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The Maryland Coastal Bays Program
 aryland's
coastal bays make up one of the richest, most diverse estuaries
on the eastern seaboard. For more than a century, agriculture,
forestry, fishing, hunting, and more recently tourism, have
sustained ways of life built on the land and water resources
in this coastal community.
 o
the east of Route 113, the 175-square-mile watershed of the
coastal bays includes Berlin, Ocean City, parts of Snow Hill
and Pocomoke and the Assawoman, Isle of Wight, Sinepuxent, Newport,
and Chincoteague bays.
 ere,
more than 300 species of migratory waterfowl, songbirds, and
birds of prey seek the shallow bays for food and shelter. Rare
species of plants and animals join blue crabs, flounder and
clams in calling this estuary home. At the same time, the coastal
bays' multi-million-dollar tourism industry is fueled by 12
million annual visitors who flock to the coastal bays to fish,
boat, swim or just enjoy the atmosphere in their favorite bayside
restaurant.
 ut
the history of this unique estuary extends beyond its marketability.
A way of life in this community for over 400 years, farming
and forestry continue to define the character and culture of
this rustic jewel. Today, Worcester's forests and 474 farms
contribute hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the local
economy. Both also provide the open space and natural land essential
to the wildlife, which calls this part of the Eastern Shore
home.
 et
these very attractions are paving the way for additional stress
on the land and water resources that make up this coastal paradise.
Population trends suggest that Worcester County will double
in size east of Route 113 by the year 2020. Balancing growth
with natural resource protection will be the ultimate challenge
this estuary faces in the next millennium.
o achieve this balance, Worcester County residents from all
walks of life have been working together to devise common sense
ways of protecting the bays behind Ocean City and Assateague.
This effort, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, has culminated
in a comprehensive conservation and management plan aimed at preserving
this precious coastal resource.
 reated
by representatives from the development, farming, golf, tourism,
and fishing industries, the plan represents a consensus of the
best means needed to preserve the economic and ecological prosperity
of the coastal bays in the next century. With help from local,
state and federal planners and scientists, the strategies in
this plan include reachable scientific goals and the most effective
means for implementing them.
his book represents a synopsis of these more intricately outlined
details found in the complete 150-page management plan. The plan,
in its entirety, pinpoints conservation goals and the strategies
needed to accomplish those goals. The plan also depicts how much
each strategy will cost, who will be responsible for implementing
it, and a timetable for implementation of each strategy. An Implementation
and Finance Plan shows how each strategy will be funded.
ommunity support has created this plan and will drive it in
the future. Ultimately it is the residents of this estuary who
are the arbiters of its prosperity. This outline provides them
with the means to fulfill that role.
For more information about this program, call Dave Wilson, Community
Outreach Coordinator at: 410-213-2297 or check out their web site
at: www.mdcoastalbays.org
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