Southeast Michigan Report Cards Released!
On April 16, IAN staff joined five watershed organizations in Detroit, Michigan for the release of the Southeast Michigan Report Cards. This project encompasses five watersheds in Southeast Michigan--the Clinton, Detroit, Huron, Raisin, and Rouge--and a summary document for the entire region. Over the last three years, IAN staff have worked closely with local Michigan scientists and managers to develop a suite of socioeconomic and ecological indicators. The relationship between people and the environment is strong; for example, human industry impacts water quality, and water quality impacts human health. By examining more than environmental factors, our socioenvironmental report cards capture a holistic view of the ecosystem and the people that rely on it. A huge thanks to our partners on this project!
Spotlight on National Parks
IAN travelled to the National Conservation Training Center on April 3–4 to participate in the Spotlight on National Park Resources in the National Capital Region (NCR). This biennial conference brings together researchers, students, and managers to share their research on natural and cultural resources within NCR parks. IAN has a long-standing relationship with the National Park Service. Most recently, we have been helping develop succinct assessments of park conditions that can be easily understood and used by park staff to improve management of parks throughout the National Capital Region. Katie May and Conor shared the latest developments in these Resource Assessments for Management Strategies (RAMS), as well as efforts to work across park boundaries and identify opportunities for collaboration that can improve resource conditions within and outside of parks. This was a wonderful opportunity to connect with old colleagues, learn about new research, and visit Antietam National Battlefield!
Celebrating Earth Day at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
On April 29th, Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen was one of the featured speakers during UMBC’s 8th Annual Earth Day Symposium (EDS 2024). Supported by sponsorship from the UMBC Department of Physics and the Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, the symposium serves as a platform for local Earth science research, fostering collaboration among UMBC and GESTAR-II researchers, graduate students, and other Earth science professionals. This year's symposium marked the culmination of a month-long series of activities, a collaborative effort between UMBC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). EDS 2024 featured five talks, a panel discussion focusing on the Role of PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and Ocean Ecosystem) mission in Monitoring Planetary Health, a nature walk, and a poster session highlighting graduate and undergraduate student research.
Congratulations, Pheng Lor!
Pheng Lor successfully presented his Master's research project on April 22nd within the Environmental Humanities Program at the University of Utah. His research, titled "COAST Card: An Evaluation Case Study for International and Transdisciplinary Socio-Environmental Collaboration," includes survey data collected from listening sessions conducted in the Potomac River Watershed, USA and Manila Bay, Philippines, along with results from the Amamo2023 conference held in Tokyo, Japan. Additionally, Pheng shared insights from his formative evaluation of the COAST Card research consortium. As an alum of the Global Sustainability Fellows program, Pheng is an invaluable member of the COAST Card Team.