System Wide Monitoring Program

With over 25 sites that reflect the diverse coastal biogeographic regions of the Nation, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System is ideally suited for a long-term trend-monitoring program to address estuarine management issues. The System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) was created to identify and track short-term variability and long-term changes in representative estuarine ecosystems and coastal watersheds.

SWMP is a phased monitoring approach that focuses on three different ecosystem characteristics:

Abiotic Factors, including atmospheric, water quality (nutrients, contaminants, etc.) and physical parameters (salinity, tidal range, groundwater, freshwater inflow, bathymetry, etc.)
Biological Monitoring, including biodiversity habitat and population characteristics
Watershed and Land Use Classifications, including historic changes in spatial coverage and assessments of consumptive and non-consumptive uses

The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - MD is working with government agencies in the Bay region to integrate their SWMP into the bay-wide water quality monitoring effort to assess shallow water habitats. This integrated effort will provide managers with information to help characterize water and habitat conditions and identify specific problem areas throughout the Bay's tidal waters. Data collected through this effort is available at www.eyesonthebay.net usually within one week of collection.

Additional information on the program can be found at these web sites:
http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Monitoring
http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu
http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/pdf/nerrswmp96-98.pdf

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Kids-n-Canoes06/22/2019 @ 10:00 am-12:00 pmIntroduce young children to the pleasure of family paddling outings! Paddling safety and basic stroke instruction is covered before venturing further afield to explore the watery world of Otter Point Creek.
Summer Solstice Celebration Canoe06/22/2019 @ 1:00 pm-3:30 pmCelebrate the start of summer with an afternoon on the water, soaking up the sun and solstice lore on the longest Saturday of the year.
How Old is this Tree?06/23/2019 @ 1:00 pm-2:00 pmImmerse yourself in the incredible world of trees! Use a tree corer to age some of the trees in Leight Park while enjoying a scenic hike.
Tails and Tots06/23/2019 @ 3:30 pm-4:30 pmStory time with a natural twist! Listen to stories, learn new songs, and move like the animals.
Chesapeake Canoers Summer Camp06/25/2019 @ 9:00 am-4:00 pmFloat along the waters of Harford County with a canoe paddle in hand. Dive into summer with games and activities by boat while investigating the plants and animals that call this place home.