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August 16, 2022

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Ecosystem Eco Homepage Ecosystem Eco Portal Lead

Maryland Receives First Batch of Federal Funding to Restore Chesapeake

May 3, 2022 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

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Janet McCabe, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator, announced the distribution of $40 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund projects that will improve water quality and help restore lands and rivers that impact the Chesapeake Bay at the MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore. Also on hand, from left to right, were: Jill Donaldson, President of Medstar Harbor Hospital; Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel); McCabe; U.S. Sens Benjamin L. Cardin (D) and Chris Van Hollen (D); and U.S. Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes (D), Kweisi Mfume (D) and Jamie Raskin (D). Photo by Elizabeth Shwe.

More projects to clean up the Chesapeake Bay are expected to get underway after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Monday the first release of funding from the trillion-dollar federal infrastructure effort to restore the estuary’s health and address climate change.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Biden signed last November, includes $238 million over the next five years for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program to support restoration projects.

“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides a once in a generation opportunity — actually, it’s been more than a generation since this country saw this kind of investment — investment in on the ground efforts to protect natural treasures like the Chesapeake Bay and to improve using green and nature based infrastructure,” Janet McCabe, deputy administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said in front of the Patapsco River at MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore on Monday.

McCabe announced that her agency will distribute $40 million directly to the six Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia as well as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation from which community based organizations can apply for grants for Bay restoration projects.

The figure represents 85% of the first-year funding for Bay cleanup efforts. The agency received the funding two months ago and is already allocating it to states, which is an “incredibly quick turnaround” in federal government, McCabe quipped.

The state of Maryland will receive $3.21 million, Pennsylvania will receive $5.59 million, Virginia will receive $3.14 million, New York will receive $1.28 million, Delaware will receive $750,000, West Virginia will receive $500,000 and the District of Columbia will receive $500,000. The state funds will mostly go to farmers to improve local rivers and streams that run to the bay, according to a press release.

“It’s a very, very big deal what we’re doing here today,” said U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D). “You’re here today delivering a big check; please come back often with big checks,” he told McCabe. “Seventy-two percent of Marylanders live in the Bay watershed — this is their life.”

The Bay Program’s annual appropriation last year was $87.5 million, but funds from the infrastructure bill will raise the program’s annual funding to $138.1 million this fiscal year, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

“It is a cause for celebration,” Hilary Falk, the president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said in an interview. “These dollars are also important because they can leverage other money and we can then get more programs on the ground.”

This federal investment for Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts marks a shift from the Trump administration, which repeatedly tried to slash funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional partnership that has existed since 1983 and aims to restore the Bay’s health. However, Congress blocked his proposals to gut the program.

Federal agencies within the Chesapeake Bay Program recently pledged to minimize the impacts of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. For instance, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service committed to leading a pilot study called Targeted Outreach for Green Infrastructure to prioritize public infrastructure needs in underserved communities at increased risk related to climate change, according to the pledge. And the National Park Service will conduct climate vulnerability assessments of all the coastal park sites of the Chesapeake Bay region and provide recommendations for climate resiliency.

“It is 400 years that we’ve been wrestling with the legacy of colonialism and over farming and suburban sprawl and industrialization, but in the last 40 years, we’ve made more progress than in the last 400 years — and that is a lot to be proud of,” said Adam Ortiz, the Mid-Atlantic Region administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D), who grew up in Turner Station, said many Marylanders have a personal relationship with the Bay. But work still needs to be done to abate “human indifference” from those who don’t have that same relationship and believe the Bay will fix itself.

By Elizabeth Shwe

Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

Horn Point Lab’s Plan to Capture Carbon and Rebuild Reefs: A Chat with Dr. Elizabeth North

April 20, 2022 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

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You would think that with the billions of dollars available for climate change research, finding grant support to find a scalable solution to protect or replace dying coral reefs would be a cinch. And yet, in reality, this kind of project is not that different from any other project needing venture capital investment. Those seeking  highly competitive funds must demonstrate to government agencies, tasked with saving taxpayer money, that there is a high probability of success with the project’s final goal.

