March 01, 2007

Maryland's Attorney General Doug Gansler Headlines Forum on Growth and Development in the Chesapeake Region

(St. Mary's City, MD) Feb. 26, 2007 - Southern Maryland's leading politicians, policymakers, and academics will convene on Saturday, March 3 at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) to discuss the topic, "Finding a Balance: Growth and the Environment in the Chesapeake Bay Region."

The forum is sponsored by SMCM's Center for the Study of Democracy and Environmental Studies Department, along with the St. Mary's River Watershed Association. The daylong symposium will begin at 9 a.m. in the Campus Center's Cole Cinema. The forum is open to the public and includes panel discussions and presentations on the health and future of the Chesapeake Bay.

Bob Paul, SMCM biology professor, will open the forum, followed by a general questions and answer session. At 10:30 a.m. Joan Poor, SMCM associate professor of economics, will open the first panel discussion,"Doing Development Right: Sustainable Growth for Maryland." Panelists include Dennis Canavan, director, Department of Land Use and Growth Planning; Commissioner Jackie Russell, president, St. Mary¹s County Commissioners; and former state Senator Bernie Fowler.

At 1 p.m., Doug Gansler, Maryland's Attorney General, will present the keynote address. Kristen Sheeran, SMCM assistant professor of economics, will moderate the afternoon panel discussion, "Protecting the Chesapeake Bay in the 21st Century." Panelists include: Delegate Anthony O. Donnell (R); Howard Ernst, SMCM visiting associate professor of political science and author of the acclaimed book, Chesapeake Bay Blues: Science, Politics and the Struggle to Save the Bay; and Jana Davis, associate director of programs and chief scientist, Chesapeake Bay Trust. The forum will close at 3 p.m. with concluding remarks from Joe Anderson, president, St. Mary¹s River Watershed Association.

St. Mary's College of Maryland is ranked one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Kiplinger's. With roots going back to 1840, SMCM is the state's only public honors college, offering the academic excellence of a top private college with the openness and affordability of public education.