UMCES Researchers Help Target Bay Restoration Through BayStat

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 5:38am
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Baystat logoWith Chesapeake Bay’s significance to the State, the State of Maryland established BayStat -- a new statewide tool designed to assess, coordinate and target Maryland’s Bay restoration programs, and to inform our citizens on progress.

Since its creation in February 2007, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science has played a critical role in developing the science underlying this state-wide effort. The Center's annual Bay Health Report Card also serves as one of the primary ways BayState communicates the health of the state's waters.

Each month Governor O’Malley meets with his BayStat team -- the Secretaries of the Maryland Departments of Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources and Planning, scientists from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and other key staff -- to make sure our Bay restoration work is on track. These sessions provide a regular opportunity for the team to assess progress, evaluate what’s working and what’s not, and adapt our efforts accordingly.

Baystat Carson Trip ImageBayStat allows Maryland state agencies to work smarter…

  • coordinating efforts and programs
  • basing decisions on the best available science
  • targeting resources to get the biggest bang for the buck and
  • being more open and accountable to Maryland citizens

In addition to attending regular Baystat meetings, UMCES has been able to call on the resources of our research fleet, including the Research Vessel Rachel Carson to collect data and provide a platform for informing key stakeholders about the health of the Bay and efforts to restore it.

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