Total Maximum Daily Loads: A citizen's guide to the Chesapeake Bay TMDL

TMDL newsletter thumbnailResidents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed depend upon a healthy Bay for food, recreation, and commercial enterprises. But the ways in which we use the watershed's lands—from driving our cars to spreading fertilizers—impact the health of the Bay's waters. Wastewater treatment plants, agricultural operations, and urban runoff are major sources of the nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution that threaten the Bay's health. The Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is designed to restore the health of the Bay's waters by reducing the pollution from these and other sources.

Sampling and Data Analysis Protocols for Mid-Atlantic Tidal Tributary Indicators

Sampling and Data Analysis thumbnailThis report provides guidelines for the successful production of tidal ecosystem health report cards. Specifically, it develops clear and consistent protocols for the identification, collection, and analysis of indicators to be used by report card-producing organizations in the mid-Atlantic region.The overall objective of this protocol document is to encourage and enable comparisons of monitoring results from report card-producing organizations and to increase the scientific validity of report cards as outreach tools. It is intended for use in tidal areas only, as the ecosystem health indicators and thresholds discussed are pertinent only to tidal ecosystems.

War in the Pacific National Historical Park brochure

War in the Pacific brochure thumbnailThis 6-panel park brochure is the result of an IAN collaboration with the managers and staff of the War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam. It highlights for the park visitor the connection between the unique natural ecosystems and species, and the cultural and war history of the island. The goal of the brochure is to educate both the local and off-island park visitor, and instill stewardship of these fragile resources for future generations to enjoy.

Deep Creek Lake Baseline Condition Assessment

Deep Creek Lake Baseline Condition AssessmentEcoCheck conducted a baseline ecological health assessment for Friends of Deep Creek Lake in preparation for production of future annual lake report cards. A unique assessment framework and preliminary data analysis results are presented, along with suggestions for future work and action items for concerned citizens. A summary of the findings is available in this four-page newsletter, with the complete report available in the full assessment document.