As an Indian River Lagoon report card was being prepared in a collaboration between the Marine Resource Council and IAN, a brown algal bloom led to huge numbers of dead fish and other aquatic life. This Florida ecosystem of a chain of coastal rivers and lagoons has been struggling for years under a heavy pollution load entering its waters.

This companion document to the report card contains information about data sources for all indicators, summary of analysis methods, and scoring details for each of the six America’s Watershed Initiative goals, and for two watershed wide indicators. Additional information regarding the goals is included to provide greater detail and discussion than is possible in the report card document.

In 2014, the Meyer Memorial Trust brought together more than 20 university, agency, and technical experts to help create the first Willamette River report card. With support from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the team of experts identified key indicators to capture a current picture of river health against which to measure future changes. Overall, the Willamette River scored a B-.

The Coastal Georgia Ecosystem Report Card was developed through a collaborative effort between the staff at Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division, Environmental Protection Division, Wildlife Resources Division and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Integration & Application Network. This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of Coastal Georgia.

This poster illustrates some results from work on a climate change resilience index for Chesapeake Bay. One aspect analyzed in the index was coastal wetland resilience to sea level rise. Overall, coastal wetlands currently have good resilience but under future sea level rise rates coastal wetlands will have moderate to very poor resilience.

n 2014, the Meyer Memorial Trust brought together more than 20 university, agency, and technical experts to help create the first Willamette River report card. With support from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the team of experts identified key indicators to capture a current picture of river health against which to measure future changes. Overall, the Willamette River scored a B-.

The Report Card measured six broad goals for America's Watershed - Ecosystems, Flood Control & Risk Reduction, Transportation, Water Supply, Economy, and Recreation. The Report Card Measures how well we are currently meeting each one of these goals, using real data and relevant information that was identified by experts in these fields. Over time, as we adapt our management strategies for the Mississippi River Watershed, the Report Card can track progress in achieving objectives.

This newsletter describes the diverse ecosystems and the issues and threats surrounding the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in southwest Florida. The Rookery Bay NERR covers 110,000 acres of coastal lands and waters in Collier County on the Gulf coast of Florida. The Reserve takes its name from the mangrove rookery islands that serve as a roost and nesting site for dozens of coastal birds. Learn more about the Rookery Bay Reserve and its ecosystems in this newsletter!

Report cards are useful assessment tools and have been widely used to inspire and endorse changes. They have paved the way to new legislation, improved longitudinal data collection systems, established new professional partnerships, and inspired reforms on community-wide and national scales. With the abundance of report cards available, it is beneficial to compare reporting styles and critique data collection methods and dissemination strategies across the board.

The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (South Atlantic LCC) is a partnership of federal, state, and private organizations dedicated to conserving a landscape capable of sustaining the nation’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. The primary objective of this project was to develop a short synthesis report assessing 11 habitats, using a variety of ecological indicators.