Publications

Local governments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, of which there are over 1,650, have repeatedly indicated a need for tools, techniques and models to help them contribute to the Chesapeake Bay restoration and protection effort and simultaneously, achieve community goals. With this in mind, the Chesapeake Bay Program's Toxics Subcommittee, in coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Local Government Advisory Committee, developed the Local Government Pollution Prevention Toolkit to help local governments implement polution prevention programs. Local governments implement pollution prevention programs. Local governments are vital to the pollution prevention (P2) effort; however, a gap exists in the practical and technical information available to this audience. The Toolkit seeks to fill this gap.

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The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Modeling Program explores how water quality, the growth of plants and animals, and physical and chemical forces of Chesapeake Bay affect each other. Model simulations help predict how things may change over time or under different conditions. The Bay Program's ecosystem models help clarify how the Bay's plant and animal life itneract with the environment. Ecosystem models emphasize nutrients and organic matter sources and cycles, interactions among food web connections and habitat structures. These state-of-the-art modelshelp explain how and why the things we observe in Chesapeake Bay happen.

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The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Modeling Program explores how water quality, the growth of plants and animals, and the physical and chemical forces of Chesapeake Bay affect each other. Model simulations help predict how things may change over time or under different conditions. The Bay Program's ecosystem models help clarify how the Bay's plant and animal life interact with the environment. Ecosystem models emphasize nutrients and organic matter sources and cycles, interactions among food web connections, and habitat structures. These state-of-the-art models help explain how and why the things we observe in Chesapeake Bay happen.

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This report describes the current programs to ameliorate nonpoint sources of pollution to the Bay that have been developed by the four jurisdictions in cooperation with other agencies; the achievements to date in terms of pollutant removal; and recommendations for future directions of the Bay Program over the next several years. The report is divided into five chapters. 1) Nonpoint Source Strategy for Chesapeake Bay restoration; 2) Sate Nonpoint Source Programs; 3) Effectiveness of Best Management Practices; 4) The Effect of Agricultural BMPs on Pollutant Loads Reaching in the Bay; and 5) Recommendations for Future Directions of the Chesapeake Bay NPS Program.

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This report describes the current programs to ameloriate nonpoint sources of pollution to the Bay that have been developed by the four jurisdictions in cooperation with other agencies; the achievements to date in terms of pollutant removal; and recommendations for future dire tions of the Bay Program over the next several years. The report is dividied into five chapters. 1) Nonpoint Source Strategy for Chesapeake Bay Restoration; 2) State Nonpoint Source Programs; 3) Effectiveness of Best Management Practices; 4) The Effect of Agricultural BMPs on Pollutant Loads Reaching the Bay; 5) Recommendations for Future Directions of the Chesapeake Bay NPS Program.

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Annual report published by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) on the status of the blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay and management advice for Bay jurisdictions.

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In July 2001, the Chesapeake Bay Program Monitoring and Analysis Subcommittee's Tidal Monitoring and Analysis Workgroup (TMAW) formed a Tidal Monitoring Design Team that undertook the role of redesigning the Chesapeake Bay Tidal Monitoring Network. Over the following 2 years, the Design Team set goals and lbjectives, reviewed the existing Chesapeake Bay monitoring design,evaluated potential new monitoring strategies and then made recommendation for implementing a network that provided the requisite data and supported the programmatic goals and objectives. The new tidal Monitoring Network focused on eeting the Water Quality Protection and Restoration goals and objectives of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement.

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This report, the third in a series on biofuels published by the Chesapeake Bay Commission, looks deeper into development of the industry within the Bay region and zeroes in on achievable goals and important first-step policies. Throughout, we have focused on accommodating and encouraging this potential new source of income and prosperity for our agricultural and forestry communities, while assuring the protection and restoration of the Bay and its tributaries. During this extended period of study and reporting, we have found nothing to refute our basic assumption that, with the right information and poicies, these are compatible goals.

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Restoring water quality and living resources are the principal goals of the 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement. In 1992, these goals were reaffirmed by recognizing the importantce of the Bay's tributary streams and rivers. Since the,. commitments have been made to restore the extent and quality of habitat for anadromous fish and other living resources. In 1994, the Executive Council recognized that forests along waterways, known as "riparian forests", are an important resource that help achieve both nutrient reduction and habitat restoration goals. Therefore, the Directive has called on the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) to take actions to increase its focus on riparian stewardship in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

In January of 2005, the Chesapeake Executive Council issued Directive 04-1 in response to the recommendations set forth by the Blue Ribbon Panel. That directive instructed the Principals Staff Committee "to convene a Committee of federal, state, and regional finanace and legal experts to provide a specific proposal" for a regional finanacing authority that would help finanace and implement programs to restor and protect water quality throughout the Chesapeake watershed. This report of the committee of experts outlines the conceptual framework for a Chesapeake Bay Regional Fianacing authority.