University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Professor Lisa Wainger has been appointed to the California Delta Independent Science Board. Similar in intent to the Chesapeake Bay Program, the California Delta program seeks to restore and sustain the waters, natural resources and communities in the California Bay- Delta system.
The program is managed by an independent state agency known as the Delta Stewardship Council, which by statute is responsible for appointing an advisory Independent Science Board comprised of nationally or internationally prominent scientists. In her new role, Wainger joins scientists drawn from universities across the nation and from the federal government to advise the state of California on its management of the Delta ecosystem.
“Chesapeake Biological Laboratory faculty, staff and students have a long tradition of serving the state and citizens of Maryland by serving in advisory capacities on state and regional boards, commissions and groups,” said UMCES’ Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Director Tom Miller. “We do this, in part, to meet our mission of conducting a predictive ecology for the Chesapeake Bay. But, we do this also because we are committed to making a difference and to engaging with our communities. Professor Lisa Wainger exemplifies this tradition.”
Wainger, an environmental economist, served the state and region in numerous ways. Having been a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) to the Chesapeake Bay Program since 2007, she served as its chair from 2015-2017. She has also advised the state on nutrient trading schemes, and on ecosystem restoration in and around the Port of Baltimore. Nationally, she serves on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ecosystem Science and Management Working Group. In her own research, Dr. Wainger has worked on the restoration of wetlands impacted by invasive species, and developed economically-based non-monetary benefit indicators to improve the representation of tradeoffs in natural resource policy and decision-making.
