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.
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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Happy New Year! 🎉
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!
Happy New Year! 🎉
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!
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
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
Happy Holidays!
Wishing you and yours days filled with peace, joy, and warmth. May your holiday be bright, your home be full of laughter, and your heart be full of cheer!
Happy Holidays!
Wishing you and yours days filled with peace, joy, and warmth. May your holiday be bright, your home be full of laughter, and your heart be full of cheer!