All Bay Meeting a Success
"Necessary, informative, and beneficial" were
words used to describe the December 13, 2005 All Bay Meeting. 91%
of the 130 attendees provided positive agenda ratings on their evaluation
forms.
The packed agenda included presentations made by key conservation
partners who provided information on resources that are available
to help meet the challenges of the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement.
Conservation district staff participated on panels, describing various
approaches they took to developing their County Implementation Plans
and implementing Special Projects. A special session was placed on
the agenda to address Bay Program related questions that were submitted
by districts prior to and during the meeting.
The well-attended meeting included representatives from thirty-six
conservation districts and staff from cooperating agencies such as
the Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, PA Department
of Agriculture, Penn State Cooperative Extension, and the Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy.
The sessions that attendees cited as being most useful were those
featuring conservation district staff. These presentations gave examples
of conservation district projects and County Implementation Plans
from Bedford, Centre, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, and Lycoming
Counties. The morning panel showcased uniqueness and innovation in
applying district resources to County Implementation Plans and how
these Plans can be used to leverage other grant funds. Other districts
in attendance could see and hear what the plans that scored highest
and got more allocation funding from DEP looked like. "We're
hoping districts will take these ideas and insights in re-writing
the County Implementation Plans in January," said Mark Dubin,
DEP.
"Districts did a phenomenal job with little guidance in creating
their County Implementation Plans," said Cedric Karper, DEP.
With the information and insights provided by the day's presenters,
conservation districts are enabled to do an even better job in the
future.
How do we market BMP's? The "Carrots and Sticks" presentation
on marketing and compliance by Don McNutt and Charlie Miller answered
this question. This session was rated "very useful" in the
evaluations because the presenters related their extensive experience
to this topic. Charlie emphasized education as being the key for producers
to properly implement and maintain BMP's. Don stressed the importance
of voluntary compliance. The examples he used from his district dealing
with this issue were identified by some attendees as being very valuable.
Tracking BMP's once they are on-the-ground was covered in the Bay
Program Administration topic. The evaluation results indicated that
some attendees thought this topic should have been handled by Chesapeake
Bay Field Representatives with district technicians on an individual
basis. However, the majority of attendees thought seeing the new paperwork
for special projects was helpful and the explanation of reporting
problems provided some clarification.
The Special Projects in the Spotlight session focused on how districts
are successfully implementing BMP's. The four practices covered were
rotational grazing management, continuous no-till management, cereal/commodity
cover crops, and precision agricultural management. The presenters
emphasized the importance of communicating with adjacent counties
before implementing BMP's.
Cedric wrapped up the meeting by asking districts to reach out to
other partners to broaden the base and make their County Implementation
Plans more effective. If the All Bay Meeting becomes an annual event,
as the evaluations indicate they should, communication and information
sharing between districts and their partners can continue to improve
which, in turn, will benefit the PA Chesapeake Bay Program.
Meeting materials can be downloaded by clicking on www.pacd.org,
"All Bay Meeting a Success."
John Hines, Executive Director of Water Planning
Office, facilitates the "Bay Questions and Answers" session
where participants directed unanswered questions to presenters. Questions
ranged from funding to the impact of nutrient trading on the Bay Program.
For instance participants asked, "Will there be a Bay Program
by 2010?" "How many counties are in the Bay Program?"
"Are conservation districts going to take the fall when 2010
Bay goals are not met?"
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Sample Evaluation Results
1. What is your suggestion for improving the Bay Program?
29% Funding
9% Improve communication
9% More efficient paperwork
6% Give us the forms before we spend the money
The remainder of responses were miscellaneous suggestions
Not surprisingly, increased funding was the most popular suggestion
for improving the Bay Program. Participants emphasized the need
for support of technical assistance staff.
2. Would you like to see future All Bay Meetings scheduled?
If yes, with what frequency?
One hundred percent of respondents indicated they would like
to see future All
Bay Meetings.
Frequency:
67% Annually
17% Every two years
16% Depends on changes to the program
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