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SUMMARY OF THE MAIA WORKING CONFERENCE
Citation:
Bradley, M, B S. Brown, W B. Galloway, S S. Hale, R. Kutz, Landy, AND R. Shedlock. SUMMARY OF THE MAIA WORKING CONFERENCE. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 63:15-29, (2000).
Description:
From November 30 to December 2, 1998, the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA) held a Working Conference in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), to present its results to scientists, environmental managers, and the public. It also solicited feedback on the usefulness of the MAIA program's activities, as well as suggestions on needs or changes to its program.
The MAIA Working Conference presented the results from several of its activities and programs to scientists, environmental managers, and the general public. The attendees provided feedback on the usefulness of the MAIA program's activities, and suggested additional needs and recommended changes for the future. The feedback may be summarized into these five broad recommendations:
Accelerate interactions with stakeholders through tools such as focus groups, communications workshops, fact sheets, and public-oriented communications.
Develop a MAIA program web site that is simple, user-friendly, and operationally effective.
Continue to promote "integrated science," and develop a five-year plan for integration and assessment that builds upon successes in ecological resource areas (e.g., estuaries, streams, forests, agriculture, and groundwater).
Incorporate socioeconomic values and benefits, as well as scenarios of future ecological vulnerabilities.
Develop a common vision for information management in a regional entity that would be larger and more inclusive than the MAIA program's present geographic initiatives. Form an Executive Coordinating Committee of all MAIA's geographic initiatives to plan the next steps, identify the stakeholders, and develop a memorandum of understanding.