That’s a tough thing to document and many of these extraordinarily creative and innovative studies are inevitably considered too “high risk” for federal or state grants. Which, in turn, has led many scientists to turn to private philanthropy to close this critical gap in funding.

And that’s what Elizabeth North, an associate professor at Horn Point Laboratory, realized she had to do as she contemplated a five-year project that could lead to a transformational way to protect or replace some of the world’s most endangered coof reefs with high technology replacements.

Working with some of the best and brightest people in biology, physical chemistry, structural design, and business plan modeling, Dr. North developed a game plan that held the promise of using these units to not only limit carbon’s impact on climate change but remove it.

That’s where institutions like the private Bailey Wildlife Foundation come into play. While this research-oriented grantmaker is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the Foundation’s board members and son of the founder of the fund, Bill Bailey, has called Talbot County his home for the last twenty years. And during that time, he has come to know and respect Horn Point Laboratory and its unique role in ecological studies.

Starting with a small grant in 2015, Bill became acquainted with Professor North’s work and a few years ago became a successful advocate to help fund her Coral Defense project to capture carbon and rebuild coral reefs.

Working with colleagues at Horn Point and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) sister labs in Baltimore and Solomons and Salisbury University and the Maryland Institute College of Art, North’s research project has now hit a critical stage as the teams determine what final technology will be used to develop its prototype.

The Spy drove down to Dorchester County to meet with Professor North to understand the project and how this experiment, if successful, could dramatically change the course of climate change for our planet.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. For more information about Horn Point Laboratory please go here.

Filed Under: Eco Portal Lead, Spy Chats, Spy Top Story

Troika and ShoreRivers Teams Up: A Chat with Laura Era and Rebekah Hock

April 20, 2022 by The Spy Leave a Comment

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When one of Troika Gallery’s artists suggested in passing that a great spring theme would be a celebration of ShoreRivers conservation work, gallery owner Laura Era jumped at the chance.

For Laura, the idea of highlighting the role of water with so many of her artists was a perfect one, but it was also a personal one. For almost thirty years, Laura and her husband worked on the water before she devoted all her time and energy to her art work and keeping the gallery thriving. As a Eastern Shore native, she knew first hand how important environmental quality was for the Chesapeake Bay and its “guts” to use her term.

So on April 22, AKA, Earth Day, Troika will play host for “ShoreRivers@Troika Gallery which will feature their artists depicting the waterways of the Eastern Shore with a portion of sales supporting the clean water advocacy, restoration, and education work of ShoreRivers.

the April 22 reception will include Choptank Riverkeeper, Matt Pluta, who speak about the risks to water quality in the area and the many ways each of us can play a part in ensuring healthy, fishable, swimmable waterways.

The Spy, a fan of both ShoreRivers and Troika, stopped by the other day for a quick chat with Laura and ShoreRivers Rebekah Hock to hear more and view some of the great art that will be on display for purchase.

This video is approximately two minutes in length.

Troika Gallery located at 9 South Harrison Street, is open Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11am until 6:00 pm, and Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday by appointment. 410-770-9190. For more information about Troika Gallery please go here.

 For more information about ShoreRivers please go here.

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

Chesapeake Ecosystem: Sewer Repair and ARPA Funding in Cambridge

March 28, 2022 by The Spy Leave a Comment

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It seems like everyone and their cousin is standing in line to qualify for ARPA funds to help their favorite project these days. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which amounts to almost $2 trillion of federal grants to states and local municipalities, is finally reaches communities in need, but the challenge doesn’t stop there.

All of these communities, whether it be county commissioners or town council members, are now in the delicate process of determining the best use for those funds. And, as expected, while ARPA funds are a remarkable blessing in so many ways, the number of needy projects significantly outnumber the funding available.

