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About Us
Committees of the Coastal Bays Program
- Policy Committee
- Implementation Committee
- Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC)
- Coastal Fisheries Advisory Committee
- Hard Clam Fishery Management Plan
Policy Committee
The Policy Committee is made up of high level officials who ensure resources and funding necessary to support the program. Representatives include EPA Regional Administrator, State secretaries and local officials.
- Setting program goals and objectives
- Establishing priorities and direction for the program
- Directing management committee activities
- Guiding, reviewing and evaluating the program.
- Being highly sensitive to the needs of special interests and constituent groups.
The policy committee is responsible for:
Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)
Membership will include representation from a broad spectrum of major resources groups such as citizens councils, business, farming, fishing, industry, recreational users and environmental citizens groups. The Citizens Advisory Committe, CAC, will play a dual role by providing the Maryland Coastal Bays Program with valuable input from citizens and communicating the process and progress of the Program to the public.
- Participate in the development and review the comprehensive conservation management plan to ensure that the public is included in the decision-making process and integrate public opinion and expertise into each prgram phase.
- Recommend the most efficient ways to inform the public and solicit participation.
- Identfy key people and organizations that can help bring estuary-related issues to the public's attention and build support for program activities.
- Facilitate in securing funding to support the program and its implementation activities.
- Comment on research priorities and reviews technical findings/analyses
- Help develop implementation plans and identify priorities.
- Assist in public participation activities.
- Educate user groups concerning the purpose and benefit of proposed activities.
They will:
For more information about meeting dates and times, please call 410.213.2297
The Implementation Committee
The Implementation Committee is made up of representatives from key state, local, and federal agencies as well as the chairs of the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee. Members are mid-level resource managers capable of making significant resource descisions for their respective organizations.
- Communicating and collaboration among its members to build consensus for recommended actions.
- Representing water quality, resource management, and other important environmental perspectives.
- Understanding the estuary, what needs fixing, and mechanisms available to find and implement solutions.
- Defining and ranking estuary problems, producing characterization reports, developing management strategies and designing the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan.
- Developing the State-EPA Conference Agreement, overseeing the annual work plans, and approving all resource and funding allocations.
- Overseeing and supporting the activities of the Citizens Advisory Committee and the
- Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee as well as workgroups and subcommittees
- Informing and involving the public during each phase of the process.
This committee is responsible for:
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC)
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) represents a balance of scientific disciplines with expertise in the following areas: nutrients/toxicities; transport and fate, including modeling; ecological and human health effects; and living resources.
- Providing advice and guidance to research, data management, modeling, and sampling and monitoring efforts which affect the scientific adequacy of program activities.
- Suggesting specific scientific activities necessary to meet program objectives.
- Conducting peer review of studies, reports on the status and trends in the estuary, and alerting the management committee to emerging environmental problems.
- Overseeing the assembly and analysis of historical data bases for characterizing the estuary.
- Reviewing the development of any requests for proposals and proposals submitted to ensure scientific rigor and quality.
The STAC is responsible for:
Please download the FMP (below) and provide a ranking of importance on a scale of 1 through 4, with 1 being the highest priority, and 4 being the lowest priority for each of the priority items and submit to Roman Jesien at science@mdcoastalbays.org
Coastal Fisheries Advisory Committee
The development of the Coastal Fisheries Advisory Committee is identified in
the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for Maryland's Coastal Bays
and also recommend by the Department's Coastal Bays Water-Use Management
Plan Workgroup. The Coastal Fishery Advisory Committee serves to advise the
Department of Natural Resources on coastal fisheries related issues.
Hard Clam Fishery Management Plan
Hard clam fishery managment plan has been undergoing implementation review.
Click to see the ranking of action items identified in the plan as of March
1, 2006. Rankings were compiled by taking the average importance value
(1 - 5, one being the most important) determined by FAC members and
multiplying by its status (i.e., 1 = not done, 2 = ongoing, 3 = done). If
you are a member and have not submitted your rankings yet please contact
Roman Jesien: science@mdcoastalbays.org
