Stakeholder engagement at CERF 2021
IAN was well-represented at CERF 2021, which was a fully virtual conference. Dr. Heath Kelsey and Dr. Bill Dennsion facilitated a workshop entitled "Engaging Stakeholders to Co-Design Waterway Health Report Cards." Identifying waterway restoration and conservation goals that are acceptable to all sectors requires meaningful engagement from all relevant stakeholders, but incorporating knowledge streams from these varied perspectives is challenging. The session introduced participants to the benefits of waterway health report cards and how they can be used to incorporate different values and knowledge of stakeholders, empowering all to better manage their local environment. Meanwhile, Dr. Katie May Laumann presented "Measuring Coastal Adaptation: Using where we are to inform where we're going" in a session entitled "Climate Change Resilience: the intersection of ecological shifts and societal impacts" alongside presenters from across the country. Both the workshop and presentation highlight IAN's strategies and leadership in stakeholder engagement for environmental decision-making.
COAST Card: Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Workshop
Dr. Bill Dennison, Dr. Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen, and Kelly Dobroski participated in a five-day session on Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning hosted by the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on November 7–11, 2021. COAST Card partners from the US and Philippines delivered lectures on ecosystem-based management, Manila Bay natural resources, and stakeholder engagement practices. After two days of presentations, IAN staff facilitated a three-day Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Workshop. This workshop revealed the values and threats to Manila Bay, additional stakeholders to engage, and a shared vision. Four key areas of coastal planning were addressed: data availability, user compatibility, stakeholder engagement, and evaluation. Equipped with these tools, the Philippines DENR will host similar workshops to continue engaging additional stakeholders as they work to develop a spatial plan for Manila Bay. Interested in viewing the first two days of presentations? Watch the Day 1 session here, and Day 2 session here.
The Start of Socio-Environmental Report Cards for Southeast Michigan
Three virtual workshop sessions for the development of socio-environmental report cards for the Detroit, Clinton, Huron, Rouge, and Raisin rivers in Michigan occurred November 2021. The main goal of the workshop was for stakeholders to identify indicators that reflect the social, cultural, economic, and environmental values of the Southeast Michigan region. IAN is partnering with Council Fire, LLC, the Erb Family Foundation, The Clinton River Watershed Council, Friends of the Detroit River, Huron River Watershed Council, River Raisin Watershed Council, and Friends of the Rouge, to create socio-environmental report cards for five rivers, and a report card that integrates the results into an assessment of the Southeast Michigan region.
Welcome, Sidney!
Sidney Anderson recently joined IAN as a Science Communicator. She graduated from College of the Atlantic in 2019 and from Georgia Southern University in 2021. She has conducted research on the yellow-spotted salamander, the Eastern painted turtle, and the Florida scrub lizard. She enjoys camping, birding, playing sports, and making art. She hopes to use her education and research experience in combination with her love of art and writing to help make science and conservation more accessible to anyone interested in learning about these topics.
Farewell, Caroline!
This month, IAN says a very fond farewell to program manager extraordinaire Caroline Donovan. Caroline has been with IAN since 2006 and has worked on a plethora of projects. Her experience with report cards, science communication, stakeholder engagement, and citizen science is invaluable. Caroline will be joining NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program as their Communications Director. Best of luck, Caroline, and thanks for all you've done!
Happy Holidays from all of us at IAN!
Our offices will be closed from Friday, December 24 to Monday, January 3, 2022. Thanks to all our partners, collaborators, and staff for a great year!