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February 4, 2023

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Ecosystem Eco Notes

Registration Open for the 2023 Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit

February 3, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Registration is open for middle and high school students to attend the Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit on Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 9am–3:30pm. Hosted at Washington College in Chestertown, the Summit is a free event created to inspire and empower youth in taking local environmental action.

The day’s agenda includes a networking breakfast where students can mingle with their peers and local agencies offering volunteer and internship opportunities. Students will then follow their own self-created schedule to attend workshops led by fellow students and professionals in green careers. Sessions will dive into environmental photography, fisheries, sustainable food systems, how to engage in advocacy, engineering, and more. After lunch, students will get outside and into the community on curated excursions to experience the ways that they can make a positive impact in nature. Excursions include bird banding, a how-to workshop on hosting an invasive fishing tournament, and tours of wetlands and restoration sites among others.

Attendees celebrate youth empowerment and environmental action at the 2022 Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, March 18, 2023.

The Summit is hosted by ShoreRivers as part of its work to protect and restore Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education, and Washington College’s Center for the Environment and Society. Seven incredible high school student leaders from across the Eastern Shore have been vital to ensuring that the Summit is by students, for students, with art, food, action, fun, and the environment in mind.

The Summit is free and open to the public, but youth must register to attend the event with a mentor. Mentors are adults who are responsible for up to 10 students at the Summit and can be parents, teachers, or community leaders. Groups larger than 10require a co-mentor. Mentors will receive a packet with information and a permission packet that their students’ guardians must complete. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis and closes at 4pm on March 3.  To register for the Summit, or to learn more, visit uppershoresummit.weebly.com.

The Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit is supported by The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation, IKEA, and La Motte.

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

shorerivers.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Shore Rivers

ShoreRivers Urges Queen Anne’s to Protect its Critical Area by Denying Variance Request

January 31, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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On January 24, I had the opportunity to attend the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners meeting and provide comments on a petition to change current zoning ordinances to allow for the construction of a 156,000-square foot, four-story high storage facility within the Critical Area on Kent Island. My testimony was among 64 comments provided by community members and environmental organizations opposing this project, and we anxiously await the County Commissioners’ verdict at their upcoming meeting on February 14. Granting this variance request will compromise the County’s vision to “Remain a rural, agricultural, and maritime County that restores, enhances, protects, conserves, and stewards its valuable land, air, and water resources” as stated in its Comprehensive Plan.

This is, without question, the wrong location for a project of this scale and impact. The parcel in question is on the banks of the Chester River—in the sensitive Critical Area—and currently zoned for limited development. The developer purchased this land with full knowledge of the building limitations on this parcel, and now is requesting a variance in order to get around the current restrictions. Purchasing land with the intention of applying for a variance is an unfortunate trend in our Eastern Shore counties that puts unnecessary and irreparable strain on our natural resources—in this case, forest land, wetlands, and our Chester River.

Legal representation for the developers asserted at the hearing that this zoning change is allowed under Critical Area law, which is true. The developer has effectively worked within the system to pursue this business venture. However, the County Commissioners are also under no obligation to grant this variance. I wonder what the Critical Area of Kent Island would look like if every acre of growth allocation was approved? How much wetland habitat and woodland buffer would remain to beautify our shores, attract birds and fish, and protect our shorelines from sea level rise and erosion? A storage facility— four stories high on the banks of the river— is not the best use of our land or our Critical Area.

By the end of 2022 it became clear that nutrient reductions required under the Chesapeake Bay’sTotal Maximum Daily Load requirements would not be met by 2025—a huge disappointment for clean water advocates after a 30-year effort. To reverse this trend in Eastern Shore watersheds, it is not enough for counties to rely on the state’s minimum requirements; they must lean on their own comprehensive plans for guidance.

Last May, Queen Anne’s County adopted PlanQAC2022, an update to its Comprehensive Plan that, in its own words, “strengthens the County’s long-standing guiding principles, growth management, and supports creating sustainable communities consistent with the County’s vision.” Part of that support for sustainable communities included setting goals for infrastructure that will “protect our waterways (and) conserve our natural resources.” Now, less than a year later, the commissioners are facing a test of those very goals.

