Chesapeake Bay News

Maryland has proposed more than $52 million in fiscal year 2013 funding for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. The proposal includes an additional $27.8 million provided by the Capital Budget. The dedicated fund supports projects designed to reduce nonpoint source pollution that reaches the Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund was created in 2007 to provide dedicated funding for the most cost efficient Bay restoration practices, targeted to areas where pollution reductions will be most effective.

The Trust Fund is made up of monies generated through motor fuel tax and rental car tax in Maryland. Now in its fourth year, the Fund has targeted a total of $58.15 million to date for projects that reduce nonpoint source pollution: $23.5 million in FY 2012; $22.7 million in FY 2011; $7.3 million in FY 2010; $9.6 million in FY 2009.

Highlights for fiscal year 2013 include:

$2.20 million for Agricultural Technical Assistance, a $1.6 million increase over last year, to create 23 new Soil Conservation District positions (39 in total supported through the Trust Fund) to assist the farming community in implementing best management practices.

$12 million for Cover Crop Implementation to support Maryland’s FY12-13 milestone goal of planting 355,000 acres of cover crops annually.

$8.97 million for Installation of Natural Filters such as riparian buffers and wetlands. Projects have been identified in priority watersheds in the following counties:  Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Somerset, Queen Anne’s, Washington and Worcester.

$27.8 million for Local Stormwater Projects to support Statewide initiatives to reduce nonpoint source pollution – 63 local projects have been identified for funding.  $27.76 million will be directed to counties, municipalities and watershed organizations to implement stormwater Best Management Practices, and natural filters restoration projects such as wetland restoration.

Jurisdictions identified for funding:
Anne Arundel County          12 Projects     $6.34M
Baltimore City                2 Projects     $3.03M
Baltimore County             10 Projects     $4.85M
Cecil County                  1 Project      $0.40M
Dorchester County             1 Project      $0.10M
Frederick County              1 Project      $0.77M
Harford County                1 Project      $0.09M
Howard County                 6 Projects     $2.52M
Kent County                   2 Projects     $0.80M
Montgomery County            11 Projects     $3.92M
Prince George’s Coun ty       6 Projects     $3.42M
Queen Anne’s County           9 Projects     $1.47M
Talbot County                 1 Project      $0.07M

The complete FY 2013 Workplan and supporting materials can be viewed at dnr.maryland.gov/ccp/funding/trust_fund.asp

source: MD DNR

An important new scientific assessment of the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab stock has been released by the federal government, setting higher abundance thresholds and crab population targets that will dictate how the agency manages the fisheries in the years to come.

A new scientific assessment of the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab population indicates significantly more work needs to be done to fully rebuild the stock to sustainable levels. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assessment,  although the stock has increased substantially in response to three years of rebuilding efforts by Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, the stock was more depleted than originally believed and will take longer to rebuild than had been expected.

The assessment, which sets a new overfishing threshold as well as a new safe abundance level for female crabs, took three years to complete and represents the best available science on the stock’s reproductive capabilities, lifespan, gender and size distributions. The assessment underwent rigorous scientific scrutiny in a peer review by Dr. Julian Addison of France, Dr. Cathy Dichmont of Australia and Dr. Billy Ernst of Chile.

Until now, fishery managers used an interim target of 200 million total adult crabs in the bay as the threshold of a healthy stock and considered overfishing to occur if 53 percent of adult (age 1+) crabs were harvested in a year. Regulations were established to meet these benchmarks, which were based on 2005 bay-wide crab assessment data.

The new stock assessment sets a new healthy-species abundance level of 215 million female crabs, with overfishing occurring if 34 percent of the female crabs are harvested in a year.  Put into context, this means that fishery managers have only come close to achieving this level of female abundance three times over the past 22 years, in 2010, 1993 and 1991.

These more stringent assessments of the stock’s health will allow fishery managers to set more precise female harvest limits in order to fully rebuild the stock.  Virginia, Maryland and the PRFC remain committed to working together to rebuild the bay’s crab population to meet the new female population threshold and abundance target.

