Climate change increases extreme heat events, and cities are feeling the burn. Learn how hot the urban areas are than their surroundings, the serious threats they pose to public health, and what smart urban planning strategies can cool these cities.

When you’re taking a walk outside to get fresh air and breathe in the great outdoors do you know what else you’re breathing in?

Session 17 of the Chesapeake Research Consortium Symposium explored innovative approaches and discussions on sustainability and community resilience in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, highlighting diverse strategies and inclusive processes shaping a resilient future.

It was around 6 am on a cool May morning as we waited outside for our driver. We were a mere few feet away from a young male lion the previous night and still in disbelief. When our driver arrived, we loaded into the vehicle and made the bumpy ride towards South Luangwa National Park to admire Zambia’s wildlife and marvelous landscapes.

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.

“If we accept that we should seek not to save the Bay from people but for people, we will create a movement and watershed that works for everyone—for us and for nature.” - Hilary Harp Falk, President and CEO, Chesapeake Bay Foundation … Sunset from Spa Creek Drawbridge:

Discovering the Luangwa River in Zambia

One of the highlights of our recent Basin Health Report Card workshops in Katete and Mpika, Zambia, which we undertook with our partners at Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Zambia Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA), was the game we play with everyone, called “Get the Grade.” It’s one of the highlights of almost all of our stakeholder engagement meetings these days. Participants enjoying Get the Grade at the Mpika workshop.

Co-production and inclusion themes on the rise at the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation bi-annual conference.

We held a reception for current and former UMCES faculty, staff and students at the biennial Coastal and Estuarine Federation (CERF 2023) conference in Portland, OR. In addition, UMCES sponsored a booth in the coffee break and poster session area. The evening event on November 13th was a chance to gather UMCES folks together, as the meeting had ten concurrent sessions and you could miss seeing each other as you raced from session to session. I made the following introductory remarks at the gathering.