Full document / COSOC-W-86-002 - the National Sea Grant Library

Estuarine and CoastalManagement - Tooti of the
Trade. Proceedingsofthe Took NationalConference
of TheCoastal Society. October12-15.1936. New
Orleans.LA. Copyrightby TheCoastalSociety
1987.
MARYLAND CRITICAL AREA PROGRAM
SarahTaylor and J. Kevin Sullivan
Chesapeake Bay CriticalAreas Commission
Department of Natural Resources
Tawes State Office Building
Annapolis. MD 21401
Abstract only
The Chesapeake Bay CriticalArea ProtectionLaw (Natural Resources Article 8-1801 - 8-
1816)was passedby the GeneralAssembly in 1984becauseofconcernaboutthe declineofcertain
natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay. Recent studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency andothershave shown thatthis declineis relatedto the intensityofhumanactivities within
the watershedofthe Bay.
In orderto begin to addressthese sourcesof impact, the GeneralAssembly designated a
geographical areaaroundthe tidal watersofthe ChesapeakeBay and its tributaries as the "Critical
Area." It directedthatnew developmentin this area be suchas to minimize impactson the Bay's
water quality and plant, fish, and wildlife habitat. Pursuant to the requirements of the Law, the
ChesapeakeBay CriticalAreaCommission was established to develop criteriafor guiding local
jurisdictionsin developing programs forCritical Area.
The processof approval for thesecriteria as con be imagined,was fraught with political
pitfalls and enhancements - all of which resultedin a set of landmark land-useguidelines for
developmentaroundthe Bay which passedGeneralAssembly scrutinyin April of 1986. At this
time, theCommissionwill seek to work with60 jurisdictions in helpingthem use thecriteria in the
development of theirlocal Critical AreaProtection Programs.
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