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Current Projects
MD DNR: Trust Fund 2013-Catchment-based approach to reduce runoff and pollutants in urban stream (newsletter) 
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Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy: Identifying nitrogen sources in the Choptank River
The Choptank River always scores poorly in the Chesapeake Bay Report Card in terms of water quality and biotic integrity, with evidence that nutrient inputs (particularly nitrogen) are primarily responsible for degraded water quality. This has prompted the requirement for a monitoring approach that can distinguish the distribution and impacts of these various sources of nitrogen.
This project will analyze existing aquatic sediments, plants, and animals collected throughout the watershed to pinpoint key sources of nitrogen. As submerged aquatic vegetation has disappeared in regions heavily impacted by land-use activities, macroalgae and oysters will be deployed and incubated in situ to help trace the origin of nitrogen inputs by identifying, delineating and mapping the relative influence of the varied urban and agricultural land uses in the watershed. Findings from this project will:
The Choptank River always scores poorly in the Chesapeake Bay Report Card in terms of water quality and biotic integrity, with evidence that nutrient inputs (particularly nitrogen) are primarily responsible for degraded water quality. This has prompted the requirement for a monitoring approach that can distinguish the distribution and impacts of these various sources of nitrogen.
This project will analyze existing aquatic sediments, plants, and animals collected throughout the watershed to pinpoint key sources of nitrogen. As submerged aquatic vegetation has disappeared in regions heavily impacted by land-use activities, macroalgae and oysters will be deployed and incubated in situ to help trace the origin of nitrogen inputs by identifying, delineating and mapping the relative influence of the varied urban and agricultural land uses in the watershed. Findings from this project will:
- produce information to assist environmental management of the Choptank River Watershed.
- provide a baseline for future assessment following implementation of best management practices that are planned and/or in progress to reduce nitrogen inputs from these four land use activities. These include advanced fertilizer application management; sewage upgrades at Cambridge; artificial wetlands at Tuckahoe; and sewage installation and treatment at Greensborough. This will allow a measure of the success of these practices and provide feedback on investments made by landowners.
NPS: 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
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NPS: PRWI-GWMP-WOTR-NACE: 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 Prince William Forest Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and National Capital Parks-East 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 Prince William Forest Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and National Capital Parks-East 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
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NPS: Shenandoah National Park: Natural Resource Condition Assessment
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 Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, is a synthesis project aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for key indicators, 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 Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, is a synthesis project aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for key indicators, 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
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USAUS H2O : USA-Australia Virtual Environmental Partnership
The primary goal of the project is to educate and inform responsible stewardship of water resources between U.S. and Australian students through an interactive- virtual partnership. Our vision and motivation is to build an environmental education platform capable of implementing a robust and long-term cyber education program based on state of the art science with a global perspective. Whether high school students get “hooked” on science is critical to recruiting promising students to the environmental field. This is vastly important, as this generation will face unique environmental challenges of global significance, including the need to at least double water productivity. Generating interest at this level with an engaging project-based international cyber exchange will, we believe, pique the interest of a new generation of science students who are cyber-savvy “digital natives” in a transformational manner. Full Details
Past Projects
India Ministry of the Environment and Forests: Chilika Lake Report Card
The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, India Ministry of the Environment and Forests along with the Integration and Application Network are working to develop an ecological report card for Chilika Lake. A workshop will be conducted to develop indicators, thresholds, and reporting framework. Using the results of the workshop, an environmental report card will be designed and completed. Full Details
The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, India Ministry of the Environment and Forests along with the Integration and Application Network are working to develop an ecological report card for Chilika Lake. A workshop will be conducted to develop indicators, thresholds, and reporting framework. Using the results of the workshop, an environmental report card will be designed and completed. Full Details
NPS: Colonial National Historical Park: Natural Resource Condition Assessment
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 Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia, 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 Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia, 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
NPS: Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park: Natural Resource Condition Assessment
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 Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Hawaii, is a synthesis project aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for key indicators, 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 Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Hawaii, is a synthesis project aimed at collating and synthesizing all available data to assess current status and trend for key indicators, 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
OSC: Oil Spill Commission Action (OSCA)
The National Oil Spill Commission, tasked by President Obama, to determine the root causes of the April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and to make recommendations on how to prevent such disasters in the future. Contracted by the Oil Spill Committee Action group, the staff at IAN worked closely with them to design and layout this important report. The goal was to assess by grade the progress made by the Administration, Congress, and the Oil Industry to implement recommendations made by the Commission. Full Details
The National Oil Spill Commission, tasked by President Obama, to determine the root causes of the April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and to make recommendations on how to prevent such disasters in the future. Contracted by the Oil Spill Committee Action group, the staff at IAN worked closely with them to design and layout this important report. The goal was to assess by grade the progress made by the Administration, Congress, and the Oil Industry to implement recommendations made by the Commission. Full Details
WWF MedPAN : Science Communication Products
Worldwide, marine protected areas (MPAs) are often declared by governments to fulfill national or international commitments. However, after being legally declared, MPAs remain in a status referred to as “paper parks”, without any management authority or without any conservation measures in place. With this publication, WWF Mediterranean intends to mainstream best practices and lesson learned on how stakeholder dialogue, community empowerment, and enhance capacity are key to achieve effective conservation and to begin to apply MPAs as a tool to promote green economies at the local scale. These two publications will be available in English, French, and Arabic to national and local government, MPA practitioners and technical staff throughout the region to understand and apply the process of participatory MPA planning and stakeholder co-management.
In addition, in partnership with NOAA, MedPAN will create a guidebook that will serve as an improved toolset for encouraging participatory management styles for MPA management worldwide. Full Details
Worldwide, marine protected areas (MPAs) are often declared by governments to fulfill national or international commitments. However, after being legally declared, MPAs remain in a status referred to as “paper parks”, without any management authority or without any conservation measures in place. With this publication, WWF Mediterranean intends to mainstream best practices and lesson learned on how stakeholder dialogue, community empowerment, and enhance capacity are key to achieve effective conservation and to begin to apply MPAs as a tool to promote green economies at the local scale. These two publications will be available in English, French, and Arabic to national and local government, MPA practitioners and technical staff throughout the region to understand and apply the process of participatory MPA planning and stakeholder co-management.
In addition, in partnership with NOAA, MedPAN will create a guidebook that will serve as an improved toolset for encouraging participatory management styles for MPA management worldwide. Full Details