Statewide, ShoreRivers recommends new development in Critical Areas, such as this, be restricted to construction for government and emergency services only—not for private business like a storage facility. In fact, we recently made this exact recommendation as part of a letter to newly elected Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

ShoreRivers supports planned, thoughtful growth that fits with our rural landscape, small communities, and abundant water resources in our Eastern Shore counties. In this case we ask that the developer be held accountable to the limits of the current zoning of this land, and urge the commissioners to deny this request at their upcoming vote on February 14. I urge you to make your voice heard too: comments can be submitted ahead of the meeting to qaccommissionersandadministrator@qac.org. We hope you’ll join us in standing up for responsible development and healthy waterways in Queen Anne’s County.

Annie Richards
Chester Riverkeeper, ShoreRivers

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

shorerivers.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Shore Rivers

ShoreRivers Calls for Summer Internship Applicants

January 28, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Adam Brown and Maegan White, 2022 summer interns, work to process submerged aquatic vegetation using ShoreRivers’ turbulator.

ShoreRivers is currently accepting applications for its Easton-based Elizabeth Brown Memorial Summer Internship.

The selected intern will gain experience in a variety of activities including restoration, water quality monitoring, outreach, enforcement, and education. They will also be trained in scientific water quality monitoring equipment and protocols, complete a Maryland boater safety certification, become familiar with handling a boat, and gain many other skills and professional experiences. The internship runs for a minimum of 10 weeks between May and August, and provides a $5,000 stipend.

Programmatic work for this internship, supported by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund at ShoreRivers, will be conducted primarily in the Choptank, Miles, and Wye river watersheds, with some travel throughout the entire ShoreRivers region.

“As an intern at ShoreRivers, I got to do a little bit of everything. I helped with tree plantings, spoke with and worked alongside community volunteers, assisted with bacteria and water quality monitoring, hosted education programs, and even testified at a county commissioners meeting. There are very few other internships out there that would allow so many different experiences in one summer,” said 2022 intern Maegan White. “Interning at ShoreRivers has given me clarity and excitement to start my environmental career after graduation. I feel prepared and confident in the field, have hands-on experience, and found a new love for the area and community I have lived in for the past four years. Thanks to the incredible experiences I had with this internship, I now view Chesapeake as my home.”

Applicants should be a rising college junior or senior, or recent college graduate. Degrees in biology, environmental science, or related fields are encouraged. To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Ann Frock, Office Manager, at afrock@shorerivers.org by February 17. Interviews will be conducted by Zoom in February and March and an intern will be selected and notified no later than March 15.

Applicants are encouraged to visit shorerivers.org prior to applying to learn more about the organization’s programs.

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

shorerivers.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Shore Rivers

Owls of the Eastern Ice with Jonathan Slaght

January 27, 2023 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center Leave a Comment

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In Owls of the Eastern Ice, American researcher and conservationist Jonathan Slaght takes us to the Primoriye region of Eastern Russia, where we join a small team for late-night monitoring missions, on mad dashes across thawing rivers, drink vodka with mystics, hermits, and scientists, and listen to fireside tales of Amur tigers. Most captivating of all are the fish owls themselves: careful hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and irrepressible survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat.

On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 7pm, join Pickering Creek and wildlife biologist, author, and leading Blakiston’s fish owl expert, Jonathan Slaght, for a conversation about the world’s largest owl, the stories of his field research and the conservation efforts underway to protect this secretive species.

Jonathan Slaght

Dr. Slaght is the Director of Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Russia Program. He manages research projects involving endangered species such as Blakiston’s fish owls and Amur tigers, and coordinates WCS avian conservation activities along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway from the Arctic to the Tropics. Slaght has been featured by the BBC World Service, the New York Times, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, The New Yorker, and Audubon Magazine, among others.

Pickering Creek’s cosponsors for this program are the Talbot Bird Club and the Chesapeake Forum.

To sign up, register here: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/easternice

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Pickering Creek Audobon Center

Delmarva Woodland Steward Program Ushers in First Crop of Volunteers

January 26, 2023 by University of Maryland Extension Leave a Comment

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If you’re a Maryland property owner and have been meaning to make a change in your environmental sustainability practices, you can now start right in your own backyard through the newest program offering from University of Maryland Extension (UME), designed to increase species diversity, eliminate invasives, and improve forest health.

For the first time this past fall, the new Delmarva Woodland Stewards program trained an eager crop of 25 volunteers in sustainable forest management, and empowered them to share that knowledge within their communities over the upcoming year. The program, modeled after successful training programs like the UME Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and Maryland Woodland Stewards, targets homeowners that reside on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The first class and instructors on the field trip during the first season of Delmarva Woodland Stewards. Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Extension.

