Baltimore County Natural Resources Manager Don Outen was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on forest management and preservation at the 10th Annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum on September 25.  Outen has been with Baltimore County’s Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability (formerly Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management) since 1987. Prior to that, he also served as the Deputy Director/Chief of Current Planning in Harford County and was a planner at the Maryland Department of Planning.

The annual conference is organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with input from a range of state, federal, and non-governmental organizations. The forum was held from September 25-27 at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and drew approximately 150 attendees from all of the Chesapeake Bay watershed states and included municipal, county, state, federal, and environmental representatives.  The forum hosted a wide range of issue sessions, with a few examples being: (1) local government leadership; (2) tradeoffs in best management practice (BMP) selection and performance; (3) “sneaky” pollution sources; (4) breaking through cultural, economic, and educational barriers; (5) an overview of the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement; (6) implementing innovative bay restoration practices; and (7) maintaining effective stormwater BMPs.