About Samantha Baxter

Samantha M. Baxter is a Writer and the Managing Editor for Fondriest Environmental. She is in the process of obtaining B.A. degrees in Integrated Language Arts Education and Political Science at Wright State University. She was hired as an intern in the spring of 2022 and has continued to work as a writer and editor for the Environmental Monitor, FishSens Magazine and other Fondriest Environmental pages. As a writer, Samantha works with researchers from across the country to craft stories that highlight their work and its impacts. As an editor, Samantha works with graphic designers, fellow writers, and various environmental professionals to create unique content for Fondriest Environmental. Samantha enjoys swimming, running, reading and playing video games in her free time.

Articles By Samantha Baxter

Core sampling for environmental chemistry in the Klamath Reservoirs.

Lakes

Data-Driven Decisions: Tracking Sediment during the Klamath Dam Removal

The largest dam removal in U.S. history, the deconstruction of the Klamath Dam is slated to begin this summer. The project includes four dams along the Klamath River with the first and smallest dam, Copco #2, scheduled for removal first. As each of the dams are torn down, scientists...

  • Posted September 25, 2023
A water research analyst prepares an EXO1 Sonde for spot sampling.

Lakes

From the Tap: Source Water Monitoring for Public Health

In regions with historically secure access to clean drinking water, few think about the work that goes into ensuring that the water they fill their cups with is safe. In reality, millions of dollars are invested in the infrastructure, equipment and teams involved in converting source water into drinking...

  • Posted September 18, 2023
Data buoy in seemingly clean water, but the white foamy scum on the water surface contained high concentrations of cyanobacteria (MIcrocystis aeruginosa), a tell-tale indicator or harmful algal blooms.

Earth

Before and After Harmful Algal Blooms: Long-Term Monitoring and Modeling in Otsego Lake

Throughout the years, harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Laurentian Great Lakes have been meticulously documented and closely studied due to their annual appearance across the basin. While these blooms have become a recurrent issue in the Great Lakes region, many lakes worldwide are now facing harmful algal blooms...

  • Posted August 28, 2023
Co-founder and CEO of ecoSPEARS Sergie Albino standing in front of a small pond holding his remediation tool, ecoSPEARS.

Earth

Redefining Remediation: ecoSPEARS’ Green Solution for a Cleaner Future

An environmental remediation strategy that has the potential to remove PCBs, dioxins, PAHs, DDT and other persistent toxins permanently may sound too good to be true, but recent innovations introduce a solution that removes these chemicals from the environment forever. This potential to change the industry forever is what...

  • Posted August 14, 2023
Upper Scioto River nutrient sampling site in Kenton, OH. This site does not have a building, so the X2 data logger and sondes, located down in the river, are powered by the solar panel.

Lakes

Data in Action: Heidelberg’s Nutrient Monitoring in Great Lakes Tributaries

In the early hours of the morning, when most people have yet to hit snooze for the first time, water sampling sites across Ohio are awake and actively collecting nutrient data. The samplers are active at noon, eight in the evening and four in the morning, but very few...

  • Posted August 7, 2023
NRCan wildfire researchers conducting fieldwork in Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories

Earth

Predicting and Responding to Wildfires: Canada’s Scientific Approach to Fire Management

High temperatures and prolonged dry spells lead to increased chances of wildfires sparking across the world. In order to combat fires, federal and local governments have developed fire management programs and policies to prevent and respond to wildland fires. Many of these policies and strategies are influenced by research...

  • Posted July 31, 2023
rooftop air monitoring site with DEC and DOH equipment.

Earth

Clearing the Air: Insights into New York’s Air Quality Monitoring Network and Strategies

“AIR QUALITY ALERT” warnings dominate television screens across the U.S. as pollen counts climb and air pollution worsens. While stories cautioning against people going outside and increases in air contaminants skyrocket mostly during the summer, air quality monitoring occurs year-round and has been for decades. Dirk Felton, a research...

  • Posted July 10, 2023
Aeration equipment deployed within Leslie Run.

Earth

Monitoring Healing: Environmental Cleanup and Community Resilience in East Palestine

On February 3rd, 2023, East Palestine was devastated by a train derailment that led to the introduction of hazardous materials into the air, soil and waterways. Around 9:00 pm, an overheated wheel bearing led to the derailment of 38 Norfolk Southern rail cars, 11 of which contained hazardous materials. Local...

