Ecosystem

More SAV is Key to River Health

August 13, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

The recently released report on submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) from the Virginia Institute for Marine Science shows a 37% decline in Chesapeake Bay grasses from 2018-2019. However, ShoreRivers has measured a dramatic increase in grasses in our rivers over the past few years and has heard from many volunteers and members of significant growth so far in 2020. So what’s going on?

First, it is important to note the report reflects results from the entire Chesapeake Bayin 2019 and the decline is primarily attributable to a significant loss of widgeon grass in the mainstem of the Bay. Scientists theorize this could have been caused by higher rainfall that negatively affected overall water quality and clarity.

Additionally, the report acknowledges that many individual tributaries actually experienced an expansion of grass beds from 2018 to 2019. In particular, the Sassafras River experienced an increase of 243 acres of grasses, the Chester an increase of 535 acres, and Eastern Bay and the Miles and Wye Rivers saw an increase of 172 acres. Although the Choptank River saw a decrease of 28 acres, we have received reports of new thriving beds in this region in 2020.

This is good news because SAV is vital to the health of the Chesapeake. Not only does it provide ecosystem essentials such as oxygen, habitat, and food, it also improves water quality and clarity by absorbing excess nutrients, sequestering carbon, and trapping sediment.

According to the 2019 VIMS report, the Bay has reached just 36% of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s ultimate restoration goal of 185,000 restored acres. We as a community need to work together to increase SAV acreage and meet this goal. ShoreRivers works closely with partners in the agriculture sector to install large-scale projects, but everyone can do their part with the simple strategies outlined below.

Recent photo of bed of horned pondweed in Le Gates Cove off the Choptank River.

Protect Grass Beds: This year the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) added 14,085 acres of underwater grasses to SAV Protection Zones, ensuring these new and established beds are protected from the devastating impacts of the hydraulic escalator dredge.Additionally, recreational boaters should always trim their motors if they must navigate through a grass bed. Remember: “For a Healthy Bay, Let Grasses Stay.”

Create a River-Friendly Yard: Cultivating a yard that mimics the natural landscape is the best way to protect underwater grasses and the long-term health of our rivers. SAV needs clear water for sunlight to reach grasses, which means that every homeowner should strive to reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients leaving their property. Buffers, rain gardens, and native plantings can reduce runoff into nearby waterways and result in clearer water.

Monitor Grass Beds: Join ShoreRivers’ SAV Watchers program to help record and maintain accurate data on the extent and diversity of grass beds in our rivers. The information collected informs harvesting and planting efforts with DNR, ground truths information gathered from aerial surveys, and helps us understand our progress toward meeting Chesapeake Bay Program goals for acres restored. This is a socially-distant volunteer opportunity that will enable you to directly provide scientists with vital information!

Harvest and Plant Seeds: ShoreRivers partners with DNR to sustainably harvest seeds from thriving grass beds in our rivers and replant them in areas that lack SAV. Data collected from SAV Watchers helps determine if these efforts are working and where we should concentrate next. Restoration plantings like these are an effective strategy to increase total SAV acreage.

While the latest report showing a 37% decline in Bay grasses from 2018-2019 is disappointing, the good news is that we know that with the help of our community,we can make a difference in our local water quality because we are already seeing positive results. Every citizen can help keep the momentum.Visit shorerivers.org to learn more about SAV and other ways to restore our rivers.

Elle Bassett
ShoreRivers
Miles-Wye Riverkeeper
ebassett@shorerivers.org

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

shorerivers.org

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By the Way, How Do You Predict the Behavior of Rockfish or Crabs? By Al Hammond

August 10, 2020 by Al Hammond Leave a Comment

Kenny Rose is an applied mathematician and fisheries scientist by training and has worked on many ecosystems throughout the US and internationally. He has spent years studying the San Francisco Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and now focuses on the Chesapeake Bay at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Laboratory near Cambridge, Maryland.