“We’re on the Coastal Plain, on top of an ancient sea floor,” said Luke Macaulay, UME wildlife management specialist who has been partnering with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service, other state agencies, and nonprofit organizations through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration grant to promote forest management for wildlife habitat and develop the stewardship program. “This leads to sandier, acidic soils that influence what will grow in those places.”

The 25 participants learned principles and best management practices in forestry, silviculture, wildlife management, water quality, herbicides, invasives, and vegetation management during four intensive online classes featuring guest speakers from all three states comprising the peninsula – Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

Online sessions were taught by field experts from Virginia and Delaware Cooperative Extensions, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the Delaware Forest Service, Delaware Master Naturalists, Maryland Forest Service, Virginia Department of Forestry, The Nature Conservancy, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. The course culminated in a field trip highlighting the various coastal environments and the management practices in place across the three states.

“Going to all three states showed that the forest management techniques are the same all across the peninsula – or anywhere on the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain,” said Matthew Hurd, regional forester with the Maryland Forest Service who partnered with Macaulay in the development of the new stewardship program. “The only thing that’s different is who the people are that you contact as a resource for information or permits to do the work.”

Luke Macaulay, UME wildlife management specialist. Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Extension.

“The class gives them access to those resources – those people – to ask questions; and they can turn around and tell other landowners, family, friends, and neighbors,” said Hurd. “That’s what makes this program so powerful – these students are signing up to volunteer to train others afterwards.”

The new class of Delmarva Woodland Stewards have committed to volunteering a certain number of hours to share their new knowledge within their communities to help improve forests and land management practices at a small scale.

“Individual landowners are operating at a smaller scale so they’re able to implement things that might not be scalable to a larger area,” said Macaulay. “So they might be able to tackle a really pernicious invasive species because they can really get to a detail level that might not be possible at a larger scale.”

“You can make a difference on your land, and on other people’s lands, by looking at the bigger picture and knowing that you need all types of diversity,” said Hurd. “It doesn’t matter how much or how little land you’ve got, if you’re interested in making a change, you should consider practices that are going to add to the species richness and the diversity of the landscape.”

Increasing the diversity of plants, animals, and insects is only one of the lessons taught through the new woodland stewardship program. The course teaches methods for light management, hack and squirt methods for eliminating invasive or unwanted vegetation, prescribed burns, and much more.

“In some places where people have gone hands-off, you get like a monoculture of unmanaged forest, all similar in height and species because there are limited natural or human disturbances,” said Macaulay. “It’s okay to manage your woodland, to take action and change the composition of your forest. It can be beneficial for the broader ecosystem.”

Class participants study a tree coring taken by Matthew Hurd of the Maryland Forest Service.

“It doesn’t matter how much or how little acreage you have; as long as you’re creating diversity, any piece of land can make a difference in the landscape,” Hurd said. “We collectively, in all three states, need to work together to accomplish our goals.”

If you are interested in becoming a Delmarva Woodland Steward, or learning more about the program, go to go.umd.edu/delmarva or contact Taylor Robinson at taylormr@umd.edu.  The course is open to participants in all three states, and students do not need to be residents or own land on the Delmarva Peninsula.

To watch a video of a tree coring exercise performed by Matthew Hurd during the class fieldtrip, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yvM8Fso6ew&t=11s.

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, University of Maryland Extension

Pickering Creek Audubon Center February Public Programs

January 22, 2023 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center 1 Comment

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Nature Walk at Pickering Creek’s New Forest
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
3:30-5:00 PM
$5 per person

Join Director, Mark Scallion, for an exploration of the Center’s newly acquired woods.  We’ll start by walking Pickering’s meadow trail and then duck into the adjacent woods for a ramble across open woodland.  Highlights could include woodpeckers, owls, turkeys, foxes and more.  Walks are a great introduction to the Center’s campus and programs and an opportunity for you to learn more about what the Center has to offer and for us to learn about your interests. REGISTER HERE

Love is in the Air for Plants and Pollinators
Wednesday, February 15th, 2023
4:00 – 5:30 pm at the Easton Branch of the Talbot County Free Library
Free

This spring, love is in the air around Talbot County. Help play matchmaker around your home and garden by learning about native plants and their pollinators. By planting a few native flowers around your house you could see Monarchs, Hummingbirds, Bumblebees and more as the weather warms up! At the end of the program, you’ll get a chance to take home some native plant seeds to get your native garden growing!

