Watershed Roundtable Meeting Frost Valley YMCA October 25-27, 2000

As part of the Clean Water Action Plan, a Mid-Atlantic Regional Watershed

Roundtable was held Oct. 25 - 27 in Claryville, NY (Catskill area). EPA

Regions II & III jointly sponsoring the roundtable on behalf of the

Mid-Atlantic Federal Partners for the Environment. Agencies and

individuals with diverse missions came together to foster collaboration in

the Mid- Atlantic states and discuss their work in common watersheds. The

goal was to further the dialogue and understanding of barriers and

solutions to watershed protection and restoration. Regional watershed

roundtables are identified as CWAP Action #108 and are being convened

across the nation. They are regional networks of diverse stakeholders that

engage in dialogue and an information exchange to support collaboration on

community-based watershed protection and restoration efforts.

Approximately 40 individuals attended representing a wide array of

interests from the USDA Forest Service, the US Geological Survey, the

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Chesapeake Bay

Foundation, the PA Swartara Creek Watershed Association, the Susquehanna

River Basin Commission, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NJ

Department of Environmental Protection, NY Wegman's Egg Farm, the Catskill

Watershed Corporation and a host of others. The YMCA and the Catskill

Watershed Corporation provided an atmosphere conducive to the spirit of

the roundtable goals and objectives.

One of the many results of the three day conference was the identification

of priority watershed issues in the Mid-Atlantic States and to build

momentum for a National Watershed Forum to be convened in June 2001. The

group determined that a second meeting would be advantageous prior to the

Forum. Meeting plans for a second, more inclusive roundtable, are

developing for April 2001 and will be held in Virginia.