In September the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee will meet to consider the new assessment, examine data from the past two years and provide management recommendations to Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission.

The bay-wide crab harvest in 2010 was in the 90 million-pound range, confirming that a healthy harvesting industry can coexist with regulations designed to rebuild a self-sustaining, healthy blue crab population.

Through a historic collaboration in 2008, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission took strong, coordinated action to reduce harvest pressure on female crabs by 34 percent. At that time, scientists deemed conservation measures necessary as blue crab suffered near historic lows in spawning stock.

“Overall, crabs in the bay are doing well. Implementing recommendations developed in the stock assessment, like focusing fishing regulations on female crabs, will help even more,” said Dr. Tom Miller, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, lead author of the stock assessment.

The stock assessment can be viewed in its entirety at http://hjort.cbl.umces.edu/crabs/Assessment.html

source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission/Maryland Department of Natural Resources

M&T Bank recently presented a $10,000 donation to the Chesapeake Bay Trust to fund environmental education and Chesapeake Bay restoration projects throughout Maryland.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust, a nonprofit grant making organization founded in 1985, has awarded close to $40 million in grants to fund environmental education, Chesapeake Bay restoration and community outreach throughout Maryland and the broader Chesapeake Bay watershed region.

“M&T Bank has been an exceptional partner of the Chesapeake Bay Trust as we work to educate and engage Marylanders in projects and programs designed to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Allen Hance, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.  “We sincerely thank M&T Bank for their continued support and steadfast commitment to community stewardship and environmental education.”

In 2010, the Trust awarded more than 350 grants totaling $4.2 million.  These grants touched every county in Maryland and Baltimore City and engaged more than 150,000 Marylanders, including almost 98,000 Maryland students last year alone.  One such program the Trust supports is “Chesapeake Trades,” an environmental education initiative administered by the Annapolis Maritime Museum that teaches Maryland students about stormwater run-off and water quality, while also providing hands-on community service projects that remove invasive plant species.  During today’s event, more than 90 eighth graders participated in these all-day activities to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and ways they can help protect it.

For more information on the Chesapeake Bay Trust and its grant programs, visit www.cbtrust.org.  M&T Bank can be reached at www.mtb.com.

Governor Martin O’Malley has proposed $25 million in fiscal year 2012 funding for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, a 25 percent increase over 2011. The dedicated fund supports projects designed to reduce non-point source pollution that reaches the Chesapeake Bay.

“Even during these difficult fiscal times, Maryland has been able to strengthen our efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay,” said Governor O’Malley. “With 90 percent of these funds being directed for projects and infrastructure that will employ installers, designers, engineers and construction services, the Trust Fund will not only help us achieve our restoration commitments, but will create jobs and support local economies.”

Established in November 2007, the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund was created to provide a dedicated source of funding to accelerate Bay restoration by focusing resources on practices that are the most cost efficient and are targeted to the areas where pollution reductions will be the most effective.

The Trust Fund is made up of monies generated through motor fuel tax and rental car tax in Maryland. Now in its third year, the Fund has targeted a total of $38.4 million to date for projects that reduce non-point source pollution: $20 million in fiscal year 2011; $8.81 million in fiscal year 2010; and $9.6 million in fiscal year 2009. It is anticipated that when fully-funded, the Trust Fund will generate $50 million annually.

In addition to supporting Maryland’s commitment to cover crops and planting trees in targeted areas across the State, the Trust Fund will direct $6.2 million to local communities to assist in clean-up of local rivers and streams.

Prince George’s County will receive $2.88 million to construct a large-scale urban stream restoration in the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River.

Other projects to be funded include:

* $1.2 million to Howard County and the Columbia Association for stormwater retrofits and forest buffer restoration in the Little Patuxent watershed

* $640,000 to Baltimore County and Herring Run Watershed Association for stormwater retrofits and forest buffer restoration in Back River.

