BERLIN — The Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) searched far and wide for a new executive director for almost a year after the position was vacated in 2015 by longtime director Dave Wilson. In April, the MCBP found that new leader, just one state away, in Frank Piorko.
Piorko spent the past 25 years with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the last six years as Director of the Division of Watershed Stewardship.
Piorko sat down with The Dispatch this week to talk about his vision for the future, and how growing the partnership between the community and the MCBP could be his most important challenge.
Q: When you saw that the executive director of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program position was available, what interested you about this place, and this job in particular?
A: I had a significant amount of experience in Delaware working with the National Estuary Programs, the partnership for the Delaware Estuary and I served as the department’s representative on the Board of Directors for the Delaware Center For the Inland Bays. So, being familiar with the region since we’re sort of connected with the Assawoman Canal and the drainage from Delaware that comes down into Maryland, I had a lot of respect and interest in the estuary program. I wasn’t as familiar with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program at the time, but I was familiar with the program architecture of the national estuary programs, and the opportunity to lead one of those was a key interest for me. Low and behold, here I am.
Q: Many believe that a position like yours, since watersheds are all unique in their own way, you can’t bring a one-size-fits-all approach to a position like this. So, what are some of the similarities and differences that you are finding between two states that are so close?
A: I think the similarities are with the structure of the program and the success of the program is dependent on partnerships. That’s the same whether we are talking about the estuary programs in Delaware or here in Maryland. The concept of a comprehensive management plan being crafted by partners and committees and by individuals and the public at large to shape the path forward is a common element of estuary programs. I was really grateful that I was able to come in here at a time where the Comprehensive Management Plan had been adopted in 2015 and really serves as a blueprint for moving forward.
I think it represents a challenge for us as an organization to develop strategies and a path forward for implementation along with our implementation committee, our citizens advisory committee and the program staff here. It was a huge endeavor and it is great that it is done and we are committed to it.
Q: You mentioned the relationship and the partnership between various groups and stakeholders, but let’s talk for a moment about the partnership with citizens. Tell me where you believe that relationship is like as you come into the position and assess the participation and knowledge base of the citizens in the surrounding region?
A: One thing I think is important is to understand is that in a resort area, you have an influx of visitors that are of the utmost importance economically in the region, and you have to balance that against the protection management/ conservation of resources and you begin to understand the dynamics of issues such as the bird islands that were created in cooperation with Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Natural Resources, Ocean City, and MCBP with the idea and intent of creating safe habitat for Maryland endangered birds or other species of concern. At the same time, we recognize that there is a boating community out there that wants to enjoy recreational boating and they might confuse these as conflicting uses. We are always going to have those uses that may not be incompatible, but they have to learn to appreciate the viewpoint of each other and I think the key to that is to make sure that people are communicating; whether that’s aquaculture, or boating or areas that are set aside for wildlife management.
Q: Talk about the frustration for a guy like you in a position like this, when part of the job is to educate the public about what the natural environment is going through, do you feel like there is a disconnect between what the ‘Average Joe’ on the street knows and what the Maryland Coastal Bays Program is facing like sea level rise, climate change, algae blooms, and the dying off of sea grasses?
A: I guess it depends on who you ask. First, I think part of our job is to listen, and by listening, we can get an idea on what pathways to take to communicate, whether that’s school groups or anyone in the community to get out and do work in the field with us. Certainly, there are always going to be some folks who may differ as far as the need for funding or direction. They may have a different opinion on how resources are being used, and that comes with the territory. I think that when you can reach a common element of interest in an area, it’s important to focus on that. Climate change is a good example of that. I think there are a lot of folks willing to have the conversation about what are some of the impacts that we see coming in the future with climate change and resiliency in these fragile coastal ecosystems without necessarily getting into the conversation about why climate change is occurring. That’s a whole separate conversation. So, if you can park that for a minute and not get too wrapped up in the conversation about whether or not climate change is a result of ‘fill in the blank’ and let’s just talk about making our coastal community more resilient, whether you are talking to farmers about saltwater intrusion into crop fields or the threats of rising levels of water into areas that are now under agricultural production, but I think the genie is out of the bottle as far as folks needing to really grasp the understanding of what’s going to happen in 15 or 20 years and just try to figure out how we can have that conversation about some of the things that we can do about climate change and resiliency that make sense to everyone and doesn’t make it this polarizing issue.
Q: One of the things that is perhaps the most easily palatable for the general public is the annual report that focuses on water quality. Talk about the mission to continue to improve the water quality grade and how that impacts vital industries in our region like tourism and agriculture.
A: Most folks will agree with you that good water quality is important. It’s very rare that you will get someone that will want to argue with you that water quality isn’t important. What is a challenge is trying to have the message and the conversation about what we can do to improve water quality. One of the things that’s important to understand is to have some basic science and background related to some of the causes of water quality impairment. When you look at a rural landscape, a lot of the impairments to water quality from non-point sources are groundwater impacts that travel very slowly through a watershed. When I was in Delaware, we had a number of great studies and research done by the Delaware Geological Survey and the US Geological Survey and they would actually imprint time stamps on groundwater travel throughout the agricultural landscape. Much as you can fingerprint DNA and look at the transport of pollutants in groundwater and pinpoint any place in the watershed where water is ‘x’ amount of years old. So, as you begin to understand that there is a long lag time in the watershed for the transportation of pollutants via groundwater, it’s okay to acknowledge that and that we are doing a much better job with our best management practices across the landscape, from agriculture to urban. Basic science and understanding of those concepts is very important. I think that you can bring the same sets of understanding into this position that the strides that have been taken across the board, whether that’s with farmers and best management standards or poultry integrators or storm water management in the building environment or the education of homeowners.