Bay Program Submits Report to Congress that Outlines Chesapeake Action Plan
The Chesapeake Bay Program has submitted a report to Congress titled Strengthening the Management, Coordination and Accountability of the Chesapeake Bay Program.
Outlined in the report is the Chesapeake Action Plan (CAP), which features tools that can strengthen and expand partnerships in the watershed, enhance coordination of restoration activities and increase the collective accountability for protecting the Bay.
The CAP is consistent with recommendations of the Government Accountability Office that the Bay Program:
- Develop and implement an integrated assessment approach.
- Improve effectiveness and credibility in its reporting.
- Create a comprehensive, coordinated implementation strategy that takes into account available resources.
The CAP also addresses report language accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 that directed the Bay Program to create a Chesapeake Bay action plan for the remaining years of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement.
The CAP has four primary components:
- A strategic framework that integrates the Bay Program’s existing planning documents – including agreements, policies, strategies and plans – into action-oriented goal areas, such as Protect and Restore Vital Aquatic Habitats. The strategic framework also clarifies how Bay Program partners will pursue these restoration goals.
- An activity integration plan that catalogues partners’ resources and restoration actions through a watershed-wide database, into which partners submit project information. This database will be the most extensive inventory of restoration activities and associated funding, and will maximize the effectiveness of every dollar spent on restoration.
- A collection of high-level summaries called dashboards that show partner actions, funding sources and clear status of progress toward restoration goals for key topic areas, such as wetlands, wastewater pollution and blue crabs.
- An adaptive management process that utilizes information from the previous three components to shape Bay Program partners’ actions and priorities. Adaptive management involves testing, monitoring and evaluating applied strategies, and incorporating new knowledge into management approaches that are based on scientific findings and the needs of society.
Multiple Bay Program partners participated in the development of the CAP, including 10 federal agencies; the six Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia; the Chesapeake Bay Commission; and two non-government organizations (Chesapeake Bay Trust and Ducks Unlimited).
Download the full report or visit the Chesapeake Action Plan Web site.