* $500,000 to Harford County to construct four stormwater management projects in Wheel Creek.

* $463,000 to Anne Arundel County to construct and monitor an innovative sand seepage stream restoration in a subwatershed of the Magothy River.

* $290,000 to the Sassafras River Association to install wetlands and pilot poultry manure incorporation within the watershed.

* $250,000 to Centreville to manage stormwater at the local wastewater treatment plant in the Corsica River watershed.

Maryland’s agencies, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association worked together to maximize available Bay restoration dollars.

The complete SFY 2012 Workplan and supporting materials can be found at: http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/ccp/funding/trust_fund.asp.

source: MD DNR

The Chesapeake Bay is showing encouraging signs of rebounding but is still in critical condition as a result of pollution, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) 2010 State of the Bay Report. The report comes as the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to release its pollution budget designed to reduce pollution and dramatically improve water quality.

“That the Bay is getting better is a huge development, but sadly not the whole story,” said CBF President William C. Baker. “Dead zones, fish kills, and water contact advisories are constant reminders of how far we still must go.”

The numeric index of the Bay’s health jumped three points from 2008 to 2010, with eight of 13 indicators rising. The indicator for the health of the blue crab population spiked 15 points, as the Bay’s population increased significantly last year. Also, underwater grasses showed steady progress over the past four years.

But the overall health index of the Bay is 31 out of 100, which means it is still a system dangerously out of balance.

The report is a comprehensive measure of the Bay’s health, evaluating 13 indicators: oysters, shad, crabs, striped bass (rockfish), underwater grasses, wetlands, forested buffers, resource lands, toxics, water clarity, dissolved oxygen, and phosphorus and nitrogen pollution. CBF scientists compile and examine the best available historical and up-to-date information for each indicator and assign it an index score and letter grade. Taken together, these indicators offer an assessment of Bay health.

The unspoiled Bay ecosystem described by Captain John Smith in the 1600s, with its extensive forests and wetlands, clear water, abundant fish and oysters, and lush growths of submerged vegetation serves as the benchmark, and would rate a 100 on CBF’s scale.

“We are at a tipping point,” Baker said. “If EPA stands firm, and the states deliver on their commitments, the Bay will become resilient and bountiful. At the same time, reducing pollution will create jobs and improve local economies.”

By the end of December, EPA must issue a pollution diet for the Bay watershed called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The TMDL is required under the federal Clean Water Act and court rulings.

This diet will require Maryland and other Bay states, and ultimately each local jurisdiction, to ratchet down pollution to local creeks, rivers, and the Bay from all sources, including farms, sewage treatment plants, urban and suburban streets, parking lots and lawns. State and local governments will be held responsible for those reductions or potentially lose federal funding and be denied federal permits.

The Bay states and the District of Columbia were required to submit a Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) to EPA specifying how it planned to meet the new pollution diet. The preliminary version of the each jurisdiction’s plan was deficient in specific details, the agency concluded. CBF has urged the EPA to stand firm in its expectations and to impose consequences on jurisdictions that fail to establish and fully implement plans that meet pollution reduction goals on schedule.

“We applaud Maryland for creating a substantial and high quality WIP, and for the work put into producing the document. This high level of dedication will be needed from all leaders over the next 10 years if we hope to see a restored Bay,” said CBF Maryland Executive Director Kim Coble.  “Maryland will need to aggressively pursue a number of commitments in its Bay clean-up plan. For example, to get pollution reductions from agriculture the state must continue funding cover crops, but also must target that funding to fields where manure is applied and corn is grown. We look forward to working with the state to ensure the WIP produces real results.”

The copy of the full report is available at: www.cbf.org/sotb2010.

source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

MASN, the television home of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, has announced a partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to launch a public service campaign to “Go to Bat for the Bay.”  The network will launch a series of television and online ads to increase awareness about the Chesapeake Bay and to encourage responsible use of nature’s resources.

