- Welcome, charge for the day, and technology check, Kacey Wetzel, Vice President of
Programs for Outreach and Education, Chesapeake Bay Trust - Morning Mentimeter, Meghan Hazer – Watershed Planning and Partnerships, Office of
Compliance & Research – City Planner, Baltimore City Department of Public Works

According to the various Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan and Total Maximum Daily Load requirements, annual reductions of 185.9 million pounds of nitrogen, 12.5 million pounds of phosphorus, 6.45 billion pounds of sediment, and a variety of litter and toxin outcomes are called for across a watershed that is predominantly privately owned. While regulatory drivers can incentivize relevant practices on private property and government activity can accomplish a great deal of the outcomes, the ultimate goal is unlikely to be met without voluntary actions and behaviors undertaken by a variety of audiences. The broader water quality community intrinsically knows this too, which is why there are more than 600 conservation and watershed organizations in our region that are working to empower residents to protect and restore local rivers and streams. The key is to understand the most effective ways to get priority audiences to voluntarily undertake actions that result in watershed improvements. The social science community worked diligently over the past 10 years to advance natural resource behavior change practices, and we will hold the first forum (of a recurring series) to discuss behavior change best practices. To view the agenda and learn more about the speakers, please click here.
Introductory Morning Session
Panel 1: Setting the Stage for Behavior Change
- Suzanne Etgen
(Executive Director, Watershed Stewards Academy), - Nicolette Canzoneri (President,
EnvARK), - Marc Stern (Professor, Department of Forest Resources and Environmental
Conservation, Virginia Tech), - Katy Phelps (Board Member, EnvARK).
Panel 2: Measuring Program Success - Best Practices in Social Science Program Evaluation
- Paul Ferraro (Professor of Human Behavior and Public Policy,
Johns Hopkins University), - Marc Stern, and
- Kent Messer (Professor of Experimental and
Applied Economics, University of Delaware)
Panel 3: The State of the Social Science
- Broad Scale Literature Review Outcomes: How do we incorporate the successes of others
in our work? - Jana Davis and Kacey Wetzel-Themes and gaps within existing research: Rain Gardens, Trees, Pet Waste, and example
rebate research - Sarah Lane (Innovative Technology Coordinator, University of Maryland
Center for Environmental Sciences at Maryland Department of Natural Resources), - Jennifer
Dindinger (Watershed Restoration Specialist, University of Maryland (UMD) Sea Grant
Extension), - Amanda Rockler (Watershed Restoration Specialist, UMD Sea Grant
Extension), and - Theo Lim (Assistant Professor, Urban Affairs and Planning, Virginia Tech)
Panel 4: Local Behavior Change: What is happening in the Chesapeake watershed?
- Amy Handen (EPA Chesapeake Bay Program)
- Stewardship Index and Behavior Change Website – Steve Raabe (President, Opinionworks)
- Summary of Best Management Practice Rebate Research – David Newburn (Associate
Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland) - Pride is Picking Up: A Case Study of the District’s Pet Waste Campaign – Julie Lawson
(Chair, Citizens Advisory Committee)
Panel 5 : Application of Data Analysis: Next steps and potential for modeled crediting
- Next steps: nutrient calculations and the current approval process for nutrient reduction
crediting – Sarah Lane - The potential for modeled behavior change crediting;
- Moderator: Kacey Wetzel,
- Panelists: David Wood (Stormwater Coordinator, Chesapeake Stormwater Network),
- Suzanne Etgen,
- Jana Davis, and
- Julie Lawson
Conclusion
- Afternoon Mentimeter, Meghan Hazer
- Final Comments, Trust next steps- Kacey Wetzel