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October 20, 2021

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

Ecosystem Eco Notes

Pickering Creek Annual Bird Seed Sale and First Annual Seed Social

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As September winds down, our local birds have finished their breeding season, and the fledglings are striking out on their own. Several birds will be switching their diets from insects to high fat seeds and suets to help them get ready for wintering here, or migrating south.  That means it’s time to get your bird feeders back out and clean them. You can run them through the dishwasher, or wash with boiling water and soap.

Birdfeeding helps sustain birds through the harshest winter days as well as provides exciting interactions with birds as you get to see beautiful cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, goldfinch, titmice, finches and more bouncing around your feeding station every time you peek out your window.

Nuthatch on Suet

Pickering Creek Audubon Center will be running its annual birdseed sale from Oct 25th to the Nov 9th. We’ll be switching this year from Meyers Seed Company to The Mill of Bel Air.  The items available will largely be the same with some differences in quantity and mix styles, with the same high quality if seed.  Payment by check or credit card are available this year.  Additional donations supporting out work to connect people with nature are always welcome!  The largest order wins a free birdfeeder!

Order forms available at https://pickeringcreek.org/get-involved/birdseed-sale/

Seed pick up will be at our First Annual Seed Social on Tuesday Nov 16th from 4 to 6pm at Pickering Creek.   Bring your friends, come have a drink and snack on us, meet fellow birders, and pick up your seed! We will have Pickering Creek staff onsite to answer any bird questions you might have and Pickering Director Mark Scallion will share news of the exciting new trails and new programs at Pickering Creek.

Start of Pilot Dredging Project at Conowingo Dam

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In an important step toward understanding the role that dredging can play in mitigating the effects of upstream discharges and the lost trapping capacity of the Conowingo Dam, the Maryland Environmental Service (MES), in coordination with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), today announced that the dredging portion of the Conowingo Dredging and Innovative and Beneficial Reuse Pilot Project is scheduled to begin.
The contractor will dredge approximately 1,000 cubic yards of sediment, equivalent to 100 dump truck loads, from the Conowingo Reservoir, providing dredged material for various innovative reuse testing programs, including concrete and asphalt manufacturing, cement clinker, soil blending for sport horticulture, engineered highway soil, and/or supplemental cementitious materials.
“The initiation of dredging at the Conowingo Dam is an exciting move forward for the Conowingo Dredging and Innovative and Beneficial Reuse Pilot Project,” said Dr. Charles Glass, Executive Director of MES. “The removal and dewatering, and subsequent testing of the dredged material allows us to explore new options for long term solutions for improving the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay and will provide greater insight into beneficial reuse of dredge materials.”
The Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam, constructed in 1928, and owned and operated by Exelon Generation Company, LLC, has in the past trapped sediment and nutrients that enter the Susquehanna River upstream of the dam. Scientific reports confirm that the Conowingo Dam has reached full capacity and can no longer trap sediment and nutrients, meaning that upstream pollution is now entering the Chesapeake Bay.
The Conowingo Dredging and Innovative and Beneficial Reuse Pilot Project is part of a multi-pronged approach to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The state’s holistic strategy includes conditions relating to the relicensing of the dam and an agreement between MDE and Exelon that requires the company to invest more than $200 million in ecological and environmental projects and services, and operational enhancements to improve water quality in the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. It also includes an unprecedented, multi-state Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan specifically designed to address the additional pollution that is moving into the Chesapeake Bay as a result of the lost trapping capacity of the Conowingo Dam.
“Maryland is taking a holistic and aggressive approach to restoring the Chesapeake Bay, working with states, the federal government, and many others to reduce pollution upstream and behind the Conowingo Dam so we can clean the water, increase climate resiliency, and put sediment to productive use,” said Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles.
The dredging work should be completed in October 2021. Upon completion of the innovative reuse portion of the project, a report summarizing the findings of the demonstration projects will be issued by summer 2022.

Michael Roman to Step Down as UMCES’ Horn Point Laboratory Director

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Michael Roman. Photo credit: Dave Harp

After serving 20 years as director of the Horn Point Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), Professor Mike Roman has announced that he will relinquish the position by end of the academic year and continue his ocean research as a Horn Point faculty member.

“It has been a great honor and privilege to work with the staff, students and faculty these last 20 years. Horn Point has grown in size, stature and productivity thanks to their hard work and dedication. I am proud of our increased efforts in public outreach, partnerships with other environmental groups on the Eastern Shore and development activities to provide graduate student financial support,” said Roman.

