A Science-Based Approach for Targeting Resources to Achieve Multiple Chesapeake Outcomes Active
Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) needs to accelerate progress on multiple outcomes to meet deadlines in the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement. The CBP partnership spends about $1.2B annually on activities toward achieving the Watershed Agreement, with a focus on water-quality improvement. Recent funding increases, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provide additional opportunities to accelerate progress toward multiple outcomes and improve state and local benefits. However, a science-based approach to target resources, including funding increases, is needed to use tools and identify places to more effectively advance multiple outcomes and benefits.
USGS Study
The USGS is working with the CBP Office, USEPA, NOAA, and the Chesapeake Conservancy to provide science-based information that can be considered by agencies and organizations for a more strategic approach to targeting resources. The objective of targeting effort is to organize science-based information so agencies and organizations can better target resources to the places, and towards the types of activities, that accelerate progress for multiple CBP outcomes and provide more local benefits.
The information is organized around several topics (figure 1) based on the goals of the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement: (1) accelerate water-quality improvements, (2) improve fish, wildlife populations and habitats, (3) expand land-conservation efforts, and (4) increase benefits to people, with all topics considering opportunities to enhance climate resiliency.
Enhanced targeting of resources will accelerate progress toward multiple CBP outcomes and increase the return on funding investments by providing more benefits to the people, fish, and wildlife across the Bay and its watershed.
Management Applications
The USGS has developed a Web-based portal, which contains existing decision tools, that can be considered to target resources: Targeting (chesapeakebay.net)
The results can be used by agencies and organizations to target resources, working in collaboration through the Chesapeake Goal Implementation Teams (GITs) to address multiple CBP outcomes. The GITs consist of federal, state, and NGOs members who are collaborating on specific outcomes, and member agencies can use information on targeting resources to accelerate progress and provide benefits to multiple outcomes. The use of the findings will vary by the type of stakeholders:
- Federal agencies could use the tools to identify places where resources could be focused across the watershed that address multiple CBP outcomes. Federal agencies could then work with states and local governments to further identify opportunities in these places.
- State governments could use the regional information, along with their existing state tools, to identify places where progress can be made on multiple CBP outcomes while simultaneously achieving state priorities.
- Local governments would like the investments being made to improve water quality and achieve other CBP outcomes to also provide local benefits for their communities.
- NGOs could use the watershed-wide tools to supplement their own maps and targeting tools to improve local watershed conditions.
The USGS has been interacting with multiple CBP stakeholders on the questions and applications for targeting resources. Some of the management questions include:
- Where can additional CBP outcomes for habitats and people be achieved in the Most Effective Basins?
- How can multiple CBP outcomes be considered by several programs?
- Where can conservation activities achieve CBP outcomes for healthy watersheds, land protection, and habitat?
More Information
The USGS and science partners are interacting with stakeholder on next steps for targeting, which include:
- Integrate targeting tools to address Cross-Outcome benefits.
- Include upcoming science and develop new information.
- Increase support with agencies and organizations to apply existing tools and better utilize the new information to target resources.
A more detailed paper on the science-based approach for targeting resources can be found here.
The portal of targeting tools can be viewed here.
Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) needs to accelerate progress on multiple outcomes to meet deadlines in the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement. The CBP partnership spends about $1.2B annually on activities toward achieving the Watershed Agreement, with a focus on water-quality improvement. Recent funding increases, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provide additional opportunities to accelerate progress toward multiple outcomes and improve state and local benefits. However, a science-based approach to target resources, including funding increases, is needed to use tools and identify places to more effectively advance multiple outcomes and benefits.
USGS Study
The USGS is working with the CBP Office, USEPA, NOAA, and the Chesapeake Conservancy to provide science-based information that can be considered by agencies and organizations for a more strategic approach to targeting resources. The objective of targeting effort is to organize science-based information so agencies and organizations can better target resources to the places, and towards the types of activities, that accelerate progress for multiple CBP outcomes and provide more local benefits.
The information is organized around several topics (figure 1) based on the goals of the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement: (1) accelerate water-quality improvements, (2) improve fish, wildlife populations and habitats, (3) expand land-conservation efforts, and (4) increase benefits to people, with all topics considering opportunities to enhance climate resiliency.
Enhanced targeting of resources will accelerate progress toward multiple CBP outcomes and increase the return on funding investments by providing more benefits to the people, fish, and wildlife across the Bay and its watershed.
Management Applications
The USGS has developed a Web-based portal, which contains existing decision tools, that can be considered to target resources: Targeting (chesapeakebay.net)
The results can be used by agencies and organizations to target resources, working in collaboration through the Chesapeake Goal Implementation Teams (GITs) to address multiple CBP outcomes. The GITs consist of federal, state, and NGOs members who are collaborating on specific outcomes, and member agencies can use information on targeting resources to accelerate progress and provide benefits to multiple outcomes. The use of the findings will vary by the type of stakeholders:
- Federal agencies could use the tools to identify places where resources could be focused across the watershed that address multiple CBP outcomes. Federal agencies could then work with states and local governments to further identify opportunities in these places.
- State governments could use the regional information, along with their existing state tools, to identify places where progress can be made on multiple CBP outcomes while simultaneously achieving state priorities.
- Local governments would like the investments being made to improve water quality and achieve other CBP outcomes to also provide local benefits for their communities.
- NGOs could use the watershed-wide tools to supplement their own maps and targeting tools to improve local watershed conditions.
The USGS has been interacting with multiple CBP stakeholders on the questions and applications for targeting resources. Some of the management questions include:
- Where can additional CBP outcomes for habitats and people be achieved in the Most Effective Basins?
- How can multiple CBP outcomes be considered by several programs?
- Where can conservation activities achieve CBP outcomes for healthy watersheds, land protection, and habitat?
More Information
The USGS and science partners are interacting with stakeholder on next steps for targeting, which include:
- Integrate targeting tools to address Cross-Outcome benefits.
- Include upcoming science and develop new information.
- Increase support with agencies and organizations to apply existing tools and better utilize the new information to target resources.
A more detailed paper on the science-based approach for targeting resources can be found here.
The portal of targeting tools can be viewed here.