This newsletter describes forecasts of Chesapeake Bay 2007 summer ecological conditions. Forecasts of three important Bay health indicators are provided–dissolved oxygen (DO), harmful algal blooms (HABs), and changes in aquatic grass distribution.

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This newsletter describes why dissolved oxygen is an important indicator of ecosystem health. It focuses on dissolved oxygen in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and describes the factors that affect dissolved oxygen. Additionally, the management decisions and actions that are being taken to reduce the amount of low dissolved oxygen in the Bay are described.

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This poster addresses the history, theory, and practical approach of ecosystem-based fisheries management.

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The Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program has subdivided the 270 National Park units with significant natural resources into 32 Networks. All of the parks within a Network share similar natural resource challenges. The purpose of these Networks is to conduct long-term resource monitoring. The National Capital Region Netwok (NCRN) consists of 11 parks within Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

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Ecosystem health report cards are an effective means of tracking and reporting the health of a waterway at both local and regional scales. A report card is being developed within the Chesapeake Bay science and management community in order to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of Chesapeake Bay habitat health. This newsletter summarizes the methods and data used to calculate the report card scores for 2006.

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This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2006 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. A report card will be released each year, in early to mid April, providing an assessment of the previous year’s habitat health. 2006 is the first year that the report card has been released. This report card rates 15 reporting regions of the Bay using six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of habitat health.

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This technical document provides a detailed of the methodology employed in generating the Bay Habitat Health Index used in the Chesapeake Bay Report Card.

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In collaboration with the University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension Service at the Wye Mills Research and Education Center, EcoCheck (NOAA - UMCES partnership) has produced a newsletter on the history and current trends of benthic communities in Maryland's Coastal Bays. Aquatic grasses and shellfish are important components of a healthy ecosystem because they provide a variety of ecosystem services, improve water quality, and are commercially valuable.

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Antietam National Battlefield is managed within the historical context of General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North during the Civil War. The 1,926 acre park is located in the heart of Maryland and is surrounded by rolling hills dotted with farm fields and pastures reminiscent of the day of battle. Patches of forest, open meadow, streams, and cropland are found within the park.

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Manassas National Battlefield Park was established to preserve the scene of two major Civil War battles. Much of the landscape retains its wartime character with a patchwork of open fields and woodlots scattered across gently rolling hills. The 5,073 acre park is located within the northern VA Piedmont, approximately 45 miles southwest of Washington, DC. Many surrounding lands are becoming residential and industrial developments.

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