The City of Cambridge is now in the process of deciding where its funds will be going, and Alan Girard, the Eastern Shore director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, makes a strong argument that $4.5 million of those funds needed to be used to repair and improve the city’s sewer pipes and infrastructure.

Over the last several years, Cambridge has faced increasing evidence that its current sewer pipe system is way out of date. With some piping as old as the 1930s, residents have reported seeing sewer in the streets, dirty diapers, and other pollutants that impact the quality of life and underscore the long-term threat to clean water.

The Spy sat down with Alan a few weeks ago to discuss this environmental challenge and how those ARPA funds could be the only way Cambridge can afford to get this expensive work done in a timely manner.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about Chesapeake Bay Foundation please go here.

 

Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

Washington College joins Forces with American Bird Conservancy

March 25, 2022 by Spy Desk 1 Comment

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–Through a unique partnership, Washington College has become an official test site for the American Bird Conservancy’s (ABC) bird-safe glass testing program, doubling the organization’s capacity to test and rate glass products. The College is running just the second testing tunnel for ABC and is the only college or university in the country to partner with the non-profit advocacy group in looking for ways to meet increased demand for solutions that address lethal glass collisions.

In just the first season, the College ran over 2,500 test flights and provided critical data back to ABC that helped gain approval for 10 new bird-friendly glass designs, which are in use by manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world, including in Brazil, Germany, Turkey, South Korea and the U.K. This spring, 15 new samples have been scheduled for testing between March and May.

Glass Collisions and the Threat to Birds

In the United States alone, glass collisions account for an estimated one billion bird deaths each year.

The root cause of glass collisions is the general reflectivity of the product. When it’s highly reflective, it’s generally reflecting back nature (trees, bushes, sky, etc.) and the bird sees that and wants to fly towards it. The simplest solution is glass with visible markings that birds can see. With markings spaced about 2 inches apart, most birds will pick up on the visual hint that it is solid and avoid flying into it.

ABC’s research into the efficacy of bird-safe glass began over 10 years ago. Since then, ABC has established itself as a leading advocate and has developed a standard rating system for bird-safe glass – the only rating system in use today.

The existence of the Foremans Branch Bird Observatory (FBBO) at Washington College laid the groundwork for this innovative partnership. Operating on a rural parcel of land just outside of Chestertown since 1998, FBBO is a major migratory bird banding station that focuses on monitoring seasonal movements of birds. FBBO has 92 mist nets spread over 55 acres and a rotating team that collects and bags over 15,000 birds annually. FBBO is part of the College’s River and Field Campus (RAFC), a living field lab that fosters environmental projects. With the infrastructure and process already in place, integrating the flights through the glass testing tunnel into the procedure before releasing them made for a smooth transition.

“It all started when our partners at ABC reached out and said, ‘You’ve got this great banding station, you’re banding birds daily…would you be willing to host a brand-new testing tunnel, to test the effectiveness of bird-friendly glass?’” said Michael Hardesty, Director, River and Field Campus at Washington College.  “Our answer was, absolutely!”

“It was easy to say yes to this partnership because of how incredible it is for bird conservation, but we knew it would also be such a great opportunity for our students,” added Hardesty. “The glass testing program represents the full spectrum of science moving to action, moving to implementation and our students get to witness all of that, and also to see an example of a field-based career opportunity that resulted from this partnership.”

The Testing Process

Washington College employs a Tunnel Technician as part of the project – Meghan McHenry (pictured above) a recent graduate — and during the testing season, which runs from March to November, each glass sample is tested about 80-100 times to measure key data points that determine its effectiveness. Every flight is recorded and the Technician then does a frame-by-frame analysis to record a standard set of behaviors, such as what direction the bird flew, any avoidance behaviors, the speed of the flight and if it was direct or indirect.

The tunnel itself is 24-feet long and completely dark, with the only light coming through two different panes of glass at the end of the tunnel. The testing process is fully controlled and designed to eliminate any bias by running test flights using the sample that is being evaluated, a control type and then no glass at all. If a bird does fly directly towards the glass in the test tunnel, it bounces off of a mesh net that has a little bit of give before reaching the glass, ensuring that no birds are harmed in the process.