A biological oceanographer, Roman’s scientific career spans 30 years of research, and his expertise in marine ecology and biological oceanography is recognized nationally and internationally. He joined the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in 1981 and has been director of the Horn Point Laboratory since 2001.

“Dr. Roman is an exceptional researcher and colleague who has had an enormous impact on the Horn Point Laboratory and UMCES, particularly in expanding research on coastal resilience, climate change, and important species such as blue crabs and oysters,” said University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science President Peter Goodwin. “He has mentored several early career faculty to ensure their success, built a successful philanthropic program, including graduate student endowments, and recruited outstanding faculty.”

The process to select a new director has been initiated. “During the next few months I plan to continue work to increase Horn Point’s grants and contracts, raise private funds to support our graduate students, and after a new director is in place, work with them to assure a smooth transition in leadership,” said Roman.

The Horn Point Laboratory, located on more than 800 acres on the banks of the Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, has advanced society’s understanding of the world’s estuarine and ocean ecosystems. Horn Point scientists are widely respected for their interdisciplinary programs in oceanography, water quality, restoration of seagrasses, marshes and shellfish and for expertise in ecosystem modeling. With ongoing research programs spanning from the estuarine waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the open waters of the world’s oceans, Horn Point is a national leader in applying environmental research and discovery to solve society’s most pressing environmental problems.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science leads the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. From a network of laboratories located across the state, UMCES scientists provide sound evidence and advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment, and prepare future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. www.umces.edu

Talbot Council Hears from Petitioner, Public on Rescinding Resolution 281

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The county council heard public comment from two fronts Tuesday night on the rescission of Resolution 281.

Resolution 308, introduced by Talbot County Council Vice President Pete Lesher, would rescind Res. 281, which amended the county’s sewer plan to include the Lakeside/Trappe East project.

A public hearing on Res. 308 began Tuesday night and will continue on

The council also heard the presentation of Petition 21-1 from Dan Watson, representing several hundred Talbot County residents petitioning the county council to rescind Res. 281.

Watson had filed the petition on May 7 and since then has been asking the council to follow its rules of procedure allowing him to present the petition with witnesses.

When the hearing for Res. 308 began, County Attorney Patrick Thomas said Watson would go first, presenting the petition, since it had led to the introduction of the resolution.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Watson said he was informed by email on Friday that the petition presentation was set for the Oct. 12 council meeting and noted it was the council that decided to schedule the presentation for the same night as the hearing on Res. 308.

He noted that 349 people had signed the petition thus far and if each person “took their allotted three minutes for public comment” on Res. 308 that would be nearly 18 hours of comment. The council’s rules for presenting a petition have”no limitation on my time to present a wealth of important, new information, but I assure you, I won’t be anywhere near that,” Watson said.

Watson outlined five reasons why the petitioners believe Res. 281 must be rescinded:

  • Res. 281 connects Lakeside to the town’s existing plant, which he argued is inappropriate since a) La Trappe Creek is already polluted, b) data shows e. coli and extremely high nitrogen levels, c) the current sewer plant and system have operating problems, “including terrible infiltration,” and d) hooking up more homes to the existing plant would be “outrageous.
  • Res. 281 assumes the new plant to be built at Lakeside/Trappe East will work properly as designed.
  • Res. 281 is flawed because it reclassified properties erroneously.
  • Res. 281 misrepresented the change being made to the sewer property classifications.
  • Res. 281 was predicated on “gross misunderstandings.”

Witnesses questioned by Watson included Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta, who detailed water quality testing on La Trappe Creek and an unnamed creek that feeds into it and into which the Trappe plant discharges its treated wastewater; Gene Lopez, a kayaker who said photographs he had taken of the feeder creek showed “all sorts of discharge discoloration, and something brownish, that’s floating on the water;” and Dr. Jim Smullen, a wastewater professional for four decades who said no additional homes should be connected to the existing plant until the town fixes the water and sewer system’s inflow and infiltration problem.

After a lengthy presentation, Watson and the council agreed to set another date for the presentation to continue and public comment began on Res. 308.

Calvin Yowell urged the parties to consider a new suggestion, sending the town’s wastewater to the Lakeside/Trappe East plant to be treated and then sent back for discharge into the unnamed creek.