The network will deploy its most valuable resources — an All-Star talent team as well as Nationals and Orioles players and coaches — to promote the year-long campaign on MASN.  Adam Dunn, Jeremy Guthrie and Adam Jones, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman, and MASN broadcaster Johnny Holliday have already recorded PSA’s, and other Nationals, Orioles and MASN personalities will join them in the months ahead.

The network’s television footprint closely mirrors the vast Chesapeake Bay watershed, the 64,000 square miles and 150 rivers and streams that drain into the Chesapeake.  This synergy enables the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to reach a target audience – the 17 million citizens who live within the watershed – who can make a difference in the long-term health of the Bay.

Viewers will be educated about the watershed and encouraged to take small but meaningful steps to “Go to Bat for the Bay.”  These steps can be as simple as buying locally-grown foods, reducing the use of lawn fertilizers and chemicals, planting trees and conserving water.  MASN is contributing a significant amount of on-air and online inventory to promote the campaign, to raise awareness of the fragile environmental treasure, and to encourage positive action.

In one of the PSAs, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman explains that the Chesapeake Bay has lost half of its forested shoreline, more than half its wetlands and 90 percent of its underwater grasses.  Riggleman urges viewers to Go to Bat for the Bay and to join the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

In another spot, Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie describes the blue crabs, oysters, clams and rockfish that make up the 500 million pounds of seafood harvested from the Bay annually.  Guthrie reminds viewers that a cleaner Bay means better seafood and more jobs for those who bring the Bay’s bounty to our tables.

source: CBF

The latest Virginia Institute of Marine Science Bay Grass Survey shows that the abundance of underwater grasses in Chesapeake Bay increased by 18 percent last year, from 64,917 acres in 2007 to 76,861 acres in 2008.

This is the fourth largest total acreage of bay grasses recorded since the bay-wide survey began in 1984. Bay grasses increased in abundance in several areas.

Maryland waters had a 12% increase, the second highest level seen in Maryland waters since the Virginia Institute of Marine Science began its annual bay grass survey in 1984. The 12 percent increase in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers brings the State to 41 percent of its bay grass restoration goal. Maryland’s bay grasses totaled 47,286 acres in 2009, up from 42,237 acres in 2008.

In addition to increased bay grasses, the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population has increased substantially for the second straight year. The latest winter dredge survey shows a 60% increase in Maryland’s crab population.

“Because bay grasses are sensitive to even small changes in water pollution, they serve as a key indicator of Chesapeake Bay health,” explained Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin. “Healthy bay grass beds protect shorelines from erosion, produce oxygen and filter polluted water.”

Grasses on the Susquehanna Flats, near Havre de Grace, have quadrupled since the early 1990s, and a single bed now covers approximately 12.5 square miles, the largest in the Bay. Other improved areas include the upper Potomac River, from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge south to Mattawoman Creek.

Bay grasses in the middle section of the Chesapeake Bay, the area south of the Bay Bridge to the Virginia state line, also increased including areas located on the lower Eastern Shore and in Tangier Sound near Smith Island.

Growth of eelgrass, along with widgeon grass, accounted for about 60 percent of the baywide increase. These notable gains include 1,337-acres (11%) in the Tangier-Smith Island region, 1,092-acres (9%) in the eastern lower Chesapeake Bay and 1,794-acres (29%) in Mobjack Bay. Widgeon grass showed a very strong resurgence in the 2,985-acre increase (24%) in the Honga River.

While healthy bay grasses expanded in the upper Chesapeake Bay and on the Eastern Shore, several rivers on the middle Western Shore experienced bay grass declines.

The Magothy River, near Annapolis, and Piscataway Creek, in the upper Potomac River, both lost over half of their grasses in 2009. Bay scientists are working to understand the causes of these declines in order to better target restoration efforts in these rivers.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has announced the release of the tenth publication in its habitat management series, entitled “Living Shorelines: Impacts of Erosion Control Strategies on Coastal Habitats.” Living shorelines, or soft shorelines, are an approach to shoreline stabilization that preserves natural sand edge or vegetated shoreline.

