Eutrophication report released at the National Press Club
The National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment (NEEA) report titled "Effects of nutrient enrichment in the Nation's estuaries: A decade of change" was officially released this week at the National Press Club. The report provides an assessment of eutrophic conditions for 141 U.S. estuaries. The report was based on data and information provided by scientists and experts from around the country. Results from the assessment show that two-thirds of the estuaries evaluated exhibited moderate to high levels of eutrophication. Report production was a collaborative effort between Suzanne Bricker (NOAA NCCOS), EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership), and IAN.
An eye-opening approach to developing and communicating integrated environmental assessments
IAN staff Bill Dennison, Tim Carruthers, and Jane Hawkey worked with UMCES faculty Todd Lookingbill and Shawn Carter from the National Park Service to write this recently published paper (Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5(6): 307-314). The paper presents a practical framework for promoting successful ecosystem management by using diverse visual elements to facilitate communication between scientists, managers, and the public. The paper concludes that: 1) the process of developing and communicating integrated ecosystem assessments creates common ground between multiple stakeholders and is as important as the products themselves; 2) once generated, visual elements (photos, maps, graphs, conceptual diagrams) create a valuable resource that can be used in many formats; 3) visual elements are a widely understandable format for synthesized information; and 4) conceptual diagrams are a powerful tool that can be used to link key ecosystem features, major threats, and environmental indicators.
Science Communication Course at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Dr. Margaret Palmer, Director of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL), invited the Integration and Application Network to hold a one-day Science Communication course on July 12, 2007 in Solomons Island, Maryland. Nine participants from CBL gained hands-on experience using graphics software and developing conceptual diagrams and figures for various communications. This course introduced a newly-implemented activity, Title Pursuit, where participants create active, concise titles from the clues given to them in graphs and photos. In conjunction with another of our activities, Conceptionary, we will use this activity to help scientists practice the principles of effective science communication. Instructors for the course were Bill Dennison, Jane Hawkey, and Joanna Woerner.
Annapolis biking ecotour
On Tuesday June 19, IAN staff participated in a biking ecotour of the City of Annapolis. Led by Steve Carr from City Hall, the tour took in some of the City's green initiatives, including rain gardens around the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, living shorelines at Truxtun Park, conservation easements, a green roof on top of the new Severn Savings Bank building, and the Spa Creek Conservancy. People interested in participating in the biking ecotour can contact Steve Carr at stevecarr@toad.net to arrange.