Congratulations, Les, on being the Alliance’s 2026 Maryland Watershed Champion!

The Alliance’s annual Taste celebration presents an opportunity for like-minded clean water advocates to gather and celebrate our beautiful watershed and all we have accomplished to protect it. Each year at the Taste, the Alliance recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Chesapeake watershed through innovative thinking and developing impactful partnerships. We’re thrilled to award Les Knapp as our Maryland Watershed Champion!

A Maryland native, Les grew up on a farm in Calvert County. He received his Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Maryland. Leslie Knapp, Jr. (Les) currently serves as Water and Science Administration Assistant Director for the Maryland Department of the Environment. He has been with the Department since 2022, serving first as a Senior Local Government Advisor and then as Government Relations Director.

Join us as Alliance CEO, Kate Fritz, sits down with Les to discuss his work in Maryland and with the Alliance.

Kate: What does receiving the Watershed Champion Award mean to you?

Les: The meaning of this award doesn’t really come with the award in and of itself. It comes from the recognition and acknowledgement of my peers and associates, that my work is viewed as meaningful and valuable. That means a lot to me and based on that recognition, I am honored and humbled to have been nominated as the 2026 Maryland Watershed Champion.

Kate: We’ve worked with you through our Local Government Initiative Team in various ways, either through the Local Government Leadership Workgroup, peer-to-peer tours, and other activities. Can you talk a little bit about why you choose to work with the Alliance and dedicate your time in some of the partnership ways in the past years?

Les: There are several reasons. The Alliance takes a holistic and results-oriented approach to Bay restoration. You recognize that there is no one easy fix for the challenges the Bay is facing. I appreciate that the Alliance focuses on practical solutions to address the Bay’s health across diverse communities. Whether it’s green infrastructure to reduce polluted runoff from urban areas or bay-friendly agricultural practices for rural areas, the Alliance works on all of that. As a longtime local government advocate, I also appreciate the Alliance’s dual focus at both the local and community level as well as the more macro watershed level. You really can’t make real progress without addressing challenges at both of those levels.

Listen to the full interview below to learn more about Les!

 

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Les exemplifies the spirit and impact of a Watershed Champion through his steadfast support of local governments in their efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Alliance has benefited from Les’s leadership, humility, dedication to inclusion, and transformative contributions to the Bay watershed!

Congrats, Les! We can’t wait to celebrate with you at our annual Taste: Celebrate the Chesapeake event on September 24, from 6-8 pm at The Atreeum at Soaring Timbers.

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