Mathematical models—like those used for weather forecasts or to predict storm tracks—are key to studying and predicting many environmental phenomena. They typically take in data about the current state of the environment, then use computerized versions of physical laws to calculate expected outcomes. And even though nature sometimes doesn’t behave as predicted, it’s still useful to know that rain is expected or if the tide in the Bay is going to be high.

Dr. Kenny Rose, the France-Merrick Professor in Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration at Horn Point Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

But what if there are no laws that apply, only some fuzzy rules of thumb? For example, what if you want to model the behavior of fish—not just how they move around, but how they respond to warmer water or a depleted food supply? For that matter, how would you model the behavior of people or of corporations? There are no physical laws for that, but scientists have developed a different type of model for just such purposes. Called an “agent-based model” or sometimes a “complex adaptive system” model, it creates a virtual world that can track the interaction of large numbers of agents (rockfish or blue crabs or people) with each other and with the environment around them. Such models depend on assumptions about the nature of those interactions, and if those are reasonably accurate, then what emerges from the model calculations is predictions or simulations of population-level behavior—for example, will there be plenty of crabs this year? Or how stable and resilient is the Bay’s rockfish population in the face of warming and more acidic waters (because of higher carbon dioxide levels) as a result of a changing climate.

Such predictions—often based on hundreds or thousands of simulations with varying assumptions—can be compared to observed behavior to test and refine the modeling assumptions. For many fish species in Chesapeake Bay, it turns out that the critical assumptions have to do with survival while they are larvae and juveniles (before they become full adults): most very young fish don’t survive. Is that because of food availability; or does it depend on whether they live near the bottom of the bay or near the surface; or does it depend on their risk of being eaten before they can reproduce? So modelers test these and other assumptions, while also testing such variables as temperature, salinity, and the type of bottom (does it offer good ways for a young fish to hide?).

These types of virtual world models have been used for simulating such things as how fish group together, population size under different harvesting plans, interactions between different species, and the sustainability of ecosystems. At the Horn Point Laboratory, one on-going application of such models is to simulate how fish group together—known as schooling—and to test different ways to set up underwater cameras (also simulated), in order to get the most accurate estimate of the number of fish. That’s because fisheries scientists are increasingly using waterproof cameras located on the ocean bottom or on underwater drones to track populations in locations that are difficult to sample directly. But calibrating what the cameras show is tricky, because they may miss some when underwater visibility is poor or count the same fish multiple times. So Rose helped build an agent-based model of fish movements and is using that virtual world to calculate correction factors for the camera and ideas about better camera placement, leading to more accurate population counts.

Understanding how fish school is important for a number of reasons, not just for improving population counts. For juveniles, being in a crowd is one of the best defenses against being eaten. And from a fisheries perspective, schools are often where the best fishing is to be found.

The models do provide insights into population size and the food webs that support it, which lets fishery managers know whether they should allow larger harvests or increase protections in a given location. And because rockfish move around—they might come into the Bay as youngsters, then leave later on—rockfish and many species are managed at regional (mid-Atlantic) scale. Crabs move outside the Bay as well.

This map identifies spawning ground sites for Shad or River herring across the Chesapeake Bay. River herring migrate from saltwater to freshwater to spawn, as do Striped bass, Hickory and American shad, Blueback herring, Alewife, White perch, and Yellow perch. Map produced by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Oysters, on the other hand, stay put and are managed locally. Another ongoing effort at the Horn Point laboratory, led by Dr. Elizabeth North, uses modeling to understand how temperature, salinity and circulation patterns in the Bay affect the transport of oyster larvae. That depends initially on models of tides and currents, which can be calculated from physical laws. Then agent-based models build on those results to help the scientists understand where the larvae end up—and where they don’t. This knowledge can be used to ensure oyster larvae have the right habitat in the right location to settle and grow.

