April 2026 STAC Meeting

April 30, 2026 - April 30, 2026

The April 2026 STAC Meeting was held virtually on Thursday, April 30th, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm Eastern (10:00am – 1:00pm Pacific).

This meeting was a Topical Meeting (see STAC Meeting Restructure). The theme of this meeting was AI and Machine Learning for Chesapeake Bay Science and Management.

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Meeting Agenda: STAC April 2026 Meeting Agenda_4.30.26

Meeting Materials

101 on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML):
The STAC Meeting will be a deep dive on AI and ML usage within Chesapeake Bay science and management. If you are not familiar with what AI and ML are and how they work, we recommend reviewing the material listed below before the meeting.

• Introduction to AI within Watershed Management given by Isabella Bertani (UMCES), Qian Zhang (UMCES), and Mike Evans (Chesapeake Conservancy) at the STAC September 2023 Meeting.
• STAC Workshop on Leveraging AI synthesized the state of AI and ML applications in Chesapeake Bay research (as of February 2025) and developed recommendations to leverage AI in achieving Bay Program restoration goals.
  • Session I from Leveraging AI Workshop provides an introductory overview of AI and ML and then looks at applications of these tools in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem
  • Executive Summary from Workshop Report (page 1)
  • CRC March Roundtable focused on the lessons and recommendations from the Leveraging AI workshop. Steering Committee Chair Qian Zhang (UMCES) and workshop speakers Alison Appling (USGS) and Jian Shen (VIMS) answered questions.
• Chesapeake Conservancy Wetland Mapping Tool uses a deep learning model to generate a probability map that predicts the likelihood of wetland presence across the landscape.
• NOAA StoryMap demonstrates how application of AI is used to help identify whale song, detect rip currents, map urban heat islands, and more.
• Global Water Intelligence Report proposes ways to manage the impacts of AI usage on clean water supply.
• Webinars from the Wetland Mapping Consortium takes a look at New Tools for Efficient and Effective Desktop Wetland Delineation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and other use examples of AI methodologies in mapping wetlands.
• Chesapeake Conservancy Solar Mapping Publication details a deep learning model developed to automatically map ground-mounted solar arrays in satellite imagery that can be used to help anticipate the location and impacts of future growth and inform synergistic siting.

STAC Business:

• Attendance Record: November 2025 – February 2026
• STAC Membership Term List
• Current Membership Contacts
• STAC Bylaws
• STAC Operational Guidelines

Presentations:

• Expert Panel: Current and emerging AI applications in Chesapeake Bay science &
  management
  • Recap of 2025 STAC AI/ML Workshop Recommendations – Qian Zhang (UMCESCBPO)
  • Land Cover/Land Use Monitoring and AI – Sarah McDonald (USGS-CBPO)
  • Emerging AI/ML Applications in Chesapeake Bay Science and Modeling – Victoria
    Coles (UMCES)
• Expert Panel: Using AI responsibly in practice: opportunities, tradeoffs, and guardrails
  • Bay in the Balance Reflections: AI, Technology, and Data Management – Matt Royer
    (Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center)
  • AI and Public Comments: Concerns, Hopes, and Current Uses – Brian Erickson
    (Oregon State University)
  • Implementation of Digital Water at HRSD – Charles Bott (HRSD)

Recordings:

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Follow-Up

Meeting Minutes:

If you have any questions, please reach out to STAC Projects Manager Tou Matthews (matthewst@chesapeake.org).