The Army's Chesapeake Bay Program: Managing Land across Political Boundaries to Promote Watershed Protection and Resource Stewardship

Abstract

In 1984, the U.S. Army entered into a long-term partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) with the intent to protect the Bay and its resources for future generations. Over the years, this partnership has blossomedwith the Army taking an increasingly proactive role in protecting, restoring, and promoting stewardship of the Bay watershed. The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans six states and the District of Columbia and encompasses more than 165,760 square kilometers. Within this area, the Army owns 19 installations covering approximately 87,075 hectares (USAEC 2004). The Army's land within the watershed varies in location (from Bay-front to mountaintop), size, and proximity to urban centers. These varied landholdings present unique watershed issues that demand innovative solutions on the part of the Army. Led by the U.S. Army Environmental Center (USAEC), the Army's Chesapeake Bay Program (Army CBP) has supported the Bay-area installations with planning, partnering, public outreach, and resource conservation and enhancement. Specific activities have included submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) research and restoration, conservation landscaping and low-impact development (LID) training and design, nutrient management planning, watershed planning, and public outreach. Additionally, using a bimonthly newsletter, a Web site, and annual meetings as tools, the Army CBP keeps installation staff abreast of new developments and issues in watershed management and encourages the exchange of information among the widespread installations and with their various federal and state partners. The Army CBP provides an excellent example of watershed-based planning and management over a large scale and with a variety of public and environmental issues. This paper will highlight the various programs and activities that the Army is undertaking in support of theEPA CBP and discuss the challenges and issues of managing multiple parcels of land throughout a large watershed.