staff Support for the 



Management 



Conference 



Funds to support the Management Conference and to develop the 

 CCMP are provided through Water Quality Act appropriations. 

 Portions of these funds should be earmarked for staff support to 

 the Conference. It is up to the Management Conference, however, 

 to determine the composition of the staff, how it will be hired, and 

 who will direct its activities. Various options are available. 



A state project office may provide this support. The Conference 

 may contract with a nonprofit organization, educational institution, 

 or state/local entity to assume staff responsibilities on its behalf. By 

 using the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA), support can also 

 be secured from EPA and other federal agencies, such as NOAA. 



The Conference ultimately should try to have staff or other support 

 with the following expertise: 



• A program manager or staff director experienced in planning, 

 operating, and budgeting, and sensitive to public concerns; 



• Experienced public participation specialists to serve as staff to 

 the citizens advisory committee and as liaison with the public 

 (Appendix B); 



• A staff member experienced in the development and evaluation 

 of management strategies and with an in-depth understanding 

 of major federal and state statutes and implementing regula- 

 tions affecting water quality, coastal land use, and protection of 

 living resources; 



• Biologists knowledgeable about marine or estuarine systems to 

 help characterize the estuary and recommend corrective ac- 

 tions; 



• A chemist, toxicologist, or general environmentalist to support 

 in the characterization phase; and 



• A statistician familiar with environmental modeling to help in the 

 characterization phase. 



The Management Conference — its committees, elected officials, 

 and the general public — form the management structure under 

 which problems and concerns related to the estuary are addressed 

 and, over time, resolved. 



22 



