| Session Title: Lessons From the Field in Building Evaluative Capacity of Restoration Activities: A Field Trip of the Herring Run Watershed Association Project |
| Demonstration Session 617 to be held in Washington Room on Friday, November 9, 1:55 PM to 3:25 PM |
| Sponsored by the Environmental Program Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Matthew Birnbaum, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, matthew.birnbaum@nfwf.org |
| Amanda Bassow, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, amanda.bassow@nfwf.org |
| Brian Kittler, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, brian.kittler@nfwf.org |
| Abstract: This is a continuation of a field trip that will be held offsite. It begins at 11:15 and continues through until 1:45. You must sign up in advance. To do so, please contact Katherine Dawes at dawes.katherine@epa.gov. The health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed has been declining due to over-influx of a variety of nutrients from consumption and production patterns. In response, Congress established ambitious goals in reducing nutrient levels in restoring this important watershed. Despite meeting many of the established mid-term target performance indicators, the watershed's health continues to deteriorate based on a recent GAO report. The Baltimore area is a major part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the focus for many of the most ambitious conservation projects. Participants will visit the highly urbanized Herring Run watershed in northeast Baltimore. The Herring Run Watershed Association is pro-actively engaging local residents in protecting and restoring their watershed through stream restoration and innovative storm water management. The demonstration provides an exemplar case study of the challenges presented to those responsible for innovations in watershed conservation and evaluation at a site level scale. |