Media Tip Sheet: Science of the Chesapeake at #ESA2025
Featured presentations at the 110th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Baltimore, Maryland
July 24, 2025
For immediate release
Contact: Mayda Nathan, (202) 833-8773 ext. 211, mayda@esa.org
With this year’s Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) taking place in Baltimore, Maryland (Aug. 10–15), research on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed takes on special relevance. As the largest estuary in the United States, the Bay is a dynamic system shaped by both natural processes and human activity.
Some presentations at the meeting will explore how land use across the watershed affects water quality in tributaries, how climate change and aquatic animals shape the Bay’s seagrass meadows and how restoration efforts are rejuvenating wetlands in estuaries and floodplains, among many other topics. Together, these studies highlight the deep interconnections between land and water, and they underscore the importance of place-based science in understanding and protecting vital natural resources. The presentations listed below represent just a fraction of the cutting-edge research being shared at a meeting that will bring together thousands of scientists from around the world.
ESA invites staff journalists, freelance journalists, student journalists and press officers to register for free as media attendees up to and throughout the week of the Annual Meeting. For eligibility information, please visit ESA’s press registration credential policy page.
Members of the media will have access to all scientific sessions at the conference and to a press room where they can enjoy refreshments, internet access, a printer and an interview area.
Monday, August 11
| 3:30PM–5:00PM ET | More Than Meets the Eye: Landscape Evolution and Why It Matters for Restoring Streams and Wetlands to Improve Habitat and Water Quality Presenter: Dorothy Merritts, Franklin & Marshall College Symposium – Hilton Key 5 |
| 3:30PM–5:00PM ET | The Histories and Mysteries of Legacy Sediment: A realization of lost form and function in modern aquatic resources Presenter: Justin Spangler, LandStudies, Inc. Symposium – Hilton Key 5 |
| 3:30PM–5:00PM ET | Development of Policy and Guidelines for Watershed Restoration using an Evidence-Based Approach Presenter: David Goerman, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Symposium – Hilton Key 5 |
| 3:30PM–5:00PM ET | Co-benefits of floodplain wetland restoration to biodiversity Presenter: David Bowne, Elizabethtown College Symposium – Hilton Key 5 |
Tuesday, August 12
| 2:30PM–2:45PM ET | Environmental conditions explain variability in concentrations of nutrients but not emerging contaminants in Baltimore streams Presenter: Megan Fork, West Chester University Organized Oral Session – Hilton Key 8 |
| 2:45PM–3:00PM ET | Considering the role of urban land use on seasonal patterns of watershed nutrient export Presenter: Jon Duncan, Pennsylvania State University Organized Oral Session – Hilton Key 8 |
| 3:45PM–4:00PM ET | From foraging to fragmentation: The role of cownose rays in seagrass meadow dynamics Presenter: Mickie Edwards, Virginia Institute of Marine Science Contributed Talk – BCC 339 |
| 5:00PM–6:30PM ET | Impacts of coastal erosion and sea level rise on living shorelines in an island at the Potomac river Presenter: Savannah Kreider, St. Mary’s College of Maryland Contributed Poster – Exhibit Hall |
Wednesday, August 13
| 10:15AM–10:30AM ET | A Dynamic Range Model (DRM) for Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) in the Northeast US Presenter: R. M. W. J. Bandara, Rutgers University Contributed Talk – BCC 349 |
| 3:45PM–4:00PM ET | Dietary Niche Dynamics of a Freshwater Turtle Community: A Stable Isotope Perspective Presenter: Anne Wiley, Bowie State University Contributed Talk – BCC 337 |
| 5:00PM–6:30PM ET | Evaluating the Impact of Climate Change on Eel Grass (Zostera marina) Dynamics in Chesapeake Bay Using a Bio-Optical Model Presenter: Anamika Das Kona, Old Dominion University Contributed Poster – Exhibit Hall |
On-site Press Room
Location: Room 330, Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Press Room hours:
Sunday, August 10: 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET
Monday, August 11: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
Tuesday, August 12: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
Wednesday, August 13: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
Thursday, August 14: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
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The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 8,000 member Society publishes six journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org
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