Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee member shares her thoughts on how to foster the next generation of environmental leaders

Sara Ramotnik works for the Choose Clean Water Coalition as a policy specialist, where she coordinates fellow non-governmental organization (NGO) partners from across the watershed to advocate for clean water policies in the Chesapeake Bay region. Ramotnik is passionate about the restoration effort and sees many opportunities for the Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee to influence the next iteration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement as well as encourage more people to become involved in the work.

Question: Do you have a personal connection to the Chesapeake Bay, a river or a special place in the watershed? Was there a specific moment that inspired you to dedicate your time and talents to its protection?

My clean water journey started at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary when I was just five years old. Growing up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, I spent nearly every Sunday with my dad visiting the Prince George’s County side of Patuxent River Park, as it’s technically known. This small and tranquil nature preserve is crisscrossed with hiking trails and speckled with access sites for launching kayaks or fishing. One day when my dad and I were there, the park was hosting a program focused on ospreys and they have remained my favorite bird ever since. Having that type of hands-on experience in a natural setting was fundamental to my childhood. Visiting Jug Bay throughout the years showed me how important nature can be for healing, how you can form an attachment to a waterbody and perhaps most importantly, how you can always learn from the natural world around you. 

As I grew up, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time on the water kayaking and sailing. I remember the moment in high school looking out on Breton Bay when it hit me that I wanted to spend the rest of my life working to protect the Chesapeake Bay. After going to school to do just that, I worked for the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership as a Chesapeake Conservation Corps member in 2020-2021. My mentor, John Griffin, taught me how important partnerships are in this work. I was able to meet dozens of groups who were coalescing together to advance land conservation throughout the watershed. This was my first experience with coalition building, and I loved it so much that now I’m doing it with the Choose Clean Water Coalition. 

Question: Part of your role at the Choose Clean Water Coalition supports members in their grassroots and federal advocacy efforts around clean water policies. Tell us about the Coalition and some key issues you’ve learned from its members.

The Coalition is made up of over 300 NGOs throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and we work to coordinate their clean water advocacy and communications. As the policy specialist, I work closely with a designated lead organization in each state to ensure that our members are all rowing in the same direction to advance clean water policies. I believe that through strong collective action and accountability, we can make policy changes that are crucial for protecting the lands and waters that surround us.

We often hear from our members or those interested in joining the Coalition that they are concerned about engaging in advocacy as a nonprofit. That’s OK! It’s allowed! We provide training to educate our members on what it means to advocate as a 501(c)3, and every March we bring them with us to our nation’s capital for some hands-on experience during our Chesapeake Bay Day on Capitol Hill. There, our members meet with their federal representatives to share with them the investments that are being made in the 49 congressional districts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

Question: The Stakeholders' Advisory Committee has representatives across four generations. As a member from a younger generation, is there something that stands-out that you’ve gleaned from the more tenured members? Do you see your generation bringing a different perspective to this work?

The Bay restoration movement began long before I was born, which makes me appreciate the knowledge and perspectives that my fellow committee members bring to the table even more. My work today would not be possible without the passion those with whom I serve on this committee have brought to Bay restoration for many years. I enjoy hearing their stories of the early years of this movement, how it accelerated over time and where they think we should go next. 

In moments of pause, I regularly reflect back on a quote from Jacques Cousteau:  “When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself.” I have been privileged to live a life appreciating much of what the Chesapeake Bay has to offer. And I fully believe it is incumbent upon people like me to work so that everyone may experience the same kind of personal connection to their extraordinary local waterways. 

Question: What do you see as a big opportunity for the Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee in their role to advise the leadership of the Chesapeake Bay Program?

As the question above pointed out, we have four generations of expertise willing to share their knowledge. These committee members also bring their passion to make the world a better place to the table. As we move forward with updating the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, we are outlining how we all will work to improve the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. This will be our creed in the coming years and so we need to make sure it’s a good one. 

Ensuring that the language we are using in the Agreement can be easily understood by the public is crucial. Community members in the watershed should be able to comprehend the intention of different goals and outcomes and they should see themselves as a part of this effort. Focusing this work through a people centered lens will allow for us to bring more people into the effort. Approaching this work, I also see opportunities for committee members to engage with and advise new Executive Council members as a result of upcoming elections. By working together with them to identify priorities, we will be more effective in our pursuits. By promoting innovation we will be better prepared to adjust our course as needed and also find more efficient ways to reduce costs to improve water quality. 

Question: You’ve recently been elected to serve as co-chair of the Stakeholders’ Water Quality Subcommittee. As the Chesapeake Bay Program revises and streamlines their work this year, do you think there should be new approaches to addressing water quality goals?

The Bay restoration effort thus far has mostly been focused on nitrogen, phosphorus (nutrient pollution) and sediment reduction in order to meet our water quality goals. We now have the opportunity to shift our focus to enhancing living resources. I think there should be a balance between the two as we move forward. By targeting living resources such as riparian buffers or wetlands with investments, we will see better water quality in our waterways and other benefits including increased wildlife habitat, natural flooding barriers and more resilient communities. We will always need to work to reduce our nutrient pollution, but by focusing more on living resources than before, we will have better and healthier watersheds overall. 

Accountability will also play an important role if we are to meet our water quality goals. By outlining specific deadlines with interim targets for the jurisdictions, we will know when we need to adjust our course along the way. Having deadlines will also help us to better advocate for financial resources needed to meet our goals. 

Question: How do you think the Chesapeake Bay Program can better engage and empower the next generation of environmental leaders?

In the summer before my senior year at the University of Maryland, I interned at the Chesapeake Bay Program as part of the Agriculture Workgroup. This internship was my first experience with being a part of the restoration effort and I wouldn’t be where I am without it. Unfortunately, this internship program no longer exists. Investing in internship and mentorship programs literally allows us to build our future environmental leaders. Providing paid internships and mentorship opportunities opens the door for our younger generations, especially those in marginalized communities, and helps us to build our workforce. Working with academic institutions on research is a great way to bring young future leaders into the fold. 

I’ve had some great mentors and opportunities over the years which have allowed me to affect the Chesapeake Bay in ways I never thought possible. I strive to bring young people into this movement and to help them understand that they belong in this space. This work will never end- we will always be taking action to improve water quality in the Bay watershed. So we must build a resilient effort full of passionate people who will do this important work for the decades to come. 

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is honored to support the appointed volunteers of the Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee. We are committed to serving as an unbiased convener so the members can achieve their mission through learning and discussion. Views expressed by the members are not those of the Alliance.