Proceedings 

MID ATLANTIC FEDERAL PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Baltimore, Maryland

April 26, 2001

 

Welcome. The 8th meeting of the Mid Atlantic Federal Partners for the Environment (MAFPE) was opened by Harold Young, HUD Maryland State Coordinator and Joe Werning, Planning & Environment Team Leader FHWA Eastern Resource Center. Following welcome comments, individual attendees introduced themselves. A total of 35 individuals representing 6 agencies attended.

 

Administrative details/agenda review.  Mick Kulik (EPA) served as facilitator. He reviewed administrative details and received approval of the agenda. The agenda items are the subject headings for the minutes.

 

Communication and Outreach Plan.   Mike Yurewicz (USGS) presented the final plan. A summary sheet was distributed highlighting what has been developed to date, elements of the Internet pages, agencies that have signed the MOU and/or MOA. The plan was approved.  Barbara Taylor, USGS is the current webmaster. She can be reached at bataylor@usgs.gov or 703-648-5851. Members of the ad hoc committee included Mamie Parker, Terri White, John Hnedak, Cyndy Belz, Mike Yurewicz, Geoff Walsh, and John Wright.

 

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Non Point Source Program. Hank Zygmunt (EPA) introduced David Burke, Director Coastal and Watershed Management Program. Mr. Burke gave an overview of the non point source program and the watershed restoration action strategy and outlined federal partnership opportunities and needs. MD DNR is also coordinating local agreements related to sprawl and has developed a number of toolkits, i.e. Smart Growth green print. Cost benefit analysis information was requested and references will be identified.

 

Attached is DNR’s “Sample of Maryland’s Potential Needs for Federal Data and Assistance”. Federal partners should review. Contact Katherine Dowell, DNR Watershed Coordinator 41­0-260-8741 to discuss partnership opportunities.

 

Update of the Delaware Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI).  Pete Murdoch presented the Delaware Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative. A collaborative effort of USGS, USFS, and NPS. He summarized the existing monitoring programs, research sites, issue based studies and integration activities. 

 

The decision to elevate the project to a first tier collaboration was deferred to the next meeting when the committee will have a better representation of principals. FWS, NPS supported elevation of the project. EPA requested additional information. It was agreed that the project is a good model; participation is encouraged; agencies can contact Pete Murdoch to discuss partnership opportunities. 

 

Urban Growth Committee  (previously the urban sprawl committee). Dave Reynolds summarized the committee’s efforts to review its mission/function, goals and objectives for this calendar year, and finalize its name. The committee is tracking the status of the pilot areas. The draft MOA’s are being finalized by the local governments.

 

Bob Shedlock (USGS) updated the activities of the science workgroup. A workshop is planned for December. The workshops will give partners an opportunity to exchange information and provide local stakeholders with information on the federal agencies and the tools that are available that can be used to address urban sprawl.

 

The following agencies indicated a concurrence of staff and financial support for the workshop: NPS NER and NCR $10,000; EPA R2&R3 $10,000, NRCS $10,000. The following agencies concurred on staff support, further clarification is needed before financial support can be determined: FS, HUD. The following agencies did not commit at this meeting: USACE, NOAA, DOD AF, FHWA.

 

Barnegat

Adolph Everett (EPA R2) gave an overview of EPA’s Region 2's urban growth projects - Barnegat Bay and Westchester County.  EPA R2 met in March with DOD to discuss MAFPE, the project and DOD involvement.  A follow-up meeting is being planned with the DOD to discuss specific requests.  Consequently, a DOD representative Mr. Vic Verma, attended the 4/26 MAFPE exec meeting and will serve as our contact for the Barnegat project. EPA Region 2 is awaiting feedback from our HQ regarding CCMP.  EPA will then revise and submit it to the Administrator Whitman and NJ Governor DiFrancesco  for approval.

 

Westchester County

EPA met with Westchester County planning commissioner on 12/6/00 about potential assistance from federal agencies.  The county agreed to develop 3 proposals.  The County submitted the proposals on 4/19/01. The proposals were for federal assistance in the following areas: improving septic management in the Croton watershed, protecting water quality through better interstate transportation planning, and improving the job/residence link in the county.  In addition to EPA, other agencies that could play a role are USDA (in-house liaison with the land grant university [Cornell] and NRCS, HUD, and DOT agencies (FHWA. FTA). EPA Region 2 will be reaching out to the MAFPE reps (i.e., the actual MAFPE members) and our regional counterparts.  EPA R2 would like support from the MAFPE partners to encourage participation from our regional counterparts.

