This report presents a summary of the forest condition data collected in 2007 by the National Capital Region Network Inventory and Monitoring Program. Forest condition was monitored on 100 forest plots randomly located throughout the National Capital Region. This data is part of a long term forest monitoring effort that will include 400 forest plots. One hundred plots will be monitored each year, and any particular plot will be monitored once every four years. As this is the first time that these plots are monitored only status data but not trend data is available.

In 2000, the National Capital Region Inventory and Monitoring Network (NCRN) initiated a deer monitoring program to collect information on deer densities. The program is carried out through fall spotlight surveys in Antietam National Battlefield, Catoctin Mountain Park, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park- Gold Mine Tract, George Washington Memorial Parkway - Great Falls Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Monocacy National Park, National Capital Parks - East (Greenbelt and Piscataway units), Prince William Forest Park, and Rock Creek Park. Pellet-group counts are used in Harpers Ferry National Historic Park because of the lack of a road network. This report summarizes and analyzes the fall 2007 spotlight surveys and the 2007 fall-winter pellet-group count.

Consider that out there, somewhere, amongst the vastness of the seas, lives a single shark who swims, hunts, sleeps, thinks, and dreams...who may be dong any one of these activities at the same time you yourself are swimming, hunting, sleeping, thinking, and dreaming. Curious, isn't it? That both can share the same earth and do the same thing at the same time? We have some interesting commonalities. The first book by Dr. Jaws is Carcharhinus obscurus.

Did you ever hear of a fish that can whistle? Or a fish that can move a boulder? You can read about them in I Like the Fish, second in a series of picture books for 4- to 8-year-olds that explores the whimsical side of nature, with colorful pictures and clever text, portraying fish and their idiosyncrasies.

Artificial reefs are human-made structures that are either deliberately or unintentionally submerged underwater, commonly with the result of mimicking some characteristics of a natural reef. Artificial reefs alter local habitat by providing hard substrate and complex vertical relief where typically none previously existed (Bohnsack and Sutherland 1985, Sheehy and Vik 1992, Sheehy and Vik 2010). They may be created from a variety of sources and materials including the intentional sinking of ships and barges, rubble, concrete, rocks, stone, boulders, steel, and metal, etc. (Baine 2001). They may also be created through unintentional means (e.g., shipwrecks that can become historical in nature) and through structures built for other purposes (e.g., decommissioned oil and gas platforms, breakwaters1, jetties, bridges, offshore lighthouses, air force towers, navigational aids, marine data buoys, etc.). These various materials have benefits and drawbacks when used in artificial reef construction.

The authors detail why monitoring the current status and population trends of fish communities and their habitats is an important tool for preserving and conserving aquatic resources in the national parks. The framework for monitoring small streams located in HTLN parks is directed towards maintaining their ecological integrity, which will be assessed through periodic monitoring of fish communities, physical habitat, and water quality. The authors describe the protocol which has been designed to incorporate the spatial relationship of biotic indicators with chemical constituents and physical habitat.

Our story highlights one of Clay Pond's enemies. But like a prism, there are many ways to view things. It's easy just to write off all of your enemies. Some we will see here in our story have a deeper purpose. Even a dark cloud could have its silver lining. Big Black is just one of many visitors who have become permanent residents here. Be sure and share these Clay Pond stories with friends or even your teachers.

This research is part of the Socioeconomic Research & Monitoring Program for the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. In 2010, a baseline study of users and non-users of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) was initiated. Mail surveys were designed in 2010 and implemented in 2011 and 2012. The study provides baseline data on the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of users and non-users of GRNMS in regard to management strategies and regulations. It also provides information on socioeconomic/demographic profiles, activity participation and use of coastal and ocean waters off the Georgia coast both inside and outside GRNMS. The surveys collected data on sources of public information on GRNMS used and the amount of trust in sources used, familiarity with GRNMS rules and regulations, and attitudes about selected management strategies for coastal and ocean resources both inside and outside GRNMS. For users of GRNMS, perceptions of resource conditions were also addressed.

The seagrass meadows of the Northeast Coast of Brazil have the greatest area, biomass, biometrics and diversity of the Brazilian Coast. In this region, the seagrass diversity and plasticity may vary due to differences in environmental factors. Some natural aspects of the coastal environment or that which affect the coastal zone, mainly climatic (seasons of rains and winds) and geomorphological (bathymetry and substrate type), cause variations in seasonality and plasticity of the species, respectively. Chapter One in this book on aquatic ecosystems summarises the available information concerning how seagrass vary along the Northeast Coast of Brazil, as well as other ecological information. Chapter Two presents a brief historical overview of biological indicators, considering the assessment of water quality through microalgae from an environmental perspective and their role as natural bioindicators of the effects of eutrophication. Chapter Three provides a mixing zone analysis of surface brine discharges in coastal waters. Chapter Four studies the effect of low salinity on intertidal blue mussels from the White Sea.

The billfish is fixed at the apex of the oceanic food chain. Composed of sailfish, marlin, spearfish, and swordfish, they roam the pelagic waters of the Atlantic and are easily recognized by their long, spear-like beaks. Noted for their speed, size, and acrobatic jumps, billfish have for centuries inspired a broad spectrum of society. Even in antiquity, Aristotle, who assiduously studied the swordfish, named this gladiator of the sea xiphias - the sword. The Billfish Story tells the saga of this unique group of fish and those who have formed bonds with them - relationships forged by anglers, biologists, charter-boat captains, and conservationists through their pursuit, study, and protection of these species. More than simply reciting important discoveries, Stan Ulanski argues passionately that billfish occupy a position of unique importance in our culture as a nexus linking natural and human history. Ulanski, both a scientist and an angler, brings a rich background to the subject in a multifaceted approach that will enrich not only readers appreciation of billfish but the whole of the natural world.