diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/VariantEvalWalker.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/VariantEvalWalker.java
index 3a67fd5d7..4fc7a1f41 100755
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/VariantEvalWalker.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/VariantEvalWalker.java
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ public class VariantEvalWalker extends RodWalker<Integer, Integer> implements Tr
      */
     @Override
     public Integer map(RefMetaDataTracker tracker, ReferenceContext ref, AlignmentContext context) {
-        for ( NewEvaluationContext nec : evaluationContexts.values() ) {
+        for ( final NewEvaluationContext nec : evaluationContexts.values() ) {
             synchronized (nec) {
                 nec.update0(tracker, ref, context);
             }
diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/NewEvaluationContext.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/NewEvaluationContext.java
index c34e44516..f9d8e437b 100755
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/NewEvaluationContext.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/NewEvaluationContext.java
@@ -10,29 +10,17 @@ import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.exceptions.ReviewedStingException;
 import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.exceptions.StingException;
 import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.variantcontext.VariantContext;
 
-import java.util.HashMap;
-import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.TreeMap;
+import java.util.*;
 
 public class NewEvaluationContext extends HashMap<VariantStratifier, String> {
-    public TreeMap<String, VariantEvaluator> evaluationInstances;
-
-    public String toString() {
-        String value = "";
-
-        for ( VariantStratifier key : this.keySet() ) {
-            value += "\t" + key.getName() + ":" + this.get(key) + "\n";
-        }
-
-        return value;
-    }
+    private Map<String, VariantEvaluator> evaluationInstances;
 
     public void addEvaluationClassList(VariantEvalWalker walker, StateKey stateKey, Set<Class<? extends VariantEvaluator>> evaluationClasses) {
-        evaluationInstances = new TreeMap<String, VariantEvaluator>();
+        evaluationInstances = new LinkedHashMap<String, VariantEvaluator>(evaluationClasses.size());
 
-        for ( Class<? extends VariantEvaluator> c : evaluationClasses ) {
+        for ( final Class<? extends VariantEvaluator> c : evaluationClasses ) {
             try {
-                VariantEvaluator eval = c.newInstance();
+                final VariantEvaluator eval = c.newInstance();
                 eval.initialize(walker);
 
                 if (eval.stateIsApplicable(stateKey)) {
@@ -47,11 +35,11 @@ public class NewEvaluationContext extends HashMap<VariantStratifier, String> {
     }
 
     public TreeMap<String, VariantEvaluator> getEvaluationClassList() {
-        return evaluationInstances;
+        return new TreeMap<String, VariantEvaluator>(evaluationInstances);
     }
 
     public void apply(RefMetaDataTracker tracker, ReferenceContext ref, AlignmentContext context, VariantContext comp, VariantContext eval) {
-        for ( VariantEvaluator evaluation : evaluationInstances.values() ) {
+        for ( final VariantEvaluator evaluation : evaluationInstances.values() ) {
             // we always call update0 in case the evaluation tracks things like number of bases covered
 
             // the other updateN methods don't see a null context
@@ -79,7 +67,7 @@ public class NewEvaluationContext extends HashMap<VariantStratifier, String> {
     }
 
     public void update0(RefMetaDataTracker tracker, ReferenceContext ref, AlignmentContext context) {
-        for ( VariantEvaluator evaluation : evaluationInstances.values() ) {
+        for ( final VariantEvaluator evaluation : evaluationInstances.values() ) {
             evaluation.update0(tracker, ref, context);
         }
     }
diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/VariantEvalUtils.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/VariantEvalUtils.java
index f9e740576..91c7140e6 100755
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/VariantEvalUtils.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/varianteval/util/VariantEvalUtils.java
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ public class VariantEvalUtils {
      * @return a map of all the evaluation contexts
      */
     public HashMap<StateKey, NewEvaluationContext> initializeEvaluationContexts(Set<VariantStratifier> stratificationObjects, Set<Class<? extends VariantEvaluator>> evaluationObjects, Stack<VariantStratifier> stratStack, NewEvaluationContext ec) {
-        HashMap<StateKey, NewEvaluationContext> ecs = new HashMap<StateKey, NewEvaluationContext>();
+        HashMap<StateKey, NewEvaluationContext> ecs = new LinkedHashMap<StateKey, NewEvaluationContext>();
 
         if (stratStack == null) {
             stratStack = new Stack<VariantStratifier>();