The Revitalized Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program

On May 25, 2011, starting at 1:00 PM, EDT the APA Regional and Intergovernmental Planning Division will sponsor a webinar on the revitalized Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program.  Panelists will include Jim Edward, Acting Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office; Richard Hall, AICP, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning; and, Andrew Fellows, Regional Director for Chesapeake Bay Programs for Clean Water Action.  Mr. Fellows is also the Mayor of College Park, Maryland as well as the Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Chesapeake Bay and Clean Water Policy Committee.   Our program moderator will be Douglas R. Porter.  The first hour will be devoted to panel presentations followed by an opportunity for questions from the audience.

We anticipate this webinar will be eligible for 1.5 American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification credits.  The webinar is being undertaken as part of the Division’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Roundtable efforts to foster communication and coordination between regions.

Cleanup efforts for the Chesapeake Bay have been underway since the early 1980’s as a partnership between the States of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the federal government.  To meet recent legal requirements, the federal government, through EPA, has taken the lead for this program.  State strategies were submitted to EPA within the last six months.  Now the program is moving towards local involvement via the states with implementation centering on the watersheds covering much or parts of the five states and the District of Columbia.  Land use considerations will also play a role in the restoration effort.  Restoration of the Chesapeake Bay has always been very important to the State of Maryland, and in developing implementation strategies, the State intends to work very closely with local governments.

Looking to the future, our Division will run a second webinar on the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program, probably in late July of this year, and will likely involve representatives from sub-state regional planning agency(s ).  

To participate in upcoming May 25 webinar, you should have a telephone and internet access.   Further, to participate in the webinar, it is absolutely necessary that you make reservations through the electronic link provided below. 

The registration link is: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/888461339

After you have made your electronic reservation, the Ohio State University, the webinar service provider, will send you an electronic link to the May 25 webinar.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Lee Schoenecker at: leeschoenecker@aol.com