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Funded by grants from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and The Steinman Foundation, the interdisciplinary Chesapeake Watershed Initiative (CWI) studies the legacy of human impacts on floodplains within the Chesapeake Watershed and applies its findings through targeted action focused in Lancaster County, PA. The CWI, housed at local Franklin & Marshall College, aims to understand the effects of colonial settlement, dam construction, dam removal, and restoration. The Initiative interacts with a wide variety of disciplines including history, hydrology, earth science, communications, politics, and economics to understand the complex relationship between our society and the Chesapeake Watershed. The CWI carries out its mission through a three-fold approach of research, education, and action.
CWI in the News
CWI in the News
The following articles, published on the Franklin & Marshall College website, demonstrate the excellent recent work of CWI students and faculty!
A Landmark Investment in Geosciences: Honoring Professor Robert C. Walter
A Landmark Investment in Geosciences: Honoring Professor Robert C. Walter
A transformative $2.1 million gift from an anonymous donor celebrates Franklin & Marshall’s renowned Department of Earth & Environment and the impact of its esteemed faculty. The gift establishes the Distinguished Professorship of Geosciences in honor of Robert C. Walter, Ph.D. ’75, and creates the Earth & Environment Instrument Support Endowment.
The gift shines a light on the prolific career of Dr. Earl D. Stage & Mary E. Stage Professor of Geosciences Bob Walter ’75, whose expertise in geochemistry, geochronology and hydrogeology has not only advanced the field but also shaped the lives of generations of F&M students.
AI Research Bridges Environment and Economic Studies
AI Research Bridges Environment and Economic Studies
How do you prove the economic value of clean water?
Nancy Nguyen ’26 and Vu Nguyen ’26 tackled that question with a unique combination of field research and artificial intelligence. Their area of focus is the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, North America's largest estuary.
Under the guidance of Patrick Fleming, associate professor of economics and public policy, the students used AI as a preliminary expert to gauge the influence of six different water-quality indicators on children's health, fish health and flood risk (defined as ecological goods and services).
Students Make Waves as Susquehanna River Watchdogs
Students Make Waves as Susquehanna River Watchdogs
On any given day this summer, Roselyn Ovalles ’26 and Grace Uwezukwe ’26 found themselves wading thigh-high into the waters of the Susquehanna River and its many local tributaries.
The Franklin & Marshall seniors spent several weeks interning with Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (LSRA), a watchdog nonprofit dedicated to improving the ecological health of the Susquehanna River watershed and the Chesapeake Bay.
How Floodplain Wetland Restorations Reduce Floods
How Floodplain Wetland Restorations Reduce Floods
After immense storm events hit Lancaster County in June 2026, PI Dorothy Merritts spoke on the WGAL 8 local news to explain how floodplain wetland restorations can help slow and reduce the impacts of floodwaters on local communities.
CWI work at AGU Fall Meeting 2024
CWI work at AGU Fall Meeting 2024
From our team
Professor Robert Walter
Dr. Adam Benfield
Douglas Rosa '25
From our collaborators
Anthropocene Science: What Next? II Poster
Anthropocene Science: What Next? I eLightning
Anthropogenic Choke Points Amplify Biogeochemical Hotspots Along Terrestrial-Aquatic Interfaces
"Each year, AGU’s annual meeting, the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists, convenes 25,000+ attendees from 100+ countries to share research and connect with friends and colleagues. Scientists, educators, policymakers, journalists and communicators attend AGU24 to better understand our planet and environment, opening pathways to discovery, opening greater awareness to address climate change, opening greater collaborations to lead to solutions and opening the fields and professions of science to a whole new age of justice equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging." - AGU.org
F&M Alumni at the CWI
F&M Alumni at the CWI
F&M Alumni Alice Fodor and Hannah Connuck put environmental science degrees to work at the Chesapeake Watershed Initiative. Full story by Caroline Miller available on the F&M website!
Publication: Peck et al.
Publication: Peck et al.
Back from the past? Assessment of nitrogen removal ability of buried historic wetland soils before and after a 1-year incubation on a restored floodplain
"Ultimately, our results suggest that while inclusion of historic, hydric soils and their legacy micro-biomes is valuable for N-removal in floodplain restoration, the recovery of historic, hydric soils is predictably slow, and attainment of restoration goals, such as increased denitrification, may require multiple years."
Our team in the field, investigating The Trench...
Special thanks to our sponsors
Special thanks to our sponsors
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