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Volume 2, Issue
2 |
December 2009 | |
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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.
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CCP SPOTLIGHT:
Coastal
Land Conservation & Climate Change
Workshop
 On
December 2, the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources and NOAA hosted a day-long workshop at the
Patuxent
Research
Refuge
National
Visitors
Center
in Laurel
focused on developing new criteria for adapting current
land conservation practices in response to sea-level
rise. This was the official kick-off
of a larger project the Chesapeake & Coastal Program
NOAA fellow will be working on for the next two years
called, "Coastal Land
Conservation in Maryland: Targeting Tools and
Techniques for Sea Level Rise Adaptation and
Response".
Fifty
experts from federal and state agencies and
non-governmental organizations were in
attendance. Land conservation expert,
Andy Pitz of Natural Lands Trust set the stage for the
day as the key note speaker. Through
focus groups, experts evaluated sector-based adaptation
strategies used to brainstorm land conservation criteria
under projected sea-level rise scenarios.
The sector-based adaptation strategies were
pulled from the recommendations found in Maryland's
Phase I Adaptation & Response Working Group as well
as literature review.
The
criteria that came out of the workshop will continue to
be refined and developed to help frame Maryland's
plan for land conservation under the projected climate
change impacts of sea-level rise.
Participants from the workshop and additional
local and regional experts will continue to provide
feedback as the project moves towards developing land
conservation criteria into a GIS based model.
For
more information on this project, e-mail CCP's NOAA
Fellow Chelsie Papiez
or call her at
410.260.8726.
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NATIONAL
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES COMMITTEE FORMED TO EVALUATE THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM'S IMPLEMENTATION FOR NUTRIENT
REDUCTION
In November
2008, the Governors of the Bay watershed requested that
the Chesapeake Bay Program be evaluated by a nationally
recognized, independent science organization.The
National Academy of Sciences was selected to provide the
evaluation and has been tasked by the Program to
evaluate two theme areas: 1) tracking and
accountability; and 2) short term goals called 2-Year
Milestones.The theme
areas include sets of evaluation questions that address
tracking and accounting efforts of nutrient and sediment
point and non-point source pollution best management
practices, as well as advice in developing appropriate
adaptive management strategies to ensure implementation
of the 2- Year Milestones.
 The
evaluation officially began on December 16 and 17, 2009
when the National Academy of Sciences convened in
Washington, D.C. to gain perspectives on the need for
the independent review from Program partners including
EPA's Bay Program Director and high ranking officials
from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and USGS along
with input from consulting firms and citizen advocacy
groups. Over the next year and a half, the Academy will
develop a consensus report to support the multi-state,
multi-federal agency effort by conducting evaluations to
identify and recommend actions to the Chesapeake Bay
Program and its partners.
For more
information on the implementation of Maryland's 2-Year
Milestones and the work of the National Academy of
Sciences as an independent evaluator, e-mail Brent McCloskey with the Chesapeake
& Coastal Program or call 410.260.8722.
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MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL COUNCIL ON THE OCEAN
(MARCO) HOSTS STAKEHOLDER SUMMIT ON OCEAN CONSERVATION
AND CONCERNS
 On December 9 and 10, the
Mid-Atlantic
Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) hosted a
two-day stakeholders summit in New York City that
brought together more than 135 participants from
nongovernmental organizations, academia, industry,
citizens and state and federal government. The goal was
to raise public awareness of ocean issues and to provide
the opportunity to create strong, lasting partnerships
among stakeholder interests across the region.
The event featured presentations on MARCO, the
Governors' Agreement on Ocean Conservation and the four
priorities that the states are committed to
collaboratively addressing water quality: climate
change, offshore energy and habitat protection. Other
presentations included an update on President Obama's
National Ocean Policy Task Force and how its upcoming
recommendations on ocean health and Marine Spatial
Planning will impact the region.
The meeting promoted energized discussion and
exchange of information to identify and clarify
perspectives on issues affecting the region and the
potential benefits coordinated regional approaches could
provide.
A summary of the summit's proceedings and
recommendations for next steps will be available in
early 2010. Click here to view the full press
release.
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CCP
TO HOST HOMEOWNER'S LIVING SHORELINE
WORKSHOP IN ST.
MARY'S COUNTY
The
Maryland Department of Natural Resources' (DNR)
Chesapeake & Coastal Program will partner with St.
Mary's County and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine
Research Reserve to host its eighth Homeowner's Living
Shorelines workshop at
St. Mary's College. Since 2007, more than 550 local
homeowners have attended these free, County-State
partnership workshops. Home, local business and
property owners come to learn about site designs, local
and state regulations and permits, how to ensure project
success and information about the technical and
financial assistance available to homeowners and
communities.
Due
to an overwhelming response to the first living
shorelines workshop held in St. Mary's County in August
2009, this program is being offered for a second
time.The January 16th event will feature an agenda
focused on the steps of a living shoreline project as
well as provide information about available technical
and financial assistance.
The
workshop will be held from 9:00
a.m.
to 2:45
p.m.
at St. Mary's College in the Cole
Cinema.
Registration is free and coffee and lunch will be
provided.
Those
interested in attending should register by e-mailing Dionne Bell with the Chesapeake &
Coastal Program or call
410.260.8732.
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TEAM
CCP TO TAKE
THE PLUNGE!
From
the Chesapeake
Bay
to the Atlantic
Ocean,
the
Chesapeake
& Coastal Program works to seek and promote
a
balance between human demands and conservation of the
extraordinary
coastal
resources
that makes Maryland
such a unique place to live, work and play. In an
attempt to live out our mission and take advantage of
one of the Maryland coast's unique opportunities for
play, CCP has entered a team to participate in the 2010
Polar Bear Plunge!
TEAM
CCP will be plunging with thousands of
other participants and cold water enthusiasts to
take a quick dip in the Chesapeake
Bay
on Saturday, January 30, 2010. The event,
sponsored by our Maryland State Police, is in
its 14th year and raises funds for Special Olympics
Maryland, the state's largest year-round
organization devoted to sports training and competition
for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Team CCP looks forward to
seeing many of you out there. For those of you
staying out of the water that day, we'll be sure to
report back on the experience.
Click here to visit our 2010 Polar
Bear Plunge team
webpage. | |
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 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 |
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A publication of the
Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program pursuant to National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No.
NA09NOS4190170. 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.
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