Chesapeake Global Collaboratory Retreat

On March 11–12th, IAN supported the Chesapeake Global Collaboratory Retreat in Solomons, MD. This event inaugurated the brand new building that houses the Collaboratory and hosted state agencies and UMCES scientists, with the aim of fostering collaboration and determining viable research projects that can tackle the environmental challenges that are persistent throughout the state. We started the first day with lightning talks, followed by breakout group discussions. Participants identified critical sustainability and restoration issues for different categories, such as water systems, land use, ecosystem health, cross-cutting issues, and climate resilience and mitigation. The following day, the participants prioritized the challenges and identified how they align with Collaboratory goals, along with the resources and key people needed to tackle each challenge. To wrap up the event, everyone voted on the potential projects that are most necessary and have the largest impact with existing resources and leadership.