 Jennifer Volk Environmental Quality Specialist; UD Cooperative Extension Chair, Chesapeake Bay Program Water Quality Goal Implementation Team

 Six-state, 64,000 square mile watershed  Home to 18 million people  10,000 miles of shoreline  Over 3,600 species of plants, fish and other animals  $750 million to local economies

 Within all 3 counties  Very rural character:  Developed 10%  Agriculture 48%  Rangeland 3%  Forest16%  Water 1%  Wetland21%  Other 1%  Small, but growing, towns

We are a partnership…  Federal agencies o Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) o US Department of Agriculture (USDA) o US Forest Service (USFS) o US Geological Survey (USGS) o US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) o And more  State agencies o Natural Resources/Environmental departments o Agricultural departments o Parks and Recreation groups o Fish and Wildlife agencies  Local Governments DNREC MDA DDA DCR DNR MDE DEQ DEP DCNR PDA DEC DAF Alphabet soup!

 Non-profit organizations o Chesapeake Bay Foundation o Center for Watershed Protection o Ducks Unlimited o National Fish and Wildlife Foundation o And more  Academic institutions o Land grant universities o Cooperative Extension programs o Sea Grant programs o Research centers and consortiums o And more

Scientific, Technical Assessment, and Reporting Partnering, Leadership & Management Maintain Healthy Watersheds Protect & Restore Water Quality Sustainable Fisheries Protect & Restore Vital Habitats Foster Chesapeake Stewardship Goal Implementation Teams Implementation Workgroups Implementation Workgroups Implementation Workgroups Implementation Workgroups Implementation Workgroups Implementation Workgroups Management Board Scientific & Technical Advisory Committee Local Government Advisory Committee Citizens’ Advisory Committee Action Teams Social Sciences Modeling Lab Action Team Diversity Action Team Chesapeake Executive Council Principals’ Staff Committee Communications Workgroup STAR Workgroups As of:

Mayor Gray, DC Gov Markell, DE Gov O’Malley, MD Admin. McCarthy, EPA Gov. Corbett, PA Gov. McAuliffe, VA Com. Miller, CBC Dir. Mandirola WV

Ches. Bay Stock Assessment Committee Stream Health Wkgp Fish Passage Wkgp Agriculture Wkgp Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Wkgp Wetland Wkgp Forestry Wkgp Land Use Wkgp Urban Stormwater Wkgp Wastewater Treatment Wkgp Watershed Technical Wkgp Decision Framework Implementation Workgroup Education Wkgp Public Access Planning Action Team Land Conservation Tracking / Landscape Team Milestone Wkgp Trading and Offsets Wkgp Maryland and Virginia Interagency Oyster Teams Invasive Catfish Task Force Tracking Wkgp BMP Verification Committee Evaluator Function Workgroup Local Engagement Wkgp Fish Habitat Action Team Forage Fish Action Team Toxic Contaminants Wkgp Citizen Stewardship Wkgp Local Leadership Workgroup Chesapeake Conservation Partnership Modeling Wkgp Indicators Wkgp Analytical Methods & Quality Assurance Wkgp Tidal Monitoring and Analysis Wkgp Nontidal Water Quality Wkgp Criteria Assessment Protocol Wkgp Building and Sustaining Integrated Networks Climate Change Wkgp Scientific, Technical Assessment, and Reporting Partnering, Leadership & Management Maintain Healthy Watersheds Protect & Restore Water Quality Sustainable Fisheries Protect & Restore Vital Habitats Foster Chesapeake Stewardship Goal Implementation Teams As of:

 Brings together diverse leaders and experts across numerous political boundaries to collaborate on achieving a common goal –a healthy bay o Consolidate and coordinate efforts o Share resources o Compliment efforts and avoid duplication  Partners come together to evaluate data, share best practices, report on progress toward goals, and make policy and management decision

 1983 Chesapeake Bay Agreement o Signed by governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia; mayor of District of Columbia; administrator of EPA; chair of Chesapeake Bay Commission o Signatories became the Executive Council  1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement o 40% nitrogen reduction by 2000  Chesapeake 2000 o Goals to reduce pollution, restore habitat, protect living resources, promote sound land use practices, and engage the public o Headwater states (Delaware, New York, West Virginia) joined the water quality restoration efforts  2014 Agreement signed June 16 th (at 2014 EC meeting)

 The Chesapeake Bay Program partners envision an environmentally and economically sustainable Chesapeake Bay watershed with clean water, abundant life, conserved lands and access to the water, a vibrant cultural heritage and a diversity of engaged citizens and stakeholders.

 The signatories will collectively work on the following goals and outcomes to advance restoration and protection of the Chesapeake ecosystem and its watershed o Goals – articulate the desired high-level aspects of the Vision o Outcomes – specific, time-bound, measureable targets that directly contribute to achieving each Goal

 Goal: Protect, restore and enhance finfish, shellfish and other living resources, their habitats and ecological relationships to sustain all fisheries and provide for a balanced ecosystem in the watershed and Bay.  Outcomes: o Blue Crab Abundance o Blue Crab Management o Oyster o Forage Fish o Fish Habitat

 Goal: Restore, enhance and protect a network of land and water habitats to support fish and wildlife, and to afford other public benefits, including water quality, recreational uses and scenic value across the watershed.  Outcomes: o Wetlands Black Duck o Stream Health Brook Trout o Fish Passage o Submerged Aquatic Vegetation o Forest Buffer o Tree Canopy

 Goal: reduce pollutants to achieve the water quality necessary to support the aquatic living resources of the Bay and its tributaries and protect human health.  Outcomes: o 2017 Watershed Implementation Plan o 2025 Watershed Implementation Plan o Water Quality Standards Attainment and Monitoring

 Goal: Ensure that the Bay and its rivers are free of effects of toxic contaminants on living resources and human health.  Outcomes: o Toxic Contaminants Research o Toxic Contaminants Policy and Prevention

 Goal: Sustain state-identified healthy waters and watersheds recognized for their high quality and/or high ecological value.  Outcomes: o Healthy Watersheds

 Goal: Increase the number and the diversity of local citizen stewards and local governments that actively support and carry out the conservation and restoration activities that achieve healthy local streams, rivers and a vibrant Chesapeake Bay.  Outcomes: o Citizen Stewardship o Local Leadership o Diversity

 Goal: Conserve landscapes treasured by citizens in order to maintain water quality and habitat; sustain working forests, farms and maritime communities; and conserve lands of cultural, indigenous and community value.  Outcomes: o Protected Lands o Land Use Methods and Metrics Development o Land Use Options Evaluation

 Goal: Expand public access to the Bay and its tributaries through existing and new local, state and federal parks, refuges, reserves, trails and partner sites.  Outcomes: o Public Access Site Development

 Goal: Enable every student in the region to graduate with the knowledge and skills to act responsibly to protect and restore their local watershed.  Outcomes: o Student o Sustainable Schools o Environmental Literacy Planning

 Goal: Increase the resiliency of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including its living resources, habitats, public infrastructure and communities, to withstand adverse impacts from changing environmental and climate conditions.  Outcomes: o Monitoring and Assessment o Adaptation

 Outline the means for accomplishing each Outcome as well as monitoring, assessing and reporting progress and coordinating actions among partners and stakeholders, as necessary. o How local governments, nonprofit and private partners will be engaged o Where actions, tools or technical support are needed to empower local governments and others to do their part o What steps will be taken to facilitate greater local participation in achieving each Outcome  Released for public comment today!

 Jennifer Volk,