the Story Engineer, Connor McMullen, as is distributed in collaboration with the Dutch International Storytelling Centre.

The Living Dikes Project is a consortium of Universities, research institutes, and Dutch Water Boards and provinces. In this episode we are joined by Jos Muller, a PhD candidate at the University of Twente and Dimitris Dermentzoglou a PhD candidate at TU Delft.

Special thanks to the sound artists whose Creative Commons sounds and recordings helped bring our stories to live. Most of the birds, animals, and nature sounds you hear in these stories are from the collection of Klankbeeld, the Dutch Sound Museum.

In this episode, Connor is joined by several of the members of the MythLab get together to talk about the origins of this story and set the stage for the adventure that is Letters From the Marsh.

We talk about their inspiration for this story, and get a glimpse at their podcast proposal before exploring the MythLab process that draw Isabella's story from their research on coastal ecosystems. In this episode you will hear from:

Marte Stoorvogel, a Postdoc at University of Twente.

Victoria Mason, a PhD Candidate at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research.

Arjan Konijn, a PostDoc at Groningen University.

Sarah Dzimballa, a PhD Candidate at the University of Twente.

Jos Muller, a PhD candidate at the University of Twente, was not able to join us for this episode. You will be hearing him open the first chapter of our story in the next episode.

This series was developed and produced by the Story Engineer, Connor McMullen, as is distributed in collaboration with the Dutch International Storytelling Centre.

The Living Dikes Project is a consortium of Universities, research institutes, and Dutch Water Boards and provinces.

Special thanks to the sound artists whose Creative Commons sounds and recordings helped bring our stories to live. Most of the birds, animals, and nature sounds you hear in these stories are from the collection of Klankbeeld, the Dutch Sound Museum.

Sahiti brings your her take on the MythLab and this season of stories in her first-ever podcast production!