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- Applying Spatially Explicit Dynamic Landscape Modeling to Forest Watershed Planning and Adaptive Management in the Northern Forest
- The primary objective of this project is to use the landscape modeling framework as a tool to support ongoing watershed planning and adaptive watershed management efforts in the Northern Forest, using participatory modeling. Specific objectives include the following:
- Define clear procedures and agendas for stakeholder involvement;
- Engage stakeholders in initial development of model framework;
- Identify clear issues of interest to stakeholders for which the landscape modeling framework could be used as a tool;
- Identify and integrate relevant datasets in a user-friendly, accessible, and interactive format.
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- Solomons Harbor Nutrient Reduction Study
- We have used the Participatory Modeling approach to identify the major sources of nitrogen pollution in the Solomons Harbor, MD, and to prioritize the possible management practices. We found that the overall contribution of septic systems in the nitrogen loading to the Harbor is pretty low. Even if we assume very low fertilizer application rates, still both atmospheric deposition and fertilizers come ahead of septics in the role that they play in supplying nitrogen to Solomons Harbor. However the effect upon groundwater of the septic load is about twice higher than the effect on the water in the Harbor. Also, upgrading the septic systems is something that can be done on the local level by citizen action. It is much harder to change the patterns of atmospheric deposition, which are related to much larger spatial scales and involve changes that need be made many thousand miles away from where we are. The other factor of nitrogen contamination that can be equally well treated in the local level are the rates of fertilizer application. With the existing levels of atmospheric loads, in most cases fertilizers are totally unnecessary.
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