When the Coalition was formed in 2009, it was charged with not only advocating for the resources necessary for the restoration effort, but also to ensure the states and federal agencies continued to make progress toward their clean water goals. Over the last 15 years, the Coalition has fulfilled this role through coordinated advocacy efforts, regular participation in the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program, and ongoing dialogue with members and restoration leadership.

These efforts only accelerated as the deadline to have all restoration projects in place by 2025 approached, as outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. A critical part of reaching our goals is having a diverse group of people at the table. Last year, the Coalition successfully advocated for more public engagement and involvement in the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program (Program) Beyond 2025 Steering Committee, which was formed in 2023 to chart the future of the restoration effort. As one of two members of the public with a seat on the Steering Committee, the Coalition not only stayed informed on the discussions and proposed approaches, but also engaged our Coalition members for feedback and action at critical moments.

To help our members contribute to these discussions, the Coalition hosted a series of trainings and information sharing sessions with members and partners on the history of the Program and its past and current agreements. We also provided engagement opportunities to share feedback with the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee and co-created a collective vision with our members for reimagining our work beyond 2025.

The Coalition's existing structure and resources are designed to encourage conversation with members regularly, and those convenings were particularly useful this year. At the Conference Kickoff at the 2024 Choose Clean Water Conference, attendees participated in a public feedback session which included a review of the current Agreement, a preview of the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee recommendations along with real-time feedback from participants, and breakout groups to discuss needed changes to the current agreement.

All these discussions helped the Coalition develop and release our recommendations for Beyond 2025, which included two main recommendations for the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council:

1. Recommit to the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement;

2. Review the goals and outcomes in the 2014 Agreement for edits, additions, and changes; and

3. Reorganize the structure and governance of the Chesapeake Bay Program to make it more inclusive, efficient, and effective.

Our thoughtful engagement and feedback made a difference, as the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee draft recommendations were very similar to the Coalition's proposals. During the public feedback phase, the Coalition worked collaboratively with its members to place more than a dozen opinion and editorial pieces in publications throughout the watershed in support of these recommendations. The Coalition also supported our members and partners in submitting their own comments during the public feedback period and secured more than 130 signatures to the Coalition's comment letter.

At their annual meeting, the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council ultimately approved the recommendations of the Beyond 2025 Steering Committee and directed the Bay Program to review the current Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement for potential changes. The Executive Council also directed a revision of the governance and structure of the Program to ensure efficiency and progress in the next 18 months.

The goals and outcomes in the Agreement reflect not only progress on pollution reduction, but also other commitments such as increasing public access and land conservation, restoring fish populations and acres of habitat, and studying and tracking toxic pollution. This holistic approach to the Agreement and the work of the Program is essential if the restoration and conservation community is to succeed in restoring our waterways and protecting our communities.

The work to review and edit the ten goals and 31 outcomes in the current Agreement has already begun, and the Coalition is working to ensure our members and other stakeholders have the platform and knowledge to engage and provide feedback throughout the process. The Coalition supports the revision and recommitment to goals that are on track like land conservation and public access but are still very critical to the Program's overall success. For the goals and outcomes that are lagging, a thorough review is needed to identify barriers to success and opportunities for innovation and growth. We must also seek new information from the scientific community to inform our work, as well as feedback from stakeholders who are working on the ground to implement the programs and projects that are critical to our collective success.

In 2025, the Coalition will continue to meet its mission set forth 15 years ago by engaging in these important discussions and advocating for the nonprofit community to have a seat at the table throughout the process. We will work to ensure that the revisions to the Agreement reflect the priorities of all communities across the watershed and that the new structure allows for meaningful and regular engagement with stakeholders. At this pivotal juncture in the Bay restoration effort, the Coalition's work for clean water is more important than ever.