The Chesapeake Research Consortium, Chesapeake Bay Journal, Town Creek Foundation, and the Hood College Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies are sponsoring a two day conference on the challenges growth poses to the Chesapeake Bay.  The conference is open to county officials.

“Growth and the Future of the Chesapeake Bay”

Dates: January 13-14, 2015

Location:  Hood College (401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701)

Growth Conference Flyer

Growth Conference Agenda

Registration

From the Bay Journal notice:

“Unmanaged new growth has the potential to erase any progress made in Bay improvements.”
– From a 1988 report by the Chesapeake Bay Program 
Population Growth and Development in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to the Year 2020

When the Chesapeake restoration effort began, scientists and policymakers raised red flags on the problem: continued rapid growth could easily counter any potential gains from ecological improvements.

Twenty-five years later, the clean-up effort lags and the topic of growth receives little serious engagement. Even those who express concern about the true costs of economic and population growth tend to accept it as an unavoidable reality that must be “accommodated.” Political leaders and environmental groups avoid questioning the traditional concept of growth, and little is taught or discussed in the region’s academic institutions.

This makes it critical to re-examine concepts of growth, or the acclaimed bay’s restoration — and quality of life in the region — may be jeopardized.

• Can there be frank talks about the real costs of growth among policymakers?
• Are there acceptable models for thriving communities that don’t rely on continuously increasing levels of consumption? Why is it so difficult to discuss them?
• Is it possible to transition to a lower-impact, steady-state economic system over time?

Join us for this important conference and help move the conversation forward.

We’re gathering some of the best thinkers on economic and population policies that could achieve a healthy balance of life in the Chesapeake Bay region, along with local leaders, scientists, and concerned citizens who will explore the regional impacts of growth and potential solutions.

The two-day conference, including lunch on both days, is $100 ($25 for students)….For accommodations, consider the Hampton Inn & Suites-Ft. Detrick, Frederick, which is located about one mile from Hood College in Frederick. Make your reservation before December 22 and ask for the “CRC room block.”