An increasingly popular management strategy along the Atlantic coast, living shorelines not only control erosion but create environmentally desirable features, including habitat and vegetated buffers that improve water quality and reduce the effects of upland run-off.  Unlike traditional bulkhead or revetment approaches to shoreline protection, living shorelines also tend to dissipate rather than reflect wave energy.

The document provides a brief overview of traditional erosion control methods and living shorelines, as well as the types of habitats that may be considered when creating living shorelines. It identifies the impacts of some shoreline erosion control measures on the environment, and presents examples of how various regulatory authorities are involved.

To illustrate the value of living shorelines in a “real world” setting, the document provides a case study of their use in Maryland. This document should not be considered a complete review of existing living shorelines literature. That information can be found in other documents included in the bibliography.

Appendix B suggests potential erosion control projects. The purpose of this document is to provide resource managers and the general public with a concise comparative discussion of the benefits of living shorelines, and a case study of successful projects to use for reference within their own programs.

“Living Shorelines: Impacts of Erosion Control Strategies on Coastal Habitats” is available on the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking news, or through the direct link at:

http://www.asmfc.org/publications/habitat/hms10LivingShorelines.pdf.

It is also available on CD-ROM; please send requests to info@asmfc.org (Subject line: Living Shorelines CD).

A limited amount of printed copies will be published. If you are interested in receiving one, please contact Tina Berger at tberger@asmfc.org or 202/289-6400.

Other reports available through the Commission’s habitat management series include:

* Atlantic Coast Diadromous Fish Habitat: A Review of Utilization, Threats, Recommendations for Conservation, and Research Needs (January 2009)

* The Importance of Habitat Created by Molluscan Shellfish to Managed Species along the Atlantic Coast of the United States (May 2007)

* Beach Nourishment: A Review of the Biological and Physical Impacts (November 2002)

source: ASMFC press release

On March 11, 2010, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley requested $87 million in federal funding to support the State’s natural resources during his annual federal priorities presentation to the Maryland Congressional Delegation on Capitol Hill.

The Governor’s requests included more than $30 million for Bay restoration efforts, part of a Maryland plan to meet its nutrient reduction goals by 2020. The plan includes funding for habitat and water quality monitoring and assessment, Bay grass restoration, expanding operations at the Cooperative Oxford Lab, and clean marinas.

“This funding is nothing less than preventative health care for the Chesapeake Bay and our economy.” said Kim Coble, Maryland Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “It will help implement important Bay restoration actions and create jobs. This funding makes economic and environmental sense.”

Other Chesapeake Bay-related projects included in the federal priorities are:

- $10 million to implement the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Plan, a public-private partnership.

- Nearly $7.5 million to support Maryland’s vulnerable coastal communities, including funding for beach replenishment and shoreline protection along Ocean City, Assateague Island and Smith Island.

- $5 million to support Maryland’s Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Redevelopment Plan, including funding for stock assessments and habitat evaluation.

- $3.5 million in grants to the Natural Resources Police that will support boating safety education and will greatly enhance the State’s ability to enforce maritime and conservation laws – including the illegal harvest of oysters, crabs and striped bass.

The balance of the Governor’s request — approximately $16.5 million — wil go towards programs including: expanded recreational opportunities and boating access; wildlife management, invasive species eradication and hunting safety; urban, community and private landowner forestry programs; and fires assistance programs.

“During his first year in office, President Obama has made restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and protection of our environment a priority. We are very optimistic about the support of his Administration for these priorities,” added Governor O’Malley.

Expanded action and increased accountability by the federal government are the focus of a draft strategy for restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay required by President Obama’s Executive Order. To accelerate efforts and track progress, federal agencies are committing to meet milestones every two years, leading to all activities needed to restore the Chesapeake Bay and watershed being in place no later than 2025.

The draft strategy, released, 11/9/2009, contains a comprehensive package of federal initiatives to restore clean water, conserve treasured places, protect fish and wildlife, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. These objectives will be accomplished by empowering local efforts, making decisions based on science and forging a new era of federal leadership and accountability. Close collaboration of efforts with the six states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the District of Columbia will also be critical.

