NPS Northeast and National Capital Region Agreement

AGREEMENT

Between the

NORTHEAST REGION and the NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

Of the

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

July 2001

I. Preamble

This Agreement provides for cooperation between the National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Region (NER) and National Capital Region (NCR) in carrying out NPS roles in association with the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP). It updates and replaces a prior Memorandum between the parties on the same.

II. NPS Commitments to the Chesapeake Bay Program

The 2,500 square-mile Chesapeake Bay is one of the nation’s premier ecological and cultural resources and the focus of one of the nation’s largest, oldest and most challenging watershed restoration initiatives. The Chesapeake Bay Program, a multi-state, intergovernmental partnership, coordinates overall policy, strategy, science, information and implementation efforts to restore and protect the water quality and living resources of the Bay and its estuarine system.

The CBP operates under the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-457) and Chesapeake Bay policy agreements signed in 1983, 1987, 1992 and 2000 by the Governors of the State of Maryland and the Commonwealths of Virginia and Pennsylvania, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, the Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The purpose of the CBP is to foster working relationships among local, state and federal government and the private sector to restore the ecological health of the Chesapeake Bay.

NPS participates in the CBP through a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region III signed in 1993 (as amended 1996) and also carries out its responsibilities under the Federal Agencies’ Chesapeake Ecosystem Unified Plan (FACEUP) signed in 1998. Through each of these agreements and through the legal requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, NPS is committed to a range of specific actions to support and advance implementation of CBP goals.

Through the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-312), NPS is further committed to leading and coordinating development and management of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network in cooperation with the CBP and other partners. The Gateways Network operates as one key approach for implementing CBP goals.

III. The NPS Chesapeake Bay Program Mission

As manager of 61 park units and 286,000 acres in the Chesapeake watershed, as the nation’s primary public conservator of cultural resources and a key conservator of natural resources, as a provider of outdoor recreation opportunities, and as interpreter of America’s stories and special places, NPS brings special expertise and a focused mission to the Chesapeake Bay Program.

The National Park Service manages special places of the Bay watershed at National Parks. In addition, NPS partners with other special places such as Chesapeake Bay Gateways and communities along the Potomac American Heritage River. Together these constitute an extensive and vital system of public recreation and interpretation infrastructure for connecting people with the Bay, its tributaries and stewardship. Through these places, NPS and its partners help tell the Chesapeake story in a compelling way, expand opportunities to experience Bay-related sites and areas, demonstrate exemplary stewardship in the community and help to build involvement in local conservation and watershed restoration. NPS also helps carry the Bay conservation message beyond these places into other communities and landscapes to help broaden involvement in watershed conservation actions.

To achieve this, NPS works with its partners to provide and enhance:

• effective, collaborative and visible Bay interpretation;
• access to Bay related resources–through establishment of water trails, improved access points and more access on federal lands;
• volunteer programs that involve people in particular places and specific stewardship works;
• celebrations of the region’s natural and cultural heritage;
• heritage conservation efforts that help maintain a sense of place in Bay communities and, where appropriate, support their tourism and other economic development efforts;
• publicly accessible examples of successful individual, agency and community stewardship; and,
• collaborative research on issues of urban ecology to advance best management practices on urban federal lands within the Bay watershed through the Center for Urban Ecology and Cooperative Ecosystem Study Unit.

IV. Strategies

A. NPS Chesapeake Bay Program Office

The National Park Service maintains an administratively established Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO) within the EPA CBP facilities in Annapolis, MD. The purpose of the NPS CBPO is to:

• represent NPS on the Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation Committee and other CBP committees, subcommittees and work groups;
• coordinate NPS efforts to implement relevant CBP initiatives described in the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement and FACEUP (and as mandated by the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act of 2000);
• manage and sustain all Network-wide operational aspects of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, in cooperation with the Network Working Group and designated Gateways;
• provide or broker a range of technical assistance services designed to: (a) aid in the development of parks and designated Gateways as models of good conservation stewardship, Bay watershed interpretation, public access and community outreach; (b) assist parks in achieving CBP goals and commitments; and (c) advance citizen-based conservation activities in priority locations focusing on habitat restoration and protection, reducing non-point source pollution, conserving cultural and historical values, and improving land use practices;
• lead, assist with, or coordinate with other NPS planning activities in the Chesapeake Bay area, depending upon project location, skills and availability of staff and dollars, and the most effective management strategy for each planning effort; and
• communicate Chesapeake Bay Program information to parks and offices of the National Park Service and park information to the Chesapeake Bay Program.

