Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Written by: Ben Alexandro

Thanks to the amazing work of partners, the Chesapeake Bay Program outcome of protecting an additional 2 million acres by the end of the year from the baseline set in 2010 is on track. Now what? More work needs to be done to restore and sustain the living systems and unique character of the Bay that benefit millions throughout the watershed. Currently, we have the opportunity to update our goals to help drive resources and enthusiasm towards voluntary preservation and conservation measures. Land conservation must continue beyond the 2025 target of 2 million acres; it’s our responsibility to lift this message up.

Discussing protected areas and conservation priorities at a CCP annual meeting

In 2009, a workshop assembled a group of state and federal agencies and non‐governmental organizations at the Annapolis Maritime Museum to discuss options for enhancing land conservation and public access in the Chesapeake watershed. The recommendations formed the basis of the Land Conservation and Public Access in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed report. This group, which became the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership, continued to meet and began drafting the language for the outcomes of protecting an additional two million acres and adding 300 public access sites by 2025. These outcomes were incorporated into the Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the Chesapeake Bay Program as part of the 10 goals and 31 outcomes in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement to be achieved by 2025. The Protected Lands outcome is “By 2025, protect an additional two million acres of lands throughout the watershed—currently identified as high-conservation priorities at the federal, state or local level—including 225,000 acres of wetlands and 695,000 acres of forest land of highest value for maintaining water quality.”

Now that it is 2025, the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership has the opportunity again to make recommendations for renewed outcome language. The Chesapeake Bay Program is currently revising the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement as part of its Beyond 2025 initiative, which is looking at the next phase of Bay restoration. Over the last year, the Bay Program has been meeting to try to figure out the future of the Bay Program agreement and which goals and outcomes will be renewed, amended, continued or removed. Last summer, Charting a Course to 2025 was published, which recommended to the Executive Council that the Watershed Agreement be revised. Thanks in part to the letter sent in by some members of the CCP steering committee as well as numerous comments from organizations within the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership and beyond, the Bay Program is considering elevating conservation to the same level as science and restoration.

Soon, the partnership and the public will have the opportunity to make their voices heard and shape the future of the Bay Program. There are multiple Bay Program Management Board meetings coming up and each will have public participation opportunities. The meeting most relevant to Protected Lands is Thursday, March 13, from 9-3 pm, focusing on the following Outcomes: Toxics, Protected Lands, Submerged Aquatic Vegetation, Wetlands, Black Duck, Enviro Literacy, Student, Sustainable Schools, and Public Access. More information can be found here.

In the afternoon, there will be about half an hour of public comments. Check the meeting page for the agenda. This is the time to comment and provide feedback, if you have not yet. You can tell your story and explain why land conservation is important to you. You can also submit written comments to [email protected].

Partners of the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership are also interested in helping recommend future outcomes and are gathering to think through large acreage outcomes as well as sub-outcomes for things like wetlands and watersheds. In addition to the proposed large landscape and large acreage protection outcomes for 2040 and 2050, we want to lift up the work being done in our cities and towns as well. Over the last few CCP annual meetings, partners who work in urban areas, on small parcels and local parks asserted that they did not see the great work they do reflected in these large outcomes. Therefore, partners are discussing possibilities for additional sub-outcomes that look at metrics such as the percentage of the population within walking distance of a local park.

Draft 2025 Timeline for Management Board Execution of this phase of ‘Beyond 2025’

• March 2025 – Gather input on outcomes.
• April 2025 – The Principals’ Staff Committee discusses which outcomes are to be consolidated, reduced, updated, removed or replaced.
• May 2025 – Finalize draft list of outcomes to be shared for public participation and share the approach for structure development and governance.
• June 2025 – The Management board will work through any feedback from the Principals’ Staff Committee on outcomes and prepare the final outcome list.
  • On June 23rd, 2025 – there will be a Principal’s Staff Committee meeting where the outcomes and agreement will be approved.
• July 2025 – Public input and comment period.
• August-September 2025 – developing and refining the structure of the Bay Program.
• October 2025 – complete and present a final draft of the Bay Program structure, governance, and outcomes.
  • The Management Board will finalize outcome revisions at their October 9 meeting and send them to the Principals’ Staff Committee for approval.
    November 2025 – The Principals’ Staff Committee will finalize and approve the outcome revisions at their November 18 meeting, sending the list to the Executive Council.
• December 2025 – The Executive Council will approve Watershed Agreement revisions.
• January-June 2026 – Refine and incorporate governance and operational plans.

Stormwater runoff is the fastest-growing source of pollution in the Bay watershed due to urban and suburban sprawl replacing natural areas, forests and farmland. Land use change, development and growth have far-reaching effects on Bay recovery efforts and exacerbate the impacts of climate change. In the past, credit and focus were often on restoring areas after the damage was done as opposed to incentivizing prevention of the damage in the first place. Thanks in part to the efforts of Chesapeake Bay Program partners, the rate of loss has fallen, but the Chesapeake Bay watershed still loses dozens of acres of forested land each day. Emerging threats such as the increased energy needs of data centers, sprawling development, and sea level rise are intensifying the demand for land and are poised to accelerate the loss of rural and natural land. Existing mature forests and natural lands are some of the most valuable assets we have for meeting the Chesapeake Bay Program’s water quality, habitat and climate resilience goals. In addition to conserving these high-quality lands, we must protect what we have restored to ensure return investments in restoration. Finding suitable sites for restoration activities can be challenging, particularly given access and ownership restrictions. However, land trusts and land conservation programs, including agricultural land protection programs, are vital means to reach landowners who have the opportunity to improve the stewardship of their lands, including already protected lands, by installing water quality best management practices.

The late great Vincent Leggett discusses plans for a new park accessible to all at Elktonia/Carr’s Beach that can tell untold stories of American history and heritage.

After celebrating this victory, do the land trusts, tribes, agencies, and partners stop the incredible work of protecting and conserving land, or do we keep moving to reach new heights? On March 13th, you can share your thoughts at the March 2025 Management Board Meeting.

This technical assistance is further supported by the work of the Chesapeake WILD Roundtable, which brings together networked partners to support the greater vision of connected and healthy habits through the grant program and beyond. The WILD Roundtable is coordinated by USFWS, CCP, and NFWF staff to help facilitate the collection of feedback for the grant program and gather reviewers to aid with the selection process.

This wealth of technical assistance, the collaborative work of networks of partners, and the creative proposals grant applicants have allowed Chesapeake WILD to make a real difference in the watershed. If you want to learn more about the Chesapeake WILD grant program, the Chesapeake WILD Program Mapper, or how to join the Chesapeake WILD Roundtable, you can contact Faren R. Wolter (USFWS) [email protected] or Tori Sullens (NFWF) [email protected].

Image credit:

1. Chase Douglas
2. Ben Alexandro
3. Ben Alexandro

Lightning Update is a regular communication of the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions of the Partnership or member organizations.
To share a success story, news, or important event, send your information to:

[email protected]

Support for the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership is provided by:
National Park Service Chesapeake
EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
USDA Forest Service
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Virginia Outdoors Foundation
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Chesapeake Conservancy

The Chesapeake Conservation Partnership is co-convened by: