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Host Organizations

The White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee will be supported by a National Park Service employee (or employees) serving as coordinator and as liaison among the Committee and the state and local agencies and organizations that participate in its activities. The Committee will not be located within the structure of a permanent "host organization. A procedure for special meetings that may not be on the annual schedule will also be established.The NPS employee acting as staff to the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee will provide a contact between the Committee and the public and act as a clearinghouse for distributing information. He or she will answer questions and relay issues to the Committee. Other entities might provide limited, meeting-related clerical staff assistance to the Committee.

Purpose

The White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee is directed to promote the long-term protection of the White Clay Creek watershed in Pennsylvania and Delaware and to support, coordinate and facilitate the implementation of the White Clay Creek and Its Tributaries Watershed Management Plan dated May 1998 (as amended). To do this, it will:

bring together the major watershed interests on an annual basis;
stimulate cooperation among the major interests;
provide a forum for discussing and resolving issues; and
promote and facilitate the implementation of this watershed management plan.

Function

The White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee will be advisory in nature; it will have no regulatory or land-acquisition authority. The committee may provide advice to agencies and institutions with management or regulatory authority, but it will not have the power to necessitate or enjoin the actions or decisions of any of those entities.

Responsibilities

The White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee will assume the following responsibilities:

Promote Implementation of the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Plan. The committee will assist appropriate agencies, organizations and the public in understanding the purpose, intent and implications of the Plan within the context of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers designation, and in understanding the actions and activities needed to implement the Plan. The Committee will promote the Plan and efforts within the watershed that are consistent with the Plan and will foster the implementation of this Plan. The Committee will serve to assist with coordination and communication among the entities responsible for implementing the Plan.

Address Watershed-Related Issues. The Committee will establish a public forum for issue discussions, it will help raise awareness of important issues, and it will stimulate action by appropriate authorities.

Monitor the Watershed. The Committee will monitor watershed activities and proposals that might affect the watershed's overall quality or pose potential impacts to important resources and will comment to appropriate authorities. Such Committee review could be initiated by a request from the public; by a local, county, state or federal official; or at the Committee's own discretion. Proposals and projects that might be reviewed include, but are not limited to: zoning changes; development projects adjacent to White Clay Creek or its tributaries; applications for state permits such as point source discharges or water withdrawals; changes to state programs or policies; applications for federal permits such as Army Corps Section 404 permits; and other federal projects such as pipeline or road crossings or electrical transmission lines, etc.

Promote Watershed Enhancement Initiatives. The Committee may support, upon the consensus of its membership, watershed enhancement projects initiated by its members or by other organizations. When necessary and appropriate, the Committee will coordinate its members' volunteer participation in enhancement efforts. The Committee may initiate its own cooperative enhancement projects.

Carry Out Education and Outreach. The Committee will support the efforts of other agencies and entities in conducting watershed stewardship education and outreach. The Committee may initiate its own educational or outreach programs as resources permit.

Update the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Plan. The Committee will be responsible for reviewing and recommending changes to the management plan. The Plan will be reviewed by the Committee every five years. Recommended changes to the Plan will be submitted to the National Park Service upon approval of the Committee (see Decision-making under Procedures).

Make Status Reports. The committee will prepare a brief twice-annual report on the status of the implementation of the Plan and other aspects of the overall protection of the designated areas of the watershed designated into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Membership

The White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee will seek members from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware. The Committee will strive to maintain membership that is representative of, but not limited to, state, county and local governments, citizens, citizen groups, non-profit organizations and private interests. The Committee will also seek membership representing technical expertise in the fields of cultural and/or historical resources, archaeology, geology, agriculture, water resources, wildlife biology, fishery biology, watershed management or recreation management.

Watershed organizations will be encouraged to appoint a representative to the membership of the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee. Municipal governments will be represented by an individual appointed by township boards of supervisors and/or borough or city councils. County members may be appointed by New Castle and Chester Counties' elected officials. Unaffiliated interested citizens may also become members.

Current Members. A current list of the members of this Committee will be maintained. The member list will be updated on a regular basis by the National Park Service staff liaison. The current members list will be used for distribution of notices and information regarding meetings and issues.

Procedures

The following procedures are established for the operations of the Committee:

Meetings. The Committee will meet twice annually, convening the membership for updates on activities and/or plans that will affect the watershed. All meetings will be open to the public. These meetings will be publicized in advance to encourage all interested entities/individuals to attend. Special meetings, in addition to the two annual meetings, to discuss specific issues may be convened at the request of the Co-Chairs of the Committee. All meetings will be conducted using Roberts Rules of Order. The Committee may meet more frequently initially.

Officers. The Committee will elect two Co-Chairs, one from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and one from the State of Delaware, from among its members. The term of each Co-Chair shall be three years. The National Park Service will act as recording secretary for the Committee.

Decision-making. The preferred method of decision-making and actions is through consensus. When consensus cannot be reached, the Co-Chairs of the Committee shall prepare a report reflecting the diverse views of the Committee members. The report from the Co-Chairs shall become part of the minutes. Minority opinions may also be attached to the minutes.

Rules and Procedures. The Committee will review the Rules and Procedures periodically and amend or enact new rules and procedures as needed (see Amendment of These Rules and Procedures below).

Staffing. The Committee will rely on a combination of in-kind services (as available) provided by the states, the counties and the municipalities and funded staff support from the National Park Service for fulfilling its responsibilities as detailed in the Plan and the Committee's general operations.

Funding. The Committee will not receive nor will it solicit funding for its operations or other special projects. Rather, when funding arrangements are required to carry out projects related to the implementation of the Plan, the Committee will identify potential funding sources and assist in coordinating access of those funds through a membership entity or the National Park Service. Staffing for the general operations of the Committee will rely on in-kind services and support from the National Park Service (see Staffing above).

National Park Service Role. The National Park Service (NPS) will serve as the key federal representative in the implementation of the Plan and the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers designation. The agency's principal role will be to represent the Secretary of the Interior in reviewing federal projects as required by Section 7(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and to serve as a coordinator and liaison among the members and participants of the Committee.

State, County and Local Governments' Role. State, county and local governments and other interested organizations may contribute staff time and other types of assistance to the Committee if they choose; however, no such involvement will be required of any state, county or local government or any other organization.

Amendment of These Rules and Procedures. The Rules and Procedures can be revised at any time by majority vote of the membership. Prior to a vote for adoption of any amendments, the final proposed amendments must be publicly announced and read to the membership at a regular meeting of the Committee and will be announced in advance of that meeting. The final vote to adopt changes will be made at the next regular meeting and will be announced in advance of that meeting.