News & Notes May 2001

All-Bay Meeting Defines Roles and Responsibilities of The PA Chesapeake Bay Program

The Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Program held an All-Bay Meeting on April 2 in Grantville, PA. The All Bay Meeting forum provided training and information relative to the status of the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Program.

In attendance were more than 100 Chesapeake Bay technicians, district managers and state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) officials.

Cedric Karper, of the DEP Bureau of Watershed Management, and Bill Bowers, of the USDA – NRCS, facilitated a variety of program topics such as: Blending Cultures to Improve Results, Program Responsibilities, the Engineering Role of NRCS, Project Quality Assurance and Dealing with Projects that fail to Perform as Expected. The meeting also focused on the enhancement of communication channels to improve the Bay Program’s support network.

A panel discussion including representatives of DEP, NRCS, and county conservation districts helped to define the roles and responsibilities of the key agencies involved in Bay Program activities. During this segment:

•Pete Tarby, of DEP, explained that the role of the DEP Field Representative is primarily to serve as the liaison, or first point of contact, between the DEP and the county conservation districts. Tarby explained that the field representative is available to provide assistance and training to the districts, take part in compliance inspections and investigate complaints, as well as taking part in other local responsibilities.

•Wayne Carvell, NRCS, said that the primary duties of the engineer are to maintain the Pennsylvania Technical Guide, write conservation plans, provide plans for the implementation of Best Management Practices, and provide training and quality assurance.

•Ernie Tarner, Franklin Conservation District Manager, explained why a manager in a Bay Program district must first and foremost work to develop and maintain quality staff. Tarner said, after the technical staff is in place, it is important to encourage them to participate in training and seek out appropriate assistance.

•Also from the Franklin Conservation District, Bay Technician Scott Metzger, outlined the main responsibilities of a Bay Technician. Metzger said the first step is making successful contact with local farmers in order to persuade them to participate in the Bay Program. From there, he explained, a technician must work closely with the farmer to develop a plan, review design, and oversee the implementation of the design. He stressed the importance of, “Getting out to the project site as often as possible,” and said that after a job is complete, follow-up compliance inspections and check-out surveys are necessary. Other responsibilities noted were grant writing, hosting pre-construction meetings, and the coordination of a Bay Sub-committee, composed of a district manager, Bay technician and NRCS representative.

Attendees were also provided with a general overview of the mission and philosophy of state organizations within the Conservation Partnership, (a dynamic alliance of public and private organizations dedicate to providing quality leadership and service for the stewardship and conservation of Pennsylvania’s natural resources), and how they work together in order to maximize results and efficiency.

“Our goal with Bay Program projects is to met the BMP environmental standards and to satisfy the needs of the farmer,” Bowers said. “We can help the farmers to meet their goals, but we have to make sure we are producing an environmental improvement as well.”

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts has developed a task force to evaluate the structure of the Association’s region meetings and statewide conferences. Members of the task force include: Ron Rohall (Chairman), George Hildebrandt, Ed Magargee, Barbara Marbain, David Steele, Mark Kimmel, Porter DuVall, Carl Schlappi, Harry Stokes, Bruce Holbrook, Jay Braund, Doug Goodlander and Susan Fox. The task force will meet on several occasions within the next few months to thoroughly examine PACD events and activities.

Items of concern to the task force include the location, timing, length and format of PACD meetings and workshops. A primary concern of the task force is to determine how to bolster attendance and participation in PACD activities and functions.

Members of the task force will examine input collected during recent PACD Region Meetings, where Executive Director Susan Fox presented a summary of the PACD Strategic Plan and posed questions regarding the structure of the PACD meetings and activities.

The task force will then draft a proposal outlining concepts and ideas for future conferences and events and present this proposal during the PACD Joint Annual Conference in July. Conservation districts will be asked for their input again once the proposal is submitted.

Page 4>