EcoCheck transition

EcoCheck was formed in 2004 as a partnership between UMCES and NOAA to develop ecological forecasting and environmental reporting capacity in Chesapeake Bay. It has produced annual report cards, ecological forecasts, summer tracking, and summer review for Chesapeake Bay. EcoCheck staff led the effort on several other projects including a handbook for effective coastal ecosystem assessment, development of the National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment, and formation of the Mid-Atlantic Tributary Assessment Coalition (MTAC). EcoCheck has been actively promoting the use of environmental report cards globally in locations such as the Great Barrier Reef, the South Pacific islands, Gulf of Mexico, and the Mississippi River basin. The next chapter for EcoCheck includes relocation of staff to the UMCES Annapolis Office and the main IAN building in Cambridge, MD. Future projects include a major revision of the Chesapeake bay report card, various other report card projects, and support for NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program.

---