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Current Projects
Great Barrier Reef Report Card
The Marine Monitoring Program is a long-term water quality and ecosystem heath monitoring program carried out in the inshore region of the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. The program is an integral component of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, that will help to assess the long-term effectiveness of Reef Plan in reversing decline in the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is responsible for the design, implementation and reporting of the monitoring program. Full Details
The Marine Monitoring Program is a long-term water quality and ecosystem heath monitoring program carried out in the inshore region of the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. The program is an integral component of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, that will help to assess the long-term effectiveness of Reef Plan in reversing decline in the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is responsible for the design, implementation and reporting of the monitoring program. Full Details
HAFE-CHOH-CATO: Natural Resource Condition Assessments
The National Park Service is carrying out assessments of the natural resource condition (NRCA) for nearly 300 of the National Parks throughout the country deemed to have significant natural resources. This project, to assess condition of Harpers Ferry and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Parks and Catoctin Mountain Park in the National Capital Region, is a synthesis project aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for each metric, combining these into an overall framework. The focus of this study has been to develop a habitat based framework to assess natural resource condition. Full Details
The National Park Service is carrying out assessments of the natural resource condition (NRCA) for nearly 300 of the National Parks throughout the country deemed to have significant natural resources. This project, to assess condition of Harpers Ferry and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Parks and Catoctin Mountain Park in the National Capital Region, is a synthesis project aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for each metric, combining these into an overall framework. The focus of this study has been to develop a habitat based framework to assess natural resource condition. Full Details
IAN Science Communication Courses
A keystone of the Integration and Application Network is effectively communicating science to a broad audience. This one- to three-day course provides participants with a science communication toolbox for effectively communicating their data. At the close of the course, participants will have learned the principles of effective science communication, used hands-on sessions to create their own products (symbols, conceptual diagrams, presentations, newsletters, posters), and gained experience in relevant software programs. These courses are made up of modules and can be tailored to meet the needs of any interested funding agency. Full Details
A keystone of the Integration and Application Network is effectively communicating science to a broad audience. This one- to three-day course provides participants with a science communication toolbox for effectively communicating their data. At the close of the course, participants will have learned the principles of effective science communication, used hands-on sessions to create their own products (symbols, conceptual diagrams, presentations, newsletters, posters), and gained experience in relevant software programs. These courses are made up of modules and can be tailored to meet the needs of any interested funding agency. Full Details
Maryland Coastal Bays: science communication products and report cards
Maryland's Coastal Bays, the shallow lagoons nestled behind Ocean City and Assateague, comprise a complex ecosystem. These estuarine bays, at the interface between fresh and saltwater, provide habitat for a wide range of aquatic life. But like many coastal systems, they face threats from intense development, nutrients, sediments, and other stresses associated with human activities. IAN has been working with the Coastal Bays Program on various products and studies, including the annual Coastal Bays report card, the book Shifting Sands, and using stable isotope techniques to identify nitrogen sources in the Maryland Coastal Bays. Full Details
Maryland's Coastal Bays, the shallow lagoons nestled behind Ocean City and Assateague, comprise a complex ecosystem. These estuarine bays, at the interface between fresh and saltwater, provide habitat for a wide range of aquatic life. But like many coastal systems, they face threats from intense development, nutrients, sediments, and other stresses associated with human activities. IAN has been working with the Coastal Bays Program on various products and studies, including the annual Coastal Bays report card, the book Shifting Sands, and using stable isotope techniques to identify nitrogen sources in the Maryland Coastal Bays. Full Details

Past Projects
ANTI-MONO-MANA: Natural Resource Condition Assessments
The National Park Service is carrying out assessments of the natural resource condition (NRCA) for nearly 300 of the National Parks throughout the country deemed to have significant natural resources. This project, to assess the condition of Antietam, Monocacy, and Manassas National Battlefields in Maryland and Virginia, is aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for each metric, combining these into an overall framework for each park. The focus of this study has been to develop a habitat based framework to assess natural resource condition. Full Details
The National Park Service is carrying out assessments of the natural resource condition (NRCA) for nearly 300 of the National Parks throughout the country deemed to have significant natural resources. This project, to assess the condition of Antietam, Monocacy, and Manassas National Battlefields in Maryland and Virginia, is aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for each metric, combining these into an overall framework for each park. The focus of this study has been to develop a habitat based framework to assess natural resource condition. Full Details
Conservation International: science communication products
Conservation International is a worldwide non-profit dedicated to preserving and conserving the natural world using an integrated approach of natural and social sciences. IAN partners with Conservation International on producing policy briefs (4-page summary documents), reports, and guidebooks, based on their research findings and lessons learned in many areas around the globe. Full Details
Conservation International is a worldwide non-profit dedicated to preserving and conserving the natural world using an integrated approach of natural and social sciences. IAN partners with Conservation International on producing policy briefs (4-page summary documents), reports, and guidebooks, based on their research findings and lessons learned in many areas around the globe. Full Details
Maryland Climate Change
On April 20, 2007, Governor Martin O’Malley established the Maryland Climate Change Commission charged with collectively developing an action plan to address the causes of climate change, prepare for the likely consequences and impacts of climate change to Maryland, and establish firm benchmarks and timetables for implementing the Commission’s recommendations. IAN staff were contracted with work with UMCES President Don Boesch and MD DNR staff to produce two specific chapters in The Climate Action Plan Final Report which was released on August 27, 2008. The newsletter and poster were additional science communication products produced by IAN. Full Details
On April 20, 2007, Governor Martin O’Malley established the Maryland Climate Change Commission charged with collectively developing an action plan to address the causes of climate change, prepare for the likely consequences and impacts of climate change to Maryland, and establish firm benchmarks and timetables for implementing the Commission’s recommendations. IAN staff were contracted with work with UMCES President Don Boesch and MD DNR staff to produce two specific chapters in The Climate Action Plan Final Report which was released on August 27, 2008. The newsletter and poster were additional science communication products produced by IAN. Full Details
Packard Foundation: Training Federal Agencies in Ecosystem-Based Management
Federal agencies are uniquely positioned to address the large-scale issues facing our ecosystems. For this reason, IAN and the Packard Foundation collaborate to develop training in ecosystem-based management. Successful ecosystem-based management requires clear objectives, coordinated implementation, and effective communication of conditions and adaptations. This training provides agency staff with the tools they need to develop and initiate ecosystem-based management programs.
Additionally, two conceptual framework newsletters and a poster were produced by IAN staff as part of Packard Foundation's site locations in Palau and Morro Bay, CA. Full Details
Federal agencies are uniquely positioned to address the large-scale issues facing our ecosystems. For this reason, IAN and the Packard Foundation collaborate to develop training in ecosystem-based management. Successful ecosystem-based management requires clear objectives, coordinated implementation, and effective communication of conditions and adaptations. This training provides agency staff with the tools they need to develop and initiate ecosystem-based management programs.
Additionally, two conceptual framework newsletters and a poster were produced by IAN staff as part of Packard Foundation's site locations in Palau and Morro Bay, CA. Full Details

The Nature Conservancy: science communication training for West Papua, Indonesia
This project developed conceptual diagrams related to the final reporting of ecosystem-based management tasks for the Bird’s Head region of West Papua, Indonesia, and provided science communication training to staff involved in management of the marine protected areas in the region. Full Details
