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July 14, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

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Washington College Earns High Flyer Status for Bird Conservation

July 10, 2025 by Washington College News Service Leave a Comment

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Washington College has successfully renewed its Bird Campus recognition from the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership, reaching the prestigious High Flyer level. The Bird Campus program recognizes two or four-year colleges and universities committed to reducing threats to birds and actively participating in avian education and research. This achievement underscores the College’s ongoing dedication to environmental stewardship, having completed over 20 action points across four key areas: Habitat, Threats to Birds, Education and Engagement, and Sustainability.

The program is an initiative of the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership, an expansion of the Bird City Maryland program that began in 2019 to encourage communities to enhance bird environments and educate the public on their contributions to a healthy community. Maryland stands out as the first state to offer a campus recognition program. Washington College initially earned its Bird Campus certification in May 2023, with significant work led by Chesapeake Conservation Corps member Fana Scott. Renewals are required every two years to ensure continued active participation. The town of Chestertown also recently received Bird City certification in October 2024.

“Getting High Flyer status as a Bird Campus from Bird City Maryland is a gratifying public recognition of the work done by Washington College to protect birds and raise awareness around what is needed for continued conservation,” said Maren Gimpel, associate director of Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory at Washington.

As part of the College’s Center for Environment & Society (CES), the Observatory’s primary research focuses on monitoring the seasonal movements of migratory birds between their breeding and wintering areas. Located on the Chester River, a few miles north of Chestertown, MD, the Bird Observatory is nestled in a waterfront refuge on Washington College’s River and Field Campus. The land serves as an important stopover habitat for shorebirds and is home to thousands of migrating and wintering ducks and geese each year.

“From installing Feather Friendly collision deterrents on our buildings to the recognition of our River and Field Campus as an Important Bird Area, to buildings and grounds using Integrated Pest Management to reduce their use of pesticides, choices are being made across our whole campus to improve our environment for birds, and the natural world as a whole so that we all can enjoy its beauty and intrinsic value,” said Gimpel.

The College’s renewed certification highlights a range of impactful initiatives:

Reducing Threats to Birds: Washington College installed Feather Friendly collision deterrents on the porch windows at Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall in 2023, with the remainder of the building treated in August 2024. The Washington College bird club is actively surveying other high-risk collision locations on campus and fundraising for additional treatments. The College also serves as the official test site for the American Bird Conservancy’s bird-safe glass testing program.

Education and Engagement: The Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory and the College’s River and Field Campus have hosted numerous lab classes, local bird club gatherings, and public education events. Faculty members incorporate avian topics into their coursework, and the Center for Environment & Society sponsors a National Audubon Christmas Bird Count each winter as a citizen science initiative.

Habitat Enhancement: The “Flyways Bench,” a functional art piece designed by Artist in Residence Deirdre Murphy, was installed at Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall. It depicts the migration of Least and Caspian Terns, both visible from the bench along the Chester River. The Washington College Campus Garden is a Bay-Wise Certified demonstration site, open to the public to explore best practices in ecological landscaping. Additionally, the entirety of the River and Field Campus was designated a MD-DC Audubon Important Bird Area in 2006, recognized for its large populations of breeding grassland birds like Northern Bobwhite Quail, and wintering/migrating species such as American Woodcock. The campus also earned points for its Tree Campus and Bee Campus certifications.

Sustainability Initiatives: Broader sustainability efforts on campus contributed to the High Flyer status, including a student-led compost team, a Back to Tap program promoting reusable water bottles, a food recovery network, and the campus’s use of integrated pest management by the buildings and grounds department.

“This recognition is a shining example of how the Center for Environment & Society’s  integrated approach to research, experiential learning, and community engagement is making a real impact,” said CES’ Lammot Du Pont Director, Valerie Imbruce. “Our goal has always been to prepare students to become thoughtful stewards of the environment while contributing solutions that improve both ecological health and quality of life. This achievement brings that model to life.”

For a comprehensive list of Washington College’s achievements as a Bird Campus, visit their page on the Bird City Maryland website. You can also learn more about sustainability efforts at Washington.

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Filed Under: Archives, Eco Homepage, Eco Lead

Update: Friends of Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge

July 7, 2025 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

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Our advocacy efforts to protect Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in the face of ongoing staffing and budget cuts have brought a strong and unified response from local government officials, business associations and grassroots groups. The Friends of Eastern Neck thanks each and every one of you who have written letters, made calls, and spread the word about preserving this priceless environmental, recreational and economic asset for our community and our region.

