Support for Developing a Chesapeake Bay Tidal Wetlands Strategic Plan

The Chesapeake Bay’s tidal wetlands provide critical value to ecosystems, habitats, humans, and the environment, and play a key role in coastal resilience. To advance a collaborative and coordinated approach for enhancing and protecting these tidal wetlands, the Chesapeake Bay Trust needed a tidal wetlands strategic plan.

ERG supported the Trust in undertaking a comprehensive, consensus-based strategic planning process to develop a vision, goals, cross-cutting strategies, objectives, and actions for a Tidal Wetlands Strategic Plan. ERG conducted a situational assessment; interviewed partners across the many jurisdictions that constitute the Chesapeake Bay Trust; and designed a framework for small group feedback. We then collaborated with the Trust and Tidal Wetlands Steering Committee to reach consensus on the key elements of a Tidal Wetlands Strategic Plan that will help the partners enhance and protect tidal wetlands and enable those working in the Bay to collaborate in addressing the many threats facing these critical ecosystems.