Blog | Integration and Application Network

Bridging Science and Community: The 2025 Chesapeake Bay Report Card

Julia Frangenberg ·

25 June 2025

The Chesapeake Bay and its watershed are more than beautiful landscapes. They are the backbone of local economies, habitat for rare and fascinating species, and the home of complex systems between humans, wildlife, and policy. Intensifying climate change and urban development increase stressors negatively impacting this rich ecosystem and the people who rely on it. In 1998, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) produced its first annual “State of the Bay” report card.

A Listening Session Right off the Rappahannock River!

Kameryn Overton ·

10 July 2024

| Science Communication |

IAN staff, interns, and members of the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative took in the beautiful sights of the Patawomeck Cultural Center and engaged with members of the agricultural community.

Lessons learned from a two and a half year project on the Upper Rio Grande

Nathan Miller ·

21 February 2023

| Science Communication | Environmental Report Cards |

This past November, IAN, in collaboration with its partners from WWF, Audubon Southwest, and The University of Massachusetts Amherst published a socio-environmental health report card for the Upper Rio Grande. The report card covers a section of the Rio Grande that stretches from the river’s headwaters in the Colorado Rockies to Fort Quitman, TX. Project members cast a wide net to retrieve relevant data that would allow us to analyze the region's environmental, social, and economic conditions.

Bringing People Together for the Patuxent River

Ann Foo, Lili Badri ·

18 November 2022

| Science Communication |

In early October, UMCES IAN hosted two Patuxent Stakeholder Listening Sessions as part of Phase 1 of developing a Patuxent River and Watershed Socio-environmental Report Card.

Developing a Chesapeake Watershed report card: Harrisburg PA workshop

Bill Dennison ·

21 January 2020

| Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Applying Science |

An account of the January 2020 Chesapeake Watershed Report Card workshop, a convening to discuss development of a comprehensive new report card. Includes a song by Bill Dennison!

Its Still Flowing: Verde River Song

Bill Dennison ·

16 January 2020

| Science Communication | Applying Science |

"It's Still Flowing;" a song and video created by Bill Dennison and voiced by Kat Parsons. Click for link to video

Review: “Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the Information Age,” by Martin O’Malley

Bill Dennison ·

14 January 2020

| Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication |

In late 2019, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley published a book through Esri Press entitled, “Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the Information Age”. I had been anticipating the book’s release ever since Gov.