Maryland-farmed oysters, wine, champagne, and beer—what more do you need to satisfy the soul on a late January afternoon?

You can have them all and Smith Island cake too at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s second annual Oysters and Wine on the Eastern Shore. The event takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, January 27 at the Eastern Shore Conservation Center in Easton. Tickets are $35 and advance registration is required because the event is expected to sell out.

This year’s event will feature oysters from three Maryland oyster farms—Chestertown’s Orchard Point Oyster Company, Tilghman’s Fisherman’s Daughter Oysters, and Toddville’s Honga Oyster Company.

All three businesses are part of the state’s burgeoning oyster farming industry. The industry grew from a nascent start in Maryland less than a decade ago when upstart operations produced about 4,000 bushels of farmed oysters in 2012. That number has since ballooned to more than 64,000 bushels from oyster farms in 2016, according to the latest annual harvest data released by the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Oyster farming presents an alternative model to Maryland’s long tradition of watermen scouring for wild oysters from the Chesapeake Bay’s public bottom. Watermen with farming businesses lease acres of the Bay bottom from the state to plant and grow their oysters. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation believes expanding the model can reduce harvest pressure on the state’s dwindling native oyster population and help it recover.

Since 1999, the oyster population in Maryland’s portion of the Bay has declined from about 600 million oysters to the current population of 300 million, according to the state’s new oyster stock assessment released in November. Wild oyster harvests continue to significantly outpace harvests from aquaculture operations—for example, about 224,000 bushels were harvested from public bottom in 2016, nearly four times the amount from oyster farms.

The January 27 event will celebrate locally farmed oysters by pairing them with a variety of wines, champagne, and local craft beer. There will also be hors d’oeuvres and live music. Oyster farmers and scientists will be on hand to answer attendees’ questions. The Eastern Shore Conservation Center is at 114 South Washington St. in Easton.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Hilary Gibson at hgibson@cbf.org. Additional information about Oysters and Wine on the Shore can be found at the event’s website.

Are you interested in learning how you can do more to help the Chesapeake Bay?

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation can help! Join other people who care about the environment and come “back-to-school” for a six-week course taught by scientists, non-profit leaders, and others about how to improve water quality on the Eastern Shore and in the rest of the Bay’s watershed.

Classes will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings from October 9 until November 13 at Wye River Upper School in Centreville. Registration is open on the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s website.

Attendees will be able to learn about Bay science and fisheries, pollution problems and solutions, and how volunteers can help restoration efforts in their local waters and the Bay.

In this professionally taught course, you will learn from experts about crabs and oysters, farm and urban issues, Bay history and ecology, and how to play a personal role in the future of clean water restoration.

Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards (VoiCeS) is the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) most comprehensive adult education program available to the public. This year CBF is offering the program in Centreville for the first time! Registration costs $25 per person or $40 per couple and includes one Saturday field trip – a guided canoe paddle on the Corsica River.

Space is limited, so register now for a deep-dive exploration of issues that affect the Chesapeake Bay. Registration is required at www.cbf.org/voices-qa. For more information, contact CBF Grassroots Field Specialist Hilary Gibson at hgibson@cbf.org or 410-543-1999.

Anglers seeking a unique experience on the Chesapeake Bay should register now for the second annual Rod & Reef Slam on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

The fishing tournament taking place Saturday, Sept. 22, on six oyster restoration sites near the mouth of the Choptank River, is meant to highlight the diversity of fish that thrive near oyster reefs. So rather than be rewarded for catching a specific large fish, anglers in this catch-and-release fishing tournament are tasked with trying to catch as many different species of fish to win prizes such as Engle coolers, Costa Sunglasses gift cards, Lyon Distilling Rum, and fishing tackle. If anglers tie on the number of species caught, the size of their fish will determine the winners.

Last year, anglers caught dozens of fish from 10 different species such as rockfish, white perch, weakfish and spotted seatrout.

“Historically the live bottom provided by three-dimensional oyster reefs produced an amazingly diverse fishing community,” said John Page Williams, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s senior naturalist and a seasoned angler. “Our aim here is to bring that rich diversity back to our recreational and commercial fisheries. We are starting to see that return in the reef ball field in the Choptank River and other oyster restoration areas.”

The tournament takes place from 6:30 a.m. until fishing lines will be required to be out of the water at 2:30 p.m. An after party and awards show will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Lowes Wharf Marina Inn in Sherwood. There are three divisions—powerboat, kayak, and youth. The entry fee is $50 for the powerboat and kayak division and youth can participate for free if they have a Coastal Conservation Association youth membership, which is $10 per year. The registration price covers the entry fee, after party food, giveaways, entertainment, and access to a cash bar. Tickets for just the afterparty are $10 and include food and entertainment.

The tournament is being co-sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.The title sponsor is Curtis Stokes & Associates, Inc.