This testing process is also important because glass that is bird-friendly isn’t friendly to the human eye. In order to achieve the widest adoption of these products, the goal is to find patterns that are both effective at preventing collisions and desirable from an aesthetic perspective. The good news is that most bird-friendly patterns are barely noticeable to people. At the conclusion of the testing of a sample, ABC assigns the product a rating called a “Material Threat Factor”, which is based on how many times the bird flies towards the tested glass.

As awareness of bird deaths due to glass collisions has spread, the demand for bird-safe glass has grown. In New York City, legislation now dictates that all glass under 75 feet tall on new buildings use bird-friendly glass that meets the ABC standard rating of 25. Chicago is considering similar legislation. LEED, the world’s leading green building certification system, now grants buildings a credit towards certification if they meet a requirement based on ABC’s rating system.

“At ABC we have always thought that sustainable buildings can’t really be sustainable if they are killing birds, and we are enjoying watching as the world’s designers start to realize that we are onto something,” said Christine Sheppard, Director of ABC’s Glass Collisions Programs.

In Maryland, legislation requiring state-owned and -funded buildings to have windows that are bird-safe has been introduced but not yet passed. It is expected to be re-introduced next session. Howard County already mandates that building projects meet bird-friendly design standards, marking a win for this effort in at least one of the state’s jurisdictions.

Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

Talbot County Council Approves Clarification Letter to MDE on Lakeside Project

March 23, 2022 by The Spy Leave a Comment

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The Talbot County Council last night approved a letter by a vote of 3-2 to the Maryland Department of the Environment to clarify the Council’s position regarding the wastewater treatment plans for the Lakeside housing development in Trappe.

At the Council’s request, County Attorney Patrick Thomas drafted the letter to update the MDE on the Council’s deliberations on the proposed development water treatment plans. Council members Pete Lesher and Laura Price had recommended revisions to the draft prior to approval but were not able to gain the support of the majority of the Council members.

The letter noted that “the Project may proceed in accordance therewith, notwithstanding the County Council’s e Resolution No. 327, which is currently scheduled for a public hearing and vote on April 12, 2022. If Resolution No. 327 is adopted, it will still require final approval from MDE pursuant to Md. Code Ann., Environment § 9-507.”

Here is the full segment where the letter was discussed.

Final letter sent to Maryland Department of the Environment 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

CBEC in Grasonville Announces Summer Camp 2022

March 15, 2022 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) in Grasonville, Maryland will offer a full slate of youth summer programs, according to CBEC Education Coordinator Ashley Peris.

“All of us at CBEC are so excited to be able to offer a full slate of programs for area young people,” stated Peris. “We will be exploring the Bay, making new friends and enjoying the great outdoors. Our ‘hands-on, feet-wet’ approach enables campers to connect with nature through art, stories, games, nature hikes, and outdoor play; including direct encounters with live animals, birds, and fish.”

CBEC’s 2022 Summer Camp schedule includes two camp sessions for children now in grades 4, 5 and 6: Outdoor Adventure Camp, June 20-24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Garden Chefs, August 8-12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For children now completing grades 1,2 and 3, CBEC Summer Camp options include Wild Discovery Nature Camp, set for July 18-22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Art and Music Adventures, July 25-29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A fifth camp session, Water Wonders, is designed for pre-k and kindergarten children and is set for August 15-19, 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

“Our summer camp programs fill-up fast so we encourage parents to register early,” Peris said.

For detailed information about these camp sessions and easy online registration, visit the CBEC website page, bayrestoration.org/camps. Any questions may be directed to Ashley Peris, 410-8276694 or aperis@bayrestoration.org. 

 

Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

Maryland Senate Democrats Pass Sweeping Climate Change Legislation

March 15, 2022 by Maryland Matters 1 Comment

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The Maryland Senate passed an extensive climate change bill Monday night that would set the state on track to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2045, partly by requiring large buildings to reduce their energy usage.