WEBINAR: Owls of the Eastern Ice with Jonathan Slaght  
Thursday, February 16, 2023
7:00 PM-8:30PM
$7/person

In Owls of the Eastern Ice, American researcher and conservationist Jonathan Slaght takes us to the Primoriye region of Eastern Russia, where we join a small team for late-night monitoring missions, on mad dashes across thawing rivers, drinking vodka with mystics, hermits, and scientists, and listening to fireside tales of Amur tigers. Most captivating of all are the fish owls themselves: careful hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and irrepressible survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat.

Join wildlife biologist, author, and leading Blakiston fish owl expert, Jonathan Slaght, for a conversation about the world’s largest owl, the stories of his field research and the conservation efforts underway to protect this secretive species.

Dr. Slaght is the Director of Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Russia Program. He manages research projects involving endangered species such as Blakiston’s fish owls and Amur tigers, and coordinates WCS avian conservation activities along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway from the Arctic to the Tropics. Slaght has been featured by the BBC World Service, the New York Times, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, The New Yorker, and Audubon Magazine, among others.   REGISTER HERE

Great Backyard Bird Count
Saturday, February 18, 2023
9:00 – 11:30 AM
FREE

Pickering Creek Audubon Center will welcome visitors for our annual Great Backyard Bird Count! Experienced birders will be conducting a center-wide winter bird survey as part of the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations around the globe, the Great Backyard Bird Count. Additional volunteers of all birding skill levels are needed to join the survey group to listen and point out birds that might otherwise be missed. A family-friendly bird walk is also scheduled, complete with a scavenger hunt for little ones and an opportunity to make suet for winter birds visiting the Center’s feeders.

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Pickering Creek Audobon Center

Elementary School Students Mix Art, Science & Sturgeon

January 17, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Did you know there’s an enormous, ancient, endangered fish swimming throughout the Chesapeake Bay? If not, the third- and fourth-grade students at Choptank Elementary School have a lot to tell you!

Over the winter, students gathered with school staff and community partners to install a mural celebrating this fish—the Atlantic sturgeon—as the culmination of a yearlong project led by ShoreRivers as part of its Sturgeon Discovery Program.

Artist Shelton Hawkins and staff from ShoreRivers work with students at Choptank Elementary School to bring their designs to life in a mural highlighting the Atlantic sturgeon and other marine life.

Crystal Owens, the third-grade science and social studies teacher at Choptank Elementary, was the brains behind this project, combining the needs of the school beautification committee with a desire to amplify student voice.

“My hope is that our students and community are more aware of the amazing wildlife we have living right next to us,” Owens said. “Through our partnership with Shore Rivers, students are learning to educate their community and promote healthy living environments for animals and people alike.”

Nationally-renowned local artist Shelton Hawkins led the design and installation of the mural, compiling students’ own works of art into a large, flowing piece that now decorates the school hallways and gives everyone who walks by a lesson on what the Atlantic sturgeon looks like.

“I think it’s really cool that we took the students’ actual drawings and put them together inside our own little fish river … [I] loved the way it turned out,” Hawkins, who has primarily installed murals on basketball courts. “Seeing the kids’ [smiling] faces was the best part.”

The ShoreRivers Sturgeon Discovery program is a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience that is a part of every third-grade class in Dorchester and Talbot counties. The program was designed to support students in investigating local environmental issues like water quality, pollution and runoff, and endangered species, all through the lens of the Atlantic sturgeon. Healthy, fishable, swimmable waterways will not be possible without the next generation of clean water enthusiasts, so ShoreRivers strives to encourage in students an appreciation for our environment and a dedication to making a difference.

“Even third graders can do their part to foster healthy habitats and show support for our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay,” said Owens of the stewardship her students demonstrate.

This project was made possible with funding from the Dorchester Center for the Arts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Bay Watershed Education and Training program. Special thanks go to Principal Laretha Payton, Crystal Owens, Shelton Hawkins, Devon Beck, Sam Peterson, and the faculty of Choptank Elementary School for their dedication to student learning, voice, and stewardship.