Participating anglers in this tournament will fish on their choice of six oyster restoration reef areas—Tilghman Island Reef just outside of Knapps Narrows, Clint Waters Reef at Cooks Point, reef balls at the Bill Burton Fishing Pier near Cambridge, and three different oyster sanctuaries in Harris Creek, the Tred Avon River and the Little Choptank River. Before releasing the fish they catch, anglers will use the iAngler app to record the size and location of their catch.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation in partnership with groups such as Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and NOAA have worked to preserve and grow oyster reefs in the Bay to improve water quality.  Oysters are a keystone species in the Chesapeake. They filter water and the crevices between the groupings of bivalves provide habitat for other critters such as small fish, crabs, and grass shrimp.

Small fish, such as blennies, gobies and skillet-fish that feed on the reef are natural bait for much bigger fish such as rockfish and perch as well as blue crabs.

The locations chosen for the fishing tournament are all places where conservation groups have planted hundreds of thousands of oysters over the past decade.  For example, this summer the Chesapeake Bay Foundation planted more than 120 reef ballsin the Choptank River, while more than 1,500 reef balls have been planted at Cook’s Point.

The Harris Creek oyster sanctuary is a productive example of restoration efforts. Since 2011, 350 acres of water bottom have been planted with oysters. A NOAA study released last year found that the vast majority of planted oysters were forming into stable, healthy reefs.

The Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, a group of more than 40 local and regional conservation groups, aquaculture businesses, and academic partners, is working to expand oyster populations in the Chesapeake by adding 10 billion new oysters in Virginia and Maryland waters by 2025.

However, more needs to be done to draw attention to the important water quality and recreational benefits oysters provide to the Chesapeake Bay. The Rod & Reef Slam is meant to remind people about the ecosystems oyster reefs create and the recreational fishing opportunities they can provide.

More information here or at 443-482-2097 or hgibson@cbf.org.

Today, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its midpoint assessment of efforts to reduce pollution and restore water quality in local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay. In that assessment, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) found important progress, but troubling trends as well.  Specifically, Pennsylvania’s poor progress in reducing pollution threatens local rivers and streams as well as the recovery of downstream waters of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia.

“This is a critical moment for Bay restoration. Halfway to the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint’s 2025 goal, it’s time to get serious about finishing the job,” said CBF President William C. Baker.  “Pennsylvania is far behind. The Commonwealth must fund proven clean water initiatives specifically associated with helping farmers.  If the state legislature does not fund efforts to reduce pollution in its next session, EPA must hold Pennsylvania accountable.”

The federal-state Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, established in 2010, includes pollution limits, state-specific plans to achieve those limits, two-year milestones to evaluate progress, and consequences for failure. The states also committed to having practices in place to achieve 60 percent of the needed reductions by 2017, and to finish the job by 2025.

All states in the Bay watershed, except New York, have met goals for reducing pollution from sewage treatment plants. Maryland and Virginia are close to reaching overall goals, but are significantly behind in reducing pollution from urban/suburban runoff. Pennsylvania is significantly off track meeting its goals for agriculture and urban/suburban runoff. Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, which are together responsible for achieving roughly 95 percent of the remaining pollution, have fallen short in reducing nitrogen pollution from agriculture.

“Progress reducing pollution from agriculture must be accelerated. Many farmers are taking steps to reduce pollution, but they lack the resources and funding to do more. Legislation proposed by Senators Casey and Van Hollen as part of the federal Farm Bill could help make that happen,” said Beth McGee, CBF Director of Science and Agricultural Policy. “Progress in reducing pollution from urban and suburban runoff not only continues to lag, but it is the only major source of pollution that is increasing.”

Nature is signaling that the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is working: Dead zones are shrinking; Underwater grasses are at record levels; Crabs and oysters are making a comeback. However, Pennsylvania’s lack of progress threatens success. Recognizing this, in early 2016 the Commonwealth announced a reboot of its strategy to clean up its waterways. While this has made some important headway, many challenges remain. The biggest barrier continues to be inadequate investment from Pennsylvania.

“In the next legislative session, Pennsylvania must enact a dedicated cost-share program for farmers that supports conservation practices like streamside forested buffers. This would directly help family farms by keeping vital soils and nutrients on the land instead of in the water,” said CBF Pennsylvania Executive Director Harry Campbell. “The result would be cleaner streams and healthier, more productive soils. It’s a win-win. But unless Pennsylvania’s legislature increases investment in reducing pollution, EPA will have no choice but to act.”

The Bay jurisdictions are starting to work on the third iteration of their clean-up plans that will describe the actions they will take between now and 2025 to finish the job. These plans must be detailed and comprehensive while addressing existing shortfalls. Creating local pollution-reduction goals will be critical, as will efforts to prioritize and target resources to the areas contributing the most pollution.

EPA has outlined a comprehensive list of their expectations for the next round of clean-up plans including identifying shortfalls that need to be addressed in each state. These expectations call on the jurisdictions to clearly identify the need for greater funding, technical assistance, regulatory oversight, and solutions necessary to achieve the 2025 goals. Continued state collaboration and investment is especially critical as the prospect of Trump Administration roll-backs of air pollution regulations on power plants and vehicles could make achieving these goals even more difficult

“The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is working because it has teeth.” Mr. Baker said. “If EPA holds Pennsylvania accountable, we may see the greatest environmental success story of our time: Saving the Chesapeake Bay and its local rivers and streams.”