Portfolio VII: Understanding Contaminants

Managing for Success

Maryland Sea Grant has played an integral role in CBEEC and the TRP since its inception. A variety of program resources have been utilized at all levels of the CBEEC effort. While TRP funding is categorized as a pass though award, the historical involvement of Sea Grant and its partners represents a strong model for developing regional programs and extending outcomes through leveraged activities and outreach. Maryland Sea

Program Management

Senior administration of MDSG (Director and Assistant Director for Research) has been closely involved with CBEEC since its inception. The development and maintenance of the regional partnership underlying the effort represents a strong programmatic commitment. Over the past 3 years a considerable investment has been made in the development of the strategic plan as well as the underlying concepts leading to the CERP program currently in place. This effort has involved close coordination with regional partners (particularly Virginia Sea Grant and NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office) to enfranchise stakeholders in numerous communities and facilitate program development. It represents a very viable model for how regional efforts can be nurtured and run successfully.

Grant Administration

Maryland Sea Grant, in conjunction with its counterpart in Virginia has been responsible for all aspect of the administration of TRP awards. This extends from the solicitation for proposals, selection of meritorious projects (via an external panel process involving pre- and full proposals) and monitoring of all subsequent award activities. Close coordination at all levels of the process has been maintained between Sea Grant programs, federal sponsors and other CBEEC members.

Communications & Outreach

Maryland Sea Grant has made a long-term commitment to providing outreach for the CBEEC effort. Facilitated workshops led by MDSG staff and extension faculty have lead not only to consensus building among scientific stakeholders and managers, but products for the print media (including reports as well as articles in Marine Notes). The program maintains a strong web presence in this area as well. Involvement of senior Sea Grant staff in the activities of the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program's Toxic Subcommittee has increased and MDSG has provided the TSC with a new education brief focusing on the issue of contaminants. Development of these briefs involved detailed review by scientists and managers. The effort by MDSG communicators as Co-PIs in CERP demonstrates the continuing commitment to these activities.

Additional Funding For Contaminant Research

Given the amount of funding available through the CBEEC Program, MDSG has chosen not to make substantial investments through the Omnibus Process. With that in mind, the program made early (pre-CBEEC) investments (1990-1992) in research conducted by Dr. J. Baker (UMCES/CBL) who was the first to begin to characterize the influence of organic matter dynamics on the cycling of toxic organic contaminants and contributed the initial characterization of levels of organic contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay. Recently (2000-2002) the program recognized a very innovative small-scale effort by Dr. Brian Bradley at University of Maryland, Baltimore County who has been funded to investigate proteome variability in oysters undergoing metal stress (R/TX-01). The research will demonstrate the feasibility of using protein expression signatures to diagnose the impact of specific metal stressors on oysters in a variable environment. Applications of this technology are extremely broad and have great potential for the development of novel biosensors.