The role of benthic communities in the health of Maryland's Coastal Bays
In collaboration with the University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension Service at the Wye Mills Research and Education Center, EcoCheck (NOAA - UMCES partnership) has produced a newsletter on the history and current trends of benthic communities in Maryland's Coastal Bays. Aquatic grasses and shellfish are important components of a healthy ecosystem because they provide a variety of ecosystem services, improve water quality, and are commercially valuable.
Science Communication Course (23-27 April, 2007)
The Integration and Application Network will be conducting a course in communicating science effectively at the Annapolis Synthesis Center in Annapolis, Maryland. The course will cover the elements of effective science communication, applied principles of layout design, production of conceptual diagrams, oral presentation techniques, website design, and production principles. The course includes a section on effective techniques for integrated ecosystem assessment. The course structure includes a variety of common elements and a series of elective modules so it can be tailored to your needs. The hands-on approach means that participants come away from the course with the technical skills to effectively communicate their own data with a variety of science communication products. Further details and online registration are available on the course website.
Annapolis Synthesis Center hosts climate change workshops
Stakeholder and chapter author workshops were held at the Annapolis Synthesis Center in December and January. One hundred and ten scientists and resource managers from 26 states gathered in six workshops to discuss management responses to climate change in national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, estuaries, wild and scenic rivers, and marine protected areas. The workshops were used to solicit input from diverse and knowledgeable groups. Stakeholders came from various branches of federal government (e.g., EPA, NOAA, USF&WS, NPS, FS, USGS), a variety of academic institutions and a diversity of non-government organizations (e.g., WWF, TNC, NWF, WS). They provided compelling stories of climate related impacts to all regions of the U.S., including continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and territories. IAN Science Communicators produced conceptual diagrams for author teams. The visiting scientists enjoyed the Annapolis sights, restaurants, and coffee shops in unseasonably balmy weather.
Restore vs. Retreat: Securing ecosystem services provided by coastal Louisiana
This newsletter is the third in a series resulting from collaborative workshops between CLEAR (Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Assessment and Restoration) and IAN staff. The first science newsletter "Reducing Flood Damage in Coastal Louisiana: Communities, Cultures, & Commerce", following closely after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, summarizes processes of land protection in a historical context. The second newsletter, "Enhancing Landscape Integrity in Coastal Louisiana: Water, Sediment & Ecosystems", synthesizes the differences between the Deltaic and Chenier Plains with regard to sediment delivery and hydrology. The current newsletter considers restoration options in the context of the valuable national ecosystem services supplied by Coastal Louisiana.