Ecosystem

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge to Hold Virtual Eagle Festival

March 5, 2021 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is hosting a Virtual Eagle Festival March 12–14, 2021. With the pandemic and continuing need for social distancing, this year’s activities will be conducted online, with programs taking place on Facebook (@BlackwaterNWR) and Zoom, while encouraging visitors to enjoy the refuge on their own. In addition, the Wildlife Drive will be free-of-charge on March 13 and 14 for those who wish to visit the refuge to see eagles and other wildlife.

The Eagle Festival will kick off on Facebook on March 12 at 12:00 p.m. with a welcome by refuge staff and a roundup of the best hotspots to see eagles at the refuge. This will be followed at 1:00 p.m. with a brief introduction to eagle identification.

On Saturday, March 13 at 10:00 a.m., join Mike Callahan of Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center as he presents his program, “The Bald Eagle, Icon of Blackwater NWR and our National Symbol” with a live bald eagle. At 2:00 p.m., Tuckahoe State Park staff will give us a behind-the-scenes look at the Scales and Tales Aviary while answering commonly asked questions about eagles. Tune in for appearances by several live birds of prey!

On Saturday, March 13 at 11:30 a.m., join refuge staff for story and craft time as we watch together the picture book Owl Babies, and then make our very own ‘owl baby’ with a few basic supplies. A limited number of kits with all the necessary supplies will be available to pick up in advance. Registration is required for this Zoom program. Email michele_whitbeck@fws.gov with “Owl Babies” in the subject line, and the names and number of children participating. Deadline to register for this program is March 12.

On Sunday, March 14 at 10:00 a.m., Mike Callahan returns to Facebook with live birds of prey for a program titled “Raptors Rule,” highlighting some of our native raptors of Maryland. At 1:00 p.m., gather the kids for a puppet show and learn all about the adventures of a young Canada goose as he explores the refuge’s habitats and discovers the animals that call Blackwater NWR home. At 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, check out the bald eagle highlight reel from the Friends of Blackwater, where they’ve captured some of the best videos from the four wildlife cameras on the refuge!

Tired of looking at your screen? Grab the family and head out to the refuge for a StoryWalk^® where the kids can read the picture book Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek. Pages from the book will be installed along the Woods Trail beginning March 12 through the end of the month.

All online events will be monitored by refuge staff, who will be standing by to answer your questions during the programs. For more information and a schedule of programs, visit www.fws.gov/refuge/Blackwater. If you have any questions, please email us at fw5rw_BWNWR@fws.gov.

The Blackwater NWR Visitor Center remains closed for the month of March. Brochures, maps, and an introductory video are available at a self-service station in the breezeway of the Visitor Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Friday through Monday. For visitors with questions, or inquiries regarding purchasing a federal pass, “Text a Ranger” at 443-205-5290 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Friday through Monday. The Wildlife Drive and refuge trails remain open daily from sunrise to sunset.

To protect the health of those who live, work, and visit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service public lands and facilities, face masks are required. They are also required outdoors when physical distancing is not possible, like on narrow or busy trails, boardwalks, and observation decks.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, protects over 32,000 acres of rich tidal marsh, mixed hardwood and pine forest, managed freshwater wetlands and cropland for a diversity of wildlife. To learn more, visit our website at www.fws.gov/refuge/blackwater or @BlackwaterNWR.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Tallamy Featured in Pickering’s Spring Speaker Series

March 2, 2021 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center Leave a Comment

Pickering Creek’s great line up of engaging online programs continues as we all get ready and dream of spring gardens and migrating waterbirds, raptors and songbirds. A full list of Pickering’s great virtual programming is available at its website pickering.audubon.org. These two are of particular interest.

On March 15 at 7:00 PM via zoom webinar Pickering presents Nature’s Best Hope with Entomologist Doug Tallamy. Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can- and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity and will explain why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope. “Doug is an amazingly engaging speaker,” says Pickering Director Mark Scallion, “his presentations really bring home the importance of changing our views of landscaping. You will be dazzled by the plethora of amazing images in his visually stunning presentation.”

Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 104 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 40 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers’ Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Doug’s new book ‘Nature’s Best Hope’ released by Timber Press in February 2020, is a New York Times Best Seller.

ShoreRivers Announces Partnerships for Urban Stormwater Retrofits

February 20, 2021 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Retrofitting a stormwater outlet box

ShoreRivers has received grants to work with two regional organizations to better manage and treat stormwater runoff from urban parking lots. Urban stormwater runoff is one of the most damaging threats to urban waterways because it contains nutrients and other harmful pollutants, and can contribute to localized flooding.

