Highlighting USGS's Critical Bird Monitoring Programs
Our latest fact sheet, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), was released last month, titled "Foundational Science in Flight: USGS Bird Programs Support Conservation, Culture, and a Thriving U.S. Economy." The fact sheet describes the history and critical impacts of the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) and the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), two national bird monitoring programs led by the USGS. These programs have been key to informing science-based bird management and conservation while supporting the U.S. economy through birdwatching, hunting, and ecotourism. Explore the fact sheet here to discover over 100 years of progress achieved by these programs and their future objectives.
Fostering Inclusion in Chesapeake Management
Veronica Malabanan Lucchese, a 3rd year PhD student at IAN-UMCES and NOAA-LMRCSC Fellow II, presented her research at the 11th Biennial NOAA EPP/MSI Education and Science Forum. The event was held from March 4–6th, at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland. The NOAA Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) aims to increase diversity in STEM fields related to NOAA's mission by supporting education and research opportunities for students from underrepresented communities. Veronica's presentation, titled "Unlocking Connections: How Social Networks Shape the Future of Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Management," focused on improving inclusion in management in the Potomac, Patuxent, and Patapsco River watersheds. She attended alongside UMCES students Jennifer Herrara and David Garcia, as well as PI Dr. Eric Schott. The forum is designed to showcase collaborative research and promote NOAA's scientific achievements. The UMCES team concluded their visit with a group outing to the Salisbury Zoo.
Making Connections at the National Water Quality Monitoring Conference
From March 10–14th, Alexandra Fries and Katie May Laumann attended the 14th National Water Quality Monitoring Council Conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Alex hosted a session on Putting Monitoring Data to Work: Using Data Interpretation for Management Actions, with great speakers from Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Katie May also presented on using report cards to communicate improvements in Chesapeake Bay water quality and the MD Coastal Adaptation Report Card. Alex presented on the NOAA Coral Reef Status Reports. Overall the conference was a great success, with a lot of new ideas for water quality monitoring, meetings with partners from the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative, and making new connections across the country.
Sharing Lessons to Advance Multidisciplinary Collaborations
Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen participated in a panel at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) held in Portland, Oregon from March 25–29th. The session, Building and Sustaining Multidisciplinary Environmental Partnerships, brought together experts from government, academia, and NGOs to share strategies for advancing inclusive cross-sector collaborations that can address today’s most pressing environmental challenges. Vanessa shared insights from her work on transdisciplinary and transnational approaches to coastal sustainability, highlighting lessons from the COAST card project and emphasizing the importance of integrating local knowledge into environmental governance.
Understanding Habitat Shifts in a Changing Climate
In March 28th, Jon Lefcheck gave a talk at MIT as part of the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory Seminar Series. Jon spoke about a recent paper that he co-authored with Katie May Laumann, IAN’s Associate Director of Research, which focused on the expanding range of pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) linked to increasing water temperatures. Increasingly, this fish has been discovered in Virginia’s restored seagrass meadows, a northward shift from its primary habitat.
Meet the Scientist Series: Alexandra Fries
Hi all! My name is Alexandra Fries and I’m the Program Manager at IAN. My background is in Marine Biology, Ecosystem Science, and Conservation. At this point I feel like I’ve lived 100 lives. I’ve processed antioxidant pigment from hog lagoon waste with HPLC machines and I’ve evaluated coal tar effects on developing fish embryos. I’ve analyzed cephalopod population data and collected frogs deformed by pesticides. Before coming to IAN, I worked for Conservation International on management of marine protected areas. At IAN, I started working as a science communicator and transitioned to senior science communicator, project manager, and now program manager. I’ve done layout and design, created symbols, developed games, taught courses, analyzed data, written papers, and managed some fascinating projects. Of the 23 years IAN has existed, I have been with the group for 14 of them! My experiences at IAN have been incredible. I’ve been able to do and learn so much and to travel to amazing places. Some of my favorite places have been the Orinoco River in Colombia, Saipan in the Commonwealth for the Northern Mariana Islands, Guanabara Bay in Brazil, and the Luangwa River in Zambia. What brings me back to this work and keeps me excited about it are the opportunities for real positive change using science and effective communication practices with local stakeholders and communities.
If you value research like Alexandra's, consider donating to IAN here.
Upcoming: Charles County Climate Readiness Report Card
Stay tuned for the release of the Charles County Climate Readiness Report Card on April 26th! IAN’s collaboration with Charles County Government and the Resilience Authority comes after the release of the Maryland Coastal Adaptation Report Card in 2021 and represents a continuation of Maryland’s progress toward climate resilience and adaptation. This report card accounts for the unique features of Charles County to create an assessment which highlights the county’s vulnerability and their resilience to climate threats, serving as an important decision-making tool and a template for other regions.