Other speakers included Phil “Chip” Councell, Talbot planning commission president; William Anderson of the county’s public works advisory board; Lisa Ghezzi, county planning commissioner; and Tom Alspach of the Talbot Preservation Alliance.

The public hearing on Res. 308 also will be continued at a future date.

ShoreRivers SwimTesters Help Identify Pollution Hotspots

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This summer, ShoreRivers monitored bacteria levels at 32 sites around the region, providing a critical public health service for communities and identifying pollution hotspots for future restoration efforts. A team of citizen scientists called “SwimTesters” volunteered their time to test these sites weekly from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and generous site sponsors covered a portion of the sampling costs.

SwimTesters monitor for enterococci bacteria at popular public access locations, marinas, yacht clubs, and town piers. The program follows EPA’s standard protocols for collecting and analyzing samples and uses a pass/fail system to determine if bacteria levels are safe or unsafe for swimming. View the results at theswimguide.org and get updates during swim season by following #SwimmableShoreRivers or your local Riverkeeper’s page on social media. By collecting, analyzing, and distributing data on bacteria levels in a river, ShoreRivers aims to provide the public with the information needed to make educated decisions about contact with the water.

The results from the 2021 SwimTester season show that bacteria levels vary based on location, land use, and weather; making systematic, scientific analysis vital. Major rain events are almost always connected to spikes in bacteria levels. Of the 32 sites monitored by ShoreRiversSwimTesters this year, seven sites failed to meet EPA’s threshold for safe water contact more than 50% of the time. These sites are located on the Choptank River: Crouse Park in Denton and Willis Street Beach in Cambridge; in Eastern Bay: Broad Cove near Claiborne; and on the Chester River: Millington Waterfront Park, Morgan Creek Landing, and Centreville Wharf.

Multiple years of consistent bacteria monitoring have highlighted those sites that frequently show elevated levels of bacteria, potentially indicating a chronic source of bacteria pollution. Potential chronic sources of bacteria include failing septic systems, overflows or leaks from wastewater treatment plants, waste from animal farms, or manure fertilizer. Acute sources of bacteria pollution include overflows from wastewater treatment plants and pet or wild animal waste.

ShoreRivers will next focus on discovering the source of bacteria pollution at sites that fail more than 50% of their tests in a season. Riverkeepers are currently exploring partnerships and innovative technologies to help identify specific sources of bacteria pollution, including DNA tracking, which would identify a specific animal group(human, bovine, avian, canine, etc.).

For the 2022 bacteria monitoring season, ShoreRivers still needs sponsors for 15 sites. Site sponsorship allows ShoreRivers to redirect general funds toward source tracking programs for impaired areas and to activate new sites from the waitlist. The cost to sponsor a site is $40 per week or $640 for an entire season is $640. Anyone can be a sponsor—individuals, families, organizations, or communities. The more bacterial data gathered on the Sassafras, Chester, Miles, Wye, and Choptank Rivers, the Bayside Creeks, and Eastern Bay, the clearer ShoreRivers’ path will be to targeted restoration efforts in our local watersheds.

Clean water is an essential right for everyone, and everyone deserves to know if the water is safe for them and their families to access. For more information, visit shorerivers.org/swim or email your local Riverkeeper to become a site sponsor today!

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

Chestertown to Install Pinch Points at Intersection for Pedestrian Safety

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On Thursday, October 14th the Town of Chestertown, in partnership with Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), will install traffic-calming infrastructure at the intersection of High St and Water St. The design is meant to ‘pinch’ the intersection to allow more space for pedestrians, giving them greater visibility and protection from oncoming traffic, and to slow vehicles on their approach.

The pinch point design for this installation was created through outreach and engagement with residents and has been tested on four separate occasions in August and September. The installation will not remove any parking and has proven to not prohibit any vehicles currently permitted to move safely through the intersection.

“The intersection of High and Water St is a cross roads for residents and visitors of Chestertown to reach the Chester River and Wilmer Park. But the intersection can be dangerous and inaccessible for families and wheelchair users,” said Owen Wilson, Towns Project Manager at ESLC. “We hope to improve the safety of this intersection so it is safer and more accessible for everyone.” In July, Bailey spoke with the Chestertown Spy regarding this project; video of discussion can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XbjjMUsPzk&ab_channel=SpyNewspapersofMaryland

The intersection pinch point will be constructed initially as a Demonstration Project, which is a temporary installation using materials that allow the structure to be adjusted and altered based on feedback, observations, and data. If the design proves to have the desired effect, it can be made more permanent in a structure that will fit the aesthetic of the neighborhood. Funding for this project came from private donations from residents.