“President Obama has declared that the Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and committed to a robust cleanup effort. Setting two-year benchmarks for progress will ensure that our actions are getting the results the President and the public expect,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is the broadest and most publicly accountable cleanup effort ever seen on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. It’s time for a new era of decisive federal leadership, and new partnerships with state government, nonprofits, the private sector and residents who have all been working to create a cleaner Bay.”

Public comment on the draft strategy is important to the federal agencies and will shape the final strategy. The formal public comment period is from November 9, 2009 to January 8, 2010. The draft strategy can be accessed at http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net and the public can click on “provide comments” to formally submit feedback through www.regulations.gov. The draft strategy will evolve significantly through public comments, state consultations and agency revisions before the final strategy is published in May 2010.

To restore clean water, EPA will create a framework for performance and accountability to guide federal and state pollution control programs, and expand regulatory tools to reduce pollution from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and urban and suburban runoff. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will intensively target voluntary conservation incentives at high priority areas. New emphasis is also placed on improving stormwater management on federal land and reducing polluted runoff from transportation infrastructure.

“Maintaining healthy, sustainable farms and forests is an essential component to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Our focus is on increasing economic viability, strengthening markets for local foods, improving water quality and protecting the natural landscape.”

The draft strategy contains numerous initiatives to conserve natural places, animal habitats and fish and wildlife. For example, the Department of the Interior will pursue development of a Chesapeake Treasured Landscapes Initiative to support state and local efforts to conserve and restore the environmental, historic, cultural and recreational value of many of the region’s wetlands, river corridors and open spaces. The department will look for opportunities to expand or create new units of the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Wild and Scenic Rivers system and National Historic Trails system.

“Our proposed initiative will build upon the existing partnerships with states, local communities, conservation organizations and other stakeholders to undertake projects that will not only conserve the Chesapeake Bay but will lead to its restoration as one of the great natural wonders of our country,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “We have a big toolbox full of conservation actions and we plan to use it.”

One challenge to restoration is climate change, which scientists project will have a variety of impacts on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, including rising sea levels, warmer water and air temperatures, and stronger storms. NOAA and the U.S. Geological Survey are leading the development of the federal strategy for adapting to climate change impacts in the Bay.

“Science shows that Chesapeake Bay habitats and living resources are already being affected by climate change,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. “We need to adapt to climate change to ensure that the places and things we care about – like wetlands that serve as nurseries for fish and crabs and coastal communities that are vulnerable to sea level rise – can be addressed in our restoration efforts.”

NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers will also lead a revitalized effort to recover native oyster reefs and establish self-sustaining native oyster reef sanctuaries in key tributaries by 2020.

The draft strategy emphasizes the need to empower local efforts because local governments, watershed organizations and residents have a great interest and ability to restore the environment. Federal agencies will expand technical assistance and resources, and support development of innovative technologies to reduce pollution and economic markets for ecosystem services. A Chesapeake Conservation Corps will be pursued to increase citizen stewardship, and public education will engage people in protecting local waterways.

Federal agencies have also developed a suite of accountability and transparency measures, led by ChesapeakeStat, an online tool that will identify restoration projects, funding and progress, and be publicly accessible. The draft strategy also calls for an annual plan for spending; reporting on environmental health and restoration progress, potentially through the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Bay Barometer; and an independent evaluation of federal efforts.

On May 12, President Obama issued Executive Order 13508 on Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection, the first-ever presidential directive on the Bay and the first environmental Executive Order by President Obama. The order established a Federal Leadership Committee, chaired by EPA, and with senior representatives from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Interior and Transportation. These agencies generated draft reports in September 2009 with recommendations for addressing issues such as water quality, public access, landscape conservation, climate change, scientific monitoring and the protection of living resources. These draft reports were integrated into the draft strategy, which must be finalized by May 12, 2010.