ESI Partners with the Spa Creek Conservancy for Watershed Assessment - Ecosystem Solutions has partnered with the Spa Creek Conservancy, located in Annapolis, MD to start work on a watershed assessment. Because of the myriad changes occurring in the watershed, the Conservancy has asked that ESI assess the overall health of the streams within the area. To do this, ESI has completed habitat assessments, fish and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling at five sites within the area. Click here to learn more about the watershed assessment and some of their preliminary findings. (Nov-2008)

ESI Receives Funding from NAVFAC to Study Shoreline Change at NSF Indian Head - Ecosystem Solutions was awarded funding from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington to study the near shore effects of shoreline management on the fish community. As part of a larger shoreline stabilization project, NSF Indian Head is placing breakwaters and sills to help baffle wave energy and protect their eroding shoreline. ESI will study how the nearshore fish community is utilizing the breaks in these structures and track the changes that are occurring in the fish populations and their bioenergetics. This project will complement the ongoing work ESI has been doing at NSF Indian Head looking at the shifts in the near- and off-shore fish community over time in response to the larger shoreline project. Check back in the spring when sampling begins to track the progress of their work. (Nov-2008)

Chesapeake Research Consortium Announces Upcoming Workshop - The Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) has announced their regional conference entitled, "Ecosystem Based Management (EBM): the Chesapeake Basin & Other Systems". The conference is being held at the Baltimore Marriott Hotel and Conference Center on March 22-25, 2009. Click here for more information. (Aug-2008)

ESI Partners with Maryland DNR on Coastal Marsh Restoration Project - Ecosystem Solutions will be partnering with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on a coastal marsh restoration project. The DNR will be plugging a series of mosquito ditches to help enhance tidal marsh habitat, and ESI will be carrying out the fish and invertebrate monitoring as part of their larger program assessing the effects of shoreline change on the aquatic environment. Check back over the next several months to track their progress. (Aug-2008)