  • Posted June 21, 2023
A Chemists Without Borders volunteer, wearing a bright orange scarf, takes a break from her work and washes at one of the many hand-pumped wells in the area.

Earth

Establishing a Water Sharing Program in Bangladesh: Solving the Largest Mass Poisoning in History

People in rural communities across the world rely on wells, but not all contain safe drinking water. In Bangladesh, many of their shallow wells are contaminated with the poisonous metalloid, arsenic. Arsenic is tasteless, odorless, and colorless, and has contaminated many wells in SE Asia, particularly in rural Bangladesh....

  • Posted June 12, 2023
Webcam sentinels stand watch over the new eruption within Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea volcano, in the early morning hours of January 6, 2023. USGS photo taken from the south rim.

Earth

Monitoring Volcanic Activity in Hawaii: Safeguarding Public Safety with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

The eight main Hawaiian Islands are made up of 15 volcanoes, six of which are active as of 2023. Many locals live on or near an active volcano, making the monitoring and understanding of volcanic activity a core issue of public safety on the islands. Organizations like the Hawaiian...

  • Posted May 29, 2023
Environmental Monitor Winter 2023: Protecting Biodiversity through Monitoring

Earth

Winter 2023 Environmental Monitor Available Now

From endangered freshwater mussels in the U.S. to vegetation in the Amazon Rainforest, the latest edition highlights the importance of biodiversity.

  • Posted March 2, 2023
Aquatic vegetation blooming on the surface of a reservoir in Brazil.

Earth

The Art of Sustainable Development: Monitoring Riparian Zones in the Amazon

As concerns for the planet’s future rise to the front pages of newspapers across the globe, so has the demand for science-based solutions to preserve and protect the earth and its resources. Sustainable development focuses on balancing the necessary harms of land use for global needs with environmental conservation....

  • Posted February 20, 2023
Twenty-four trained Weed Watcher volunteers took to Newfound Lake as part of the lake-wide Weed Stampede, surveying for invasive aquatic plants. During the two-day event, volunteers paddled 78.5 miles and surveyed over 60% of the lake’s near-shore area

Earth

Small-Scale Monitoring for Large-Scale Impacts: Building Storm Resilience in the Newfound Lake Region

Dynamic and healthy ecosystems can become center points for towns, cities, and entire regions—such is the case in the Newfound Lake Region.

  • Posted December 19, 2022
A blue Sevenson dredger on the water

Technology

Environmental Dredging and Remedial Construction

Dredging has become increasingly more important as pollutants impact wildlife and communities living near and far from water.

  • Posted October 3, 2022
Sericomyrmex amabilis farmer ant worker atop her fungus garden. This species is host to guest ant social parasite

Earth

The Coevolutionary Arms Race: Fungus-Growing Ants and Social Parasites

Thinking about how to eradicate social parasites is common, but there is a lot to learn from parasites--they’re drivers of selection shaping populations.

  • Posted September 12, 2022
Researchers installing a Surface elevation table (SET) at Piermont Marsh, Rockland County. HRNERR uses this to measure sediment accrual in the Marsh

Wetlands

Health, Resilience and Stewardship in the Hudson River: Responding to Climate Emergencies

HRNERR is dedicated to improving the health of the Hudson River through education, training, restoration, monitoring, and research programs.

  • Posted August 29, 2022
reef balls, which help with coastal restoration, being installed in upper Narragansett Bay

Earth

Coastal Restoration in Rhode Island

TNC programs and projects rely on continuous monitoring to ensure that coastal restoration and habitat enhancement initiatives are successful.

  • Posted August 8, 2022
Environmental Monitor Spring 2022 page spread

Earth

Summer 2022 Environmental Monitor Available Now

From the continuous monitoring occurring in the Susquehanna River Basin region of the United States to a volcanic crater lake in Costa Rica, thelatest edition of the Environmental Monitor covers a variety of remote monitoring methods.

  • Posted July 11, 2022
Water Pollution

Lakes

Monitoring Water Pollution in Keweenaw Bay

Water pollution is not a niche concern of scientists but is instead a concern for all people, regardless of proximity to water.

  • Posted July 5, 2022
Diver holding a bag of mussels during an endangered mussel survey dive

Lakes

Protecting Endangered Species: Conducting Mussel Surveys

Endangered mussel surveys are a necessary step in project planning because the distribution of mussels and species assemblage relative to a planned project is critical to completing the required environmental documentation while protecting native species.

  • Posted June 21, 2022