In Dorchester County, the existing parking lot at the American Legion Post 91 in Cambridge will be upgraded with vegetated bioswales and native trees to manage and treat stormwater runoff, and native grass plantings along the shoreline to stabilize the eroding bank. Post Historian Richard F. Colburn writes, “Five years ago we had a fire at the American Legion Post 91 that closed our post and necessitated an overwhelming amount of repairs and restoration, including to the riverside parking. Fortunately, with the help of ShoreRivers, services from Rauch Engineering, and grants from Chesapeake Bay Trust and a Maryland State Bond Initiative, the community came together on the final leg of the project. We are now able to retrofit our waterfront parking lot in a way that protects and enhances the water quality of the precious Choptank River.”

This project meets many of the action items in the Cambridge Clean Waters Advisory Committee’s report “Moving Toward Clean Waters: A 10-Year Plan.” The parking lot will be resurfaced in part with porous asphalt and sloped toward a bioswale to redirect stormwater runoff. The bioswale will be constructed along the edge of the parking lot with a channel of native plants to help increase biodiversity and wildlife in that area. The bioswale will slow and absorb the stormwater runoff and the vegetation will help filter the water before it drains into the Choptank. Native grasses planted between the parking lot and the water’s edge will stabilize the bank.

Filling basin with bioretention media

Similarly, in Kent County, a collaborative project between ShoreRivers, Washington College, and the Town of Chestertown proposes to retrofit a stormwater detention pond and associated drainage on the northern edge of the college’s campus. This project is part of a comprehensive stormwater management plan that ShoreRivers is preparing for the historic waterfront town. Both the stormwater management plan and the Washington College retrofit designs were funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with a match from a private donor to complete engineered designs for the campus retrofits.

ShoreRivers recently installed several of these retrofits as mini bioretention basins in the college’s North Commons parking lot, with funds from Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs grant program. These mini practices were designed to capture and hold water so biological activity can remove nutrients as well as pollutants coming from asphalt and vehicles before draining into the stormwater pond that eventually discharges to Radcliffe Creek, a tributary of the impaired Middle Chester River. Implementation funding proposals are in progress for the remaining practices, which are the first of a number of improvements the college hopes to make on its campus that will have water quality and habitat benefits and serve as demonstration projects to the large audience the college serves.

The Cambridge and Chestertown projects are examples of using the “Dig Once” concept to leverage private investments to increase water quality protections. American Legion Post 91 and Washington College each invested in the gray infrastructure components of the upgrades—resurfacing and curb placement—providing the required matching funds for the green infrastructure components paid for by grants from Chesapeake Bay Trust.

By installing the projects’ green components at the same time as the gray infrastructure elements, upgrades cost less than if the parking lots were later retrofitted with green infrastructure. According to Chester Riverkeeper Annie Richards, “Leveraging private investments to help tackle urban runoff is a strategy that will likely become more powerful as we get closer to the 2025 deadline for the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup.”

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

Environmental Concern Joins Global Wetlands Celebration

February 17, 2021 by Environmental Concern Leave a Comment

The professionals at Environmental Concern work every day to advance wetland restoration and education in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. One of the many ways they do this is by raising awareness of the importance of wetlands for water quality and natural habitat within the watershed community.

On February 2^nd, Environmental Concern (EC) joined more than two thousand Wetlands of International Importance in 171 countries as well as National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, Wetland Centers and environmental facilities across the US to celebrate World Wetlands Day.

World Wetlands Day commemorates the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran. The Convention on Wetlands is a global treaty supporting the conservation and wise use of wetlands, and the designation of ‘Wetlands of International Importance’ (“Ramsar Sites”). The Sites are recognized for rare and unique habitat, wildlife, and biological diversity. The United States has designated forty-one Ramsar Sites since 1986, covering more than five million acres of wetland habitat.

Photo: Front row – Chris Blizzard, Connor Burton, Chris Oakes, Marcia Pradines (refuge manager), Ashley Roe, Suzanne Pittenger-Slear (EC president); Back row – Lyndsey Pollock, John Sandkuhler, Sam Eisenhower, Joe Miller, Nick Sparacino, Anne Sindermann, Josie Aikey and Gene Slear.

The World Wetland Theme this year is Inseparable: Wetlands, Water and Life, which shines a spotlight on wetlands as a source of freshwater and encourages actions to restore wetlands.

“We are fortunate to have a Ramsar site here on Maryland’s eastern shore,” said EC president Suzanne Pittenger-Slear. The Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Complex, which includes Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, was designated as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ in 1986. The refuge consists of more than 30,000 acres of tidal marsh, loblolly pine forests, and freshwater wetlands, and serves as an essential stopover for migrating and wintering waterfowl. The Wildlife Drive, which includes access to four trails, is open daily from sunrise to sunset. “The winter season offers amazing views of the vast wetland ecosystems and natural habitats,” said Pittenger-Slear. Learn about the importance of wetlands by planning a family outing to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge this month (check website for hours of operation). World Wetlands Day events continue through the month of February. The US activities are posted here:https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/events.

