PRAD 2009 State of the River Summit
Local Challenges of Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
Friday, October 9, 2009

Dr. Donald Boesch is a biological oceanographer who has conducted research in coastal and continental shelf environments along the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, eastern Australia and the East China Sea.

Dr. Boesch received his B.S. from Tulane University and Ph.D. from the College of William & Mary. In 1980 he became the first Executive Director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), where he was also a Professor of Marine Science at Louisiana State University. In 1990 he assumed his current position as Professor of Marine Science and President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). In 2008, Dr. Boesch became Vice Chancellor for Environmental Sustainability to lead the University System's Environmental Sustainability Initiative.

Dr. Boesch's Presentation (PDF Format - opens in new window)

Dr. Curtis E. Larsen specializes in coastal and fluvial geomorphology, quaternary geology, sea level and lake-level change, archaeology, and land use analysis. Retired after 25 years with the U.S. Geological Survey, he now works on a project basis under the auspices of Geoarcheology Research Associates in Yonkers, New York.

Dr. Larsen received his B.S. in geology from the University of Illinois, his masters from Western Washington University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, both in anthropology. He has published numerous papers on a wide range of topics focusing on such divergent areas as Calvert Cliffs, the Great Lakes, and the Bahrain Islands. He has also become recognized as the expert on the geology of Calvert Cliffs.

Dr. Larsen's Presentation (PDF Format - opens in new window)

Zoë P. Johnson is the Program Manager for Climate Change Policy with the Office for a Sustainable Future at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. She is the author of various reports and publications on climate change and sea level rise adaptation, including A Sea Level Rise Response Strategy for the State of Maryland (2000). Recently, she coordinated the efforts of Maryland’s Commission on Climate Change, Adaptation and Response Working Group.

Zoë Johnson holds a B.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from Western Washington University (1992) and a M.M.A. in Coastal Zone Management from the School of Marine Affairs at the University of Washington (1998).

Dr. Johnson's Presentation (PDF Format - opens in new window)

Panel

• Mike Smolek: Director, Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum

• Kyle Rambo: Conservation Director PW Environmental Division, Patuxent River Naval Air Station

• Sue Veith: Environmental Planner, St. Mary's County Land Use and Growth Management

• Sasha Land: Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve-MD

• Jack Greer: Assistant Director for Communications and Public Affairs Maryland Sea Grant College

2009 Summit Planning Committee

• Dr. Donald Boesch

• Senator Bernie Fowler

• Dennis King - Economist, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons

• Zoë Johnson

• Sasha Land

• Dr. Curtis Larsen

• Sherrod Sturrock - Deputy Director, Calvert Marine Museum

• Fred Tutman - Patuxent Riverkeeper

Special thanks to the National Estuarine Research Reserve for supporting this event

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