TIDAL FISHERIES ADVISORY COMMISSION

Robert P. Eurice, Chairperson, 1994
Contact: W. Peter Jensen (410) 974-3558

(Code Natural Resources Article, secs. 1-102, 4-
204).

COASTAL & WATERSHED RESOURCES
DIVISION
Robert L. Beckett, Director
(410) 974-2784

Origins of the Coastal and Watershed Resources
Division stem from the Coastal Zone Management
Program which began in 1973 when the Governor
designated the Department of Natural Resources
to receive and administer federal grants pursuant to
the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.
The Program was assigned first to the Water Re-
sources Administration and, by 1977, transferred to
the Energy and Coastal Zone Administration. By
Executive Order in 1978, the Governor declared
the Coastal Zone Management Program to be State
policy for activities in Maryland coastal areas. In
1979, the Program became part of the Tidewater
Administration (Chapter 601, Acts of 1979).
Within the Administration, the Program was over-
seen by the Coastal Resources Division, which
merged with the Watershed and Growth Manage-
ment Division to form the Coastal and Watershed
Resources Division in 1992.
The Division is composed of seven major pro-
grams: Coastal Zone Management; Chesapeake
Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve System—
Maryland; Targeted Watersheds; Watershed Impact
Evaluation; Natural Resource Impact Assessment;
Special Projects; and Public Involvement.
The Division administers the Coastal Zone Man-
agement Program with grants from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Pro-
gram is based upon the laws, regulations, authori-
ties, expertise, and perspectives of six State
Departments (Agriculture, Health and Mental Hy-
giene, Housing and Community Development,
Natural Resources, Budget and Fiscal Planning,
and Transportation); sixteen coastal counties and
Baltimore City; two regional planning agencies;
and numerous federal agencies.
The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research
Reserve System—Maryland was created in accordance
with the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of
1972. The System protects representative estuarine
systems, including valuable wetland habitat, for use as
natural field laboratories. The System maintains three
reserves on Chesapeake Bay: Otter Point Creek Com-
ponent, Harford County; Monie Bay Component,
Somerset County; and Jug Bay Component, Anne
Arundel County. Each reserve is a field laboratory
supporting several monitoring, research and educa-
tional programs.

Through the Targeted Watersheds Program, the Divi-
sion studies the impact of land use on watersheds and
their streams and aquatic resources, and how to mitigate
adverse effects by controlling sources of pollution.
The Watershed Impact Evaluation Program sets
standards for documenting the cumulative impact
of different types, densities, and patterns of land use
on watersheds and their streams and rivers. The
Program relates land use and development to ef-
fects on stream ecosystems. For local jurisdictions,
the Program devises methodologies, models, and
information to reduce the impact of land uses on
aquatic life.
The Natural Resource Impact Assessment Program
develops management techniques to guide growth
and development by minimizing ecological impacts,
particularly on aquatic life. The Program helps imple-
ment the Economic Growth, Resource Protection,
and Planning Act (Chapter 437, Acts of 1992).
Special Projects, formerly the Mapping and Data
Analysis Program, uses geographic information sys-
tems to evaluate the effects of growth on Maryland
watersheds.
The Public Involvement Program seeks help from
civic and community associations, environmental
groups, businesses, and local governments to pro-
tect and restore watersheds.

CHESAPEAKE BAY RESEARCH &
MONITORING DIVISION
Ronald J. Klauda, Ph.D., Director
(410) 974-3782

Within the Tidewater Adminstration, the
Chesapeake Bay Research and Monitoring Division
was formed by the Department in 1988. The Divi-
sion consolidates scientific programs of the Tidewa-
ter Administration in the areas of ecological habitat
impacts; biological assessments; aquatic toxicol-
ogy; database management; nonindigenous
aquatic species control; acid deposition; power
plant topical research; and the status investigations
of shellfish disease and oyster population carried
out at the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory. This
consolidation reflects the importance of the
Chesapeake Bay Program as a vehicle for producing
long-term, far-reaching changes to protect and re-
store the Bay's living resources.
The Division is served by the Acid Deposition
Advisory Committee, the Science Advisory Board,
and the Board of Visitors of the Cooperative Ox-
ford Laboratory.

ACID DEPOSITION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Contact: Ronald J. Klauda, Ph.D. (410) 974-3782

At the request of the Chesapeake Bay Research
and Monitoring Division and the Power Plant and
Environmental Review Division, the Acid Deposi-
tion Advisory Committee reviews and comments