 

Final Discussion Draft Regional Strategy for the Mid Atlantic Regional Implementation Team (MARIT)

John Wright presented the Final Discussion Draft Regional Strategy for the Mid Atlantic Regional Implementation Team (MARIT), a Strategy for Ecosystem Restoration in the Mid Atlantic Region. The principals agreed to support Coastal America MARIT. John will continue to update the committee, exchange information and coordinate a meeting annually with MARIT/MAFPE.

 

Lunch

Following lunch round the table, principals and points of contact gave overviews of the agency organizational structure, personnel changes and confirmations.

 

Agency Reports-outs:

USGS: David Russ Eastern Regional Executive for Geology, Bonnie McGregor Director Eastern Region

 

FWS: Mamie Parker Acting Regional Director, Jeff Underwood, Sherry Morgan

 

EPA R2: Thomas Voltaggio Acting Regional Administrator  

 

EPA R3: Bill Muszynski, Acting Regional Administrator,

 

HUD:  Mel Martinez is Secretary. Michael Levine is Acting Secretary Representative. Regional administrators have not been confirmed. 

 

USDA: Ann Veneman USDA Secretary, Mack Grey Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources, NRCS: Pearlie Reed, Chief for NRCS. Associate Chief position is vacant. Richard D. Swenson, East Regional Conservationist. No other positions at the Department or Agency are confirmed.

 

USACE:  Chief of Engineers General Robert Flowers, Claudia L. Thornblom Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Management and Budget) is Acting Secretary for Civil Works. The Corps' budget for 02 indicates a reduction and no new starts are scheduled.  Emphasis will be on execution of current program. General Flowers supports collaborative efforts with other federal agencies and we can anticipate continued support for MAFPE.

 

FHWA: Gene Fong, Director. FHWA are now Resource Centers. Joe Werning,  Planning & Environmental Team Leader. Joe expressed interest in giving a presentation at the next MAFPE meeting.

 

 FS: Chief of Forest Service is Dale Bosworth, career forest service employee, second-generation forester. Kathryn Maloney, Director NE Area State & Private Forestry;  Robert Jacobs Regional Forester

 

NPS: The National Park Service does not have a Director appointed.  It is expected the nomination process will be completed sometime in the summer or fall.  Denny Galvin, the NPS Deputy Director, is currently the in the acting Director position.  The National Park Service Regional Director positions have not changed.

 

NMFS: Peter Colosi, Assistant Administrator for Habitat Conservation

 

DOD: Vic Verma AF

"We believe that Bush/Cheney team is good for DOD.  We are in peacetime but there will be new weapons. There is a very good probability of another round of base closure.  There are new appointments but there is no impact on what we do at MAFPE.  We will continue to obtain unified DOD position under the DOD REC umbrella.  Each EPA region has a lead DOD REC who coordinates with other Service Component coordinators.  For example, Air Force DOD REC is in EPA Region 2.  Navy is DOD REC in Region 3.  Our funding is centralized and I do not have authority to sign on any pledge sheet.  We need to program before making any commitment.  We are different from other federal partners who have land base mission.  We have sufficient funds to take care of our mission, such as to keep planes flying and to take care of environmental matters that is between the fences of our installations."

/

NMFS: Pat Kurkul, Northeast Regional Administrator

 

Meeting Evaluation:

Mick Kulick facilitated a discussion highlighting the items that should be addressed at the next meeting: the agenda need to be strong to get principals there; meeting 4x year too often, may be necessary this calendar year for the introduction/orientation of new principals; structure issues; FHWA mission (etc.) presentation; ERMDA briefing (Ray George) related mining issues; mining damage going uncorrected, habitat destruction; poll principals who aren’t here; next host will formulate agenda; relate concepts to local interests and understanding

 

Mick led the discussion to evaluate the April 26th meeting.

(+) staying on schedule; objective facilitation; working lunch was successful; clear statement of desired outcomes helped; got FHA

 

(-) needed a clearer decision making process; better understanding of resolution

 

Next meeting: September or October hosted by EPA Region 2. Contact person Cyndy Belz, 212-637-3832, belz.cyndy@epa.gov


Sample of Maryland’s Potential Needs

for Federal Data and Assistance

 

In general, natural resource data and analysis that can be applied at Maryland’s 8-digit watershed scale are needed to support partnership efforts with Counties for watershed management and restoration targeting.  The following are some examples of specific data or assistance needs.