Be assured that Friends groups and other champions of public lands throughout the country are working overtime, doing everything in our power to ensure the future of the National Wildlife Refuge system as a whole. In recent weeks, FOEN has made in-person presentations to the Kent County Board of Commissioners, the Rock Hall Mayor and Town Council, the Chestertown Mayor and Town Council, the Greater Rock Hall Business Association, the Kent County Tourism and Economic Development Office, State Delegate Jay Jacobs, and the Rock Hall- based Women for Democracy. Our contact with these groups and individuals has generated momentum to make a compelling case against further federal cutbacks.

We especially appreciate the unconditional support from Kent County, a crucial stakeholder in the Refuge for multiple reasons, including its public facilities on the Refuge at Bogles Wharf and Ingleside; and from Rock Hall officials, who posted a letter on the town website for residents to sign and send to our federal representatives.

FOEN has worked closely with Friends of Blackwater NWR to connect with the staff for Maryland’s two U.S. Senators, Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks; and U.S. Congressman Andy Harris. Meetings are being planned for the near future.

As of now, U.S. Fish & Wildlife staffing at the Chesapeake Marshlands Complex headquarters at Blackwater NWR remains at a historic low of 11, down from 14 at the start of 2025. According to numbers obtained by Politico through a Freedom of Information Act request, USFWS ranks have dwindled by 1,316 full-time positions, or 14 percent of the workforce, since January. Numerous senior administrators, including several in our own USFWS Northeast Region, opted to take buyouts or early retirement offers in a concerted attempt to save positions in the field.

Some 3,500 of those employees are now responsible for managing more than 570 Refuges. Eastern Neck is one of many with no on-site staff, and is reliant on Blackwater-based biologists, maintenance specialists and their supervisors to make four-hour round trips to continue managing critical conservation and infrastructure needs. Further attrition and/or layoffs could result in serious harm to habitat and jeopardize public access to the Refuge. Nearly 7,500 positions have been lost to buyouts and early retirements across the Department of the Interior, part of a government-wide push to slash the federal workforce. There is currently a hiring freeze across the entire department, and further reductions in force are paused awaiting the outcome of legal action. Budget numbers for the remainder of this federal fiscal year and the next are still in flux as of this writing, but units across the DOI are bracing for significant rollbacks with potentially damaging impact.

We wish we had better news. The only way to make future messages more hopeful is for you, our members, to keep pushing back as pressures on the Refuge system continue to mount.

Please keep writing and calling your local, state and federal officials, and urge your friends and neighbors to do the same. Be specific about what Eastern Neck means to you, your family, your community, and the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

As always, we’re grateful for your hands-on volunteer work, memberships and donations that allow us to continue our partnership with US Fish & Wildlife and support Eastern Neck NWR through youth and adult educational programs, conservation efforts and the often unseen efforts required to ensure the island remains a haven for native flora and fauna and the human visitors who treasure them

For more about Friends of Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge, go here.

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Filed Under: Archives, Eco Homepage, Eco Lead

Federal Cuts Could Threaten Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge, a Kent County Treasure

May 21, 2025 by James Dissette 5 Comments

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The Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, one of Kent County’s most prized natural and recreational resources, is facing an uncertain future due to potential federal funding cuts that could severely impact staffing and operations.

Bill Burton, President of the Friends of Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, spoke to the town council on Monday May 19, warning that while no closure is imminent, the threat of significant budget reductions to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could curtail access, compromise conservation efforts, and place the island’s delicate ecosystem at risk.

Situated at the southern tip of Kent County, the 2,285-acre refuge is a sanctuary for migratory birds and a hub for outdoor recreation including kayaking, birdwatching, fishing, hunting, and photography. The island also draws steady year-round tourism, benefiting local businesses in Rock Hall and beyond.

But behind the refuge’s serene façade is a growing strain on infrastructure and staffing. “We used to have five on-site federal employees,” said Burton. “Now there are none.”

With Fish and Wildlife operations consolidated under the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Complex, staff now make a four-hour round-trip from Cambridge to Eastern Neck for maintenance, habitat restoration, and oversight. “Blackwater had 23 full-time staff in 2007,” Burton noted. “Now they have 11, stretched across multiple refuges.”