The bottom line is that the health of the Bay and of its fisheries now depend on careful management, and today’s management practices in turn depend increasingly on detailed data collection and on sophisticated modeling—including modeling the behavior of fish. So remember to give a mental “thank you” to the modelers the next time you host a crab feast.

Al Hammond was trained as a scientist (Stanford, Harvard) but became a distinguished science journalist, reporting for Science (a leading scientific journal) and many other technical and popular magazines and on a daily radio program for CBS. He subsequently founded and served as editor-in-chief for 4 national science-related publications as well as editor-in-chief for the United Nation’s bi-annual environmental report. More recently, he has written, edited, or contributed to many national assessments of scientific research for federal science agencies. Dr. Hammond makes his home in Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Pickering Audubon Presents the Language of Birds with Author Nathan Pieplow

August 8, 2020 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center Leave a Comment

Pickering Creek Audubon Center is delighted to announce that Nathan Pieplow, author of the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds, will provide an accessible and entertaining introduction to “The Language of Birds” during a Zoom presentation on September 9, 2020 at 7:00 PM. All around us, birds are constantly telling us who they are and what they are doing. Nathan will unlock the secrets of their language and cue us in on what their calls and songs mean.

Growing up in South Dakota, Nathan started identifying bird songs by studying the classic “Birding By Ear” field guides in the Peterson series. It wasn’t until 2003, when he faced the frustrations of studying sounds for his first trips to Mexico and Costa Rica, that he became dedicated to finding new and better ways to learn, describe, and catalog bird sounds. Along the way he became a sound recordist and an amateur ethologist (a student of animal behavior).

Nathan says, “I’m not one of those superhuman beings who can identify every singing bird, or discern the nocturnal flight call of a Blackpoll Warbler as it passes overhead in the dark. My high-frequency hearing is getting worse every year, and I don’t have a great auditory memory. For me to learn bird sounds, I wanted more resources: more recordings, better glossaries, deeper discussions. So I set out to create my own resources.”

Nathan Pieplow is the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds, published in two volumes, Eastern (2017) and Western (2019). An avid bird sound recordist and videographer, he is the author of the bird sound blog Earbirding, a board member of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, an author of the Colorado Birding Trail, and former editor of the journal Colorado Birds. He teaches writing and rhetoric at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

To Register: https://act.audubon.org/a/webinar-language-birds-nathan-pieplow

Pickering Creek Audubon Center is open daily from 7:00AM to 7:00PM. The Center features four miles of trails through varied habitat. During the current pandemic the center’s trails provide restorative time outside for individuals and families. The center also offers regular online programming for all ages which can be reviewed on the Center’s website, www.pickeringcreek.org.

Envision the Choptank Releases New Agricultural Incentive Programs for Healthy Rivers

August 1, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Envision the Choptank is a partnership that works to find collaborative solutions to restore fishable, swimmable waters to the Choptank River while working to meet the needs of local communities. With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Envision the Choptank is offering incentive money to farmers to accelerate the implementation of clean water practices in the Choptank River watershed. These practices include wetlands, grass and forested buffers, and bioreactors. The incentives are designed to thwart common barriers to implementation by providing more flexible payments, opportunities to reduce wait-times, assistance with landowner costs associated with federal and state cost-share programs, and options to install practices outside of cost-share programs.

The grass buffer program provides a flexible width option (10-50 feet), no mowing restrictions, and a shorter time commitment (three years). Participants receive $900 – $1,300 per acre. This program offers a great opportunity for landowners to try out a buffer before having to make a long-term commitment with a cost-share program.

The forested buffer program is similar to state and federal programs but expands the opportunity to include upland farm areas that are no longer operational due to the installation of other conservation practices, irrigation challenges, or the squaring-off of fields. Participants receive $2,000 per acre.

Grass buffer along a stream in an agricultural field.

The wetland restoration program offers $3,000 per acre to use flexibly to accommodate landowner needs. Funds can cover an engineering design that helps expedite the project through the Soil Conservation District process. Alternatively, funds can offset the landowner portion of state or federal cost-share programs. And finally, funds can support both design and construction if cost-share programs are not being used.

