What's new with . . .
LAND, GROWTH AND STEWARDSHIP
IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY REGION IN 1999
The Chesapeake Bay Program's Land, Growth and Steward-
ship effort works to identify Baywide land use and growth
issues and to forge alliances with other organizations working to
preserve the health of the Bay system, including its natural
landscapes. The Bay Program effort keys on three areas: sound
land management decisions, the impacts of existing growth, and
public and private actions to reduce the impact of growth on the
Bay system. In 1996, the Bay Program adopted the Priorities
for Action for Land, Growth and Stewardship in the Chesapeake
Bay Region as a way to address population growth and land
development. The goal is to encourage sustainable development
patterns that integrate economic health, resource protection and
community participation. The Priorities for Action represent the
first step in meeting this challenge in a manner that is sensitive
to local issues and autonomy and that emphasizes the desire to
help communities in the Bay region help themselves. In 1999,
the Bay Program continued to develop its crosscutting program
to promote sustainable development in the Bay region. The
following highlights touch on some of those efforts.
Workshops Help Local Communities
Grow Responsibly
As part of the effort to encourage livable communities, the
Bay Program continues to sponsor workshops for local officials
that highlight effective ways to reduce the impacts of growth.
One series of workshops—the Better Site Design and Watershed
Planning Workshops—focuses on teaching municipal officials
how to prepare small watershed plans and how to implement
innovative land development principles, such as green parking
lots, stream buffers, cluster development, narrow streets and
pollution prevention programs. The workshops also help local
officials identify ways to change existing codes and ordinances
to reduce impervious cover, conserve natural areas and reduce
storm water runoff. Participants get hands-on experience using
real-world site plans. For example, officials from Frederick
County, Maryland, participated in one of the first workshops.
They are working to implement innovative practices by review-
ing their local codes and ordinances to allow for better develop-
ment patterns. The Bay Program is expanding this program to
include a "train the trainers" program designed to instruct local
planners to train others to review local codes and ordinances. A
similar training program is under way in Pennsylvania through
the Growing Greener initiative. Growing Greener focuses on
how communities can conserve open space and natural
resources while accommodating some growth. For more infor-
mation on the Bay Program workshops or on Growing Greener,
call 1-800-YOUR-BAY, ext 847.
Bay Program Issues New Report
on Growth and Development
As part of its effort to inform and educate
the public and specific stakeholder groups on
the role they can play in improving the health
of the Bay and its rivers, the Bay Program
continued to develop a broad range of
Environmental Indicators throughout 1999. Environmental
Indicators use the most recent data and information to illustrate
the status and trends for a variety of issues from water quality
to human impacts on the Bay system. In June 1999, the Bay
Program issued a new publication featuring Environmental
Indicators and interpretive text related to population and growth
issues in the Bay region. For a free copy of Chesapeake Bay
Watershed: Its Land and People, go to the Bay Program website
at www.chesapeakebay.net and click on publications or call
1-800-YOUR BAY.
Stay Tuned
•	A handbook for local communities illustrating techniques for
designing environmentally friendly residential, commercial
and industrial sites will be available through the Bay Pro-
gram in 2000. The techniques focus on reducing the impact
of development on existing natural features and comparing
conventional site design to environmentally friendly site
design.
•	The updated Chesapeake Bay Public Access Guide will be
available in 2000. This popular map highlights specific
locations in the Bay region where the public can access
waters of the Bay and its tributaries from boat ramps, parks,
fishing piers, hiking trails and recreational areas.
•	The Chesapeake Bay Area Public Access Technical Assis-
tance Report is being revised and reprinted. This report,
designed for local governments, provides technical guidance
on the acquisition and development of public access sites.
•	A literature synthesis on the environmental and economic
effects and costs of septic systems is being conducted by the
Bay Program. The purpose of the study is to identify the
hidden costs of septic systems and the relationship between
growth patterns and septic systems.
•	In addition to its other web-based activities, the Bay Program
sponsored the development of a web-based database that
offers references on alternative development practices. It
includes nutrient removal information, economic and cost
considerations, model ordinances or case studies, and other
social and environmental considerations. The site provides
summaries of each reference, plus information on how to
obtain copies. The database will be available in early 2000.
For more information on Land, Growth and Stewardship, go to
www.chesapeakebay. net/landscape, htm
on the Bay Program website, n,,		 	

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