Formed out of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement’s goal to engage local leaders, the Local Leadership Workgroup (LLWG) seeks to enhance the knowledge capacity of local elected officials as well as other local leaders throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Operating out of the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Workgroup works closely with the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Earlier this month, the LLWG held its meeting at the Frederick County Public Safety Training Facility in Frederick, MD. Workgroup Chair Matthew Pennington, West Virginia, and LLWG Coordinator out of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Laura Cattell Noll, led the productive meeting alongside 20 engaged members. The Workgroup made progress in developing a process for meeting the local leadership outcome that includes targeted local engagement strategies and building relationships with key external partners. The Workgroup also provided feedback on several LLWG related projects including its “Watershed Education Handbook,” which will be a Watershed 101 guidebook for newly elected officials and the first step to a state-specific resource for each of the 31 goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement.

The Local Leadership Workgroup intends to meet regularly with its next meeting on November 6, 2019. Many members of the Workgroup, including Chair, Matthew Pennington, will also be present at the upcoming Local Government Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting and Local Government Forum, organized by the Alliance, on September 11-12, 2019 at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in West Virginia. For more information on the Local Leadership Workgroup, please visit the webpage here.