Public Engagement And Outreach

Authentic engagement of decision makers at the relevant scales provides the essential relationship of reciprocity that connects the research to the field and importantly, ensures that the field better the research. An ambitious public engagement and outreach plan for the Center is proposed to engage target region communities and fully involve decision makers faced with green infrastructure and stormwater management choices at multiple levels ranging from state to local to ensure that the research conducted in Projects 1, 2, 3, and 4 is located in and has relevance to the target region. This will ensure that research outcomes will have greater likelihood to inform actual decision makers and achieve the fundamental shift in whole scale adoption of sustainable stormwater management practices in Pennsylvania communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Moreover, by focusing on three Pennsylvania counties confronted by high development pressure and high, existing, and growing urban loadings to the Bay, public engagement and outreach targets priority watersheds and communities across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Integration of engagement at multiple levels will seek to achieve a better understanding of the barriers to adoption and potential conflicts that exist between stakeholders at these various levels that are unique to Pennsylvania's local government structure and stormwater management regulatory framework.