And we are back from recess for the afternoon session, a uh work plan and annual joint meeting with the environmental advisory council.

We're very grateful and excited to be with you.

And uh, why don't we do some very brief introductions?

Because I know some of our members have changed since last year.

And uh then we'll turn things over to you.

All right.

Brenda Dinner.

I'm the chair of been with the committee ten years, so when you're in ten years, the elector chair.

Michelle Smith, this is my second year on the council.

Charlene Norris, this is my what, fourth year mail, Brenda.

This is you're in your second term.

Okay.

So I'm in my second term.

So six years maybe.

Maybe.

That's what I'm thinking, six now.

I was afraid to say six, but you're right.

Okay, check.

Well, we'll turn it over to this side and we're happy to hear and and and listen to anything you've got for us.

Well, as most of you probably know, we do this meeting every year.

Um we generally try to have it about this time of year because um we're going to present to you the 2025 annual report.

So what the EAC did last year, sort of like a report on the last year's work plan and and uh where that went, and then um present to you the proposed work plan for 2026, calendar year 2026.

So we meet every year.

We don't need a vote, but we generally just ask that you concur with the work plan if that's if you feel so led.

Um so um the annual report is something that's in code that we provide to you, so we just make it part of this meeting and um you should already have in your packet a copy of the ANU report.

Our chair will be leading us through the annual report and the proposed work plan.

Um just sort of uh before we go into that, a reminder that the role of the EAC like first and foremost is to advise the Board of County Commissioners on environmental issues at your request.

Um that's not when there's not something that you've requested, then we generally are focusing on public outreach and education as it relates to some aspect of natural resources or environmental stewardship.

Um so I guess I'll roll it over to Kurt Barrett to uh roll through the as part of the introduction and role, um, and maybe you were going to, but can you mention the different events you're involved in throughout the year?

Yeah, I'm gonna I'm actually gonna mention those.

Okay, good.

Um so uh and uh Brenda mentioned we have a 2025 work plan.

Every year we put together a work plan and we presented to the commissioners.

So I'm gonna go over the 2025 uh activities that we were involved in.

Um it was it was a pretty busy year.

Um as Brenda said, we do a lot of public outreach, and we did one of the uh standard outreach publications that we produce is the environmental stewardship booklet.

Um if you haven't read that, this county is involved in a lot of environmental activity.

It is packed, and every time I go through it, when we go to review it, uh I can't believe all the different activities and uh uh outreach that occurs um in Kerrol County.

So we're we're pretty active about that.

So it's a showcase, it demonstrates our stewardship for the county, and um yeah, and we updated every other year.

So the one that you that was sent to you was updated in summer of 2025.

Uh another public outreach was climate resilience in your own backyard.

Um that those are steps.

That's guidance for people, mainly residents, uh, that you can do to sort of uh minimize mitigate the effects of um extremes that that are ahead that actually we've already been we've been receiving.

Um such as droughts and such as floods, extreme heat, etc.

Uh that the climate extremes present to us, and it includes things like biodiversity, uh water conservation to reduce water uses.

These are the kind of things that soil health that we present uh to residents.

It's on the website, and it's available to uh anybody that wants to have it.

And uh it's pretty good stuff, I think.

Anyway, um so this is also posted on our website.

Uh we were asked by the commissioners last year to provide uh uh environmental impacts on the uh Maryland Piedmont reliability project, which is ongoing as you know, and um there are a lot of um I mean we did a lot of research and and the um report summarizes the key impacts that Carroll County will uh feel if this uh high voltage transmission line gets installed.

Um there's basically three categories educational, oh sorry, I'm in the wrong category.

Um there are um things like um all the different gaps uh that we could find mitigation measures that go along to fix those gaps.

Um that was presented to you in September 2025.

Um we also uh in 25 was environmental action awards every other year.

We present action awards to people who are active in the environment in our county.

Um so uh the the categories uh the projects are positive benefit to the environment and and uh educational outreach is one category, positive practices is another category, and student engagement.

Those are three categories that we present rewards to, and um yeah, it's a pretty good visibility for kids, a lot of a lot of students, a lot of kids involved, groups are involved, and we'd like to get them visibility uh to the community.

So we did that in 2025, and um yeah, so uh this year we'll be working on uh preparing for the following year, um which will be um oh, and also I forgot the awards were presented at the environment Carol Environment Fest on October 25th.

Um cost savings and environmental benefits.