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

shorerivers.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Shore Rivers

CBF’s 2022 State of the Bay Score Unchanged, States Must Focus on Agriculture and Stormwater Pollution

January 6, 2023 by Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leave a Comment

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Today, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) released its 2022 State of the Bay Report. The biennial evaluation graded the Bay and its watershed at a D+, unchanged from the 2020 score.

Efforts to restore the Bay are struggling to reduce agricultural pollution. Urban and suburban polluted runoff is increasing amid inconsistent enforcement by government agencies, new development, and climate change. Despite these challenges, the federal/state Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, based on the world’s best science, remains the most promising plan for restoring local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay. What has been lacking is implementation.

“While we’ve made significant progress, far too much pollution still reaches our waterways and climate change is making matters worse,” said CBF President Hilary Harp Falk. “The good news is that the Bay is remarkably resilient and there is tremendous energy around the table. With many new leaders taking charge – EPA administrators, governors, legislators, and within environmental organizations – we have an opportunity to prove that restoring clean water is possible. By following the science, approaching our challenges with optimism, and holding each other accountable, we will leave clean water, strong economies, and vibrant communities for the next generation.”

Established in 1998, CBF’s State of the Bay Report is a comprehensive measure of the Bay’s health. CBF scientists compile and examine the best available data and information for 13 indicators in three categories: pollution, habitat, and fisheries. CBF scientists assign each indicator an index score from 1–100. Taken together, these indicators offer an overall assessment of Bay health. Reaching an overall score of 70 or more would mean a fully restored Bay, while a 100 represents the Bay’s condition before European settlers arrived in the 1600s.

In 2022, the overall State of the Bay score remained a 32, with seven of the 13 indicators unchanged, three increasing, and three decreasing.

In the pollution category nitrogen, toxics, and dissolved oxygen indicators were unchanged, the phosphorus indicator improved, and overall water clarity declined. Recent farm conservation funding at the federal and state levels should help reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, which fuels harmful algal blooms that remove dissolved oxygen from the water. Monitoring data indicated the 2022 dead zone—the area of the Bay with low or no dissolved oxygen—was the 10th smallest in size since scientists began surveying it 38 years ago, an encouraging sign.  Water clarity dropped one point in the report due to average water clarity in the Bay decreasing slightly in 2022 compared to 2020.

In the fisheries category, the rockfish (striped bass) and oyster indicators rose, while the blue crab indicator declined.

Striped bass populations have been declining and this year’s juvenile striped bass survey found low numbers in Maryland. However, states along the Atlantic coast have put in place stronger measures to reduce the number of fish harvested as well as catch-and-release mortality. These regulations should allow the striped bass population to rebuild by 2029, which is why the score increased despite population declines.

Oysters are seeing a renaissance of sorts. After years of overharvesting and limited natural reproduction, in 2020 and 2021 Maryland and Virginia reported the highest rates of juvenile oyster production in the past 30 years. Large-scale oyster restoration projects have been completed in eight sanctuary tributaries in Maryland and Virginia, with two more sanctuary restoration projects planned to be completed before 2025. Scientists monitoring the oyster restoration sanctuaries have found high densities of oysters beginning to build vertical reef structure, an important marine habitat.

Blue crabs fell the most of any indicator, with the overall score dropping five points. In 2022, blue crab dredge survey results found the lowest number of crabs in the Bay in the survey’s 33-year history. In response, fishery managers decreased catch limits to try to reduce overall harvest. Efforts to increase underwater grasses—important nursery habitat for blue crabs—have stalled, with underwater grass acreage hovering around 70,000 acres each year after hitting a high of 105,000 acres in 2018.

In the habitat category, scores for underwater grasses, forest buffers, and wetlands remained unchanged, but resource lands fell slightly by a point. Resource lands refer to forests, natural open areas, and well-managed farmland. The drop in score was largely due to approximately 95,000 acres of farms and forests transitioning to development across the Bay watershed during the most recent reporting period, from 2013/14 to 2017/18.

Overall, the unchanged score is largely a result of failures to make needed changes on farmland to reduce pollution. After forests, the agricultural sector is the second largest land use in the watershed and about 90 percent of the remaining reductions needed to meet the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint must come from limiting farm-related pollution.

