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.
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.
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.
Imagine a well-established family of adults planning a big family reunion abroad, fantastic right? Everyone has their own ideas about where to go, what to do, and how to get there to have an enjoyable vacation. How can you bring all these voices together to plan the ultimate trip that satisfies everyone's desires?
As scientists, we often think about the role we play in environmental management. But what about scientific advice? How do we provide effective scientific advice that allows for studying and solving environmental problems? A science policy advisor is one that provides others with scientific information in order to support decision making and push for public policy implementation. Who are these decision makers?
Food, fuel, shelter, and clothing, the four basic human needs,8 can be ordered to your door with the click of a button. In a consumer based society, it can be hard to remember the human connection to nature. The western conservation and environmental movements aim to remind people of our role in nature and to envision more sustainable management.
Hao Wang and Ana Sosa … On Friday, May 5th, MEES students in the Science for Environmental Management class traveled from multiple campuses across the state to gather in Annapolis at the UMCES IAN office. For our last session of the course, we each gave an oral environmental science briefing that was related to a specific management topic of our choice. During the class we staged a simulated meeting:
Stephanie Barletta and Hao Wang … Look at how far you’ve come and how much you’ve done! Look back at yourself with pride, look to your future with hope - but most importantly - it's time to celebrate! Celebrate with your friends, family, loved ones, and most importantly, with your future employers! (Wait- what?
Annie Carew and Qiurui Zhu … We’ve spent a lot of time this semester discussing the intersection between science and the public - how can we communicate the importance and urgency of our science without alarming or confusing people? This week, we discussed environmental report cards, which could provide a solution to this tricky balancing act facing scientists. There are several organizations that write and publish environmental report cards.
Hadley McIntosh and Ginni La Rosa … Scientists are not just scientists. We often work at the intersection of science, communication, policy, and law. Scientists deal with law in contracts, intellectual property rights, and privacy disputes, but we are also needed to provide evidence and testimony in judicial rulings.
