On June 17, 2026, Dr. Michele Romolini, in partnership with other members of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) Leadership Team, led the BES Summer Quarterly Meeting entitled, “Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers: Organizations Connecting People to Power.” The conference room at the US Geological Survey in Catonsville, MD was packed with more than 50 researchers and practitioners (and another 40+ on Zoom!) interested in learning about how universities, government agencies, non-profits, and community organizations serve as “bridging organizations,” helping to connect scientific and technical information and community expertise to build more resilient cities. Participants included CURes’ Lisa Fimiani, who was visiting from Los Angeles, and Isabel Torres, who lives in Annapolis.
BES began in 1998 as a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. Along with Central Arizona-Phoenix (CAP), it represents the longest running urban ecology research site in the nation. Despite losing NSF funding in 2022, BES members have continued their work in the Baltimore area, stayed focused on the connections and projects that define their areas of expertise and unite the members in their purpose, as expressed through the BES value statement:
The Baltimore Ecosystem Study provides an inclusive environment that respects and embraces a culture of collaboration and flexibility so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential, resulting in work that is informed by and informs participants (those directly involved) and stakeholders (those affected) in the long-term ecological research project.
Dr. Romolini opened the half-day June meeting welcoming and reminding attendees that while BES is often known for ecological datasets such as vegetation, landcover and water quality, there also exists a robust collection of social data, including environmental governance network data that was initially collected in the Gwynns Falls Watershed in 1999 (Dalton, 2001), and through STEW-MAP in Baltimore City in 2011 and 2019 (Romolini, 2013; Sonti et al., 2023). These studies reveal how organizations collaborate and exchange resources. They also highlight the roles of various organizations in the network, including bridging organizations.
Following Dr. Romolini’s opening remarks, there were six presentations. Morgan Grove and Terris King II set the tone for the half-day meeting by examining the role of BES as a bridging organization, discussing successes and strengths but also areas where there is more opportunity to grow. They described Baltimore as “resource rich and outcome poor,” mentioning some of the “firsts” and “longest” legacies in the City, from the infamous national practice of red-lining first appearing in Baltimore, to the LTER monitoring sites in the Gwynns Falls, which features a globally significant data set tracking socio-ecological and urban watershed changes spanning multiple decades across Baltimore City and County.
Khalia Young, community engagement coordinator from the Baltimore Social-Ecological Collaborative, led with the question, “How Can BSEC Ethically Engage Participants in Science?” She described their community engagement approach for the 5-year project, and discussed the need for funding structures going beyond the traditional 1-5 year terms to establish relationships and better understand community dynamics to sufficiently address their needs.
Selena Livas from UMBC shared recent STEW-MAP findings, showcasing this US Forest Service methodology, which was developed in 2007 and has been implemented in over 25 locations worldwide. Her talk, “Baltimore STEW-MAP across time: what predicts resource sharing,” described social network analysis findings from 2011-2019, showing the types of organizations that were more likely to give or receive resources in the network over time.
CURes’ work was represented through our partners Jaline McPherson, with The Nature Conservancy, who joined online, and Ralinda Wimbush, there in person from Women of Color Outdoors. They presented our collaborative project to support Maryland’s 5 Million Trees Initiative, in particular the goal to plant 500,000 trees in urban and underserved communities by 2031. In their talk titled, “Cultivating Canopies: Co-Designing Urban Forestry with Communities,” they emphasized the importance of building reciprocal relationships and “meeting community where they are.”
Erica Pinket, joining online from the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability (BOS), embraced the “building bridges and breaking barriers” theme of the day, discussing BOS’s work to grow community resilience through careful and thoughtful program development and implementation. She also highlighted the barriers to reaching residents, such as information accessibility, transportation, and pre-existing relationships, and described actionable steps that are being taken, concluding that “everyone has a role to play” in breaking these barriers.
The National Aquarium’s Curtis Bennett and Swathia Ayyagara shared their work beyond the Aquarium, showcasing the Voyages-Art Program, a commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice, deepening their engagement in Baltimore by moving at the speed of trust, “building constellations, not stars.” They also discussed their collaborative work to establish Masonville Cove, the 1st Urban Wildlife Partnership in the nation in 2013, enhanced access to nature provided through the Environmental Education Center, and their Captain Trash Wheel program.
The half day’s event ended with a lively discussion about characteristics of an effective bridging organization, and how to move the partnerships and networks forward in Baltimore and beyond.
Dr. Romolini was delighted to have both Lisa and Isabel representing CURes during this day’s activities. Isabel has been working on developing a case study evaluating CURes’ 3-year urban forestry project with The Nature Conservancy that was presented at this meeting.
That evening, BES members were invited to join Terris King II at a celebratory event held at Maryland’s Urban Ecological Laboratory, which showcased the journey Temple X Schools traveled, starting in the middle of a pandemic, with the question that refused to wait: “what happens when we trust children – with the forest?” That entire 5-year arc of time, 2020-2025, was beautifully demonstrated in seven themed rooms and walkways with installations that literally declared what science looks like rooted in community. In 2022, out of the energy and determination generated by Temple X School’s efforts, the Baltimore Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights was born – a living document that affirmed what communities already knew and science increasingly confirms: that access to nature is not a luxury – it is a right!
The whole day bridged science and community in a way that was emblematic of the meeting theme and showed the power, presence, and impact of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. It was followed by a day-long tour of Baltimore that will be covered in a future blog post.
- For more information about the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, visit their website
- Click here for more information about CURes’ network research
- Click here for more information about CURes’ community climate resilience research