Each year, Pittenger-Slearcoordinates an annual trip to Blackwater NWRon World Wetlands Day with Refuge Manager, Marcia Pradines. This year, Pradines greeted 15 members of EC’s staff in front of the refuge Visitor’s Center before they started their journey on the four-mile Wildlife Drive. Pradines reported that just after sunrise, the refuge staff counted over twelve thousand snow geese (Chen caerulescens), three white pelicans (Pelecanuserythrorhynchos), and two hundred tundra swans (Cygnus columbiannus). Watching the white pelicans resting along the shoreline on the Blackwater River was an amazing sight. The group also observed two adult eagles in a nest in a loblolly pine tree (Pinustaeda) near the Wildlife Drive. “We were all so excited to see the majestic eagles in their natural habitat,” said Pittenger-Slear. The refuge is the center of the largest density of breeding bald eagles on the east coast, north of Florida.

The trip offered EC staff the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of their work for wetlands. Whether working in the nursery growing thousands of native plants, getting wet and muddy restoring living shorelines, or organizing events to educate the community –they all left the refuge with a heightened awareness of the significance of their work and the understanding that their work serves a broader purpose that goes far beyond the borders of EC’s campus.

For more information about World Wetlands Day, visit: www.worldwetlandsday.org. Free posters and activities are available to download from the site.

Environmental Concern is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1972 to promote public understanding and stewardship of wetlands with the goal of improving water quality and enhancing nature’s habitat. For the last 49 years, Environmental Concern has been working to restore the Bay…one wetland at a time.

CBF Adds 14 Million Oysters to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland in 2020

February 13, 2021 by Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leave a Comment

CBF Oyster planting vessel Patricia Campbell on its way to seed oysters in the Tred Avon River.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) continued its long-term push to restore oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay by adding more than 14 million oysters in Maryland waters during 2020’s pandemic-affected season.

More than 10 million of the oysters were added to the Tred Avon River on the Eastern Shore, where CBF is working under a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore oyster reefs at the tributary scale along with other state and federal partners. This effort contributes to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement goal of restoring oyster reefs in 10 tributaries by 2025.

Despite the pandemic limiting CBF staff’s ability to connect with volunteers, CBF’s cadre of oyster gardeners contributed 500,000 adult oysters to the 2020 tally. These oysters were added to Maryland’s portion of the Bay from as far south as the Virginia border to the Baltimore area in the north. The work helps engage citizens with limited access to the Bay and exposes them to this iconic reef-building species they may only be familiar with from eating.

Volunteers also helped CBF collect more than 1,200 bushels of oyster shells, which will be recycled, re-set with oyster larvae and put back into the Bay to grow. In the Bay, oysters naturally produce larvae that attaches to existing oyster shells and grows into larger oysters, which helps build reefs.

CBF Oyster Restoration Manager Karl Willey in front of oysters that were later added to the Tred Avon River – Summer 2020

The oyster restoration figures were down from CBF’s annual average of adding about 25 million oysters to the Bay. This was mostly due to limitations on restoration activities to ensure safety during the pandemic. CBF limited the number of staff working closely on boats as well as how many volunteers could gather for oyster gardening events.

“As soon as we became aware of the pandemic in early March of last year, we took immediate action to change our oyster restoration operations to ensure the safety of staff and volunteers,” said Doug Myers, CBF’s Senior Maryland Scientist. “What we didn’t do is halt the program. Instead, we worked within safety guidelines and continued planting millions of water-filtering oysters in the Bay. We’re so thankful to our dozens of volunteers who were able to assist our efforts during these trying times by helping to pick up and clean recycled shells.”

Chesapeake Oyster Alliance and Large-Scale Restoration Efforts

CBF’s effort coincided with work by other groups that are also adding more oysters to the Bay. The Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, a coalition of oyster-related businesses, academic institutions and environmental organizations, has now added more than 2 billion oysters to the Bay as it continues its march toward its goal to add 10 billion oysters to the Bay by 2025.

CBF Oyster Restoration Specialist Patrick Beall stands next to one of four trucks used to transport oysters raised by volunteers for planting in Herring Bay in fall 2020. Credit – AJ Metcalf

In 2020, the Alliance and CBF joined forces to help oyster aquaculture operators sell farm-raised oysters directly to consumers. Oyster aquaculture businesses were hit particularly hard by reduced restaurant demand for oysters during the pandemic.