The Senate passed the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 in a 32-15 party-line vote, with Republicans opposed. The bill is now headed to the House of Delegates, where lawmakers  have introduced their own set of companion bills instead of a single sweeping measure.

The Climate Solutions Now Act would set the statewide greenhouse gas emission reduction goal to 60% below 2006 levels by 2030, expand the state’s electrical vehicle fleet, direct millions of dollars to school systems to build net-zero schools and establish a “green bank” that would invest state funds into private projects that reduce gas emissions, among many other provisions.

Monday’s vote came after a marathon Senate floor session last week, during which Republicans attempted a slew of failed amendments.

During committee deliberations, Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s) cut the bill’s most far-reaching provisions, which would have required all new buildings to use electric power, rather than fossil fuels, to provide space and water heating by 2024.

Pinsky, the bill sponsor and chair of the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, said the amended bill “doesn’t go far enough.”

“But it makes a very important step forward,” he added.

Before the bill passed on Monday, Republicans renewed their claims that the bill would increase energy cost savings, particularly for low- and moderate-income residents who live in multifamily buildings, and not move the needle much on global climate change.

“This is going a bridge too far, but in a way it’s going to a bridge to nowhere because there’s no benefit…to the overall climate crisis,” said Minority Whip Justin Ready (R-Carroll). “It’s just going to raise energy prices.”

Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Lower Shore) asked for climate solutions that do not threaten jobs or energy reliability and affordability for Marylanders.

But Pinsky contended that moving away from fossil fuels will be cheaper for the state in the long-run and highlighted that the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, which includes five Cabinet secretaries from the Hogan administration, approved recommendations for an all-electric construction code in a 24-2 vote.

“We can either be part of this movement or we can stand in the way of this movement — that’s our choice today,” Pinsky said.

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A group of environmental advocates projected “electrify everything now” onto the State House on Monday evening to urge senators to pass the Climate Solutions Now Act. Courtesy by Jamie Demarco of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.Before the Senate convened on Monday evening, a group of environmental advocates gathered on Lawyers’ Mall and projected the phrase “electrify everything now” with a picture of an electrical plug onto the State House to urge senators to pass the bill.“What do we want?” Victoria Venable, the Maryland director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, asked through a megaphone as senators were walking from the Senate office buildings to the State House.“Climate solutions!” the crowd yelled back.

The bill now requires the Public Service Commission to determine if there is enough capacity within the state’s grid to support an all-electric building code in the future. It also would require buildings of 25,000 square feet or larger to reduce emissions by 30% of 2025 levels by 2035 and to net-zero by 2040. But it exempts private and public schools, agricultural buildings and historic buildings from the new standards.

Pinsky predicted that even if the Public Service Commission concludes after their study that the state’s electrical grid can handle an all-electric building code, utility companies will still oppose sweeping climate legislation.

“The gas industry poisoned the well with disinformation and put their profit margin over the interests of the state,” Pinsky told Maryland Matters.“Now!” the crowd cheered.“When do we want it?” Venable asked.

Josh Tulkin, the director of the Maryland Sierra Club, said that he was disappointed that the Senate passed the bill without an all-electric code for new buildings, which he said was essential for the state to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. “We will need to do it, and that delay is not helpful,” he said.

Still, Tulkin praised the bill for maintaining a strong climate goal that begins to take important steps to reduce gas from existing buildings, electrify the state vehicle fleet and center environmental justice in more state programs. Pinsky’s bill would establish a Climate Justice Corps that would employ young people to work on clean energy or climate mitigation projects in communities disproportionately affected by climate change.

As the bill moves to the House of Delegates, Tulkin said he hopes lawmakers will amend the bill so that the Public Service Commission does not rely on analyses made by the utility companies about the state’s grid capacity. Instead, the Public Service Commission should rely on projections from third-party consultants, Tulkin said. “Utility companies should be providing information, answering questions, but not reaching conclusions.”