For more information about the project, please contact Owen Bailey at obailey@eslc.org.

About the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is a private, nonprofit land conservation organization committed to preserving and sustaining the vibrant communities of the Eastern Shore and the lands and waters that connect them. For more information please visit www.eslc.org.

Spooky Halloween Play Trail at Pickering Creek

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Pickering Creek Audubon Center will debut its Spooky Halloween Play Trail on Friday October 22nd.  The trail begins at the Center’s overflow parking lot and winds through Pickering’s woods on the center’s Woodpecker Trail. The Spooky Halloween Play Trail features thirteen stops that encourage kids and families to explore nature through short fun activities.  The trail is self guided and starts at the Center’s overflow parking lot. At the stops it asks kids to do interactive activities like: “Call Who cooks for you, who cooks for y’all like a barred owl in your spookiest voice.”  Each location asks kids and parents to engage a different sense as they explore nature around them.

“The forest floor is padded in crunchy leaves and animals are completing last-minute preparations for winter.  Even though it may not seem like it, the forest is still full of beauty and life,” says trail creator Alex Lloyd,  “come enjoy a late-autumn stroll through our interactive Spooky Halloween Play Trail!  Visitors to the trail will get to learn about bird sounds, take home a recipe for making a pinecone bird feeder, participate in nature art and learn some fun nature jokes.” The trail will be in place from Friday, October 22nd through Sunday, November 14.  Keep an eye on the weather and remember boots if it has been rainy!

On Sunday October 31, 2021 at noon you can bring a family picnic to Pickering and enjoy and wagon ride and hike the Spooky Halloween Play Trail. At noon the Pickering wagon will ferry picnickers and their coolers/baskets to the Pickering waterfront picnic tables for your DIY picnic overlooking the creek.  By 1pm you will load your cooler onto the wagon and then either enjoy a self guided mile hike through the Center’s woods back up to the farm and parking where your cooler will be waiting for you or ride the wagon back down to the Pickering farm parking lot.  You provide the food, we provide the ride.

RSVP for the wagon ride at www.pickeringcreek.org

After enjoying the Spooky Halloween Play Trail, further explorations lie beyond, with over four miles of trails and several beautiful vistas over Pickering Creek and the Center’s expansive wetlands, Pickering Creek has miles of trails for exploration and enjoyment.

This year’s brand new Spooky Halloween Play Trail at Pickering Creek is sponsored by the Talbot Optimist Club of Easton. The Optimists have been meeting the needs of Talbot County youth by “bringing out the best in kids” since 1996. The Talbot Optimist Club has raised more than $225,000 supporting local youth, including the sponsorship of the Optimist Field at the A. James Clark North Easton Sports Complex, and much needed annual support to organizations like Pickering Creek, the Talbot YMCA, Talbot Mentors, Easton Little League, as well as art programs, public and private school initiatives, leadership camps, sport activities and more.

Access to the Center and trail are free.  Pickering Creek’s trails are open daily from 7am to 6pm during October and the first week of November and 7am to 5pm thereafter.  Guests are asked to carry masks and wear them when passing each other on trails, restrooms are limited at this time, so plan accordingly.  For all our guidelines please check:

https://pickering.audubon.org/visit/planning-visit

Prizes Announced for Rod and Reef Slam Fishing Tournament that Starts Oct. 9

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Anglers who catch the most different species of fish in the unique Rod and Reef Slam Fishing Tournament can win a grand prize worth up to $1,400 in Under Armour fishing apparel and All Tackle gift certificates while division winners receive other exciting prizes.

The tournament takes place from Oct. 9 to 17 and registration remains open. The entry cost is $25. Today, tournament organizers Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation are announcing the following prize packages for the tournament:

Overall Grand Prize

  • $300 All Tackle gift certificate; Under Armour Apparel Kit that includes footwear, bottoms, shirt, and fleece or outerwear with a retail value of about $1,400; and a Coastal Conservation Association MD soft-body Engel backpack cooler.

