2008 MAMEA Conference
Plenary Presentation & Speaker Profile
Saturday, October 25, 9:30-10:15 AM
Coastal Ecosystems of the Mid-Atlantic:
Poised on the Edge of an Uncertain
Future?
Dr. Linda Schaffner
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences
College of William & Mary
Presentation Summary
Coastal systems are poised at the edge of human activities, making them vulnerable in space. And,
ever-increasing human pressures on coastal ecosystems make them vulnerable in time. In the MidAtlantic, the list of human-induced problems includes: eutrophication; changes in community
structure (especially due to over-harvesting and disease); and shoreline modification; but not toxic
pollution, except in limited areas. Different types of coastal habitats have different vulnerabilities.
Submerged aquatic vegetation, for example is vulnerable to water turbidity, while subtidal benthic
habitats are sensitive to low oxygen and shallow benthic habitats are vulnerable to shoreline
modification and organic enrichment.
These impacts on coastal communities and ecosystems affect community structure, biodiversity
and productivity. How do we assess the status of and trends in the “health” of coastal ecosystems
and how does this information influence policy-makers? Dr. Schaffner draws on her research to
illustrate.
Professional Profile
Linda Schaffner is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Virginia Institute of
Marine Science, College of William and Mary. She earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Drew
University and master’s and doctoral degrees in marine science from the College of William and
Mary. She has spent her entire life near the coast and has always been fascinated by coastal
ecosystems. She has studied estuarine and coastal ecosystems worldwide, from Chesapeake Bay to
the Baltic Sea to the Gulf of Thailand.
Dr. Schaffner’s research includes a blend of observational and experimental studies, directed at
basic research questions and applied problems of societal concern, such as eutrophication, habitat
degradation and contaminant transport. She served for ten years as a member of the Governing
Board of The Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, including a term as President (20032005).
Schaffner also has an enduring interest in education. Since 1997, she has served as the director of
the VIMS Summer Intern Program (funded by NSF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates). In
2003, she received one of Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Awards, in recognition of her efforts to
enhance gender, racial and ethnic diversity in the field of marine science. One of her most recent
efforts in outreach education is a website focused on shallow water habitats, communities and
ecosystems of Virginia’s estuaries and bays.
The site provides information on human effects, such as pollution and eutrophication, addresses
management issues, describes methods ecologists and coastal oceanographers use to study
shallow water habitats, and offers references and websites that may be of further interest. Visit the
site at: www.vims.edu/bio/shallowwater.
2008 MAMEA Conference
Plenary Presentation & Speaker Profile
Saturday, October 25, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Impacts of Climate Change on
Natural Resources in the MidAtlantic:
Virginia as a Case Study
Dr. Roger Mann
Director of Research and Advisory Services
Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences
College of William & Mary
Presentation Summary
Global warming is the societal challenge of our generation. The climate predictors for the MidAtlantic region and the Commonwealth of Virginia in particular, when distilled from global models,
vary from: warmer and dryer; to warmer and wetter; or simply warmer with a redistributed rainfall
pattern to include a greater frequency of serious weather events.
Virginia sits at a number of important biological community boundaries where animal and plant
types, both terrestrial and aquatic, change in both north-south and east-west directions. Climate,
and particularly temperature, is a causative agent in determining these boundaries. In this
presentation, we will take a proverbial walk across Virginia from the foothills of the Appalachians to
the Atlantic coastal shelf, pausing along the way to examine these various communities and the
climate-related changes within them, and posing questions as to the biological end points that will
result from these changes.
Professional Profile
Roger Mann is Professor of Marine Science and Director of Research and Advisory Services at the
Virginia Institute of Marine Science. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University
of East Anglia in England, and a Doctorate in Marine Science from Bangor University in Wales. He
was a postdoctoral scholar and staff scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in
Woods Hole, Massachusetts before joining the faculty of the College of William and Mary at the
Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 1985.
Dr. Mann has broad interests in fisheries science, larval ecology, biology of invasive species, and
the impacts of climate change on natural resources. He heads the Molluscan Ecology Program
within the VIMS Department of Fisheries Science. This dynamic program provides research-based
advisory service to the Commonwealth of Virginia for oyster biology, ecology and restoration
issues. Additionally, its studies address benthic and pelagic molluscs found locally in the
Chesapeake Bay (hard clams, squid, whelks including the invasive rapa whelk), the ecological
communities associated with these molluscs, as well as coastal and off-shore molluscan species
and communities. Program research strives to understand the biological, ecological, and fishery
impacts of the animals of interest and apply that knowledge toward restoration, management, and
educational issues.
Mann’s awards include the 1994 Chesapeake Bay Commission Tribute to Excellence for “...official
recognition of significant contributions to the management and protection of the Chesapeake Bay”,
the School of Marine Science Outstanding Teacher Award in 2001, and the 2003 Kirby Lang Visiting
Professor in Marine Science, Bangor University, Wales.
2008 MAMEA Conference
Plenary Presentation & Speaker Profile
Friday, October 24, 7:30-8:15 PM
“A Little Nature Show” –
Possibilities for Internet,
Interactive, Environmental
Education – and Fun!
Judy Fieth & Michael Male
Blue Earth Films & BirdFilms.com
Presentation Summary
Filmmakers Michael Male and Judy Fieth of Blue Earth Films are well known for their work
documenting the coastal habitats and wildlife of the Mid-Atlantic Region in videos like “Lives of the
Wet and Muddy” and many others. In their MAMEA presentation, they describe the challenges of
making natural history films as they review their nearly 30 years in film-making.
And, Male and Fieth will describe and illustrate one of their projects in progress – a close-up look at
the coastal ecosystems that surround them on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. With new internet
technology making videos ever more accessible to teachers, students and the public at large, it’s
this project that has inspired the idea for "A Little Nature Show," which could utilize much of their
footage in a fun and educational way for kids and curious grown-ups.
The filmmakers are very interested in hearing from educators about how they use videos in
teaching. After the presentation, MAMEA attendees are invited to engage Michael and Judy in an
informal “Meet the Filmmakers” session.
Professional Profile
Michael Male and Judy Fieth have been working together on natural history films since 1980. They
met and learned filmmaking in New York City where they worked on camera and editing crews for
documentaries with subjects ranging from caribou to Luciano Pavarotti and the Winter Olympics.
Their first independent production, "Return of the Osprey," was completed in 1984 and broadcast
on NOVA in the U.S. and on the BBC's "Horizon" in the U.K. Since then, they have made several
programs for National Geographic Television, PBS’ NATURE, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
for museum and aquarium exhibits. Male and Fieth have contributed to many of the television
series presented by David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit. These include "Life of
Birds," "Triumph of Life," "The Blue Planet," "Planet Earth," and the recently completed "Life in Cold
Blood." A project familiar to many MAMEA marine educators is their production “Lives of the Wet
and Muddy,” which beautifully covered the marine and estuarine life of the Mid-Atlantic region.
Their labor of love is a detailed look at all of the birds of North America. The first of these DVD
guides, "Watching Warblers," was finished in 1996 and "Watching Waders," and "Watching
Sparrows" have followed. "Watching Warblers - West" is in the editing stage and Shorebirds and
Ducks are being filmed. These products are available via: www.birdfilms.com.