| Abstract |
This strategy begins a renewed and unparalleled effort by the federal government to restore clean water, recover habitat, sustain fish and wildlife, conserve land, increase public access, expand citizen stewardship, develop environmental markets, respond to climate change and strengthen scientific knowledge.Under the strategy, federal agencies are launching major environmental initiatives to use rigorous regulation to restore clean water, implement new conservation practices on four million acres of farms, conserve two million acres of undeveloped land and restore oysters in 20 tributaries. To increase accountability, federal agencies will establish milestones every two years for actions to make progress toward measurable environmental goals.The strategy focuses on improving the environment in communities throughout the entire watershed and in its thousands of streams, creeks and rivers. Many federal actions will support restoration efforts of local governments, watershed groups and citizens, as well as provide economic benefits across the 64,000-square-mile Chesapeake region. The strategy reflects a significant deepening of the federal commitment to the Chesapeake, with agencies dedicating unprecedented resources and actions, targeting the resources where they can have the most impact, ensuring federal lands and facilities lead by example in environmental stewardship, and taking a comprehensive, ecosystem-wide approach to restoration. |