Volunteers from Friends of Eastern Neck have stepped in to maintain critical features like the popular butterfly garden, visitor center, and even building repairs—most recently raising $25,000 in matching funds to restore rotting windows in a 100-year-old hunting lodge. Still, Burton cautioned: “We can’t replace Fish and Wildlife biologists, rangers, or maintenance crews.”

The island’s significance extends beyond aesthetics. About 350 acres are managed through a cooperative farming agreement where 25% of crops are left standing to support wintering waterfowl. Managed ponds serve migratory birds by optimizing water levels for food availability. Programs like deer and turkey hunts, shoreline protection, invasive species control, and pollinator habitat restoration rely on consistent federal oversight.

The implications of defunding are stark. Without on-site staff, Burton warned, Eastern Neck could face temporary closure or worse—be sold, fall into disrepair, or become overrun by invasive species. “Chronic flooding, litter, and vandalism would devastate the refuge’s ecological and cultural value,” he said.

In response, Friends of Eastern Neck is mobilizing a preemptive advocacy campaign. “We’re not waiting for a crisis,” Burton said. “We’re asking Kent County leaders and residents to help now, before it’s too late.”

So far, the Friends have spoken with many local organizations and officials and met with the Greater Rock Hall Business Association, the Kent County Board of Commissioners, the Rock Hall Town Council, Delegate Jay Jacobs and the Kent County Department of Economic and Tourism Development.

“We’re asking that letters of support be sent, at a minimum, to Rep. Andy Harris, Senator Chris Van Hollen, and Senator Angela Alsobrooks. These letters can make a real difference in showing that Eastern Neck matters to the people it serves.”

For more about Eastern Neck Wildlife refuge go here, or see their Facebook page.

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Filed Under: Archives, Eco Homepage, Eco Lead

Bay Journal: USDA shuts down ‘climate smart’ program

April 28, 2025 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture in April announced the termination of its $3 billion “climate smart” program, a grantmaking initiative that was supporting hundreds of millions of dollars in conservation work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

An April 14 USDA press release called the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, which promoted farm conservation measures with climate benefits, as a “slush fund” with high administrative costs and often low payouts to farmers.

It said some of the projects may continue under a new initiative called Advancing Markets for Producers, but only if 65% or more of the project’s funds were going directly to farmers and the work aligns with Trump administration priorities.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the Biden administration’s climate smart program was designed to “advance the green new scam” and benefited nongovernmental organizations more than farmers.

“We are correcting these mistakes and redirecting our efforts to set our farmers up for an unprecedented era of prosperity,” Rollins said.

The climate smart program was launched in 2022 as part of a “once-in-a-generation investment” that would enable universities, businesses and nonprofits to work with farmers to promote conservation measures that would help them adapt to climate change and market the products they produced.

Most projects did not begin until 2023 or later because of delays in paperwork, and some had just started up last year.

But the USDA froze funding for the program in January, leaving organizations that had incurred costs unable to recoup their expenses. In its announcement, the department clarified that it would honor eligible expenses incurred prior to April 13, 2025, but would review existing grants to determine whether they could continue.

Some working with the program said it appeared they would be able to successfully reapply under the new program, but others were unsure.

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit, was managing a $59 million climate smart grant that supported work it was carrying out with a dozen other organizations on farms from Maine to South Carolina. With funding stalled, it laid off 60 employees in early April, leaving it with fewer than 10.

“We are honestly not sure what the announcement means for our project,” said Hannah Smith-Brubaker, Pasa’s executive director. “They said we can reapply, but we don’t know if that means for our current project or a completely new project under the new program.”

Smith-Brubaker said Pasa’s project did not meet the 65% farmer payment threshold because the USDA was not counting costs of providing technical assistance to farmers for planning, implementing and maintaining projects.

She said about 45% of the project’s funding went directly to farmers, but if the technical assistance were included, farmer support under the grant would be between 75%-85%.

Richa Patel, a policy specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, also said it was “disappointing” that the department was not counting technical assistance as part of the farmer support funding.

With the USDA already reducing its own staff, she said, “the administration must take every opportunity going forward to increase access to technical assistance and support the staffing levels necessary to provide efficient and dependable customer service for our farmers — those working directly with USDA and those working with the farmer-serving organizations it partners with.”