Emily Scarr, the Maryland director for Maryland Public Interest Research Group, said the bill “moves us in the right direction toward more efficient buildings powered by clean energy.” But she urged lawmakers to not invest any more in the state’s gas distribution network and argued it would be more expensive for Marylanders to rely on fossil fuel in the future.

“Decision-makers need to acknowledge that as Maryland moves away from fossil fuels, utilities will look to customers to cover the stranded costs of a gas infrastructure that will become increasingly useless,” she continued. “If regulators don’t recognize this moment, too many Marylanders will be trapped with the financial burden of ever increasing costs for outdated gas infrastructure.”

By Elizabeth Shwe

Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

Three Cheers to the Patricia Campbell by A.J. Metcalf

March 15, 2022 by Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leave a Comment

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Rumbling across the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay, the Patricia Campbell was carrying about 7 million juvenile oysters. Its captain, Karl Willey, was eyeing the GPS as the planting site in the Tred Avon River approached. Soon, a capable crew of deckhands and volunteers would be guiding the spat-on-shell oysters down the conveyor belt, toward the spreader, and into the murky waters below. After about an hour, the oysters were in their new home, cleaning and filtering the water around them.

For a boat that has traversed nearly every tributary in Maryland, the planting was just another day at the office in the vessel’s lengthy career. But this year is special for the Patricia Campbell; the boat is marking a milestone—its 20th year of service.

A marvel of a vessel when it was built in 2002 to accelerate CBF’s restoration efforts, today the 60-by-19-foot Patricia Campbell is as seasoned as the deadrise crab boats it often passes on its way to oyster sanctuaries. But even today it remains innovative and unique.

Karl Willey, the first and current captain of the vessel, said he knows of one other boat on the Chesapeake—Future Harvest—that has similar features. Built by a Virginia oyster company it is smaller and used for aquaculture.

“One of my favorite things about my job on the Patricia Campbell is seeing the spat-on-shell hit the water because I know they’re going to create oyster reefs and filter the water for years to come,” said Willey.

That process begins at CBF’s oyster restoration centers in Maryland or Virginia, where oyster larvae are added to oyster shells held in cages that are submerged in large holding tanks. Once the larvae stick to the shells, they become spat-on-shell. Then the cages are hoisted up by the Patricia Campbell‘s two-ton crane into a hopper on the boat.

The Patricia Campbell plants oysters at the Campbell Memorial Reef outside of Baltimore Harbor on July 31, 2019.

One of the Patricia Campbell‘s unique features is its conveyor belt, which can rapidly transport oysters from the hopper to the spreader. The spreader then fans the oysters out over a reef using GPS coordinates to ensure oysters are added where needed. The boat also has an open floor plan, enabling the crew to catch any snags and oversee the planting process.

“When we dedicated it, the Patricia Campbell was the first boat built specifically for oyster restoration,” said Paul Willey, who served as the project manager when it was built and is also Karl’s brother. “Thousands of boats have been built for oyster harvesting, but that was the first one for oyster restoration.”

Former CBF Fisheries Director Bill Goldsborough thought up the design, and it was built by Midship Marine in Harvey, Louisiana. Longtime CBF Trustee Keith Campbell donated funds to build the Patricia Campbell, and it was named in honor of his wife.

In 2019, Campbell said the boat was inspired during a breakfast he had with Goldsborough and then-CBF President Will Baker. When Campbell mentioned his desire to get more oysters in the Bay, Baker asked Campbell for his support to build an oyster restoration vessel. Construction began soon after.

CBF Trustee Keith Campbell with the Patricia Campbell working behind him at the Campbell Memorial Reef in Baltimore.

Since that fateful breakfast, the “PC,” as it’s known at CBF, has added more than 336 million oysters to the Chesapeake Bay, traveled more than 22,000 miles, and completed about 300 trips. It has also served as a centerpiece for a community of more than a hundred interns and volunteers who have worked as crew members, some of whom have gone on to do restoration and conservation work elsewhere.