Powerboat Division

  • First Place– $200 All Tackle gift certificate and Under Armour shirt and fleece or outerwear with a retail value up to $150.
  • Second Place – $125 All Tackle gift certificate and an Under Armour top.
  • Third Place– $75 All Tackle gift certificate and an Under Armour hat.

Kayak Division

  • First Place– $200 All Tackle gift certificate and Under Armour shirt and fleece or outerwear with a retail value up to $150.
  • Second Place – $125 All Tackle gift certificate and an Under Armour top.
  • Third Place– $75 All Tackle gift certificate and an Under Armour hat.

Youth Division

  • First Place– $100 All Tackle gift certificate, Chesapeake Bay Foundation or Coastal Conservation Association hat, and an Under Armour shirt and fleece or outerwear with a retail value up to $150.
  • Second Place– $75 All Tackle gift certificate, Chesapeake Bay Foundation or Coastal Conservation Association shirt, and an Under Armour shirt.
  • Third Place– $50 All Tackle gift certificate, Under Armour hat, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Coastal Conservation Association stickers.

Invasive Species Division

  • 50-quart Engel hard side cooler with an estimated value of $300 and an Under Armour shirt and fleece or outerwear with an estimated value of $150.

All winners will also receive a 40 percent off Under Armour apparel coupon.

The contest is designed to highlight the diversity of fish that surround oyster reefs. To do that, anglers will fish in areas where oyster reefs have been restored in Maryland. Anglers will use the iAngler Tournament app to document their catches and fishing locations.

During the past two centuries, Maryland has lost nearly all its oyster reef habitat due to overfishing, pollution, and disease. The loss of reef habitat has corresponded with less fish that frequent oyster reefs, such as sheepshead, black sea bass, and tautog. However, ongoing oyster reef restoration throughout the Bay is showing signs of success and the potential to lure more of these types of fish back into Maryland waters. Oysters are also valuable in the Bay for their natural filtering abilities. An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.

All anglers who register will also be entered into the new invasive species division this year. The person who catches the longest 3-fish stringer of blue catfish, flathead catfish or Northern snakehead will be declared the winner of that division.

Anglers can pick fishing locations ranging from the large-scale restoration tributaries on the Eastern Shore such as Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, and the Tred Avon River to smaller Western shore restoration sites, including those in the South, Severn and Magothy rivers around Annapolis. There are more than 100 reefs to fish in the tournament that can be found using the tournament’s interactive map.

Winners in previous Rod and Reef Slam tournaments have caught more than a dozen different species including white perch, spot, toadfish, drum, blue crabs, rockfish, and bluefish.

A live online awards ceremony will take place to announce the winners.

Anglers interested in participating can register on the CBF website. More information about the tournament is on the iAngler Tournament page.

Talbot Planning Commission Will Discuss Resolution 281 on Trappe Development Thursday

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The county planning commission heard public comments Wednesday morning on Resolution 281 and will discuss Thursday night what actions, if any, it will take on the matter.

Resolution 281 amended Talbot County’s water and sewer plan to:

• reclassify and remap certain areas of the Lakeside/Trappe East property from W-2 to W-1 and from S-2 to S-1. (W-1 is immediate priority status for water; S-1 is immediate priority status for sewer.)

• add the Trappe East water and sewer systems to the list of capital improvement projects.

The commission’s agenda for Wednesday described the issue as “Discussion of Planning Commission’s previous certification of consistency with the Talbot County Comprehensive Plan with respect to Resolution 281 and possible recommendations and/or other actions, including undo, consider, reconsider, rescind or amend the previous certification.”

After hearing Wednesday morning from environmental groups and attorneys for a neighboring property owner, the developer, and the Town of Trappe, among others, Talbot County Planning Commission Chairman Phil “Chip” Councell asked for another meeting to be scheduled for the planning commission to consider the comments and discuss its course of action.

Councell asked for that meeting to be held before Tuesday, when the county council will hold a public hearing on Resolution 308, which would rescind adoption of Resolution 281. Resolution 308 was introduced by Council Vice President Pete Lesher, the sole council member to vote last year against Resolution 281.

Resolution 281 had been introduced Dec. 17, 2019, by Talbot County Councilmen Chuck Callahan, Frank Divilio, and Corey Pack, with public hearings held Feb. 11, 2020, and July 21, 2020.