Bioreactors are now an approved cost-share practice through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program. To further incentivize this farm- and water-friendly practice, Envision is offering to cover the landowner portion of the cost-share, or 12.5% of the total cost.

Agricultural landowners with property in the Choptank River watershed and an interest in grass or tree buffers, wetland restoration, or bioreactors, may be eligible for these incentives. Areas within the Choptank River watershed include portions of Dorchester, Caroline, Talbot, and Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, and Kent County, Delaware. For more information, contact Whitley Gray at wgray@shorerivers.org or 443.385.0511 ext. 202.

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

shorerivers.org

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ShoreRivers Developing Modern Stormwater Plan for Historic Chestertown

July 26, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Polluted runoff from rain events, also known as stormwater, has the potential to devastate local water quality in the Chesapeake region, including right here in Chestertown. ShoreRivers, in partnership with Washington College and with generous grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), is developing a Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan for the Town of Chestertown to improve the health of the Chester River.

When completed this fall, the plan will include an evaluation of existing stormwater infrastructure as well as recommendations for new environmentally-friendly stormwater features such as rain gardens, tree plantings, impervious surface reductions, and habitat creation areas. Through uptake by plants and infiltration, these features reduce and remove pollution from stormwater runoff.

The final plan will also include an online mapping tool, developed with cutting-edge Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology that identifies existing and proposed stormwater features.

“We’re really excited to play a role in establishing Chestertown as a leader in water quality and environmental improvement efforts,” said ShoreRivers Chester Riverkeeper Tim Trumbauer. “Not only will the recommendations of this plan help the Chester River, but modern stormwater upgrades like rain gardens create native habitat for birds and pollinators, and beautify our public spaces.”

ShoreRivers restoration specialist Josh Biddle inventories stormwater infrastructure at the Chestertown Marina using GPS and GIS technology.

Further complicating the issue, historic Chestertown’s existing stormwater infrastructure is, well, historic. With the exception of modern stormwater facilities in newer areas of town and the step pool system near Kent Plaza, Chestertown’s stormwater system was developed simply to control flooding and does little to improve water quality.

According to data from the Chesapeake Bay Program, stormwater is the fastest growing source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. The list of impairments created by stormwater is long: nutrient and sediment pollution, trash, super-heated water from parking lots, erosion and soil loss, to name a few.

According to Mayor Chris Cerino, ShoreRivers’ project supports the Town’s commitment to the river. “This stormwater plan is an important step forward in Chestertown’s ongoing effort to reduce impervious surfaces and improve water quality.”

All plan documents, including online mapping resources, will be available to the public, and ShoreRivers will work with the Town and other partners to implement the recommendations of the plan over the coming years.

Questions, concerns, or ideas about stormwater in Chestertown may be sent to Chester Riverkeeper Tim Trumbauer at ttrumbauer@shorerivers.org.

ShoreRivers is a not-for-profit organization that protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

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Maryland Environmentalists Jubilant Over Passage of Public Lands Bill

July 24, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

Major environmental legislation sailed through Congress Wednesday while the nation’s political leaders were stuck in intense negotiations over the contours of a fifth COVID-19 relief package.

Maryland environmental groups were jubilant about a bill that would provide $9.5 billion over five years to pay down the National Park Service’s maintenance backlog and provide permanent funding at $900 million per year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports natural areas and recreation activities.

Assateague Island National Seashore is among the places in Maryland that will benefit from the new public lands legislation. National Park Service photo

The legislation was sponsored by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, the civil rights giant who died last week. During a debate on the measure on the House floor Wednesday, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said Lewis “understood that conserving America’s great outdoors and public spaces went part in parcel with protecting the legacy of civil rights.”

The House approved the bill by a vote of 310-107. The bill had broad bipartisan support, with 228 Democrats and 81 Republicans voting for it. Maryland’s lone Republican congressman, Andrew P. Harris, was a “no” vote.