 

Coastal Bays: NOAA

.                   Bathymetry for Chincoteague Bay south of South Point.

 

Coastal Hazards: FEMA

.                   Updated FIRM maps from FEMA showing revised 100 and 500-year flood areas would  be helpful in providing more accurate information on coastal (and other) flood potential.

 

Forestry Technical Assistance: USFS

.                   Riparian buffer technical assistance, along with others in the newly formed Potomac Watershed Partnership, e.g., Monocacy River in Frederick County.

 

Living Resources Data / Assessment: USFWS, NOAA

.                   Habitat, nursery and population concentration areas can help direct watershed restoration targeting.  For example, knowledge of beaches used for nesting (terrapin, horseshoe crabs) could help in development of watershed restoration strategies.

 

.                   Assessment of fish or benthic populations that could be used as an indicator of water quality or habitat quality would be helpful.  For example species diversity, presence/absence, etc. can supplement water quality data.

 

.                   E.g., USFWS Chesapeake Bay Field Office is providing water quality monitoring, information, resource inventories, and management plan coordination to St. Mary’s County regarding Breton Bay.  Prince Georges and Anne Arundel County are requesting that the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge provide Patuxent River data and assist with education and public outreach regarding the Patuxent River.

 

New Mapping Plan for the State: NOAA, NASA, and USGS

.                   Maryland would like to develop various data layers for the entire state including digital elevation, orthophotography, an accurate road network, parcel maps, stream network, etc.  Collection of LIDAR data for the entire state would be part of this project.

 

Shore Erosion Management/Sea Level Rise: NOAA, NASA, and USGS

.                   Collecting coastal topography through LIDAR technology for developing a sea level rise projection model (2 ft contour map accuracy).  Near shore bathymetry would also be useful in terms of determining potential wave climate and therefore coastal erosive forces.

 

.                   Maryland Digital Shoreline Erosion Rates Data Set  - Develop a digital Shoreline Erosion Rates data set for the entire state.  MGS is working with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to do a pilot project in certain quads in St. Mary's and Dorchester.  It would be very helpful to do it for the whole state.

 

State Soil Survey Digitization (State SSURGO data layer): NRCS

.                   SSURGO soils data:  The lack of a credible digital soil digital layer statewide is a major impediment to our targeting, assessment and modeling capabilities.  So far, 6 counties are completed.  NRCS does soil surveys on a cost share basis.

 

Soil Conservation Measures: NRCS

.                   Review and evaluation of soil conservation plans, BMP recommendations, tracking BMP implementation, etc.

 

Streams/Ditches: USFWS, USGS

.                   Better streams data (i.e. stream files that better display 1st order streams - in some places the "blueline" streams account for less than half of the actual stream miles , most of which are 1st order). 

 

.                   Delmarva Ditch Digital Data Layer:   The eastern shore has been significantly hydrologically modified over the last 350 years.  No digital data layer accurately representing ditches and streams exists for most of the shore. This is an impediment to assessment, targeting and modeling work. (The USFWS recently created digital layers for the Nanticoke and Coastal Bays watersheds, however these have yet to be ground-truthed). 

 

Water Quality Data Assessment: USFWS, USEPA, US Army/Dept. of Defense

.                   Identification of water quality data by watershed is necessary to support watershed restoration strategies.  Data and analysis sources that are useful for 8-digit watershed scale work and are not already available in the USEPA Chesapeake Bay Program need to be identified.

 

.                   Harford County is  requesting the US Army Environmental Center/Aberdeen Proving Ground provide data collected since 1996 on tidal and nontidal water quality and SAV,  habitat, nutrients, sediment loadings to the Bush River.

05/08/01

 

 

NAME

 

AGENCY

 

EMAIL

 