However, the cleanup is hitting a roadblock. For years, jurisdictions made continuous, incremental progress toward Bay restoration goals by upgrading wastewater treatment plants. Today, most of the major wastewater plants in the watershed have been upgraded to stringent standards that improve overall water quality. Because of this, future water quality improvements must come largely through efforts to limit polluted runoff from farms, buildings, roads, lawns, and other diffuse sources that are more difficult to control.

Efforts to do so are complicated by climate change, which is bringing stronger rainstorms that drop more precipitation in shorter time periods. The good news is that many of the same practices that will reduce agricultural and urban runoff—such as tree plantings, restoring soil health, and limiting impervious surfaces—are the same ones that help reduce greenhouse gases and make the region more resilient to a changing climate. Saving the Bay and addressing climate change are inextricably, and fortunately, linked.

There is hope on the horizon. The recently passed federal Inflation Reduction Act included $20 billion for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support farm pollution reduction practices nationwide. And last year, Pennsylvania lawmakers approved $154 million for a new agricultural cost share program. In 2022, Virginia adopted a two-year budget that includes included $280 million to assist farmers who install farm conservation practices as well as about $190 million for urban sewer system upgrades and projects to reduce stormwater runoff.

“The State of the Bay is at a precipice,” said Beth McGee, CBF’s Director of Science and Agricultural Policy. “We need to accelerate our efforts at reducing farm pollution to ensure the watershed-wide restoration effort is successful. New funding at the federal and state levels is an opportunity to directly address the Bay’s largest pollution source, but it must be spent efficiently on the projects that provide the most benefit for each dollar spent.”

Investing in agricultural conservation practices also makes good economic sense. For every dollar spent helping farmers adopt practices that improve water quality in the Bay and its tributaries, the Bay region would see $1.75 in higher sales and earnings. Fully funding the farm pollution-reduction practices needed to restore the Chesapeake Bay would inject $655 million annually into the region’s economy, including $269 million per year in higher earnings for businesses and workers, according to a report prepared for CBF by Key-Log Economics, an ecological economics research and consulting firm based in Charlottesville, Va.

The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint requires the Bay jurisdictions to develop plans to decrease pollution to local creeks, rivers, and the Bay. However, an EPA assessment released last fall found that only Washington D.C. and West Virginia are on track to meet the 2025 goals. And in November, EPA rejected Pennsylvania’s most recent update to its Bay cleanup plan because it didn’t demonstrate how the state would meet pollution reduction requirements.

At its October meeting, the Chesapeake Executive Council agreed “to set a path forward over the next year to outline the necessary steps, and prioritize the actions needed, to meet the targets” that had been committed to.

CBF’s federal and state offices identified the following priorities to restore local streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland

Maryland’s cities and towns are struggling to meet goals to reduce stormwater pollution. This source of Bay pollution recently surpassed the amount of pollution coming from wastewater treatment plants. To address this, state and local leaders should look for innovative ways to add green space, divert runoff from storm drains into rain gardens filled with vegetation, and reduce impervious surface. This should be coupled with increased enforcement to ensure permitted polluters are following the law.

CBF Maryland Executive Director Josh Kurtz said:

“Two years ago, the General Assembly approved a law to plant 5 million trees in the state by 2030. That was a good first step. However, continuing forest loss and degradation, mostly from development, is estimated at about 3,000 acres per year in the state. As the State of the Bay stagnates, Maryland would benefit from limiting forest loss as it adds new trees. Trees help prevent soil loss and reduce runoff, they naturally filter water and air, and create habitat for wildlife.

“While urban runoff is the only growing source of pollution, agriculture still remains the largest. State leaders should also focus on ways to connect farmers with state and federal resources to add conservation practices on their land, with strong priority given to permanent practices. Recent federal funding increases and a strong state budget provide a unique opportunity to alter the state’s agricultural landscape by improving soil health, which in turn would make fields more productive and reduce polluted runoff.

“Lastly, we hope the new administration being assembled by Gov-elect Moore and Lt. Gov-Elect Aruna Miller can reverse the 20-year decline in environmental enforcement activities in Maryland. Doing so would ensure that industrial polluters and others licensed to discharge pollution into local waterways aren’t violating pollution limits, which threatens the Bay and the health of Marylanders.”

Pennsylvania

With nearly 28,000 miles of polluted streams statewide, Pennsylvania has a lot of work to do to get back on track and meet its Clean Water Blueprint. As part of the $220 million Clean Streams Fund, state legislators dedicated $154 million toward a new statewide program to support family farmers in designing and implementing practices that keep soils and nutrients on the farm instead of in streams, called the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP).

