Public involvement is an essential component to the preparation of this EIS. The first opportunity for public input occurred after the issuance of a notice of intent to prepare this EIS in the Federal Register on January 5, 2004. Public comment on the overall scope of this EIS, including the purpose and need, list of alternatives to be evaluated and project schedule was obtained between January 5, 2004 and February 27, 2004. Public meetings were conducted in both the State of Maryland and Commonwealth of Virginia. Each public scoping meeting provided a briefing on the state of C. virginica in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, the status of restoration efforts, preliminary programmatic EIS alternatives, and the proposed action of the programmatic EIS. In addition, a public forum website was established to facilitate public input within and outside the Chesapeake Bay region. The public input received during this public scoping period is summarized within this section of the webpage.

There is a strong commitment by the involved agencies to keep the public apprised of the progress of the EIS. Several public outreach presentations were convened in 2005, including most recent findings from an ecosystem impact model, cultural analysis and economic analysis that will be used to support the preparation of this EIS. The lead agencies will continue to establish regular checkpoints and use public outreach meetings and reports to inform the public on work done to support the EIS as results become available.