What is the Deal Island Peninsula Marsh and Community Project Crowdmap?
The Deal Island Peninsula Marsh and Community Project is a collaborative effort among a variety of stakeholders that aims to increase the resilience of marshes and communities on the Deal Island Peninsula. The project is led by a team of researchers from the University of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in Maryland. See the word cloud below for some common terms and phrases used when describing this project:
Through public workshops and activities, stakeholders have identified three topic areas related to resilience that they would like to investigate further: marsh restoration, flooding, and heritage. Through this map, we hope to find out more about these three areas of interest and any other information related to the Deal Island Peninsula. Map users can submit reports related but not limited to:
- Your association and relationship with the region
- Any photos of the Deal Island Peninsula you would like to share
- Any observations you have made about the area, such as wildlife, erosion, flooding (Example: Did you see a unique bird in the marshes today? Tell us all about it!)
- Any knowledge you have of the area (local knowledge, oral histories, scientific field studies, etc.)
- Your favorite recreation activities within the Deal Island Peninsula
Purpose of the Map:
The purpose of this map is to generally explore the link between environmental and social issues in the area, and more specifically, to collect qualitative and quantitative information related to marshes, flooding, heritage, and education (4 map categories) in the context of increasing resilience to sea level rise and other coastal changes. The information collected will serve as a general resource to stakeholders, and is NOT an official data collection mechanism of the Deal Island Peninsula Marsh and Community Project. The map is called a "Crowdmap" because the information embedded within it (via reports) was contributed by project stakeholders (a crowd).
Intended Audience:
Although anyone is welcome to submit and download reports, the intended audience for this map and website are:
- Deal Island Peninsula project stakeholders (community members, officials and managers, scientists)
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
- National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and its 28 affiliated sites across the U.S (see the "Layers" section for information about the NERRS)
- Coastal communities (across the U.S. and the world) interested in communicating with the public on issues of sea level rise, marsh restoration, flooding, coastal heritage and culture, and other coastal issues
- Anyone interested in learning more about the Deal Island Peninsula coastal heritage and science related to coastal change
Intended Use:
The above audiences can use this map for any or all of the following:
- Share local knowledge
- Share results of scientific data and findings with the public (ecological/biophysical or social/anthropological)
- Overall knowledge sharing for education, informing local decision-makers and natural resource managers
- Identify locations of community and ecological significance
- Identify locations of change as it is related to flooding, erosion, heritage, and other coastal issues
Map Layers:
The map contains several “Layers” of additional information that may be helpful in map exploration, report submission, or analysis. The following layers can be viewed on the map (due to map restrictions, only one layers can be viewed at a time):
- NERR Boundary: this layer represents the boundary of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) on the lower eastern shore of Maryland. This NERR site is part of a national system of 28 reserves, scattered throughout all coasts of the U.S. A NERR site is protected and dedicated for long-term estuarine research and monitoring, training, education, and stewardship. For more information on the NERR system, please visit the NERRS website.
- Marsh Study Sites: this layer shows the 4 sites where ecological/biophysical scientists from the Deal Island Peninsula Marsh and Community Project monitor and study marsh ecology, hydrology, and its overall state of ecological health.
- Maryland Boundaries: this layer shows the political boundary of the state of Maryland. Try zooming out of Maryland and see where the Deal Island Peninsula is in relation to other states, such as Virginia. Note: this file is larger than the previous two layers, and may take more time to load.
News Feeds (RSS Feeds):
RSS/News Feeds are automatic updates from a website that can be easily displayed on another website. The “HOME” page of this web site/map includes links to the latest News Feeds from the following sources:
- NOAA Chesapeake Bay Podcast: provides weather reports for the Chesapeake Bay.
- The Carbon Brief: provides coverage on the latest reports and news articles related to general topics of climate science and energy policy, as well as more specific topics such as flooding.
- Wetlands International: provides the latest news on wetland restoration and conservation.
Submit a Report:
Now that you know what this map is about, click on the “INSTRUCTIONS” tab for more information on how to submit a “report”.
