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State of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Nick DiPasquale, CBP Director, EPA Executive Council Annual Meeting June 16, 2014. Topics for today. Highlights 2012-14 Funding update Increased collaboration Aligning of goals/outcomes Restoration Progress Looking Ahead. FY2014 EPA’s CBP Budget.
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State of the Chesapeake Bay Program Nick DiPasquale, CBP Director, EPA Executive Council Annual Meeting June 16, 2014
Topics for today Highlights 2012-14 Funding update Increased collaboration Aligning of goals/outcomes Restoration Progress Looking Ahead
FY2014 EPA’s CBP Budget • FY13 ($54 mil) FY14 ($70 mil) • State Grants • Almost 80% of increase going to state grants • Local government “set-aside” for implementation ($5 million) • Increase for New Agreement • Headwaters states • Signatory states • Restore monitoring funding to FY12 levels
FY2014 EPA’s CBP Budget (cont’d) • Other Investment Areas • Goal Implementation Team Support • Management Strategy Development • Implementation Projects & Tools • BMP Expert Panels • BMP Verification Programs • CAST/FAST Tools • Climate Change • Citizen Monitoring Initiative • FY2015 - $73 million Presidential Budget Request
Increased Collaboration • Internally across issues/Goal Teams • Fisheries – bringing habitat into the work • Habitats – providing info to all on “services” offered by various habitats • Water Quality – a foundation for habitats and creatures • Healthy Watersheds – identifying healthy sub- watersheds and educating teams about them • Stewardship – connecting people, places and science
Increased Collaboration - Example GIT Collaboration: Harris Creek Oyster Restoration Efforts
Alignment Four-stages over last 2 yrs • Stage 1: Align Interests, Priorities, & Efforts • Stage 2: Develop Negotiation Protocols for Establishing New Agreement • Stage 3: Negotiate New Agreement • Stage 4: Implement New Agreement
The New Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement • Clarity • Clearer goals and more well defined outcomes than previous agreements • Flexibility • Allow us to adapt our thinking and management decisions to adjust to changing conditions and circumstances • Transparency & Accountability • Partners set priorities & commit resources through management strategies
Communicating partners’ work – in print Accomplishments
Communicating partners’ work Accomplishments www. chesapeakebay.net • 5,000,000 = views of website since 2012 • 5,000 = single day high for views • 3,800+ = views of 6 blog posts on indicators of • Bay health and restoration successes • 9000 = views of top three videos in 2013 • Social media reach grew 54% on average in 2013 • - Facebook alone grew 145% ! (Bay 101 & Unscripted Series - most viewed by teachers, students, others)
Accomplishments – Overall • 2012-13 • Health • & • Restoration • At A Glance
Accomplishments -- Science • Crabs are not overfished • Shad show a positive return • Bay grasses challenged & resilient • Chemical contaminants a concern • Water quality still challenged
Accomplishments -- Partners’ Efforts CBP partners progress to reduce Nitrogen – 2013 estimate 28% of N target achieved Approximately 262.38 million pounds nitrogen delivered to Bay in 2013, down from 282.66 in 2009
Improving locally, long term Flow adjusted monitoring trends (1985-2012) = Less N flowing in / improving trend
Accomplishments A collaborative project Science-based evidence of water quality improvements, challenges and opportunities ian.umces.edu/link/newinsights
Looking Forward • New Climate Change Coordinator • Will work across all issues/GITs • Brings climate change lens to all the partnership’s efforts • Toxics • Strengthen our research efforts • Identify BMPs that can also reduce toxics • Consider additional policies, programs, practices • ChesapeakeStat • Redesign underway • Will focus on Agreement implementation & tracking progress • Development of Management Strategies • More than 20 strategies to be developed in the next year • Implementation has already begun in some cases • Commitment to openness, transparency & public input