Living Observatory Summits

2026: Monitoring Innovative Practice

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(registration is closing soon)
Contact Adrian Wiegman, Learning Coordinator (email: adrian@livingobservatory.org) with any questions.

Topic

Monitoring Innovative Practice In Wetland Restoration on Retired Cranberry Farms in Massachusetts.

Overview

As a community dedicated to the ecological restoration of retired cranberry bogs and coastal lands, we recognize that monitoring and communication are critical to measure, track and foster innovation in the process and practice of ecological restoration.

This summit is a working session for practitioners and researchers to share innovative restoration practices and monitoring approaches. The morning will feature two sessions with invited speakers. In Session 1, restoration project teams will reflect on circumstances and decisions that are driving innovation in wetland restoration practice and process. In Session 2, speakers will present different approaches to nitrogen monitoring and engage in a discussion on how to cost effectively scale up monitoring programs focused on water quality.

In the afternoon, there will be some open floor time in which you can introduce yourself and your organization and share news and project updates. This will be followed by breakout discussions in Session 3 to highlight what monitoring has shown us thus far, and how future monitoring might enhance restoration outcomes. Insights from the Summit will be documented in real time on our community web platform with our Insight capture tool.

Agenda

9:00 AM-9:30 AM: Coffee
9:30 AM-9:45 AM: Welcome - Housekeeping and Introductions

Adrian Wiegman (Living Observatory)

9:45 AM-10:00 AM: Kick-off, Glorianna Davenport and Brian Mayton
10:00 AM-11:20 AM: Session 1. Innovative Practices

Moderator: Glorianna Davenport
- Upper Coonamessett:
  - Sondra Shah (Interfluve)
- Cold Brook:
  - Eric Ford (MA DER CBRP)
- Marks Cove:
  - Andrea Jerabek (Mass Audubon)
  - Julianne Busa and Michael Soares (Fuss & O’Neil)
- Windswept
  - Danielle O’Dell and Karen Beattie (Nantucket Conservation Foundation)
  - Julianne Busa and Michael Soares (Fuss & O’Neil)
- Sarah Quintal (Buzzards Bay Coalition)

11:20 AM-11:30 AM: Break
11:30 AM-12:30 PM: Session 2. Monitoring Nitrogen

Moderator: Christine Hatch
- Casey Kennedy (USDA-ARS)
- Sarah Klionsky (Boston University)
- Tim McCobb (USGS)
- Scott Horsley (Tufts) and Neal Price (Horsely Witten Group)

12:30 PM-1:15 PM: Lunch
1:15 PM-1:35 PM: Open Floor Updates
1:35 PM-2:45 PM: Session 3. Breakout Discussions