CHAPTER 1I: APPROACH AND METHODS 18
Technical Committee on an as needed basis and many members of this Team served on the Advisory
Committee.
A Steering Committee composed of MDWFP management (wildlife, fisheries and museum
administrators) and the CWCS coordinators worked to ensure overall coordination of plan development
and incorporation of the eight required elements. They approved plan formatting, plans for stakeholder
and public involvement, plan review and revision and the agency approval process. They met on as
needed basis, usually every quarter. During the development of the CWCS, MDWFP was also in the
early stages of revising its agency strategic plan. Three of the five strategic plan committee members
served on the CWCS Steering Committee.
An Advisory Committee composed of representatives from stakeholder organizations and agencies
served to aid in the development, review and revision of the CWCS. This committee is described further
in Part 2 below.
Part 2. Stakeholder and Public Input
In 2004, MDWFP invited by personal invitation, e-mail, web announcements and mail, representatives
from over 290 natural resources agencies, conservation organizations, agriculture and forest products
industries, technical experts, conservation educators and academics as well as individuals and additional
MDWFP district and other staff to participate in a large working stakeholder group called the Advisory
Committee. This Advisory Committee met quarterly beginning in the summer of 2004, and
corresponded in between working meetings to review and develop sections of the strategy. Their role
was to provide input and advice during the development of the strategy: to recommend existing plans or
strategies for incorporation; and to review and comment on drafts of the strategy prior to submission. All
Advisory Committee meetings were also posted on the MDWFP website and the public was invited to
participate as well. Meetings were held in August 2004, November 2004, March 2005 and June 2005.
During these meetings, state CWCS Coordinators shared information on designation of SGCN and
habitats, identification of threats to SGCN and their habitats, potential conservation actions and
opportunities for collaboration with other agencies and organizations. Committee members provided
feedback on all aspects of the plan and many participated in working groups.
A list of 179 active participants in the CWCS Advisory Committee can be found in Appendix II.
“Active” members of the Advisory Committee were individuals who attended meetings and/or reviewed
parts of the CWCS draft and submitted comments via mail or e-mail if they could not attend meetings.
The Advisory Committee was divided into working groups to develop lists of threats and conservation
actions by broad ecological systems type. Those working groups were: terrestrial, marine and aquatic.
These committees met during Advisory Committee meetings, and the marine committee also met on two
additional occasions in February 2005 and May 2005 to review species and habitats and to develop
conservation strategies for marine and estuarine habitats.