Maryland's Chesapeake & Coastal Program News

Volume 3, Issue 1

November 2010

IN THIS ISSUE

CCP SPOTLIGHT: RESTORING CHESAPEAKE BAY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

CCP's DRAFT 309 2011-2015 ASSESSMENT & STRATEGY RELEASED

IN THE ZONE is a service from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Chesapeake & Coastal Program that delivers timely information, tools and resources to those who live, work and play in Maryland's coastal zone.

CCP SPOTLIGHT: RESTORING CHESAPEAKE BAY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

Maryland's Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund

CCP Spotlight is a feature of the In the Zone e-mail service that highlights programs that have been developed by the Chesapeake & Coastal Program or through partnership and support from federal, state and local partners helping to advance coastal management in Maryland.

Docks

The Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund (Trust Fund) finances a variety of practices that help reduce nutrient and sediment in the Bay and its tributaries. In addition to agricultural practices, such as cover crops, buffer planting and animal waste management, the Trust Fund has helped seven Maryland Communities clean up their local rivers and streams:

In the Little Patuxent watershed, Howard County and Columbia Association have received over $2.7M for the implementation of their local watershed restoration plans.
Anne Arundel County received $840,000 for stormwater retrofits in the Magothy River watershed.
Wheel Creek, part of the Bush River, received over $500,000 for ultra-targeted BMP implementation, managed by Harford County.
Talbot County and Maryland Cooperative Extension are working together to implement stormwater and residential nonpoint source reduction practices in the Tred Avon. The County has received $480,000 for this effort.
Baltimore City and Parks & People Foundation are implementing ultra-urban BMPs in the subwatershed known as Watershed 263 with over $840,000 in Trust Fund dollars.
The Middle Chester Partnership, consisting of Kent County, Chester River Association, Ducks Unlimited, Kent County Soil Conservation District, and Washington College are working to implement their watershed restoration action strategies (WRAS) through a series of innovative agricultural BMPs, septic upgrades, and wetland restoration with $880,000.
And finally, Queen Anne's County, Town of Centreville, and the Corsica River Conservancy are continuing work done through the Corsica initiative, focusing on stormwater with over $500,000.

Local communities interested in learning more about the Trust Fund as well as the resources available through Maryland's Watershed Assistance Collaborative are invited to visit CCP's Trust Fund webpage. There you can access the Annual Work and Expenditure Plan, view all the projects funded through the Trust Fund to date, and learn about available planning, design and engineering grants.

CCP'S DRAFT 2011-2015 ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY RELEASED

Public Comment Period is Open

The Maryland Chesapeake & Coastal Program (CCP) recently issued the Draft 2011-2015 Coastal Zone Section 309 Assessment and Strategy, prepared as part of the

NOAA Coastal Zone Enhancement Grants Program. The outlined strategies will improve the State's ability to plan for climate change, protect critical coastal resources and foster clean coastal industries. An overview of the document can be found here.

The Draft 309 Assessment & Strategy document was developed through consultation with CCP partners in response to the needs and gaps identified in the draft assessments. The period for public comment will run from October 29 through November 29, 2010.

For more information on the draft 2011-2015 Section 309 Assessment & Strategy, e-mail Catherine McCall or call 410.260.8737. Click here to visit CCP's 309 Assessment & Strategy webpage to learn more about Maryland's Chesapeake & Coastal Program, the NOAA Coastal Zone Enhancement Grants Program and to access previous Section 309 Assessment & Strategy documents.

Building resilience to climate change

Maryland DNR Issues Climate Change Policy

DNR has the lead role among State agencies in advancing the scientific understanding of Maryland's vulnerability to climate change, and in advocating for sound planning to avoid or minimize the anticipated impacts. The Department's policy, "Building Resilience to Climate Change", guides the Department's investments in and management of land, resources and assets so as to better understand, mitigate and adapt to climate change. The policy establishes practices and procedures related to new land investments, facility siting and design, habitat restoration, government operations, research and monitoring, resource planning and advocacy. Through implementation of the policy, the agency is leading by example, encouraging others to plan for and to mitigate the effects of climate change.

We urge you to visit our DNR InFocus webpage to learn more about how DNR is working to fight climate change to secure a sustainable future for Maryland and our CoastSmart Communities Online Resource Center to access products and services for coastal communities.

Click here to access the climate change policy, "Building Resilience to Climate Change".

For more information about this policy, please e-mail Zoe Johnson with the Office for a Sustainable Future or call 410.260.8741.

16th ANNUAL MARYLAND WATER MONITORING COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING
Event Set for November 18, 2010 at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum

The Maryland Water Monitoring Council will hold its 16th Annual Conference at the Maritime Institute, North Linthicum, on Thursday, November 18, 2010. The one day conference, Environmental Justice: Healthy Waters, Healthy Communities will bring together individuals from diverse groups who are interested in environmental justice, environmental issues and the application of sound science in water monitoring and decision-making. Through dialogue and cooperative learning. the conference provides a forum where government employees, academics, business and industry, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, local community activists and others can strengthen and achieve equality in environmental monitoring and water resource management. Click here for registration details.

Please feel free to contact us with any comments, questions or ideas for future IN THE ZONE e-mails.

Sincerely,

Your Chesapeake & Coastal Program Team

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

A publication of the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA10NOS4190204. This publication is funded (in part) by a grant/cooperative agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies.