The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) provides scientific and technical guidance to the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) on measures to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay. As an advisory committee, STAC reports periodically to the Implementation Committee and annually to the Executive Council. Since its creation in December 1984, STAC has worked to enhance scientific communication and outreach throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond. STAC provides scientific and technical advice in various ways, including: (1) technical reports and papers, (2) discussion groups, (3) assistance in organizing merit reviews of CBP programs and projects, (4) technical conferences and workshops, and (5) service by STAC members on CBP subcommittees and workgroups. In addition, STAC has mechanisms in place that allow it to hold meetings, workshops, and reviews in rapid response to CBP subcommittee and workgroup requests for scientific and technical input. This capability allows STAC to provide the CBP subcommittees and workgroups with the necessary information and support as specific issues arise in working towards the goals outlined in the Chesapeake 2000 agreement. STAC also acts proactively to bring the most recent scientific information to the Bay Program and its partners. For additional information, please visit the STAC website at Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Executive Summary The Chesapeake Bay Program's Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) recommends activities that could reduce nutrient and sediment loads to the Bay. In the recent Farm Bill and its Chesapeake Bay Water Plan, $188M was allocated for implementing agricultural conservation practices beyond those funded by ongoing USDA or state programs. STAC saw this commitment as a unique opportunity to demonstrate the effects of conservation practices on water quality. Although the new funding is significant, the effects on water quality will be difficult to measure if the practices are distributed equitably across the Bay's agricultural lands. have cooperated to identify areas where nutrient and sediment yields are high and where focused conservation practices would reduce nutrient discharges. STAC agreed to review research and monitoring activities in the region and recommend appropriate monitoring strategies that could document the water quality impacts of focused conservation practices. Through a series of workshops and meetings, STAC and its partners have distilled the following recommendations for monitoring small watersheds to document practice effects on nutrient delivery to Chesapeake Bay. The recommendations are supported by the facts and observations that …