After 40 years and $20 billion (and yes, that is a “B” for billions) it is clear that only some of the 2025 Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint goals will be achieved. A recent independent scientific report, Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Chesapeake Bay, A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response, known as the CESR Report, is a gold mine of what works, what doesn’t, and options going forward.
A panel discussion hosted by Temple B’nai Israel’s “ENGAGE” Life Long Learning Adult Education Program, in cooperation with ShoreRivers will be presented November 14 at 7:00 PM. Facilitated by Matt Pluta, ShoreRivers’ Choptank Riverkeeper & Director of Riverkeeper Programs, key scientists will discuss the CESR report. They will also present recommendations for what’s next in protecting and improving the Chesapeake and its tributaries beyond 2025. A 7-minute video about the CESR Report will help set the stage for the discussion.
Will climate change influence future Bay plans? Will recommendations for the Chesapeake Bay Agreement beyond 2025 affect our access to the Bay? Will any current restoration efforts be dropped? And will new restoration efforts be able to keep pace with more people moving to the Bay and the development and land-use changes that come with it?
The expert panel is drawn from the Chesapeake Bay Program‘s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) drawn from 20 academic research intuitions. The CBP is a partnership set up by the EPA including the EPA itself, States and local governments in the Bay watershed, non-governmental environmental organizations, and the academic research institutions. The formal goals and agreements of CBP influence and fund the programs of the numerous environmental organizations and programs around the Bay.
The presenters include:
Dr. Larry Sanford – Professor at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and the Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) which oversees the evaluation of Bay restoration progress and recommendations for developing a new Chesapeake Bay Agreement beyond 2025.
Dr. Bill Dennison – Professor and Vice President for Science Application at UMCES and Vice Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s STAC. Dr. Dennison oversees the analysis, development and presentation of the annual Chesapeake Bay report Card.
Dr. Tom Fischer – Professor Emeritus at UMCES who spent the majority of his career studying the Choptank River watershed and how land use and human activities influence water quality.
Matt Pluta with ShoreRivers will moderate the panel. For the last decade as the Choptank Riverkeeper Matt has been monitoring water quality trends and engaging with local communities for the purpose of advocating for advanced solutions, partnerships and resources to protect our local rivers on the Eastern Shore.
Everyone can learn about the future of the BAY and be part of the discussion.
November 14, 2024, 7:00 PM.
All are welcome to this free event.
Registration is required: bnaiisraeleaston.org/event/chesapeake
Temple B’nai Israel, 7199 Tristan Dr., Easton 21601