The U.S. Senate adopted the measure in June by a 73-25 vote.

President Trump is expected to sign the bill when it arrives on his desk.

“I am calling on Congress to send me a Bill that fully and permanently funds the LWCF and restores our National Parks,” Trump tweeted in March. “When I sign it into law, it will be HISTORIC for our beautiful public lands.”

Trump and environmental groups are rarely in alignment, but that was the case Wednesday.

“The passage of the Great American Outdoors Act is a significant victory for Maryland,” said Maryland League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Kim Coble. “The bill guarantees that Marylanders will have access to clean, safe, and healthy parks for years to come.”

The Great American Outdoors Act will allow the National Park Service to restore resources that are deteriorating due to age and inconsistent funding. In Maryland alone, park sites that welcome nearly 7 million visitors and support more than 2,900 jobs each year require $244 million in repairs, national studies have shown.

The now-permanent LWCF funding is significant for Maryland: The state has received $231.8 million in LWCF funding over the past five decades, protecting places such as the Assateague Island National Seashore, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Monocacy National Battlefield and the C&O Canal National Historic Park.

Maryland also uses LWCF to leverage additional funds, such as state Program Open Space money that funds hundreds of facilities and creates access to local and state parks.

Kate Breimann, state director of Environment Maryland, called the federal commitment “a critical investment.”

“This bipartisan victory shows that Americans are united in the commitment to protecting our public lands and open spaces,” she said.

But Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, the top Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, objected to the bill, in part because it would add $17 billion to the national debt amid a pandemic.

The legislation also drew stiff opposition from oil-state Republicans because it would draw funds from fees from oil and gas extraction on federal lands and offshore drilling activity.

In an earlier statement, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana called the legislation an “activist, thinly veiled money laundering scheme” that would “accelerate the destruction of 4 million acres of America’s Mississippi River Delta coastal wetlands.”

The most outspoken critic of the bill in the Senate was also from Louisiana. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, said the bill diverts money away from the Gulf, where people live, and toward national parks, where they vacation — an indication of misplaced priorities. Our country has much greater priorities, he said, “than potholes and broken toilets in national parks.”

Election year politics

The bill was seen as a way to boost the reelection chances of lead sponsor Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Sen. Steve Daines of Montana — two of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents running for reelection, as rated by the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections.

Overall, eight of the nine most vulnerable GOP incumbents backed the bill. Texas Sen. John Cornyn was the exception.

Maryland sites needed more than $244 million for deferred maintenance projects, according to a 2018 National Parks Service report that pegged the national backlog at $11.9 billion.

An analysis by the U.S. Department of the Interior estimated direct spending and related economic impacts of the bill would add 100,000 “job-years” to the national economy.

Polls show funding the National Park Service and the Land and Water Conservation Fund are overwhelmingly and increasingly popular. In a Pew Charitable Trusts poll last year, 82% of respondents said they wanted Congress to pay up to $1.3 billion to address the National Parks backlog, up from 76% in 2018.

Though popular, the issue may have little effect at the ballot box, said Barbara Norrander, a political scientist at the University of Arizona. Voters are focused on other issues and, in a presidential election year, are likely to base their votes for Senate on their party preference at the top of the ticket, she said.

“Even in normal times, most Americans do not pay much attention to what happens inside of Congress,” Norrander wrote in an email. “[W]ith the current situation, most voters would be more concerned about COVID-19 and the economy.”

Some environmental groups are still wary of the conservation records of some of the GOP senators who voted for the bill.

“They voted right on this one, but it won’t erase their terrible environmental records,” said Hannah Blatt, the communications manager for the Environmental Defense Fund’s political advocacy arm, EDF Action. “They have done nothing to stop the administration’s relentless attacks on our air and water.

By Allison Stevens and Jacob Fischler. Josh Kurtz contributed to this report.

