• What is the Tributary Strategies Program and how does it relate to the Tributary Teams?
• How long has this program been operational?
• Why was this program created?
• What are the specific activities and operations of the program?
• Why is this program a new and creative approach or method?
• What was the program's start up costs?
• What is the annual operating costs of this program?
• How is this program funded?
• How many state employees work with this program?
• Did this program require the passage of legislation, executive order or regulations?
• What equipment, technology and software are used to operate and administer this program?
• Did this program originate in Maryland?
• Has the program been fully implemented?
• How effective is the program in addressing the defined problems or issues?
• How has the program grown and or changed since its inception?

Q:  What is the Tributary Strategy Program and how does it relate to the Tributary Teams?
Maryland's Tributary Strategy Program is a broad-based, citizen and government partnership that focuses on nutrient pollution reduction and the preservation and restoration of habitat throughout the state's Chesapeake Bay watershed. Using both regulatory and voluntary means, this program has, at its core, the state's Tributary Teams, an innovative public outreach component of the program. Maryland's Tributary Teams, consist of ten, geographical-oriented groups, based on the 10 major sub-watersheds found in Maryland. Each team has 30 to 35 members appointed by the Governor. The teams focus on policy, legislation, hands-on implementation, and public education. Each sub-watershed has a plan, or Tributary Strategy, that when implemented, would reduce nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by 40%. A two year process to develop new Tributary Strategies is currently underway.

Q:   How long has this program been operational?
The Tributary Strategies Program was initiated in September 1995, with the gubernatorial appointment of 350 Tributary Team Members throughout the state.

Q:  Why was this program created?
The Tributary Strategies Program was developed to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Too much nitrogen and phosphorus are the major cause of the Bay's decline, including poor water quality and the loss of oysters, bay grasses, waterfowl, striped bass, and ecosystem functions.

At the multi-state Chesapeake Bay watershed-wide level, the Tributary Strategies fulfilled the commitments of the 1992 Amendment to the 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement to develop Strategies (or plans) to achieve a 40% reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus loadings. It was signed by the Governors from states within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed including Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

At the local level, public participation, local knowledge, and "buy-in" by stakeholders throughout the watershed is crucial to the success of the entire Bay restoration effort. This program provides a forum and supports public involvement in water quality restoration, decision-making, policy discussions, and other activities.

The establishment of a strong, multi-jurisdictional, public outreach and partnership component in the state's nutrient reduction efforts has been accomplished through Maryland's Tributary Strategy Teams. While the "official" membership of the teams is 350, many other stakeholders have been encouraged to participate informally. An estimated 700 people throughout the watershed are kept abreast of the Team's activities.

Q:  What are the specific activities and operations of the program?
A typical year in this program begins with the Tributary Team's Annual Meeting. In 2001, more than 400 people attended the Annual Meeting. Please see attached agenda.

Each of the 10 teams meets monthly in their watersheds. The teams are: Upper Potomac, Middle Potomac, Lower Potomac, Upper Eastern Shore, Choptank, Lower Eastern Shore, Upper Western Shore, Patapsco / Back River, Patuxent River, and the Lower Western Shore. Meetings may include special briefings from agency representatives, guest speakers, field trips, discussions, or work group sessions which focus on point sources, agricultural, developing lands, urban, or other issues.

The Chairs and Vice Chairs of the ten Teams meet bi-annually with the Governor's Chesapeake Bay Cabinet, which consists of Secretaries of the Departments of Natural Resources, Environment, Agriculture, Planning, Transportation and the Dean of the School of Agriculture from the University of Maryland. At these meetings, Tributary Team Chairs and Vice Chairs have an opportunity to bring new issues forward, highlight areas of concern, and request special assistance. Outcome: Team Chairs requested special support to form a task force that would explore the impacts of septic systems, their management, and the impacts that septic systems have on the state's nutrient loads. A broad based stakeholder group was convened, including experts from health departments, operators, installers, businesses, state agency regulatory representatives, and tributary team members. This On Site Sewage Disposal Task Force developed recommendations that were subsequently presented to the Bay Cabinet and the Governor. Legislation was submitted by the Maryland Department of the Environment as a result of this task forces' work. Please refer to OSDS Task Force Report for more information.

The Chairs and Vice Chairs meet annually with the Governor to discuss major issues of concern and seek the Governors' support. The Governor also has the opportunity to request support from team members. Outcome: In 2000 the Teams recommended that the Governor take action to reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuels and set an example for the design, construction and management of energy efficient buildings. In March 2001, through Tributary Team and state government efforts, Governor Glendening issued an Executive Order establishing a 6% green energy procurement goal for all state energy purchases and new policies addressing the way state government designs, constructs, and manages for energy efficiency in their facilities.

Chairs and Vice Chairs from each team meet quarterly to steer the overall direction of the Program.

Local government representatives on each team also meet quarterly to discuss issues of interest or concern, or to receive important updates. Outcome: Recently, Team members who represent local governments helped update the state's Chesapeake Bay Local Government Partnership Agreement. It was signed at a ceremony in June 2000 by all the local government executives. In this Agreement, Maryland's local governments again committed to participate in the Tributary Strategy Program, to support efforts that restore the tributaries and the Chesapeake Bay, and to help in updating the new Tributary Strategies that will guide Maryland's efforts to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution and restore habitat.

Teams also conduct public awareness campaigns (Wade In, Fish In, or Dip In) in each of the 10 watersheds to inform local citizens about the quality of waters in their neighborhoods. See attached flyer.

