The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) will host a workshop to facilitate a dialogue amongst scientists, government representatives, local practitioners and community organizations actively working in the area of water resources infrastructure in urban watersheds. The purpose of the workshop will be to build upon local knowledge and initiatives to advance the understanding of urban ecosystem dynamics. The workshop provides an opportunity to identify issues, research areas, and projects that link the developing research framework of BES and other groups with the needs and planning activities of local agencies. A summary report of key workshop findings and potential areas for collaboration will be prepared as a LTER report. An outline of the logistics for implementation and periodic review of a set of collaborative projects will also be included.

To focus the workshop, the term infrastructure will be limited to the system that controls the conveyance and storage of water within a developing watershed, but is intended to address more than structural interventions of the natural system. The context of the presentations and discussion is broadly defined to integrate the physical, ecological and social aspects of infrastructure, and the processes and mechanisms that control the feedback amongst these components.