Agricultural activities are a leading identified source of stream impairment, and more than 90 percent of the Keystone State’s remaining pollution reductions must come from agriculture.

CBF Pennsylvania Science Policy and Advocacy Director Harry Campbell said:

“The recent commitments dedicating $220 million towards clean streams,have helped give the Commonwealth something it hasn’t had in some time—momentum.  ACAP provides critical resources to help farmers get the job done.

“These recent investments, along with enhancing its latest watershed implementation plan and being held accountable along the way, would be significant steps toward reaching the 2025 pollution-reduction goals.  

“It is critical that during this new legislative session, the Governor and legislators provide increased and sustainable funding that builds on momentum and leads to the clean water that is the right of every Pennsylvanian.

“Investment of financial and technical resources will create resilient infrastructure on farms and in communities, boost local economies, and protect human health.  CBF looks forward to working with the Governor and legislators to leave a legacy of clean water for future generations.”

Virginia

We are seeing some promising signs of cleaner waterways in Virginia but challenges remain, from harmful algal blooms to concerns over the blue crab population. Addressing these concerns requires accelerating efforts to reduce pollution from agricultural lands, sewage treatment plants and urban streets.

CBF Virginia Executive Director Peggy Sanner said:

“The legislative session that starts this month is an important opportunity for Virginia’s elected leaders to recommit to a healthy Chesapeake Bay through renewed investments in programs that reduce pollution from agriculture, wastewater treatment plants, and stormwater.

“We urge legislators to ensure investments in these crucial programs address the most effective farm conservation practices, such as fencing cattle out of streams and planting buffers of trees along waterways. This focus would pay dividends in the form of cleaner streams, thriving farms, and local economic benefits. 

“For healthy rivers and streams and strong fisheries, Virginia should support mussel restoration programs and a stock assessment of the threatened blue crab population. To address the growing threats from climate change and sea level rise, we will continue to advocate for nature-based solutions to erosion and flooding that also reduce pollution to waterways.” 

Federal 

Federal funds and leadership are critical to achieving the Blueprint goals.  In the coming year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin distributing the additional $20 billion the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocated to Farm Bill conservation programs.  These programs are crucial to Bay restoration because they support farmers who use practices that help stop agricultural pollution at its source, improve water quality in local waterways and the Bay, and build climate resiliency on the farm. The 118th Congress is also due to reauthorize the Farm Bill this year.

USDA must direct a significant amount of the $20 billion IRA increase to areas in the Bay states where it can do the most to reduce farm runoff. It can do so through the Chesapeake Bay States’ Partnership Initiative it created last May. Congress should build on that investment with more conservation funding for farmers in the Bay region in the 2023 Farm Bill.  Congress must also provide USDA with enough money to hire more technical experts who can work directly with farmers to put these practices in the ground.

CBF Interim Federal Affairs Director Keisha Sedlacek said:

“The $20 billion IRA boost and next year’s Farm Bill give the Biden administration and Congress the perfect opportunity to jumpstart the cleanup effort. Farm practices that improve water quality are the most cost-effective way to tackle the largest source of pollution in the Bay and its tributaries. The same practices make farms more resilient to climate change and its effects. Devoting more federal dollars to agricultural conservation in the region is a smart investment that benefits local communities, businesses, and the Bay.” 

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: chesapeake bay foundation, Ecosystem, local news

Chesapeake Conservancy Welcomes New Board Members

January 5, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Today, Chesapeake Conservancy announced that Tony J. Spencer and Ed Hatcher have been elected to the organization’s board of directors. Maite Arce, Mark Belton and Dr. Nancy Walters concluded their board service.

“On behalf of the board, I am pleased to welcome Tony and Ed. Tony’s vast experience in equity activism and cultural storytelling brings important skills to our board as we are dedicated to lifting the voices of everyone in the Chesapeake and creating public access for all,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Board Chair Randall Larrimore. “Ed’s dedication to Chesapeake conservation and expertise in public relations will help us communicate urgent information as we advance our efforts to conserve 30% of the Chesapeake by 2030 and address the effects of climate change.”

