Video & Blog Highlights
Video
- Tom Ihde presented the latest Science for Citizens seminar titled "The Chesapeake Atlantis Model: An Adaptive Management Tool for Visualizing Productivity Changes Expected from Workgroup Efforts". A video recording of the seminar can be viewed on IAN's website or on YouTube.
Blog
- Great minds get together: A day spent discussing impacts of the Susquehanna River and the "Reservoir Reach"
- Mekong Flooded Forest- A sneak peek at a Future Card
- Story telling tools- The history of communicating well
2015 Maryland Coastal Bays report card and website launched
On September 8, the 2015 Coastal Bays Report Card and accompanying website were launched with an event at the Ocean City Marlin Club. Produced in collaboration with our partners at the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Assateague Island National Seashore, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the aim of this report card is to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2015 Coastal Bays health. The overall score for the Coastal Bays was a C+ in 2015, a very similar score to the previous year.
State of the Maryland Coastal Bays booklet released
At the same event where the 2015 Coastal Bays Report Card was launched, IAN released the Maryland Coastal Bays 2016: Land and bay perspectives report. Produced in collaboration with our partners at the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Assateague Island National Seashore, this booklet provides an overview of the current science and management issues in the Maryland Coastal Bays and their watersheds in 2016. It includes two 'booklets' in one publication--one intended for those interested in the bay perspective, and the other for those interested in the land perspective. The two documents culminate in a summary centerfold which focuses on both watershed and bay issues.
Report card gaming at IUCN World Conservation Congress
Simon Costanzo attended the biennial World Conservation Congress held this year in Hawaii. Together with our partners from the World Wildlife Fund, a session was held where conference attendees could step outside their comfort zone and role play as a e.g. fisherman, politician, industry CEO, in the newly released Report Card Game. Attendance and reviews were excellent initiating much interest in the report card process. The timing was perfect as the panda (famous logo of WWF) was taken off the endangered species list days before at the same conference by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Course in Communicating Science Effectively held in Edmonton, Alberta
In September, IAN traveled to Edmonton, Alberta to facilitate a course in Communicating Science Effectively. Integrated assessment and the report card process were the focus of the two-day course. Participants learned the five steps in creating a report card, and throughout the process gained the principles of effective science communication. The course was sponsored by the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, and participants were from academic institutions, government agencies, and land management consultants. The diverse backgrounds and breadth of knowledge from participants knowledge from participants contributed to an engaging course and great discussions over the two days.