Highlighting Chesapeake Bay science through our annual report card
On July 9th, the 2023/2024 Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card debuted in Harrisburg, PA at the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, marking the first-ever release in Pennsylvania. The press conference featured Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, three Maryland department secretaries (Josh Kurtz, Serena McIlwain, and Kevin Atticks), three Pennsylvania department secretaries (Cindy Dunn, Jessica Shirley, and Russ Redding), and U.S. EPA Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz. The event highlighted progress in improving the Chesapeake Bay score and the collaboration needed to sustain these efforts. The report card included stories on the Eastern Shore's agricultural land use and plans for a man-made debris indicator. A supplemental newsletter on man-made debris and current UMCES research was also released.
Exploring online opportunities in scicomm with Dr. Sheryl Hosler
We were delighted to host Dr. Sheryl Hosler for our ConversatIAN seminar series on July 10th. She discussed her journey in science communication across various platforms, culminating in her online streaming project, Nature Check, which integrates science communication and role-playing games (RPG). We also explored this storytelling approach by playing a table-top RPG. It was refreshing and fun to learn about these unique approaches to science communication from Dr. Hosler.
Engaging communities in the Middle Branch
On July 20th, we held a stakeholder listening session at Middle Branch Park in Baltimore, MD. This event was in collaboration with the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative (EJJI) and their Reel Rewards Program, which rewards anglers $30 for each head or body of an invasive fish species caught in the Middle Branch. It was a great opportunity to speak with anglers and for members of the public who enjoy the park to share their opinions on the current conditions of the Baltimore Harbor and Patapsco River.
Thank you and farewell to our 2024 Global Sustainability Scholars!
This summer, three Global Sustainability Scholars joined the COAST Card project: Kameryn Overton, Taylor Ouellette, and Bailee Porter. Kameryn worked closely with Veronica Lucchese and the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative in their Reel Rewards Program and helped coordinate the Middle Branch Listening Session. Bailee conducted research to identify barriers to effective policy implementation, which will inform governance-related indicators for report cards in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the other COAST Card study sites. Taylor created a fantastic story map that describes and synthesizes the listening sessions conducted by IAN and facilitated with the GSS cohorts from 2022-2024. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
Welcome, Bailey Robertory!
Born and raised in Fairfax, VA, Bailey grew up swimming and boating in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. He obtained a B.S in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina. After graduating from USC, Bailey moved to Lubbock, Texas where he conducted a master’s thesis study on the effects of aquatic invasive species on native fish populations in New Mexico. He graduated from Texas Tech with a M.S in Wildlife, Aquatic, and Wildlands Science and Management. After graduating, he moved back east and spent the last year with the Chesapeake Research Consortium staffing the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team. In his free time, Bailey enjoys swimming, hiking, playing ice hockey, and spending as much time outside as possible. He is excited to join UMCES IAN as a Waterways and Bays Restoration Coordinator based out of the MD DNR office.