Lack of technical support is considered a major impediment to widespread adoption of conservation measures by farmers.

Mike Lavender, the national coalition’s policy director, said he welcomed the ability to continue some projects under the new initiative, but said the USDA did not provide any clarity about whether grant recipients can make modifications to meet the new criteria.

As a result, he said the announcement brings “unnecessary hardship nationwide to farmer-serving organizations and likely farmers as a result of USDA changing program requirements and cancelling projects midstream.”

Nationwide, the climate smart initiative made awards to 140 organizations, businesses and institutions, which were supposed to benefit more than 60,000 farms and cover more than 25 million acres of farmland. The USDA estimated that, if successful, the work would sequester an amount of carbon equivalent to removing more than 12 million gas-powered cars from the road.

Hundreds of millions of dollars of that work was to have taken place in the Chesapeake watershed, managed by nonprofit organizations, universities, agribusinesses and others. The five-year program was one of the largest investments ever made in support of conservation measures on farmland in the Bay region.

It supported many traditional conservation practices such as nutrient and manure management techniques that reduce emissions of nitrous oxides, a powerful greenhouse gas. It also supported measures that curb runoff, such as cover crops, stream fencing and no-till farming. Those measures also help build organic matter in the soil, which allows it to absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Smith-Brubaker noted that just a 1% increase in organic matter in a farm’s soil absorbs 22,000 more gallons of water per acre, keeping it from washing nutrient-laden runoff into local streams.

The climate smart program also promoted monitoring efforts to quantify how well the conservation efforts were working, and it supported marketing efforts to inform consumers about the environmental benefits of that work — which could increase the value of those products and expand markets.

By Karl Blankenship, Bay Journal

 

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The Solar Land Rush—A farmer’s perspective with Judy Gifford

March 18, 2025 by James Dissette 3 Comments

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Over the past 50 years, the pursuit of renewable energy has been driven by advocates who see large solar arrays as a crucial step toward reducing dependence on fossil fuels..

Critics, however, argue that the land available for solar arrays is limited, and the large-scale expansion of solar farms could compete with agricultural use, potentially reducing the amount of land available for crops and livestock. This concern is especially pressing for small farms, which may struggle to retain their land amid increasing demand for solar installations.

Judy Gifford, a small farm owner near Kennedyville has been watching the proliferation of solar on the Eastern Shore for a decade.

“Several years ago, the American Farmland Trust estimated that we were losing about 2,000 acres of farmland a day nationwide. I’m sure that number is even higher now. The problem is, people just assume we have endless land—it’s this attitude of, “Oh, we can build here, we can build there.” But the cumulative effect is reaching a tipping point,” she says.

Gifford and other small farmers on the Eastern Shore feel the pressure of allowing solar fields on farmland. The State’s renewable portfolio standard requires that 14% of its energy —whether consumed or purchased—must come from solar.

“14% is an arbitrary number, not based on science, and the consultants they’ve relied on have had some questionable figures. But regardless, the state is pushing ahead, even though our energy policy is a mess and this won’t solve it.”

Gifford sees a broader impact on the Easter Shore with the proliferation of solar fields: Less farmland means less grain production, and the Shore already imports grain for the $5 billion poultry industry. If rising costs drive chicken farms out of Maryland, it could devastate the Eastern Shore economy.

“Here in Kent County, we’ve worked hard to preserve our farmland. We respect and protect it. But now, developers are circling because they see open space as an opportunity to make money. Solar companies are offering outrageous sums for leases, which makes it harder for local farmers to compete,” Gifford says.

The Spy recently interviewed Judy Gifford to talk about how solar arrays imapct rural land use on the Eastern Shore.

Judy Gifford owns and operates St. Brigid’s Farm in Kennedyville and is a board member of Kent Conservation and Preservation alliance, treasurer and board member Colchester Farm CSA, and former member Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Administrative Council.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length.

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Eastern Shore Land Conservancy Forever Protects 106 Acres in Quaker Neck

November 20, 2023 by Eastern Shore Land Conservancy

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Doug and Sue West

When Doug West’s father bought a 106-acre grain farm almost thirty years ago, his hope was that the farm would be preserved. Today, Doug and his wife Sue, the Maryland Environmental Trust, and Eastern Shore Land Conservancy are thrilled to announce that the entire West Farm is under a conservation easement thanks to the West family’s generous donation. “The best part is keeping it as such,” says Sue. “I like the psychology of saying: ‘What is it that you honor and love and would miss?’” For the Wests, the answer to that question is the peaceful grain fields and woodlands of their Kent County farm, now protected forever.

