Exploring sustainable solutions at the 2023 Chesapeake Watershed Forum
In November, Alexandra Fries attended the 2023 Chesapeake Watershed Forum in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The theme of the forum was private investment in sustainable partnerships to achieve clean water goals, which led to some great sessions and interesting discussions. There was also much higher diversity in the speakers and participants attending than in previous years. IAN conducted a Data Interpretation Workshop and assisted in the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative session.
Connecting with Susquehanna stakeholders at Bucknell University’s Annual River Symposium
Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen delivered one of the plenary addresses at the 18th Annual River Symposium hosted by Bucknell University from November 3–4 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. This year’s theme is sustaining the river’s communities while maintaining the health of the Bay. Chief and Faithkeeper Oren Lyons of the Onondaga and Seneca Nations provided the indigenous perspective while the keynote was delivered by Denice Wardrop, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Research Consortium. The symposium provided an excellent opportunity to connect with and share the Chesapeake Bay and Watershed report card with stakeholders from the Susquehanna watershed. Additionally, Vanessa facilitated a breakout discussion on community engagement and participated in a panel discussion with John Clune of USGS and Harry Campbell of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Celebrating coastal science at the 27th Biennial CERF Conference
From November 12–16, several IAN staff attended the 2023 Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) conference in Portland, Oregon. We presented on various IAN projects, providing holistic insights into applied coastal and estuarine research. Many enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. UMCES always has a presence at this conference, and for many of the IAN staff, this was their first time experiencing CERF. Overall, the conference was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the latest coastal and estuarine research, including perspectives from indigenous peoples on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).
COAST Card team's Tokyo experience: Amamo2023 and J-COAST Conference insights
From November 17–22, the COAST Card team met in Tokyo, Japan for the Amamo2023 and J-COAST conference and meeting hosted at the Sasikawa Peace Foundation. While there, team members listened to and presented talks on seagrass, blue carbon, youth engagement, science communication, and the COAST Card Project. The conference highlighted the importance of empowering and engaging youth in restoration efforts. They visited various places around Tokyo that are of interest to the COAST Card Project or serve as sites of engagement and restoration events.
Learning about reef recovery and conservation practices in Ishigaki Island
From November 22–24, the COAST Card partners visited the second Japanese study site, Ishigaki Island and Sekisei Lagoon. There, they visited multiple reef sites in different stages of recovery from bleaching events and saw the mitigation practices implemented by farmers to reduce agricultural runoff. They also met with different stakeholders from different sectors that are active in the protection and conservation of Ishigaki Island.