ShoreRivers Hires Environmental Engineer to Meet Pollution Reduction Goals

July 23, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

ShoreRivers is excited to announce the addition of William Ryall, a licensed professional environmental engineer, to its staff. This position will enable ShoreRivers to prepare in-house engineered designs for projects, thereby streamlining the restoration process and getting more projects in the ground to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution to our rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.

Ryall comes with over ten years’ experience in environmental engineering and specializes in designing stormwater retrofits, wetland and stream restoration, and shoreline erosion control. He will also design conservation drainage practices on farmland, such as denitrifying bioreactors, saturated buffers, drainage management, and structures for water control.

Environmental Engineer William Ryall

ShoreRivers is pleased to add this specific expertise to their suite of professional staff. “Environmental engineering services have become a choke point for installing practices on the Eastern Shore,” says Executive Director Jeff Horstman. “Due to a combination of factors, the professional technical services required to meet Bay cleanup goals simply do not exist on the Eastern Shore. ShoreRivers is excited to pilot this innovative public/private partnership to bring this needed service to the region so we can put more projects on our land to filter water.”

The Maryland Watershed Implementation Plan requires a significant increase in pollution-reducing project installations by 2025 to meet federally-mandated Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a priority area: 32% of the State’s nitrogen reductions will come from the agricultural sector on the Eastern Shore basin. Therefore, it is imperative that experienced technical staff are available to design agricultural projects.

The creation of this position was possible through support from The Keith Campbell Foundation and in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Maryland Department of Agriculture, and local Soil Conservation Districts.

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

shorerivers.org

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ShoreRivers Launches Trash-Free Campaign

July 18, 2020 by Spy Desk 1 Comment

Join the Trash-Free ShoreRivers Campaign to clean up our waterways. From now until September, ShoreRivers will provide supplies (including trash bags and work gloves)and limited edition stickers for clean water advocates who clean up trash from their local public spaces and then send us photos of their efforts for social media shout‑outs. This campaign is a great segue into the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Project Clean Stream program,a Bay-wide effort to clean up trash, which kicks off September 11.

A recent Google Community Mobility Study showed that public spaces in Maryland have seen a 144% increase in visitation since this time last year. Our communities have suffered during this pandemic, and now look to the energizing and healing power of nature for physical and mental relief. ShoreRivers is proud to see our community taking a common interest in our waterways. Unfortunately, increased park visitation often results in increased litter, which ultimately ends up in our rivers.

“Every morning I take a pair of grabbers and some trash bags, and head down to my local park with my dog Rogue,”says ShoreRivers Choptank Riverkeeper & Director of Riverkeeper Programs Matt Pluta. “There is something empowering about taking ownership of a public space, and being outside and doing good for the environment has lifted my spirits. I hope the rest of our community follows suit in picking up trash to keep our rivers and shared spaces clean.”

Staff members and volunteers from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum collected trash during the 2019 Project Clean Stream.

To join the Trash-Free campaign, head down to your local park or public space, pick up trash,take a photo, and post on your social media accounts with the hashtag #trashfreeshorerivers—it’s as simple as that! ShoreRivers will also post participants’ photos to help promote cleaning up our parks and waterways. Supplies are available for pickup by appointment at ShoreRivers’ offices in either Easton or Chestertown. Please contact Connor Liu at cliu@shorerivers.org with photos and/or questions about clean-up supplies. Once you have sent a photo of your picking up trash pick-up, you will receive your limited edition sticker!

Trash-Free ShoreRivers is an extension of the Don’t Paddle Past It campaign, a litter cleanup and outreach program that encourages boaters to stop littering and to pick up trash in the water or along the shoreline. These campaigns are made possible by a grant through The Maryland Environmental Trust in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Forever Maryland Foundation.

While participating in this campaign, ShoreRivers recommends strict adherence to social distancing guidelines and health safety protocols, including the use of gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer before, during, and after trash cleanups. ShoreRivers is committed to healthy waterways across Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and we appreciate our supporters’ participation in this campaign to prevent trash from ending up in our local rivers.