Bridging two other ESLC easements in Quaker Neck, a Chestertown area with rich Quaker history, the new easement protects both working cropland and non-tidal forested wetlands which are now part of a contiguous habitat for forest interior dwelling species of birds (FIDS). These bird species require large connected blocks of forest in order to breed safely and successfully after their long migration from South and Central America. According to the Maryland DNR, “The key to maintaining suitable breeding habitat for FIDS, and halting or reversing their declines, is the protection of extensive, unbroken forested areas throughout the region.”

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This newly connected stretch of protected land also ensures that the lush rural scenery of Quaker Neck Road will remain the same for centuries. Although, there is one recent addition. In amongst old storybook cedars, mighty oaks, and poplars, the West Farm is home to a young peach tree from the family home where Sue was raised, also in Kent County. After processing a few bushels of family peaches one year, Sue noticed 30 peach tree saplings coming up in the West Farm compost pile. Most were given away, and one was planted on the farm, where it’s already begun to bear fruit—a testament to Kent County’s long history of orchard production and a fitting image of how the West’s conservation easement will continue to benefit their community, not only through tree saplings, but through mindful safekeeping of wildlife habitat, local agriculture, Quaker Neck’s historic and peaceful sense of place, and the local waterways which Doug has personally spent 25 years stewarding through his work planting oysters with Horn Point and the Oyster Recovery Partnership. “Kent County is not going to preserve itself,” Doug shared. “You’ve got to fight for it to happen. If you don’t work to keep it preserved, it will go the other way.”

This easement would not have been possible without both the West family’s priceless donation to conservation and Maryland Environmental Trust’s long-term partnership and technical expertise.

To learn more about conservation easement programs please contact ESLC’s director of land conservation, David Satterfield, at [email protected]. And to learn more about funding for restoration of non-tidal wetlands, please contact ESLC’s enhanced stewardship manager, Larisa Prezioso, at [email protected].

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A Fresh Wave of Research: A Chat with Horn Point Labs’ New Director Mike Sieracki

April 24, 2023 by Dave Wheelan

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There might be no better way to celebrate Earth Day than to introduce our readers to Mike Sieracki, the new director of Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, one of the country’s leading research institutions for interdisciplinary programs in oceanography, water quality, restoration of seagrasses, marshes and shellfish and for expertise in ecosystem modeling

As the son of a psychologist working with veterans, Sieracki grew up near Perry Point, Maryland, where he developed an affinity for water and exploration. This fascination continued as he studied at the University of Delaware and the University of Rhode Island, eventually earning a PhD in oceanography.

Sieracki’s early career saw him building automated microscope systems to better understand the ocean’s ecology, working at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and eventually moving to Maine’s Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science. After 20 years of research and exploration, Sieracki took his expertise to the National Science Foundation, where he oversaw a wide range of marine science programs.

Now, as Horn Point Labs’ new director, Sieracki brings his wealth of experience and passion for collaboration to the institution. With a focus on Cambridge and Dorchester County, he aims to contribute to the community and continue Horn Point’s legacy of groundbreaking research.

In his first interview with the Spy, Mike talks about the challenge and the necessity of having scientific research move at a more rapid speed from the laboratory to policy makers as the Shore and our world prepares for a warmer planet and higher sea levels.

This video is approximately six minutes in length.  For more information about the University of Maryland’s Horn Point Laboratory please go here.

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Filed Under: 1 Homepage Slider, Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead, Spy Chats

Hogan Pausing MD Participation in Multi-state Alliance for Strict Vehicle Emissions Standards

December 13, 2022 by Maryland Matters

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The Hogan administration is pausing the state’s participation in a multi-state alliance that requires new vehicles sold in Maryland to meet the same emissions standards as those sold in California, a state official said Monday.

The administration’s decision was revealed Monday morning at a meeting of the Air Quality Control Advisory Council, which advises the Maryland Department of the Environment on proposed air quality rules and regulations and evaluates legislation proposed by the General Assembly and state agencies.

