Stories by Marisa Baldine

Marisa joined the Chesapeake Research Consortium in 2020, as the Environmental Management Staffer to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Communications Office. Marisa will manage the Communications Workgroup, create content for the Chesapeake Bay Program website, and assist with the creation and implementation of social media content. Marisa earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from John Carroll University. Marisa was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and strives to help create healthy, vibrant communities connected to the natural world.

How do road salts impact Chesapeake critters?

January 30, 2023

A wood frog visits a vernal pool in Chesapeake Beach, Md., on March 10, 2019. Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that attract a range of amphibians, which use the fish-free environment to spawn and reproduce. Amphibians that breed early in the year, like the wood frog are particularly vulnerable to contamination from road salts.

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A wood frog sticks it head above the surface of the water. It can be identified by the characteristic black marking on its face that resembles a robber’s mask and white upper lip. The frog is surrounded by water.

These spooky spiders are master engineers

October 14, 2022

A female yellow garden spider stands over prey wrapped in in silk in her web. (Photo courtesy of Rik Brittain/iNaturalist CC BY-NC)

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A female yellow garden spider with black and yellow legs and a grey, brown and yellow abdomen stands in her web against a green background of plants. The spider stands over an insect that has been trapped in her web and wrapped in silk.