2021 Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan
CCMP (2021)
What is the CCMP?
The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays (the Center) is a National Estuary Program focused on promoting the wise use and enhancement of the Inland Bays watershed. This is accomplished by overseeing and implementing the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The CCMP documents goals and activities that the Center and its partners agreed to address based on scientific data and input from key stakeholders and the community. The Center uses the CCMP to direct and carry out activities that protect and enhance the Inland Bays. The original CCMP was created in 1995 and revised in 2021.
What is new in the 2021 CCMP?
The 1995 CCMP shepherded many successes. New challenges have arisen since then such as climate change and sea-level rise, and rapid changes in land use. With the rapid changes in land-use, it became clear that different types of best management practices needed to be utilized to reduce nutrient pollution in the agricultural landscape vs. the developed landscape.
The 2021 CCMP captures this by reconceptualizing water quality impacts. Where, in the 1995 CCMP and 2012 update, the Center found it most useful to consider water quality impacts from four fronts (nutrient management, water quality, wastewater, and stormwater), in 2021 there was a determination to separate water quality issues by landscape (agricultural and developed lands). This shift reflects the increased importance of addressing impacts associated with these two defining landscape types.
The 2021 CCMP also shifts focus to controlling non-point source pollution, after the success of eliminating all but one remaining point-source. The shift from “Planning for Climate Change” to “Living with a Changing Climate” better reflects the conditions under which we live, and simultaneously represents the urgency and pragmatism with which climate change must be addressed. The 2021 CCMP still continues to emphasize the importance of monitoring, restoration, and partnerships to the success of our work. Now, the Center and its partners move beyond planning toward implementation and a healthier, more vibrant Inland Bays Watershed.
If you have questions or want more information about the CCMP, please contact:
Michelle Schmidt, Watershed Coordinator
mschmidt@inlandbays.org