Jane Thomas from IAN has been working with The Nature Conservancy this week in Bali. Together with Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund, TNC has been working with the Indonesian government to plan and establish multiple Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Bird's Head/Raja Ampat region of Indonesia's West Papua province. This region is in the heart of the Coral Triangle, which is the center of the highest coral diversity in the world.

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Tim Carruthers and Jane Hawkey are visiting Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park located on the shore of west Hawai'i. Working with National Park Service managers and staff from the park and from the Pacific Island Network, we are drafting a natural resource condition report, using the NPS Rock Creek Natural Resource Condition Assessment report as a model.

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Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a gem in southern Dorchester County, Maryland. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge … Covering more than 27,000 acres of mostly tidal marsh, Blackwater is a well-known haven for migratory birds in the winter, but still offers much to see during the summer, including the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel and any number of waterbirds, frogs, and mammals such as muskrat and beaver.

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We have all been working hard this week trying to finish up our next book, entitled "Integrating and Applying Science: A handbook for effective coastal ecosystem assessment." Here's a little sneak peek at the book. We have structured it around the information in this triangle: It covers collecting and analyzing scientific data, through to integrating that into information and knowledge, and how to apply that knowledge to change society and solve environmental problems.

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Bill Dennison and Jane Thomas from IAN spent the last two days up at Monocacy National Battlefield and Manassas National Battlefield Park. They are part of the National Capital Region Network of parks, and IAN is in the process of conducting a natural resource condition assessment of these two parks, along with Antietam National Battlefield. Although they are also managed as cultural resource parks, these two parks have similar natural resource features and challenges.

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Last Wednesday, IAN went out with the Chester River Association on one of their weekly water quality monitoring trips on the Chester River. You know what they say - a bad day in the field is better than a good day in the office. And this was a great day in the field! Chester River … The Chester River Association measures a suite of water quality parameters (dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, etc.) at a range of sites both upstream and downstream from Chestertown.

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Last Thursday, Bill Dennison and Jane Thomas from IAN and Mike Malpezzi from the Horn Point Lab took to the skies for a photographic expedition over the Eastern Shore. The unseasonably low humidity meant better visibility than you might expect this time of year, so we decided to take advantage of that. Overflights are a great way to gain a whole new perspective on waterways and their watersheds.

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On Monday, I joined the Patuxent Sojourners for the final day of their four-day paddle along the upper Patuxent River. Upper Patuxent River … Upper Patuxent River … Organized by the Patuxent Riverkeeper, the Patuxent Sojourn aims to elevate awareness of the Patuxent River's importance to the region and to encourage local residents to play an active role in its restoration and preservation.

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After four years and thousands of collective hours worked, our new synthesis book is finally published! Shifting Sands: Environmental and cultural change in Maryland's Coastal Bays was officially released on Monday June 8 down on the shores of Sinepuxent Bay.

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The report card gives the Maryland Coastal Bays a C-plus for ecosystem health in 2008. The study measured distinct differences in ecosystem health throughout the shallow bays behind Ocean City and Assateague, with southern regions such as Chincoteague Bay ranking higher than western tributaries such as the St. Martin River and Newport Bay. The Coastal Bays Report Card provides a scientifically robust – and geographically detailed –assessment of ecosystem health.

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