Although the emissions standards weren’t on the agenda, an environmentalist asked an official of MDE during the online meeting whether the Hogan administration planned to follow California’s newly-adopted, more stringent emissions standards. The official, Chris Hoagland, director of Air and Radiation at MDE, said Gov. Larry Hogan (R) did not plan to sign an order adopting the so-called Advanced Clean Cars II regulation.

Lindsey Mendelson, the transportation policy specialist at the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club who raised the question at the air quality council meeting, said she was “very disappointed” by the administration’s decision.

“It’s low-hanging fruit,” she said. “There’s absolutely no reason that the governor shouldn’t follow the law.”

Maryland has followed California’s emissions guidelines for new cars and light trucks since 2007 — an arrangement that began for 2011 model year cars and trucks. In all, 14 states have been using California regulations, rather than weaker federal rules, as a yardstick for vehicle emissions for several years.

But the original agreement is expiring, and states have been weighing whether to re-up for California’s new, tougher standards, which require vehicle manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of new zero-emission passenger cars and light-duty trucks in model years 2026 through 2035. The current arrangement runs through the model 2025 year.

The regulation — which aligns with legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly earlier this year — requires states to allow only new zero-emissions vehicles to be sold after 2035.

The Hogan administration had to decide by the end of this year whether to follow California’s new Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which was adopted by California’s powerful Air Quality Board in August. Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington state have already signed on.

With the Hogan administration opting out, Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) will have to decide next year whether to bring the state back into the consortium. But even if he does, model year 2027 vehicles sold in the state will have weaker emissions standards than those sold in the states that agree to abide by the California model, because auto manufacturers require a two-year notice of a state’s emissions rules. States that follow the California plan will be required to ensure that at least 43% of the new cars and light-duty trucks sold in model year 2027 are zero emissions or plugged-in hybrids.

The Hogan administration offered no public explanation for why the state won’t follow California’s more stringent standards. The decision contradicts a recommendation from the Maryland Climate Change Commission, which Hogan’s Environment secretary, Horacio Tablada, co-chairs.

Earlier this fall, House Environment and Transportation Committee Chair Kumar Barve (D-Montgomery), along with the chair of that panel’s Motor Vehicle and Transportation subcommittee, Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo (D-Montgomery), and Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and the Environment, wrote to Hogan, calling the adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation “our best opportunity to date to significantly mitigate the nation’s leading source of dangerous air and climate pollutants and reduce the State’s reliance on costly, volatile fossil fuels.”

“The ACC II rule in Maryland will further incentivize car manufacturers to accelerate production of pollution-free cars and, ultimately, get more of them into frontline communities,” the lawmakers wrote. “This will be an important step in reducing the costly health impacts of noxious emissions.”

Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland Auto Dealers Association, said Monday that auto manufacturers and dealers are already preparing for the transition to zero-emissions vehicles, regardless of the state’s emissions rules for new cars and light trucks. Currently, about 3.5% of the vehicles on the road in Maryland emit zero emissions, he said.

“The manufactures are spending tens of billions of dollars and the dealers are spending millions of dollars in infrastructure to get ready for this,” Kitzmiller said. “This is obviously the way the market is going to go. Are we going to get there as quickly as some of the regulations require us to? I don’t know.”

This summer, when California announced its latest stringent regulations for emissions of new vehicles, several auto manufacturers applauded them, saying they provided certainty and stability for the industry. A Ford Motor Company executive called it “a landmark standard,” and reiterated the company’s commitment to building zero-emissions vehicles.

The Hogan administration’s plan not to adopt the new California regulation is reminiscent of its decision two years ago to decline to formally join the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), a collaborative effort of mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states to set up a carbon “cap-and-invest” model to transportation emissions — even though Maryland officials had been part of the initial planning for the regional alliance.

Moore, who takes office on Jan. 18, has promised a robust climate agenda, but has offered few specifics. His transition team’s climate policy committee is holding a virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday evening. Leaders of the Air Quality Control Advisory Council have promised to put the California emissions regulations on the agenda for its next meeting in March.

By Josh Kurtz

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Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Lead, Eco Portal Lead

It Actually Might Happen: Jim Lighthizer on a Chesapeake Bay National Recreation Area

December 5, 2022 by Dave Wheelan

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Almost five decades ago, Jim Lighthizer, who ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 1978, began pitching the idea that the Chesapeake Bay region needed to be considered a national recreational area. As the land and water conservation movement took off in the 1970s and 80s, smart politicians, agency heads, and NGO leaders began to advocate for these special designations for environmental reasons but also to help the cause of economic development. Lighthizer thought Maryland should get on that train.

