Communication Products - Newsletters
The Integration and Application Network (IAN) and 
produce a variety of communication products including newsletters, posters, books, reports, brochures, and conceptual diagrams. They synthesize scientific findings using effective science communication techniques. Most are available for download (PDF) by clicking on the PDF icon 
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2008 Coastal Bays report card 
Prepared by EcoCheck and the Integration and Application Network
This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2008 Coastal Bays’ health. Prepared annually, the report card rates six reporting regions of the Coastal Bays, using six indicators combined into a single overarching index of health. Health is defined as progress towards established scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals. The overall health of Coastal Bays was moderate in 2008, obtaining a grade of C+. The report card website enables you to explore the report card in more detail via the regions and indicators.
Development of water transparency criteria for Florida seagrasses
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Integration and Application Network
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is developing a new transparency standard for marine waters that will protect the seagrass species found throughout the state. The current transparency standard does not sufficiently protect seagrasses, and the new standard will help DEP identify waters in which transparency is too low for healthy seagrass beds. A workshop of experts was convened by DEP to determine what factors affect light in seagrass beds, and what transparency criteria have already been established for individual systems. This newsletter summarizes that workshop and discusses how DEP will use this knowledge to set transparency criteria for seagrasses in Florida.
South Caucasus region transboundary report card
Produced in collaboration with USAID and their South Caucasus Water Program
The central Kura River basin is a large river basin in the mountainous South Caucasus region of Eurasia. It contains important water resources for three countries—Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan—and has a combined population of some 17 million people. There are many threats to these shared water resources, including nutrient inputs, heavy metal pollution, and sediment erosion. Successful management of these shared resources is critical to the social, economic, and ecological prosperity of the region. This newsletter details the first attempt at an integrated water quality report card for the central Kura River basin.
2008 Chesapeake Bay Report Card
Prepared by EcoCheck and the Integration and Application Network
This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2008 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. This is the third year that the report card has been released. This report card rates 15 reporting regions of the Bay using six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of habitat health. The overall health of Chesapeake Bay was poor in 2008, obtaining a grade of C-. Health of the 15 individual reporting regions varied, ranging from B- (moderate-good) to F (very poor). For further details, visit the Report Card website.
New Stream Health Indicator Being Developed
Produced by EcoCheck in collaboration with Katie Foreman, Claire Buchanan,
and Scott Phillips
The Chesapeake Bay Program and its partners developed an improved stream health indicator that provides a regional assessment of benthic (bottom-dwelling) macroinvertebrate community health. Benthic data collected in different ways by various natural resource agencies were incorporated into a Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity that rates stream health across the entire 64,000 square miles of watershed that drain into Chesapeake Bay. Overall, the analysis showed that out of 3,291 sampling sites in the watershed, 1,632 of the sites had very poor or poor conditions and 1,056 sites had good or excellent conditions. For further information, visit the Stream Health Indicator website.
2008 Severn River report card
Produced by Severn Riverkeeper Program and EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership)
This newsletter introduces the first Severn River ecosystem health report card. The report card summarizes 2008 water quality results, which are based on data collected by the Severn Riverkeeper Program. This report card helps to clarify the Severn's health, and provides instructions on what individuals can do to improve its condition.
2008 Chester River report card
Produced by Chester River Association and EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership)
This newsletter describes the second annual Chester River report card. The Chester River Estuary received an overall grade of D and the Chester River creeks received an overall grade of C+. In addition to the grades, the newsletter includes information on increased monitoring, provides a comparison of a healthy and unhealthy Chester River, and suggests actions that citizens can take to improve the health of the Chester River.
2008 Patuxent River Report Card
Produced by Patuxent Riverkeeper and EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership)
This newsletter is the second annual Patuxent River ecosystem health report card. The report card provides grades for the three tidal regions of the Patuxent River estuary. The grades are based on the frequency that the river is able to meet six ecological targets. The results show the river is generally in poor condition despite a small improvement in the health in 2008 (compared to 2007). A narrative description of the non-tidal portion of the river based on the Patuxent Riverkeeper citizen water quality monitoring program is also provided.
Northern Great Plains Network: Using conceptual diagrams to aid communication
Produced in collaboration with the National Park Service NGPN Inventory & Monitoring Program and with the support of the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Conceptual diagrams are effective tools in identifying resource condition trends and for communicating inventory and monitoring data back to national park management and the general public. This newsletter presents the project results from an IAN collaboration with four National Park Service (NPS) Northern Great Plains Network (NGPN) park units and the NGPN Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Program. The diagrams detail the parks' current collective knowledge and highlight key resources and threats in and around these parks.
Research to improve management of Atlantic menhaden in Chesapeake Bay
Produced in collaboration with the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
From both an economic and ecological standpoint, Atlantic menhaden are one of the most important fish species in Chesapeake Bay. Concerns over localized depletion and a need for improved understanding of the ecological role of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay led the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to identify research needed to improve menhaden fisheries management. This newsletter provides the status of some of the resulting projects.