The NER and NCR support the CBPO in the following ways:

1. The NER provides positions, administrative supervision and assistance and overall budgetary management for the CBPO;
2. Based on existing authorities and CBP commitments which create an on-going CBPO operational responsibility, NER and NCR jointly support appropriation of a dedicated base operating budget for the CBPO;
3. On an interim basis, contingent upon available appropriations, NCR contributes funds from regional and national program sources to support one and a half of the CBPO positions, including salary, benefits, travel and staff support, up to $135,000 per year.

B. Annual Priorities Planning

The CBPO, NER and NCR will jointly collaborate to develop an annual plan of NPS strategic Bay watershed priorities designed to coordinate activities between NCR and NER (such as integrating NPS programs, fund-raising and outreach) which address Bay watershed and National Park issues. This plan will attempt to reflect priorities from major NER, NCR and CBPO activities focused on the Chesapeake watershed, including the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, Potomac American Heritage River, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Chesapeake Bay Countryside Stewardship Exchange, and Chesapeake Bay Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, recognizing that many of these initiatives have their own leadership groups which set annual program priorities.

In addition, the CBPO will also develop an annual work plan for CBPO activities in collaboration with the NER and NCR directorate and with input from the EPA CBP Director. For CBPO work managing the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, this workplan will incorporate the priorities developed through the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Working Group established by the CBP.

Such plans will be completed prior to the annual allocation of funds and approved by the NER and NCR Regional Directors.

C. Communications Protocol

The parties agree upon the following protocol for communications:

1. To facilitate an optimum level of communication among the parties, the primary point of contact for NCR will be the Assistant Regional Director for Partnerships and the primary point of contact for NER will be ______________.
2. The CBPO will conduct bi-annual briefings on Chesapeake Bay issues for the NER and NCR Regional Directorate, including proposed strategic and work plans and results; bi-annual briefings will be set for April and October, unless otherwise agreed upon.
3. Notwithstanding the protocols described below, assistance requests which are made to NCR parks will be made through the NCR primary point of contact.
4. The CBPO will distribute monthly activity notes and upcoming events to NER and NCR program offices and parks in the Bay watershed, and in addition, CBPO will ensure regular distribution of the EPA CBP Bay Salients to the NCR directorate; and
5. The NER and NCR primary contact and program offices will keep the CBPO informed of projects, planning efforts or other undertakings that might affect Chesapeake Bay watershed issues and/or CBPO activities and will provide appropriate opportunities for consultation or comment. The CBPO will likewise keep NER program offices and the NCR primary point of contact informed of CBPO and EPA CBP activities and provide opportunities for consultation or comment.

D. Chesapeake Bay Special Resource Study

The CBPO is responsible for managing the Chesapeake Bay Special Resource Study (SRS), which will evaluate and recommend whether NPS should manage a Chesapeake Bay park unit or have a physical presence within a public facility. In making such recommendations, the SRS will further define a vision and mission for NPS relative to the Chesapeake Bay. CBPO will collaborate with NER and NCR at key points throughout the SRS planning process and in the development of final recommendations and ensure that the NER and NCR Regional Directorates are updated and briefed on the status of the SRS.

V. Duration

This Agreement becomes effective upon the date of signature by both parties and continues until modified by mutual consent or terminated with 60 days written notice by either party. We agree to report in April 2005 on the progress made in fulfilling the commitments in this agreement, and to consider at that time additional commitments or revisions.

Agreed by:

_____________________________________ ______________

Marie Rust, Regional Director Date

Northeast Region

_____________________________________ ______________

Terry R. Carlstrom, Regional Director Date

National Capital Region