Phase II of the Coastal Bays Management Plan

by Dave Wilson. (Wilson is the public outreach coordinator for the Maryland Coastal Bays Program.)

With more than half of the Coastal Bays Management Plan’s activities underway, the next five years of Coastal Bays and partner work will place emphasis on wetland, farmland, and forest conservation, evaluating the watershed’s carrying capacity, educating tourists, limiting the impacts of air pollutant deposition, and working with the tourism industry to advance nature tourism and energy and water conservation.

The bulk of this effort will be accomplished by the Coastal Bays Program, Worcester County, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Maryland Department of the Environment, and Ocean City.

Conservation easements and other economic incentives to retain forestry and farming on the shore are primary targets along with a vision to create a comprehensive wetlands plan to help save functional wetlands and minimize the ongoing destruction in many areas of the watershed. Along with this, DNR will develop a status and trends report of forest bird species and also coordinate programs for select wildlife species on agricultural land.

To help direct planning efforts, the Coastal Bays Program will evaluate the watershed’s carrying capacity and develop indicators of watershed change using drinking water availability, impervious surfaces, and groundwater recharge as indicators. The efforts should help encourage green development and advance long-term planning principles.

In conjunction with this, the program will target the hospitality industry by promoting the benefits of reusing and recycling materials and by training to show the benefits of water and energy conservation. Guests, too, will get inserted with knowledge with efforts to educate them on how to keep their visits to the area environmentally sensitive. Hotels will be at the forefront of this and additional efforts to promote nature-friendly tourism. Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism Experiences (DLITE), will continue to promote packages combining Ocean City accommodations with natural resource-based activities.

Because a third of the nutrients entering the coastal bays come from the atmosphere, the Coastal Bays Program will create educational materials on local car and lawn mower pollution and develop alternatives and mitigation strategies. The Maryland Department of the Environment will advance alternative energy sources and Ocean City will consider adopting a model energy code for commercial and residential building.

For a complete list of Phase II actions click here.