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

shorerivers.org

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Chestertown Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Pickering Creek Audubon Center Programs Adapt to Meet the Need!

July 15, 2020 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center Leave a Comment

Spring student field experiences at Pickering Creek Audubon Center may have come to a grinding halt this past March thanks to the health pandemic, but it didn’t mean students weren’t still being connected to the outdoors and in-depth science investigations with Pickering Creek’s help. As schools closed, the four full time Pickering Creek staff and their three seasonal educators quickly shifted gears as the landscape for students evolved through April and May. Ultimately the Center worked in partnership with science supervisors and teachers in Caroline, Talbot and Wicomico Counties to create substantial “learn from home” materials for students. In most school systems, students received 2-4 weeks worth of materials at a time, and Pickering provided intact units that covered science content being offered by schools during one of those multi week periods. Science content provided by the Center refreshed students on experiences and materials already covered earlier in the year with Pickering Creek about birds, habitat and the Chesapeake Bay. With materials provided by the Center in consultation with teachers, students learned about specific issues relating to the health of our environment for both birds and the Bay even while schooling at home.

As an example, high school students in Caroline County explored the driving question, “How have humans impacted habitat health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed?” Students considered the schoolyard inventory they had conducted during the winter and research they had conducted while school was still being conducted in person through mid March. They then read about conservation success stories provided by the Center, where communities understood a conservation issue and took action to address the situation. Next, students explored why scientists collect data and collected data of their own about habitat in their yard or neighborhood.

Exploration of nature for all continues at Pickering Creek.

Based on the data collected, students then reviewed a selection of at home actions they could take and chose one that they felt they could implement. These actions included, making a poster about the conservation issue, writing a letter to someone who can make a difference, or making a household policy that would have a positive impact. Each action option provided detailed guidance on how to complete the process and think through the information the student may want to highlight and share. The effort concludes with reflection on the project encouraging the student to consider what they liked about the project, what was hardest and advice they would give future students participating in the program. One exemplary student project was a poster for her community that identified invasive plants that should be avoided and great native plants that can be used in their place to make a yard beautiful and help pollinators like monarch butterflies. Brian, a middle school teacher captures the program’s impact well, “ Working through the project with my students has ultimately brought us to a deeper level of realism when it comes to our direct impact on wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The way each lesson and project was designed provided my students with confidence in their own voice; even to the point of empowering many to go above and beyond school requirements and act as the “driving force of change” throughout their own communities. Thank you so much for helping us access that power within, and for the steadfast support you’ve provided us throughout the school year.”

Since early April, Pickering Creek Audubon Center has also been offering online programming for adults about various topics including shorebird and raptor identification, using native plants to benefit wildlife, and listening and understanding bird language. Attendance at these online offerings has been robust with over 100 households participating in some of the programs. Kids have also enjoyed online story times, exploration of turtles, tracks and traces of mammals and the very popular kids “draw along.” This summer in lieu of the ever popular EcoCamp, Pickering is hosting “EcoCamp at Home” which includes a collection of materials to help young naturalists explore their own yards, online meet-ups and special opportunities to visit Pickering for a family exploration activity. Spaces are still available.

In addition to local programming for the Eastern Shore community, Pickering staff was also able to contribute to the nationally distributed Audubon for Kids website, sharing engaging materials on climate and how it effects birds. Pickering Director Mark Scallion says, “While we can’t wait to have students back outside at the Center, we are pleased by the materials we’ve continued to be able to bring to our community to help make sure everyone is still connected to birds nature and the outdoors around them.”

At home nature activities and a list of upcoming online programs can be found on Pickering Creek’s website: www.pickeringcreek.org. The Center’s trails are open daily through the summer from 7am-7pm and feature over four miles of paths through meadows, wetlands, forest and along tidal Pickering Creek.

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