A Message to Conference Participants
By John Toll, President of Washington College
Washington College is pleased to have joined with the Climate
Institute, the University of Maryland, the Thomas and Barbara
Gale Foundation, and the Environmental Protection Agency in sponsoring
this timely conference on "Chesapeake Bay at the Crossroads."
The meeting was especially timely from the College's point of
view because it coincides with the initiation of a new major program
in Environmental Studies at Washington College. This new undergraduate
major builds upon our special faculty expertise in this field
and our long-established Chesapeake Bay Studies Program and many
courses in such areas as environmental ethics, environmental economics,
and biology, chemistry and other fields focusing on environmental
studies.
The project is also especially timely in a broader sense because
of the increasing appreciation that our fragile environment needs
a concerted and cooperative approach of the many constituencies
represented in this gathering: scientists who study the basic
processes affecting the environment and determine the way we can
best alter and protect them to our advantage; governmental representatives
in both the administrative and legislative branches of our national,
state, and local governments; leaders of the fishing and farming
and other communities that impact on the environment; and leaders
of organizations and corporations and communities concerned with
the environment. All gathered to participate in this conference,
hoping to facilitate a continuing dialogue from which will develop
improved understanding and policy.
Already much progress is being made.
The national press tends to emphasize the atmosphere of crisis
and to give particular attention to extreme statements that sometimes
overemphasize the dangers. We have much to be concerned about
as we watch the effects of rising Bay levels and the erosion on
such historic communities as Smith Island and Tangier Island,
or as we observe the effects of increased urbanization on many
features of the natural environment. We want to protect the environment
we all enjoy, especially Maryland's Eastern Shore. Yet it is important
to balance the statements of alarm with recognition of what has
been achieved in protecting the Chesapeake Bay by improved practices
in farming and policies requiring protection of fringe areas.
We should note that the water quality of the tributaries to the
Chesapeake Bay, such as the Potomac and the Patuxent Rivers,
has been improving. Policies developed through national and state
legislation are, for the most part, working to protect the environment.
Many challenges remain as we try to share equitably with increasing
population the assets of the Chesapeake. Many changes such as
rising water levels in the Bay are inevitable and we must make
sound adaptations for the future, even as we improve understanding
and controls over global warming.
We at Washington College recognize our obligation to participate
in education at all levels. We hope to give our students both
an appreciation of our valuable natural heritage and an openness
to new approaches that could maximize benefits for all of humanity
In an increasingly complex and technological world, we need the
vision given by the experts and responsible citizens participating
in this Conference. Washington College is honored that so many
leaders chose to gather here at what we hope is the first of a
series of continuing conferences on the Chesapeake Bay and other
key environmental issues. We especially express our gratitude
to President John Topping of the Climate Institute for his leadership,
to Tom and Barbara Gale for their initiative and support, and
to Stephen Leatherman for his particularly effective organization
of many sessions.
Above all, we thank all of the participants. We look forward
to working with you in the years ahead to develop policies that
are both economically and environmentally sound for the preservation
of the especially valuable resource of the Chesapeake Bay as an
outstanding example of America's environmental assets.