The Talbot County Planning Commission considered the resolution in January, May, and June 2020, and voted 3-2 that an amended resolution was consistent with the comprehensive plan.

The county council voted 4-1 on Aug. 11, 2020, to approve the resolution as amended, sending the matter to the Maryland Department of the Environment for its approval, which the state agency subsequently granted. Councilwoman Laura Price joined Callahan, Divilio, and Pack in voting in favor of Resolution 281.

Earlier this year, petitioners asked the county council to rescind Resolution 281, claiming the county council and the planning commission were not provided with full information last year and noting that the discharge permit for the wastewater treatment plant that will serve Lakeside has been sent back to the state environment department for additional public comment and a public hearing.

Md. Park Leaders Tell Lawmakers State Parks Are Severely Understaffed and Underfunded

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Maryland state parks desperately need a boost in funding to hire more permanent staff and update old infrastructure if they want to meet growing demands for park access, state park leaders told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Due to years of low funding and understaffing, park rangers in state parks are overburdened and need support, state park leaders said.

For instance, it took 500 hours for staff to remove nearly 10,000 pounds of trash along a half-mile stretch of the Gunpowder River in Gunpowder Falls State Park in Baltimore County last summer, Dean Hughes, president of the Maryland Rangers Association, told the State Park Investment Commission Tuesday.

“We’re seeing how the sheer number of people is causing irreparable damage to sensitive environments,” he said.

State parks also are losing some of their rangers, who work at or near state minimum wage ($11.75), to the private sector and parks in Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore counties which offer better wages, Hughes said.

Although some park rangers do leave state parks to work for county parks, most of the time they think, “this is just not worth it,” said Chris Czarra, a park ranger at Patapsco Valley State Park and a member of Maryland Professional Employees Council Local 6197.

Czarra said that park rangers want yearly wage increases and to be recognized as first responders since they are trained to provide some of the same emergency services that emergency medical technicians and police provide.

“Every day, you don’t know what you’re going to be dealing with and your plans are always being upended by circumstances in the park,” he said.

To meet growing demands, new state parks have opened but without additional permanent staff, Hughes said.

For example, Wolf Den Run State Park in Garrett County opened in 2019 but is managed by the same staff responsible for Herrington Manor and Swallow Falls State Park.

And if a park ranger is on sick leave, there is no trained staff person to substitute, Czarra said.

Meanwhile, park visitors increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unrealistic workloads and low wages make a career within the park service an unattractive option to future stewards, Hughes said.

“The current trajectory of our state parks is simply not sustainable, and we’re in desperate need of a major investment to meet our state’s growing demand for outdoor recreation,” Hughes said.

There is also a disparity between the resources of state parks and national parks. Assateague State Park only has 10 permanent employees, but Assateague Island National Seashore has 50 permanent employees and, with seasonal staff, twice as many on hand in summer, Hughes said.

With an annual operating budget of around $50 million for Maryland state parks and with 21 million visitors last year, spending around $2 per visitor is not enough, Hughes said.

Mel Poole, president of Friends of Maryland State Parks, a volunteer organization, recommends that the state park system add at least 100 permanent staff positions to address the pre-pandemic visitation levels alone.

Poole also estimated a backlog of $100-million worth of maintenance work that was delayed and must be addressed in next year’s budget.

Park rangers want funding to upgrade bathrooms, sewage treatment systems and replace out-of-date maintenance equipment. Some is so outdated that it costs more to pay rangers overtime to repair it than it would to buy new equipment, Czarra said.

Funding is even more dire for local park systems, especially in Baltimore, said Frank Lance, president of the Parks and People Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to improve the quality of life in Baltimore by increasing access to green space.

Lance said he regularly meets with the director of Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Department to figure out how to make a difference in disenfranchised communities. “But from a funding source, we’re trying to make bricks without straw,” he said.

Joel Dunn, president of the nonprofit Chesapeake Conservancy, also recommended that the state develop a long-term capital budget plan separate from Program Open Space, which is run by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and provides financial assistance to local governments to support recreational land and open space areas.

The federal Great American Outdoors Act that passed last year allocates $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provides up to $9.5 billion over five years to address the maintenance backlog at national parks. Dunn suggested that lawmakers could follow this national funding model for Maryland state parks.

Hughes said he would like to see the State Park Investment Commission bring about progressive policies for state parks as the Kirwan Commission did for education with its landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

By Elizabeth Shwe