Last week we hosted the 2008 annual meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council (EC) at Union Station in Washington, D.C., a regional partnership that has been working for 25 years to protect our Chesapeake Bay.  Although Executive Council has made considerable progress in its efforts, we did not gather together to celebrate. Given the rate of decline of our Bay's health, as well as the vulnerable status of iconic species like the blue crab and native oyster, we must continue to escalate our efforts to reduce harmful nutrients in our waterways as quickly as possible.

 

Last year, the Council confirmed that the region would not meet the 2010 nutrient reduction goals set by the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement. This year, the Council adopted a new strategy for establishing a deadline that involves moving the annual meeting to the spring, beginning in 2009, when the most current scientific information about pollution levels becomes available. To focus attention on needed progress and allow for better tracking, more adaptability and accountability, the Council further agreed to establish specific milestones for restoration in two-year intervals next spring.  This is a new way of doing business in Maryland, and we have challenged our State's Bay cabinet agencies to more than double the pace of our restoration efforts. 

 

Our most important days are rarely the easiest ones, and progress often comes in the form of two steps forward and one step back, but it is progress nonetheless.  Coming together in partnership, we can find man-made solutions to the man-made problems of our Bay, helping to build a cleaner, greener, more sustainable future for our children and theirs.

 

Sincerely,