PHONE

Milton Howell

USDA  NRCS

milton.howell@ea.ncrs.usda.gov

301-504-2358

Richard Swenson

USDA NRCS

richard.swenson@ea.nrcs.usda.gov

301-504-2300

David Russ

USGS

druss@usgs.gov

703-648-6660

Vic Verma

US Air Force

vic.verma@atlaafcee.brooks.af.mil

404-562-4208

John Wolflin

US F&WS

john_wolflin@fws.gov

410-573-4573

Jennifer Greiner

US F&WS

greiner.jennifer@epa.gov

410-573-4553

Mike Yurewicz

USGS

mcyurewi@usgs.gov

703-648-5811

Bob Shedlock

USGS

rjshedlo@usgs.gov

410-238-4203

Pete Murdoch

USGS

pmurdoch@usgs.gov

518-285-5663

John Hnedak

NPS

john_hnedak@nps.gov

718-354-4522

Jim Sherald

NPS –NCR

jim_sherald@nps.gov

202-342-1443x208

Hank Zygmunt

EPA

zygmunt.hank@epa.gov

215-814-5750

Jeff Underwood

FWS

jeff_underwood@fws.gov

413-253-8408

Dave Gamble

FHWA – ERC

dave.gamble@fhwa.dot.gov

410-962-0982

India Johnson

HUD

india_m._johnson@hud.gov

410-962-2520x3127




 

 

NAME

 

AGENCY

 

EMAIL

 

PHONE

Kevin Bunker

USACE _Baltimore

kevin.h.bunker@nab02.usace.army.mil

410-962-4902

Cyndy Belz

USEPA R2

belz.cyndy@epa.gov

212-637-3832

Bill Muszynski

USEPA R2

muszynski.william@epa.gov

212-637-5000

Adolph Everett

USEPA R2

everett.adolph@epa.gov

212-637-3852

Ariel Iglesias

USEPA R2

iglesias.ariel@epa.gov

212-637-5037

Ernie Brunson

USGS

ebrunson@usgs.gov

703-648-4643

John Wright

USACE

john.s.wright@usace.army.mil

718-765-7062

Toni Schmiegelow

HUD

toni_d._schmieglow@hud.gov

804-278-4500

Sherry Morgan

USFWS

sherry_morgan@fws.gov

413-253-8200

Peter Colosi

NMFS

peter.colosi@noaa.gov

978-281-9332

Richard Kampf

EPA R3

kampfrich@epa.gov

215-814-2105

Katherine Dowell

MD DNR

kdowell@dnr.state.md.us

410-260-8741

David Burke

MD DNR

dburke@dnr.state.md.us

410-260-

Joe Werning

FHWA –ERC

joseph.werning@fhwa.dot.gov

410-962-0048

J. Robert Bridges

USDA _ FS

rbridges@fs.fed.us

610-557-4023

 

 

 

NAME

 

AGENCY

 

EMAIL

 

PHONE

John Nordin

USDA  FS

jnordin@fs.fed.us

610-557-4103

John Forren

EPA R3

forren.john@epa.gov

215-814-2705

Stephanie Branche

EPA R3

branche.stephanie@epa.gov

215-814-5556

Ethel Locks

HUD

ethel_v._locks@hud.gov

410-962-2520x3307

Roger Barlow

USGS –NMD

rbarlow@usgs.gov

703-648-5189

Goopaul Noojibal

GSA

noojibailg@gao.gov

202-512-6424

Geoffrey Walsh

BLM

geoffrey_walsh@es.blm.gov

 

Samuel P. Tosi

USACE

samuel. p.tosi@nad02.usace.army.mil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




 

 

NAME

 

AGENCY

 

EMAIL

 

PHONE

Kevin Bunker

USACE _Baltimore

kevin.h.bunker@nab02.usace.army.mil

410-962-4902

Cyndy Belz

USEPA R2

belz.cyndy@epa.gov

212-637-3832

Bill Muszynski

USEPA R2

muszynski.william@epa.gov

212-637-5000

Adolph Everett

USEPA R2

everett.adolph@epa.gov

212-637-3852

Ariel Iglesias

USEPA R2

iglesias.ariel@epa.gov

212-637-5037

Ernie Brunson

USGS

ebrunson@usgs.gov

703-648-4643

John Wright

USACE

john.s.wright@usace.army.mil

718-765-7062

Toni Schmiegelow

HUD

toni_d._schmieglow@hud.gov

804-278-4500

Sherry Morgan

USFWS

sherry_morgan@fws.gov

413-253-8200

Peter Colosi

NMFS

peter.colosi@noaa.gov

978-281-9332

Richard Kampf

EPA R3

kampfrich@epa.gov

215-814-2105

Katherine Dowell

MD DNR

kdowell@dnr.state.md.us

410-260-8741

David Burke

MD DNR

dburke@dnr.state.md.us

410-260-

Joe Werning

FHWA –ERC

joseph.werning@fhwa.dot.gov

410-962-0048

J. Robert Bridges

USDA _ FS

rbridges@fs.fed.us

610-557-4023