Chesapeake Bay Report Card 2009
This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2009 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. The overall health of Chesapeake Bay, assessed using water quality and biotic indicators, was the best it has been since 2002. The overall grade improved from C- in 2008 to C in 2009. Eight reporting regions had improved grades in 2009, four were unchanged, and two had slightly worse grades. The highest ranked region, for the third year in a row, was the Upper Western Shore (B-), while the lowest ranked region this year was the Patapsco and Back Rivers (F).
Science communication course in Canada
Bill Dennison (IAN) and Caroline Wicks (EcoCheck) headed to Toronto, Ontario on May 11th to teach a Science Communication Course with former EcoCheck employees, Ben Longstaff and Emily Nauman. Ben now works for Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority, and arranged for IAN to teach the course to a variety of scientists and communication specialists from local conservation authorities. The 2-day course was taught at Black Creek Pioneer Village, and included lectures, hands-on activities, and software demonstrations. Some topics that participants work on are airplane de-icing impacts on local streams, land use change, and educating citizens about testing their water for nutrients and bacteria.
Improvements to Shellfish Harvest Area Closure Decision Making Using GIS, Remote Sensing, and Predictive Models
Currently, many states use precipitation information to regulate periodic closures of shellfish harvest areas based on a presumptive relationship between rainfall and bacteria concentration. We evaluate this relationship in four South Carolina estuaries and suggest new predictive models that integrate remote sensing precipitation data with additional environmental and climatic data. This paper in Estuaries and Coasts details model development that may be useful in estimating bacteria concentration at beaches and can serve as the basis for developing near-real-time estimates and forecast predictions of bacteria levels for closure decision-making tools.
New EcoCheck Intern - Melissa Andreychek
Melissa Andreychek joined EcoCheck as a Science Communication Intern in May 2010. After earning her Bachelors at the University of Pittsburgh, Melissa spent several years working as an interpretive writer at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, with major projects related to the renovation of the museum's dinosaur hall and the exhibition development of Powdermill Nature Reserve. She is currently working toward the completion of her Masters in Technical and Scientific Communication at Miami University. Outside of the office, Melissa enjoys supporting canine welfare and rescue initiatives and traveling.