December 2022 STAC Quarterly Meeting

December 6, 2022 - December 7, 2022

The December 2022 STAC meeting was held virtually on Tuesday, December 6th and Wednesday, December 7th. The meeting theme was environmental flows, with presentations and three panels focusing on the topic, including its importance to enhancing climate resiliency (flood/drought risk), water quality, and aquatic habitat management throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Goals of the meeting were as follows:

• Facilitate a CBP-wide understanding of the environmental flows concept and its relevance to stream, river, and estuary management
• Identify/evaluate existing tools and opportunities for innovative model development that evaluate flood/drought risks and environmental flow requirements to inform management decisions (e.g., manage risk from episodic weather events).

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Meeting Agenda: FINAL_December Quarterly Meeting Agenda

Meeting Materials: 

• Attendance December 2021-September 2022
• Updated CBP Organization Chart 10.13.22
• Attendance December 2021-September 2022
• Current Membership Contacts
• Membership Term List 12.2.2022
• STAC Member Expertise_Sept 2022
• STAC Operational Guidelines
• STAC Bylaws

Presentations: 

• CAST-21 Update and Decision — Gary Shenk (USGS)
• Report from the Plastics Pollution Action Team— Kelly Somers, PPAT Chair (EPA)
• Briefing on the FY22 STAC Workshop and Resulting Report, “Rising Watershed and Bay Water Temperatures: Ecological Implications and Management Responses” — Rich Batiuk (USEPA Retired; CoastWise Partners)
• Report out on the Local Government Forum: Integrating Resilience into Local Planning— Jennifer Starr, LGAC Coordinator (Alliance)
  
• Science Needs of the Chesapeake Bay Program: Clean Water Cohort — Breck Sullivan (USGS), Outcome Leads
• How Can STAC Best Demonstrate and Encourage an Adaptive Management Process for the post-2025 CBP Partnership — STAC Staff (CRC)
  • CESR Discussion at the CBC_Nov 18 2022 — Denice Wardrop (CRC)
  • CWA process:Bay Program Agreement Figure, from the STAC Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response (CESR) report
• CAC Findings on Equitable Access to Grants — Julie Lawson (CAC Chair)
• Panel: Introducing and Exploring the Environmental Flows Concept and River Corridor Management and Its Relevance to CBP Management
  • Current USGS Related Environmental Flows Activities — Kelly Maloney (USGS) 
  • Environmental Flows — Ben Hayes (Bucknell) 
• Panel: Exploring How Humans Have Changed Environmental Flows, Associated Impacts, and Our Capacity to Mitigate those Changes
  • Flow Modification in the Nation’s Streams and Rivers — Daren Carlisle (USGS) 
  • Susquehanna River Basin Commission Environmental Flow Initiatives —  John Balay (SRBC)
• Panel: Potential Recommendations for CBP: Current and developing tools for environmental flows management
  • California Environmental Flows Framework – Julie Zimmerman (TNC)
  • Environmental Flows – Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model for Hydrology — Gopal Bhatt (Penn State) 
  • Environmental Flows: models — Eric Smith (VT)
  • Virginia DEQ Office of Water Supply— Robert Burgholzer (VA DEQ)

Panel Recordings: Environmental Flows Discussion

• Introducing and Exploring the Environmental Flows Concept and River Corridor Management and Its Relevance to CBP Management
  Panelists include: Kelly Maloney (USGS); Ben Hayes (STAC, Bucknell University); and Andrew Mueller (USNA).
  

• Exploring How Humans Have Changed Environmental Flows, Associated Impacts, and Our Capacity to Mitigate those Changes
  Panelists include: Daren Carlisle (USGS); John Balay (SRBC); and Nathanial Hitt (USGS).
  

• Potential Recommendations for CBP: Current and developing tools for environmental flows management
  Panelists include: Julie Zimmerman (TNC); Robert Burgholzer (VA DEQ); Gopal Bhatt (PSU); and Eric Smith (STAC, VT).
  

Final Meeting Minutes: FINAL_December Quarterly Meeting Minutes_approved 06.12.23