According to Wikipedia, these unique sites would be “a protected area in the United States established by an Act of Congress to preserve enhanced recreational opportunities in places with significant natural and scenic resources.” and that the designation of a “Recreation Area” had roots as far back as the 1920s. But the first significant one came in 1947 when the Boulder Dam Recreation Area was renamed Lake Mead National Recreation Area in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. And since that time, some 40 areas have been approved by Congress.

Sometimes, the grim reality of government legislation is that things move slowly on this kind of initiative. Still, to Jim Lighhizer’s great joy and relief, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. John Sarbanes have just announced they would be introducing legislation in the next Congress to incorporate the Bay into the nation’s park system of national recreation areas. Beyond the prestige that comes with this voluntary status, it is easing the way for steady federal funding to conserve the body of water, promote tourism, and expand public access within its 64,000 square miles of watershed.

Last week, the Spy’s Dave Wheelan and WHCP’s Kevin Diaz sat down with Jim, (who know lives in Dorchester County) who continued to lead this charge as Anne Arundel County Executive, to learn more about its history and what this might mean for our unique region.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about the proposed Chesapeake Bay National Recreation Area please go here.

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Our Debt to Naturalist Jan Reese by Matt LaMotte

December 3, 2022 by Matt LaMotte

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“Man must be forever be on the alert and looking always at what is to be seen,” wrote one of America’s most famous naturalists, Henry David Thoreau, more than a century ago. But these words still hold true for today’s naturalists, conservationists and environmental scientists. And, certainly they apply to Jan Reese, a lifetime student of the Chesapeake Bay’s natural resources. 

Born and raised on Tilghman Island, Maryland, in the 1930’s and 1940’s, Reese, who now lives in nearby St. Michaels, became interested in the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay at an early age. He spent his youth observing, cataloging and preserving all kinds of Bay area plants, animals, and numerous other forms of wildlife. Inspired and mentored by St. Michael’s High School teacher Richard Kleen, he eventually focused his interests on birds. 

This was the early 1950’s and the environmental movement had yet to take hold. Non-profit organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and government bureaus like the Environmental Protection Agency had yet to be established. During the early 1960s, Reese expanded a project he’d begun on his own that focused on monitoring and cataloging the reproductive success of ospreys, aiding in national studies of these migratory birds. He spent two decades on the Chesapeake Bay researching and contributing to national and international studies on the causes of the decline of these fish-eating birds.

“From declining fish populations to the effects of the pesticide DDT on their breeding and nesting success, ospreys, in many ways, reflected the environmental malaise on the Bay,” Reese said. Expanding his efforts beyond preserving osprey nests on channel markers and buoys, he and Donald Merritt installed over 200 osprey platforms in local Bay tributaries. His research and field work helped to preserve and expand protection for the species. His dogged, selfless pursuit of preserving natural habitat inspired those who worked with him on this ground-breaking fieldwork. Several of his associates later pursued their own environmental passions and became leading researchers involved with plants, marine invertebrates, habitat preservation, environmental education, birds and other biological organisms. 

Reese studied many other species incidentally encountered while carrying out Osprey studies (e.g., Mallard ducks, Snowy and Cattle Egrets, Great Blue and Green Herons, Common and Forester’s Terns, Barn Owls, Barn Swallows, Red-wing Blackbirds). Included among this menagerie were European Mute Swans. While attractive to humans, these large birds are a non-native, feral species in the Chesapeake Bay region, and they were interfering with native species like breeding ducks and wintering swans and geese, as well as some species of shorebirds, especially in their nesting habitats on the Bay. By the early 21st century, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in part by using Reese’s research data, instituted a plan to manage and reduce the Mute Swan population on the Chesapeake and its tributaries.

The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 brought about a sea-change in the United States Government’s funding for environmental issues. Many programs of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and other parts of the U.S. Interior Department – whose prior focus had been on determining the cause of decline in habitat quality and wildlife — were diminished and/or defunded. In the course of this downsizing, Reese’s cooperation and collaboration with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service came to an end. The balance of the 1980’s was spent without much field research or any supportive agency affiliation, so he mostly worked in construction. 

