A Time of Transition
Beyond the changes that the Coalition saw within its staff and membership this year, the Chesapeake restoration community experienced a lot of transition. Two new gubernatorial administrations commenced within the watershed, with Governor Wes Moore of Maryland and Governor Justin Shapiro of Pennsylvania taking office early in the year. Governor Moore also took on a new leadership role within the Chesapeake restoration effort, becoming the new chair of the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Executive Council. These two new leaders and their administrations present an opportunity to make new connections and embrace innovative approaches to the restoration effort.
Photo courtesy Dave Harp
“Find your passion, make it your job, and you’ll never work another day in your life!”
While we are welcoming these new clean water supporters, champions of the Chesapeake have started to move on. This year marked the announcement of many retirements of clean water leaders in the Chesapeake Bay region, including Chesapeake Bay Program's Carin Bisland, U.S. Geological Survey's Scott Phillips, and Chesapeake Bay Commission's Ann Swanson. We are also seeing transition within the Chesapeake Congressional Delegation, as Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD), and Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) have all announced their retirement. Also, with Congressman Trone (D-MD) running for Senate and Congresswoman Spanberger (D-VA) running for Governor, their seats will soon be open to new leadership.
The Coalition also lost two incredible members this year: Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Senior Scientist Beth McGee and Chesapeake Legal Alliance co-founder Ridge Hall. Both Beth and Ridge dedicated their careers to the environment—with much of their recent history here in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. They were both active members of the Coalition's TMDL workgroup, authored several Coalition sign on letters, attended many meetings with members of Congress, and were regularly tapped for their expertise and knowledge by Coalition members. The gap that they leave behind is substantial, but their passion for this work, and the Coalition, continues to motivate us to accomplish our goals.
All of this transition presents a variety of challenges and comes at a time when having strong voices for clean water and healthy communities is critical. However, these changes have created the opportunity to learn from our past and to start a new era for our clean water work. Together with our member organizations, the Coalition is committed to capitalizing on this opportunity and leaving a legacy of clean water to future generations.
“The energy level of the younger generation gives me hope that we’ll meet the challenges facing the Bay and its rivers and streams. Whether it’s the younger staffers working in the Coalition’s member organizations, or even kids in college right now, this generation is deeply concerned with the environment, climate change, and of course, clean water. I think they are going to pick up the baton.”
Header photo: We were thrilled to honor the Chesapeake Bay Program's Carin Bisland at our conference for her decades of leadership for clean water. Photo by Carolyn Millard.