I                                 REGION III
#                               1650 Arch Street
     \            UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                                       REGION III
                                     1650 Arch Street
                           Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2029
                                                                   OCT  -9 2001
Greetings from the Mid-Atlantic Region
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

       We are delighted to send you a copy of the recently published report, entitled "Maryland
Agriculture and Your Watershed." You were specifically selected to receive this material
because of your interest in information about characterizing agricultural production systems for
environmental studies. It is our hope that this primer will stimulate similar efforts in other states
in the mid-Atlantic region.

       The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a method of displaying agricultural data in an
environmentally relevant manner - by watershed.  Traditionally, these data were portrayed on
national, state or county levels. By following the method described here agricultural production
and land use information can be studied more intensively in a manner comparable to most
environmental quality facts.

       The preparation of this report was made possible by a dynamic collaborative effort among
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States Department of
Agriculture and the State of Maryland. This research was conducted as part of the Mid-Atlantic
Integrated Assessment (MAIA), an interagency, multi-discipline research, monitoring and
assessment program to develop high quality scientific information on the mid-Atlantic region's
natural resources: current conditions, stressors, trends, and vulnerabilities. An electronic version
of this report and other MAIA products are available on the world wide web at
www.epa.gov/maia.

       We'd like to hear from you about the usefulness of the report. Please contact Frederick
(Rick) W. Kutz, Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment, Environmental Science Center, 701 Mapes
Road, Ft. Meade, MD 20755-5350, kutz.rick@.epa.gov. 410-305-2742 with any comments and
questions.

                                        Sincerely,
                                        	——yipf, Acting (mrector
                                        Environmental Services Division
       Printed on 100% recycled/recyclable paper with 100% post-consumer fiber and process chlorine free.
                           Customer Service Hotline: 1-800-438-2474

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