Throughout its operation, the Patricia Campbell has distributed most of those oysters onto Bay bottom inside oyster sanctuaries. Before significant oyster sanctuaries were established in Maryland in 2010, the vessel was used to add oysters to aquaculture leases held by CBF around Annapolis and in the Magothy River. Since then, CBF partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to plant millions of spat-on-shell on restoration reefs in Maryland’s Little Choptank River, Harris Creek, and Tred Avon River.

The Patricia Campbell is also one of few vessels that can place oyster reef balls in the water for restoration. These three-dimensional concrete forms weigh about 300 pounds, and four at a time can be carefully lowered by the Patricia Campbell‘s crane. The PC has been used in reef ball projects to build fish habitat off Bill Burton Fishing Pier in Trappe, MD; add structure to an oyster sanctuary off the coast of Chesapeake Beach, MD; and as part of a research project to see if reef balls could help stabilize an eroding shoreline in Shady Side, Maryland.

Taken together, these planting efforts aim to stop the long-term decline of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters throughout the Bay have declined to a fraction of their pre-industrial levels due to a combination of overharvesting, disease, and pollution. Yet, they’re vitally important to the health of the ecosystem. Adult oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, and their reefs provide habitat to fish, crabs, and hundreds of bottom-dwelling organisms. The bivalves are a source of food for birds, cownose rays, and other animals, as well as an important part of the regional fishing industry.

So what’s next for the Patricia Campbell? Karl Willey thinks the boat’s future is bright. In 2019, the boat received new engines and updated hydraulic systems.

The Patricia Campbell uses its crane to plant oyster reef balls off the coast of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, in July 2021.

“That boat will continue to be a cornerstone of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,” Willey said. “She’s got 1 billion oyster plantings in her. She’s ready to keep saving the oysters in the Bay from Baltimore to Chesapeake Beach.”

As for what type of boat innovation may be next for CBF, Paul Willey, who is now CBF’s director of education operations, is working on designs for an all-electric deadrise education vessel that could serve as a symbol for clean and green boating around the watershed.

Story and photos by A.J. Metcalf

Filed Under: Eco Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

The Dorchester Race to Read: Jymil Thompson and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

February 15, 2022 by Spy & WHCP Community Radio Leave a Comment

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The John & Janice Wyatt Foundation, the funder of Dorchester County’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, made an aspiring choice in hiring Jymil Thompson to lead this ambitious literary initiative for the next several years.

The product of Penn State, followed by two master’s degrees from Trinity and Howard Universities, Jymil found himself moving to Cambridge after a successful career as an assistant principal at Sierra High School in Colorado Springs, CO. This unique transition was due to his work with the former Mace’s Lane Middle School in Dorchester County Public Schools, located in Cambridge.

But this transition was more than a matter of changing mountain scenery to the vistas of the Chesapeake Bay. Jymil, clearly familiar with poverty and education challenges in poor communities, still found Cambridge shockingly different from previous experiences. As he notes in our Spy/WHCP interview, he came to realize there was a significant difference between urban and rural conditions for young people. And that related to access to learning programs.

While poor neighborhoods in America’s largest cities have unique challenges, what they share in common is the number of choices young students have in the form of after-school programming and learning opportunities. In a place like Cambridge, in contrast, he noticed how few options these kids have after their schools dismiss them every afternoon.

One of those gaps was programs devoted to improving the reading skills of those children.

The sobering fact is that without proficiency in reading by the end of third grade, a time when students shift from learning to read to reading to learn, those children fall behind. Those that fail to reach this critical milestone falter in the later grades and often drop out before earning a high school diploma.

The Grade-Level Reading initiative intends to attack this problem head-on. As Jymil outlines in our conversation, his job is to engage the community, remove barriers, expand opportunities, and assist parents in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities to help their children read.

This video is approximately 9 minutes in length. For more information about the Campaign for Grade Level Reading in Dorchester please go here. To find out more about the national effort please go here.

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

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