1. William Reese & Noah D’Antonio

2. Intro: Noah and Bill Course: Chesapeake Bay and the Science of Land Use Change. (Dr. Claire Jantz) Course overview: The Chesapeake Bay estuary was once one of the most productive estuaries in the world. Today this ecosystem is on the verge of collapse because of pollutant loads from its 167,000 km2 watershed. Course objectives: The goals of this class are to 1) recognize linkages between land use/land cover and the ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay. 2) understand and recognize drivers of land use/land cover change.

3. Discuss how this field trip was a good opportunity to apply what we know about the watershed as a whole, and experience, first-hand, the negative effects “downstream”. Watershed- Urbanization, agricultural practices, deforestation, nutrient management. Bay- Water quality (increased nutrients, decreased oxygen levels, increased sedimentation, increased temperatures, etc) - Species loss- stripe bass, blue claw crab, oysters, clams, etc. -economy loss…

5. What coastal shorelines should look like.

6. View South of Bridge to Chincoteague Island. Used to be coastal shoreline - a natural buffer, but now developed up to the waters edge. Increased impervious surfaces- pollutants in the air, and streets runoff directly into the water with no filtration.

7. More coastal development at sea-level!

9. Oyster survey- sedimentation, disease, algal blooms, low dissolved oxygen (much is caused by poor agriculture practices and poor nutrient management)

10. Deal Island, Md.- Decreasing oyster (& Blue Crab) harvests are affecting the regional economy!

11. Future Graduate Student Opportunities Research In-field Presentation Public Outreach

12. Acknowledgements Shippensburg University Marine Science Consortium National Wildlife Refuge Franklin County Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)