Several "Cross-Team" Workgroups have formed to focus more extensively on particular issues as they relate to Developed Lands, Point Sources, and Public Education. These groups usually meet quarterly. Outcome: An example of the Public Education Cross- Team Workgroup effort includes "Fragile-Handle With Care", a 40 page document that was distributed in the Baltimore Sun as an insert in their Sunday paper. This document teaches homeowners about personal responsibility regarding nutrient pollution. It has an accompanying teachers guide which was distributed to over 400 schools in the region. This year, a new document, "Picture Maryland: Where Do We Grow From Here" (www.picturemaryland.net), focuses on sprawl development. This was published and distributed on Earth Day.

Q:  Why is this program a new and creative approach or method?
The Tributary Strategy Program established an organized, state-wide, grassroots, network that encourages stakeholder participation and involvement with senior state government representatives. Tributary Team members have a significant impact on policies and decisions made at the state level. This is a deliberative process that encourages open discussion and collaborative relationships across all stakeholder groups.

Public participation in the Maryland's Tributary Strategy Program has enabled state government to engender trust, increase communication, build relationships, and most importantly build support for common water quality goals. This program empowers stakeholders by giving them direct and frequent access to the Governor of Maryland, the Governor's Bay Cabinet, and to key state agency representatives who are responsible for policies and regulations.

Q:  What was the program's start up costs?
The start-up cost for this program is estimated to be $400,000. (Mostly personnel costs). The process to develop the Strategies and create the Teams was organized and directed by the Office of the Governor. However, 30 people from participating state agencies and stakeholders met for two years to develop the Strategies. Three public meetings were held in each of the ten major watersheds throughout the state, and two briefings to each of the 24 local governments were also conducted. State agency staff worked over two years to develop the Tributary Strategies plan of management options that if implemented could reduce the nutrient pollution loads by 40%.

Q:  What is the annual operating costs of this program?
The annual operating costs of this program is about $300,000. Each of the ten watershed-based Tributary Teams throughout Maryland has between 30 and 35 volunteer members, and is supported by a state agency staff person. Each team is chaired by a team member elected by the team, and meets once a month to make decisions regarding various issues and projects.

In addition to staff, each tributary team has one state agency representative as a team member on their team. These representatives are not supported by the Program's direct budget. State agencies participating in the Tributary Strategy Program have committed to fulfilling the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, which obligates their support in the Tributary Strategy development and implementation. Participating state agencies are responsible for these costs.

Q:  How is this program funded?
This program is funded through an EPA Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant.

Q:  How many state employees work with this program?
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources funds six full time employees to staff and support the efforts of the ten Tributary Strategy Teams. Indirectly the Maryland Department of Natural Resources depends on the technical expertise and leadership of dozens of staff who are not reflected in the Programs budget. Other state agencies contribute extensively through collaboration and technical support as well, and through participation in team meetings as previously mentioned, but are not directly funded through this program. Other cooperating state agencies include the Departments of Environment, Transportation, Agriculture, General Services, the University of Maryland - Center for Environmental Science, and the University of Maryland - College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Governor's Office and the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program are significant collaborators.

All twenty-four local governments throughout the state are participants on the Tributary Strategy Teams. Other participants and stakeholders include representatives from agriculture (farmers, Maryland Farm Bureau, Soil Conservation Districts, United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service), waterman, private business representatives, public educators, scientists, citizens, non profit organizations, local and federal government representatives, and developers.

Q:  Did this program require the passage of legislation, executive order or regulations?
This program required no specific legislation to establish either the Teams or the nutrient reduction goals. However, legislation, regulation, and state policy has been enacted to actualize nutrient pollution reductions recommended by the Tributary Strategies. (An example of this is the legislation that mandates Nutrient Management practices on all Maryland farmland).

Q:  What equipment, technology and software are used to operate and administer this program?
The Program utilizes standard office equipment. Through collaboration with other state agencies and federal programs such as the Chesapeake Bay Program, extensive computer modeling and GIS work supports our technical needs.

Q:  Did this program originate in Maryland?
Yes, this program originated in Maryland.

Q:  Has the program been fully implemented?
Yes, the infrastructure of the Program is fully implemented, however the goals of the Program have not been met.

Q:  How effective is the program in addressing the defined problems or issues?
Each year since the Teams were formed, their list of accomplishments has grown. In the past year, the Teams played key roles in developing the regional plans for restoring the Chesapeake Bay; the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement and Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Local Government Partnership Agreement. Together, these far-reaching agreements frame the commitments that local and state governments need to restore and protect the Bay and its watershed.

Team members participated on task forces, in policy formation, and were instrumental in the development of a recent Executive Order on Green Power, Energy Efficiency, and Green Buildings. The Teams participated in hands-on activities such as building oyster bars, planting trees, and conducting public awareness campaigns. They have mastered the art of developing partnerships; working with the Baltimore Sun newspaper to develop and distribute their educational materials to over one million people. Team members gave presentations at public meetings and clubs, testified before the legislature, and met with local elected and state officials. Their charge to reduce nutrient pollution led them to focus on stormwater management, septic systems, and federal and state pollution prevention programs. Please refer to their 1998 and 1999 Annual Reports for your review.

Reducing nutrient pollution is an enormous task. Almost every human-based activity generates nutrient pollution and the broad scope of the Teams' work reflects this wide-ranging impact. For Maryland, it is only through such a collaborative, far-reaching program, such as the Tributary Strategy Program, and its public outreach component & the Tributary Strategy Teams, that the state is able to accomplish this enormous task.

Q:  How has the program grown and or changed since its inception?
Team members and state agencies have developed relationships which have in turn facilitated communication and understanding. Common goals and objectives have encouraged further collaboration. The program has been enormously empowering to many people. The Program has brought together, on a regular basis, over 200 stakeholders per month. Much can happen from this kind of interaction.

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