Get To Know Us

Our mission, values, and interdisciplinary team.

Our Mission

To broaden the community of people aware of and fighting to reduce nitrogen pollution.

We humanize nitrogen pollution through authentic capacity building, real-life storytelling linked with data, and equipping communities to drive change.

Our Values

BlueGAP particularly focuses on communities that experience continuing challenges with nitrogen pollution.

About BlueGAP

Who We Are

BlueGAP is short for the Blue-Green Action Platform. We started in 2021 as a small research group whose goal was to co-develop a framework for communication about improving the quality of earth’s watersheds, between different stakeholders representing grassroots level coastal and upstream communities, academia, industry, non-profit, and government.

All land and water is connected in some way, making this a Blue and Green Economy world. Having expert knowledge of how upstream land-based activities (Green Economy) impact water quantity and quality downstream (Blue Economy), the group explored linkages and dynamics between coastal and upstream communities that experience continuing challenges with nitrogen pollution. We soon discovered an effective formula for assembling a platform that drives change:

Stories + Data = Action

BlueGAP has grown into a team of engineers, marine scientists, anthropologists, mass communication experts, lawyers and policy analysts from academic, quasi-governmental, and non-profit organizations, as well as community and private sector organizations.

We are committed to convergence research approaches to engage and incorporate external groups that contribute ideas, stories, and solutions to BlueGAP.

Executive Team

David Cwiertny

Executive Team

Heather Hopkins

Executive Team

Maya Trotz

Executive Team

Team Members

Munachim Amah

Team Member

Marcus Beck

Team Member

Maya Burke

Team Member

Jewel Cumberbatch

Team Member

Brittany Davis

Team Member

Ibrahim Demir

Team Member

Nkem Dike

Team Member

Alexis Doerr

Team Member

Javier Espinosa

Team Member

Richard Frailing

Team Member

McArthur Freeman

Team Member

Royal Gardner

Team Member

Kate Giannini

Team Member

Eric Gidal

Team Member

Adrian Gronseth

Team Member

Sherilyne Jones

Team Member

Liv Kane

Team Member

Jaclyn Lopez

Team Member

Steven Meyers

Team Member

Kendall Moore

Team Member

Tiara Moore

Team Member

Frank Muller Karger

Team Member

Ellen Oliver

Team Member

VFixmer Oraiz

Team Member

Estenia Ortiz Carabantes

Team Member

Desa Philadelphia

Team Member

Adelina Pineda Canganelli

Team Member

Katherine Pratt

Team Member

Christy Prouty

Team Member

Clara Reynen

Team Member

Evan Smith

Team Member

Walter Smith

Team Member

Kaden Stonge

Team Member

Maryam Torkashvand

Team Member

Kelcie Troutman

Team Member

Hillary Van Dyke

Team Member

Seth Watkins

Team Member

Ryan Watson

Team Member

Becky Zarger

Team Member

Our Partners

Researchers from the University of South Florida come from the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Anthropology, and Marine Science. Their expertise includes green infrastructure, transdisciplinary education, food-energy-water systems, environmental justice, socio-environmental systems, community-engaged research, coastal sustainability, ethnographic research, marine biodiversity, nutrient dynamics, and ocean policy.

Researchers from the University of Iowa come from the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, and English. They bring expertise in water quality and water treatment, environmental health and policy, hydroinformatics, cyberinfrastructure, information, intelligent systems, visualization, visual arts, literature, media studies, and environmental history.

Black in Marine Science (BIMS) is a non-profit organization with the goal of highlighting and amplifying Black voices in the field of marine science, encouraging younger generations, and shedding light on the lack of diversity in marine science.

Stetson College of Law supports several centers and institutes, including the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, and the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication. Their team will develop a Nitrogen Regulatory Framework Treatise that will examine nitrogen management and regulation at the national level, as well as in specific watersheds in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) is a national leader in applying robust, reproducible science and compelling storytelling to drive community decisions and individual behaviors for the benefit of cleaner waters, thriving habitat,,s and abundant wildlife—all of which sustain our economy and way of life in the Tampa Bay region.

The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. We fulfill our mission chiefly by making grants. NSF is tasked with keeping the U.S. at the leading edge of discovery in science and engineering, to the benefit of all, without barriers to participation.

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Wishing everyone a year ahead filled with joy, success, and amazing new adventures! Cheers to a new year of stewardship and commitment to protecting earth's natural resources!

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Wishing everyone a year ahead filled with joy, success, and amazing new adventures! Cheers to a new year of stewardship and commitment to protecting earth`s natural resources!
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Community-led conservation efforts in culturally significant locations inspire local pride, environmental stewardship, and a lasting commitment to protecting shared spaces. Learn more from one of our community members in our full video available on our YouTube channel!
#Video #CommunityAction #CommunityConservation #ProtectNature #MakeADifference #EnvironmentalPride  #Stewardship #StCroix #USVI #KelcieTroutman #BlueGAP

Community-led conservation efforts in culturally significant locations inspire local pride, environmental stewardship, and a lasting commitment to protecting shared spaces. Learn more from one of our community members in our full video available on our YouTube channel!
#Video #CommunityAction #CommunityConservation #ProtectNature #MakeADifference #EnvironmentalPride #Stewardship #StCroix #USVI #KelcieTroutman #BlueGAP
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Want to protect the natural places you love? Find strength in your community! 
#Reel #VideoTrailer #CommunityAction #CommunityConservation #ProtectNature #MakeADifference #EnvironmentalPride  #Stewardship #StCroix #USVI #KelcieTroutman #BlueGAP

Want to protect the natural places you love? Find strength in your community!
#Reel #VideoTrailer #CommunityAction #CommunityConservation #ProtectNature #MakeADifference #EnvironmentalPride #Stewardship #StCroix #USVI #KelcieTroutman #BlueGAP
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