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INTRODUCTION
The field trip to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed will include visits to the following three sites:
- Clagett Farm, a Chesapeake Bay Foundation demonstration farm, where participants will interact with the Farm Manager and an Agricultural Economist from the University of Maryland;
- An upstream watershed, where participants will interact with farmers and a representative from the Maryland Department of Agriculture; and,
- A site on the Bay where participants will interact with users of the Chesapeake Bay, and representatives from Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Maryland Department of Environment.
The focus of discussions at each stop will parallel the workshop discussions. Emphasis will be given to how private, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and public institutions at the local, state, and national levels have developed a working partnership - called the Chesapeake Bay Program - to address the multiple demands being placed on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Material will also be presented on strategies and practices being adopted to meet production, economic, and environmental goals.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership which has been directing and conducting the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since the signing of the l983 Chesapeake Bay Agreement. The Chesapeake Bay Program partners include the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; the District of Columbia; the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative body; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), representing the federal government; and participating advisory groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Since its inception, the Chesapeake Bay Program's highest priority has been the restoration of the Bay's living resources - its finfish, shellfish, Bay grasses, and other aquatic life and wildlife. Examples of specific actions initiated include a watershed-wide phosphate detergent ban, the introduction of agricultural best management practices, biological nutrient removal at wastewater plants, and a public education campaign emphasizing the role that the watershed's 15 million residents play in the restoration of the Bay.
SCHEDULE AND DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES
Participants will travel in buses emphasizing the 4 different major languages used. There will be three stops during the field trip, with at least two discussion leaders at each stop, in order that the French and Russian groups can be addressed separately:
Departure
(Bus Language) |
Clagett Farm
(1) |
Sandy Point Park
(2) |
Upstream Watershed
(3) |
Arrival |
7:00 AM
English & French |
7:45 to 9:45 |
10:45 to 1:00
LUNCH |
1:45 to 3:45 |
5:30 PM |
7:00 AM
Spanish |
3:00 to 5:00 |
8:30 to 10:30 |
11:15 to 1:30
LUNCH |
5:45 PM |
9:00 AM
English & Russian |
9:45 to 12:00
LUNCH |
1:00 to 3:00 |
3:45 to 5:45 |
7:30 PM |
(1) Located 4 miles outside the Washington DC Beltway on Route 4;
(2) Located beyond Annapolis, Maryland on Route 50, just before the Bay Bridge on the Shore of the Chesapeake Bay;
(3) Located about 30 minutes beyond the Bay Bridge near Centerville, Maryland.
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Clagett Farm: A 285-acre demonstration farm owned and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization working to conserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay. Clagett
Farm: (1) Conducts research in sustainable farming practices; (2) Manages a commercial farming operation; (3) Provides education programs for youth and adults; and, (4) Evaluates agricultural public policy. Upon arrival at
the farm there will be an overview of the Chesapeake Bay from a rural perspective, covering key institutional and farm management issues. The following topics will be addressed while touring the farm:
- Soil and water management, and why it is important to both the farmer and users of the Chesapeake Bay;
- Impacts of different farming practices on the health of the watershed, for example, minimum tillage, cover crops, rotational grazing; and,
- Economics of alternative approaches.
Michael Heller and Jim Hanson will lead
the discussion on these topics.
Sandy Point Park: This is a State Park on the Chesapeake Bay. At this stop the status of the Bay will be discussed by representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Maryland Department of the Environment, and commercial bay users. They will discuss changes in watershed land use, importance of forests and wetlands, population growth and wastewater discharges, overall nutrient sources and reduction goals, and indicators of bay health. Since the mid 1980;s there has been a cooperative effort underway to restore the health of the bay among the States that have rivers and streams which drain into the Chesapeake Bay. The discussion leaders will discuss the nature of that effort, who is involved, progress being made, and barriers to greater success. During the discussion, participants can question the discussion leaders about the policy and institutional environment,
effectiveness of cooperation among different levels of government, private sector, and NGOs, and how they resolve conflicts. Jay Sherman, Bob Hoyt, and a yet to be named Bay user will lead the discussion.
Upstream Watershed: This stop will be in one of ten upstream watersheds where the State of Maryland has a "Tributary Management Plan" for all potential sources of nutrient overenrichment and toxic pollutants. The focus at this stop will be on how local farmers organize themselves. A representative of
the Maryland Department of Agriculture and local farmers will be present to discuss the type of farming enterprise they have and the nature of the crop and animal waste management practices they have implemented to keep
nutrients on their farm. These best management practices (BMPs) include such practices as vegetated buffer strips at the edge of crop fields, conservation tillage, strip cropping, diversion and waterways, nutrient management strategies for animal wastes, and stream bank fencing. They will also discuss their working relationships with state and local government agencies that administer conservation programs and provide them with advise. The participants should question the farmers on their view of regulatory versus incentive programs, which BMPs meet both their net profit and conservation goals and which don't, and how best to obtain their cooperation in attaining the Chesapeake Bay Program goals. Royden Powell, the Maryland Department of Agriculture Representative, and the
farmers Wayne McFarland, Jeff Moore, Bill Mason Jr., and Dan Shortall will lead the discussion. Two of the farmers have dairy operations that grow most of their own feed grains and hay; one is a crop farmer (primarily
corn and soybeans); and has a combination of poultry and feed grains.
Videos on the Bus: Three videos (in English, French, Russian and Spanish) will be
shown while traveling between stops: (1) "Chesapeake - Living off The Land", on the nature of the problems in the Chesapeake and what has to happen to turn it around; (2) "No Till Vegetable Farming", shows how
environmentally friendly farming practices can keep nutrients on the farm, while maintaining yield levels and increased profits through reducing the amount of purchased chemical inputs; and, (3) "China Loess Plateau
Watershed Rehabilitation Project", a successful World Bank project that shows how sediment inflows into the streams and rivers can be reduced, while increasing agricultural production and income levels for 1.2 million
rural people living in this region of China.
Outcomes and Lessons
Important lessons from the field trip include the following:
- There exist win-win reforms in which agricultural production can be sustained and the environment can be improved and maintained;
- However, community groups must be empowered, in concert with technicians, to make resource-allocation decisions, and institutional arrangements between public and private sectors must be demand-oriented;
- The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which is a nonprofit NGO, played a fundamental and catalytic role during the process the lead to the development of crucial, co-operative partnerships with federal, state, and local governments;
- The government has an important role to play in establishing and enforcing new 'rules of the game' in legislation and in regulation; and,
- It is important to establish an effective,
independent monitoring system in order to monitor progress.
Last Updated: June 28, 2002
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