From recreation to ecosystem biodiversity to water quality, the Chesapeake Bay plays a key role in many lives. The Chesapeake Bay watershed encompasses Maryland, Virgina, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virgina, and New York. There are many important protectors of the Chesapeake Bay, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission has a unique role.

Read more

The Chesapeake Bay Program is a partnership of numerous stakeholders that work collaboratively to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The Chesapeake Bay Program has been successful due to its structure and the six core agreements that act as a guide by laying out their goals. This structure and smart planning are what enable so many different stakeholders to come together and work toward a common goal.

Read more

How do farmers, nonprofits, government agencies, and coastal communities come together to protect the nation's largest estuary? Here, we introduce the contributors network shaping the Chesapeake Bay's restoration. From excess nutrients and algal blooms to rising seas and shifting shorelines, this blog uncovers how each group, from watermen to policymakers, is driving innovative solutions to secure the Bay's future.

Read more

Of all the problems facing the environment in the modern day, none are as disastrous as climate change. Differing attitudes on the issue have caused it to become a highly politicized problem. These attitudes can be grouped into the following categories: alarmed, concerned, cautious, disengaged, doubtful, and dismissive. Menti poll results on attitudes towards climate change. The members of the Science for Environmental Management class were evenly concerned and alarmed towards climate change.

Read more

“The Foundation of all life is in the ocean.” Jean-Michel Cousteau … Are our coasts more than just picturesque landscapes? That was obviously just a rhetorical question for a blog in an Environmental Science Management class. Coasts are dynamic ecosystems that provide critical services—from supporting biodiversity to sustaining livelihoods. In class, we’ve dissected a multitude of threats these areas face: habitat degradation, pollution, overfishing, and the relentless march of climate change.

Read more

The management of large and complex ecosystems is a task that can only be accomplished by implementing effective management strategies. This includes adaptive management, collaborative planning with diverse stakeholders, and consistent monitoring. The Science for Environmental Management class discussed a few case studies of some of complex ecosystems to gain a better understanding of best management practices.

Read more

Environmental management is highly complex and site-specific. There is no “one size fits all” solution. Management practices must adapt to different challenges for each scenario on a case-by-case basis. Factors that impact environmental regional management practices are population size, geographic size, the maturity of governmental systems, and the length of time that an environmental issue has impacted that region.

Read more

The Chesapeake Bay supports habitat for many different species, recreation, and the economy. Striped bass and blue crabs are the life of the Chesapeake. They attract tourists, recreational and commercial fishermen and are indicators of a healthy ecosystem. Shoreline erosion, sea level rise, and nutrient runoff are threats facing the Chesapeake Bay today. There are many different strategies to manage the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Read more

For over 20 years, environmental report cards have been used across the globe to integrate data into communication products that catalyze management action and increase stakeholder engagement. They allow governmental bodies, major industries, and the general public to easily access regional ecological data and allow comparison among regions. However, only evaluating ecological factors neglects a major component that influences environmental health: humans.

Read more

It is impossible to consider human survival on Earth without taking environmental resources into account.3 In the past, the industrial revolution caused a division between human development and nature. Nonetheless, socio-environmental issues have contributed to the depletion of natural resources, particularly in recent decades.

Read more