“We thank Maite, Mark and Nancy for everything they contributed during their time on the board,” Larrimore continued. “It has been a pleasure to work with such dedicated and enthusiastic conservationists.”

“Over the years I have served on the Anne Arundel County Public School Board, on a number of Boards and Commissions for the state of Maryland and Anne Arundel County, worked for three Annapolis mayors, was faculty at the University of Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and currently serve with various societies and other committees—all with distinct missions for specific audiences,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Board Member Tony J. Spencer. “I decided to accept the Chesapeake Conservancy’s offer to join the board because it champions issues that benefit and affect society on a macro level. The preservation of Elktonia Beach in Annapolis, Maryland is a perfect example of this.

“When Elktonia Beach is completed, it will have preserved a major piece of history to educate everyone and provide a permanent place for Blacks of the Chesapeake to operate and educate the public. No one will be left behind, excluded or denied access to this historic jewel. I feel that I can contribute to the efforts of the Chesapeake Conservancy,” continued Spencer.

“Chesapeake Conservancy uses smart advocacy, innovative technology and thoughtful land preservation strategies to protect our land and waters,” said Chesapeake Conservancy Board Member Ed Hatcher. “Climate change makes the work of the Conservancy more pressing and important than ever. I am proud to be a part of this great organization.”

Tony J. Spencer and Ed Hatcher

Tony J. Spencer

Commissioner Tony J. Spencer, representing Anne Arundel County, was appointed to the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture in 2018 by Governor Lawrence J. Hogan and reappointed in 2021. Commissioner Spencer is a member of the public relations committee at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis, MD, and brings 50+ years of audience engagement, community equality and equity activism and visual art; 35 years of community collaboration; five years as a school board member for Anne Arundel County Public School Board; 10 years of grant management; three+ years of grant evaluation; seven years of visual art exhibitions; and 18 years of ancestral research.

Ed Hatcher

Ed Hatcher is a retired communications professional active in environmental advocacy, philanthropy and Maryland Democratic Party politics. In 2000, Ed founded and became president of The Hatcher Group, a full-service communications firm that works with nonprofit organizations and foundations to advance progressive social change. In 2019, Ed and his wife and business partner, Angie Cannon, sold The Hatcher Group. For more than 12 years, Ed served as an active board member of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and as board chair from 2012 to 2021. He serves as a Maryland Democratic Party Trustee and as a member of its Finance Committee and was recently named co-chair of Governor-elect Wes Moore’s Climate and Environment Policy Transition Committee. Earlier in his career, Ed worked as a journalist, chief of staff and press secretary to members of Congress and as a communications and policy professional for several associations. He received his bachelor’s in English from Duke University, a master’s degree from the Columbia School of Journalism, and later in his professional life, a master’s in American history from the University of Maryland. Today, Ed and Angie divide their time between Bethesda and Rock Hall, Md.

Chesapeake Conservancy’s mission is to conserve and restore the natural and cultural resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. We empower the conservation community with access to the latest data and technology. We partnered to help create 206 new public access sites and permanently protect some of the Bay’s special places like Werowocomoco, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, Mallows Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Fort Monroe National Monument, Elktonia Beach and Pissacoack along Fones Cliffs on the Rappahannock River. www.chesapeakeconservancy.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news

Pickering Creek Audubon Center January Public Programs

December 27, 2022 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center Leave a Comment

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Nature Walk at Pickering Creek’s New Forest
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
3:30-5:00 PM
$5 per person
Join Director, Mark Scallion, for an exploration of the Center’s newly acquired woods. We’ll start by walking Pickering’s meadow trail and then duck into the adjacent woods for a ramble across open woodland. Highlights could include woodpeckers, owls, turkeys, foxes and more. Walks are a great introduction to the Center’s campus and programs and an opportunity for you to learn more about what the Center has to offer and for us to learn about your interests. REGISTER HERE

Whimsy: Everlasting Evergreens
Thursday, January 26th
3:30 – 5:00 pm
$5 per person
While the rest of our fields and forests look bare, the dark green of our evergreen trees mark a stark contrast. Come join Pickering Creek educators as we explore what makes these trees and shrubs so special! We’ll be going for an easy hike through our forests where we’ll collect pine cones for some pine cone crafts where you could take home a pine cone bird feeder, pine cone owl or pine cone door decoration! Ages 4-7 recommended but everyone is welcome. REGISTER HERE

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Pickering Creek Audobon Center

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