Congress for the Potomac

Congress for the Potomac
Draft Proposal 8-11-99

Proposed by

The Potomac Heritage Partnership and The Northern Virginia Planning District Commission

Background
First proposed more than 50 years ago by Frederick Guthiem in his book, The Potomac, the idea of holding a Congress for the Potomac is a concept that can address the Potomac River Basin’s needs today. In the spring of 1998 the Potomac Heritage Partnership(PHP) conducted a survey of basin stakeholders to determine their level of interest in participating in a Congress for the Potomac (Congress). The general consensus was that a Congress would provide an invaluable forum to measure progress within basin and hold stakeholders accountable on a three(3) year cyclical basis governed by a State of the Potomac River Report. Interim Action Agendas would be used to measure the Potomac’ watershed’s health, local success and community sustainability through the mechanism of regional workshops. And now, with the Potomac River being designated as an American Heritage River, PHP feels that the timing is ideal to coordinate with all basin stakeholders to move the Congress from concept to reality.

The Challenge
Today many different types of interests are heavily invested in the future of the Potomac River. They include conservation groups dedicated to saving wetlands and green spaces; cultural interests striving to preserve the region’s landscapes and built environment, and heighten the public awareness of the river’s historical importance; and the commercial community, seeking a reasonable quality of life balance for all inhabitants and visitors to the watershed. Business communities such as agriculture, fishing, building, technology and recreation all have a vested stake in promoting the long-term sustainability of the Potomac River Basin. Moreover, the stakeholders include a wide array of local, state, and federal government agencies with extensive land holdings in the basin. This “mélange” of stakeholders needs a mechanism in which to discuss needs and concerns, assess progress, communicate with the general public and develop a coordinated agenda to address the needs of communities in the Potomac River Basin.

From a “macro” point of view, a large number of initiatives are either underway or being planned that will have major impacts on the Potomac River Basin’s communities and resources. Because of the array of organizations and projects, several issues need to be addressed:

better alliances and communication between and among organizations working for the enhancement of the Potomac is necessary. A centralized source of knowledge for ongoing projects and the roles being played by different organizations can foster cooperative efforts and avoid costly duplication;

grassroots organizations conducting local projects need greater access to the technical assistance that larger non-profits and government agencies can bring;

interests in the private sector must participate in projects fully, at local and regional scales, that consider the total health and future of the Potomac River corridor, and contribute to their own long-term viability; and

Studies and examinations of the issues and problems that exist within the Potomac Basin are not alone, enough to guarantee the sustainability of the region—an agenda for action must be agreed on by all stakeholders.

The Concept
Frederick Gutheim envisioned the Congress as a way of establishing a powerful and unified agenda for the Potomac. Like the initiatives that originally led to a unified approach for protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay, a Congress for the Potomac will create a strong coalition for sustainable use of it’s natural, cultural and economic resources. While the Potomac may be the most studied river in our Nation, PHP, in cooperation with the Friends of the Potomac (FOP) believe that it is time to move beyond studies and to initiate an “Action Agenda” that will ensure that our “Nation’s River” remains a resource that can be responsibly managed and enjoyed for future generations to come.

The objectives of the Congress for the Potomac, as managed through the Executive Council for the Congress and its various committees include:

To provide for a perpetual forum in which stakeholders can discuss the wide array of issues and concerns that affect the long-term sustainability of the Potomac River Basin;

To conduct local workshops and “Focus Groups” throughout the basin in ordeer to develop an Action Agenda for the coming year(s) for further development, refinement and/or implementation;

To bring together the leaders of greassroots organizations, public agencies, and the private sector for a yearly Congress to review the progress made in local efforts involving conservation, restoration, revitalization, protection and education initiatives; and to reaffirm issues and concerns that will be used in the preparation of a triannual State of the Potomac River Report. Of prime concern is to elevate the issues pertaining to the sustainability of the Potomac River’s culture, commerce (economic drive through heritage tourism), and conservation beyond the conference rooms of the participating organizations and into the public arena;

To use the Congress as a vehicle to keep watershed stakeholders informed about the ongoing implementation of the Action Agenda(s) and to keep leadership appraised of the needs, issues and concerns of the Potomac stakeholders.

To report back periodically to the Potomac Congressional Caucus.

The organizers of the Congress for the Potomac envision this ongoing process as a vehicle in which grassroots organizations, government agencies and the private sector can forge a long lasting relationship that identifies and promotes projects and programs of common interest, and rejects those that reduce our options. Every third year the Congress will conclude with a declaration of commitment to implement a set of actions presented in the State of the Potomac River Report. In subsequent years, the Congress will be used as a mechanism to guage progress through the indicator program, discuss issues, present the State of the Potomac River Report, and develop (or amend)interim progress reports as outlined in Action Agendas coming out of regional workshop meetings.

Funding
The Potomac Heritage Partnership, Friends of the Potomac, and the Northern Virginia Planning District Commission advocate developing a series of joint proposals that seek funding from multiple private and public sources. The proposals will be designed to cover costs on an annual basis associated with the planning, publicity, implementation and follow-up to the Congress and any associated activities. It should be emphasized that the Congress was highlighted as a prominent and a cross-cutting project in a variety of tasks identified by the Friends of the Potomac in their application to have the Potomac River considered one of the first heritage rivers within the White House’s American Heritage River Initiative. The Congress will be promoted as a mechanism that can be used to measure the progress of the American Heritage River Initiative’s guidelines as well as a means to communicate with stakeholders and develop future priorities within the Basin.