July 2015 ESIP Journal
Looking across the Bays: status and trends in Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay
By Prassede Vella, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
Documenting trends and conditions across a region as diverse as Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay is not easy, but that’s just what the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program set out to do at the 2015 State of the Bays Symposium, held in Boston on April 15, 2015.
The Symposium included 5-minute talks from 19 experts organized into 4 panels: Climate, Weather, and Human Uses; Water Quality; Habitats; and Wildlife. Real-time graphic recording pulled the information together, and supported networking and discussion among the 100 scientists, resource managers, town officials, nonprofit staff, and citizens at the event. Attendees provided insights that will inform future initiatives, suggesting that MassBays:
- Consider status and trends in social science measures.
- Consistently share information about solutions, in addition to describing problems.
- Continue to connect local, state, and federal efforts to document information about the Bays.
Proceedings (abstracts and slides) are available on MassBays’ website (http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/mass-bays-program/state-of-the-bays/). Funding for the Symposium was from U.S. EPA; contributions for food and scholarships were provided by The Nature Conservancy and the Marine & Oceanographic Technology Network. As most of those who filled out an evaluation asked for more frequent Symposia to bring those interested in the state of the Bays together, don’t be surprised if MassBays calls on you to share your own research findings!
Graphic recordings served as the basis for small-group discussion; those groups added their own ideas to the drawings using sticky notes.
Katharine Parsons, Director of MassAudubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program, shared the surprise of the day: piping plovers appear to prefer Revere Beach over lower Cape Cod beaches. (data provided by MA Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program)
Other News in the Gulf of Maine & Bay of Fundy
Past Journals
Febuary 2015 — ESIP releases new smartphone app connecting people in the Gulf of Maine and watershed to the science happening all around them.
November 2015 — The launch of a marine debris program in the Bay of Fundy.
September 2015 — Climate Change Products for Atlantic Canada.
July 2015 — An update from the April 2015 State of the Bays Symposium in Massachusetts.
June 2015 — Learn about NH Department of Environmental Services' work with 65 volunteers to improve beach grass coverage at Hampton Beach State Park.
May 2015 — Nova Scotia recently released risk ratings for storm serge and sea level rise for all portions of the Province - this journal summarizes the findings
April 2015 — Learn about an exciting project between ESIP and EPA that seeks to unravel upstream pressures on downstream estuaries
February 2015 — Meet the new Project Leader for the Gulf of Maine Coastal Program in Falmouth, Maine - Jed Wright.
January 2015 — New Smart Tour of Great Marsh - largest continuous stretch of salt marsh in New England, extending from Cape Ann in Massachusetts to New Hampshire
December 2014 — The American Lobster Settlement Index is an important project that assesses current lobster fishery condition in both Canada and the US. The dataset is current and available through the ESIP Indicator Reporting Tool
Click here for all past ESIP journals