Volunteering to lead plant and wildlife outings during this decade also played an important role In Reese’s life. This included organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, The Sierra Club, The Smithsonian Associates, Maryland Ornithological Society, regional bird clubs, and other scholarly venues.  According to friend and life-long birder, Jeff Effinger, early morning or sunset bird walk with Reese was not to be missed. “Jan brought so much joy and enthusiasm to our birding trips,” said Effinger. “We always finished these trips knowing a lot more than when we started.”

During this time, Reese also was befriended during this time by a local farming family. Ed and Esther Burns, well-known plant and bird carvers who exhibited their painted wooden craft at the annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland, and similar venues around the country. The Burns encouraged him to join them in their former turkey house, which they had converted into a studio for working, marketing, and teaching others how to carve and paint.. Reese said “his knowledge of many bird species form, structure and anatomical proportions aided his carving education from Ed while it was more a matter of learning from Ester how to accurately paint the carvings”.  Making swift progress, he began entering his carvings in various competitions, where he garnered praise and success and quickly moved up to compete in the professional class where annually during the late-1980s – early-1990s he won blue ribbons at the World Competition held each April at the Ocean City Convention Center in Maryland and was subsequently invited to exhibit his carvings at prestigious venues like The Southeast Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the Easton Waterfowl Festival.  

In the late 1980’s, with passage of Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas, Federal and State Wetland, and Forest Conservation Legislation Reese’s career took an unexpected turn when a regional engineering firm approached him about a job as an environmental consultant on their team. Since no one on their staff was familiar with the particulars about tidal lines, what was wetland and what was upland, or one tree species from another, all the while having to comply with the new environmental regulations in designing their customers’ proposed projects, it was a logical hire. 

Thanks to his knowledge of plants, wildlife and environmental issues in and around the Chesapeake Bay, Reese was hired in 1990 as a staff environmentalist. “Working in the field fit well with my qualifications and passion,” he recalls. “Completing field work and writing up evaluation reports came naturally to me.” However, an economic recession in 1992 hit the construction and civil engineering industries very hard and Reese was out of a job with no other prospects for employment. 

Now in his late 50’s, with little hope of being hired by anyone for any skilled position, he struck out on his own as an independent environmental consultant. The economy turned around by 1994 and Reese’ former employer became his best customer for over a decade. 

Another economic recession hit in 2008, with the construction/civil engineering professions being hard hit again, leaving Reese with only contracts outside those industries, like The Nature Conservancy, and various municipal, county, state and federal government agencies, which were not dramatically impacted by the recession. One of those contracts was with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Port Authority and the 5th District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers restoration project at Poplar Island in Chesapeake Bay a few miles northwest of Tilghman’s Island where he had been working since 2001. He found this a particularly interesting contract since, nearly 50 years ago, when it was a natural island before eroding away into the Chesapeake Bay, he had studied Ospreys there and was very familiar with its natural ecology.

Reese has had an affiliation with the Maryland Ornithological Society and its local Talbot County Chapter for over 60 years. Through decades the relationship has been beneficial to each party with financial compensation for expendable equipment of some research projects in exchange for volunteer lectures, leader of various types of wildlife outings, physical labor, professional consultation, advice and lead on some organization sanctuary projects. The state organization has recognized him with various awards through the decades while the local chapter recently awarded Reese a Lifetime Achievement Award for his invaluable leadership and service. 

Unfortunately, in 2014, a change in his health resulted in Reese no longer being able to do field work, forcing him to give up employment. He continues to cooperate and consult with other researchers on many scientific research projects, compile and analyze decades of collected data, and write scientific papers for publication. 

Researcher, habitat and wildlife preservationist, naturalist and environmentalist, Jan Reese has proven himself to be a dedicated advocate for the protection and preservation of the Chesapeake Bay. “There are few places around the world with as much natural beauty and diversity as the Bay,” he said. “I hope that, in some small way, I’ve helped preserve that legacy.”   

Matt LaMotte is is member of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center in Queenstown, MD. The author wishes to thank Terry Allen,Wayne Bell, Jeff Effinger, George Fenwick, Steve Hamblin, Donald “Mutt” Merritt and others, named and unnamed, who supported Jan along the way on his journey.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

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