At the Chesapeake Executive Council meeting attended by COG staff, several measures were adopted intended to accelerate protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. This year, the Executive Council’s annual meeting was held in conjunction with a National Geographic Summit on Chesapeake Bay Education. Executive Council members committed to the following initiatives at the meeting:

• Reducing nutrient pollution from livestock operations. Executive Council members adopted an animal manure management strategy that calls for working with farmers to reduce the surplus nutrients from agricultural operations throughout the watershed.

• Providing regional recommendations for the 2007 Farm Bill. Leaders from the Bay states presented a report outlining the region’s top five priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill; their recommendations are further detailed in the report, The 2007 Farm Bill: Concepts for Conservation Reform in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

   

• Improving upon current fisheries management activities. The Executive Council adopted a framework for an ecosystem-based fishery management approach for the Chesapeake Bay.

   

• Expanding Chesapeake Bay stewardship efforts. Executive Council members, regional school system leaders and environmental education providers signed an agreement to continue to expand Chesapeake Bay stewardship efforts.

Electronic copies of the reports, strategy documents, adoption statements, and agreements mentioned above are available on the Chesapeake Bay Program’s web site.

At the National Geographic Summit on Chesapeake Bay Education, regional experts participated in sessions focused on opportunities provided by the upcoming 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, new directions and technologies in the education arena, and current education practices in the watershed. Additionally, a new National Geographic Society web site was unveiled: Exploring the Chesapeake – Then and Now. The site offers tremendous resources for teachers, students, and others to learn about the Bay and its history.