“We were able to help four oyster farmers sell more than 18,000 oysters during oyster pop-up sales hosted throughout Maryland during the summer and fall,” said Tanner Council, Chesapeake Oyster Alliance Manager. “Oyster farming has been one of the great seafood economic success stories during the past decade, with the industry growing by about 24 percent per year in Maryland from 2012 to 2018. We wanted to help any way we could to ensure businesses survive the reduced demand for oysters caused by restaurant closures during the pandemic.”

This past year, CBF also celebrated the completion of oyster restoration work in the Little Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where 358 acres of Bay bottom have now been seeded with 2 billion spat-on-shell oysters. CBF added about 66 million oysters to the Little Choptank during the restoration work, which began in 2015.

The large-scale restoration work is targeted to meet the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s goal of restoring oyster populations in at least 10 Bay tributaries by 2025. So far, those efforts have been completed in Maryland’s Harris Creek and Virginia’s Lafayette River and the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River, as well as the Little Choptank.

Oyster Innovation

CBF has been innovating to respond to oysters’ ongoing challenges. In 2020, staff continued monitoring a 700-foot oyster reef ball living shoreline installed in the South River in 2019 in partnership with the Arundel Rivers Federation. The concrete reef balls placed near an eroding shoreline were seeded with spat, or juvenile oysters. Some of those oysters have since grown much larger. CBF is reviewing the project to see if reef balls seeded with oysters could be used in living shorelines elsewhere along the Bay to provide habitat, filter water, and reduce shoreline erosion. By growing vertically, this nearshore reef could continue to provide shore protection better than bulkheads and other shoreline armoring because the growth can keep pace with sea level rise.

CBF has also been working with engineering firm Northrop Grumman to develop ways to more easily monitor oyster reefs below the often murky water of the Bay. In 2021, CBF and Northrop Grumman plan to deploy new SONAR and acoustic listening devices to help better understand how oysters are faring in the Bay and identify new target reefs for restoration.

Oysters are a keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay. An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, their reefs provide habitat for fish, crabs, and other marine life, and oysters are an important part of the region’s seafood economy. For these reasons, CBF has prioritized the protection and restoration of the Bay’s oyster reefs.

More information about CBF’s oyster-related work can be found in the 2020 Maryland Oyster Annual Report.

ShoreRivers Seeks Elizabeth Brown Memorial Internship Applicants

February 12, 2021 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

ShoreRivers seeks applicants for an exciting, hands-on, 10-week summer internship experience in the environmental field. This internship for a rising college junior or senior or recent college graduate is supported with a $2,000 stipend by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund.

ShoreRivers is a nonprofit organization that protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. With offices in Easton, Chestertown, and Galena, Maryland, the organization serves as an advocate for the health of our rivers and the living resources they support. Programs promote environmental awareness of the essential role local rivers and streams play in the community, the issues that threaten their health and vitality, and solutions that must be implemented to preserve them.

The summer intern will provide programmatic support for our Midshore region and participate in a variety of activities including restoration, water quality monitoring, outreach, and education. By the end of the program, the intern will complete a Maryland boater safety certificate and become familiar with handling a boat; gain training in scientific water quality monitoring equipment and protocols; and develop a variety of other skills and experiences.

Photo: Elizabeth Brown was dedicated to clean water, engaging others with their rivers, and serving as an environmental steward in every way. She brought enthusiasm and joy to every task as an esteemed colleague and a beloved friend, and we miss her dearly.

Location: Virtual and in the field in the Choptank, Miles, Wye, and Easterns Bay watersheds, with occasional travel throughout the ShoreRivers region. Office based in Easton, MD.

Dates: Minimum of 10 weeks between May and August; start and end dates are flexible.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30; with occasional evening and weekend work.

Stipend: $2,000 provided by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund.

To Apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to Ann Frock, OfficeKeeper, at afrock@shorerivers.org no later than February 26, 2021. Before applying, please visit ShoreRivers.org to learn more about ShoreRivers and the requirements of this position.

Interviews will be conducted by Zoom in March and an intern will be selected and notified no later than March 15, 2021.

ShoreRivers believes that swimmable, fishable, clean, and safe rivers are for everyone in our communities. ShoreRivers is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all applicants.

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

shorerivers.org

ShoreRivers Challenges MDE’s Trappe East Discharge Permit

January 31, 2021 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

In late January, ShoreRivers formally challenged the issuance of the Trappe East Groundwater Discharge Permit for failing to adequately protect local groundwater and surface waters from the spray irrigation of wastewater. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) issued a final determination to issue the permit on January 1 for a wastewater treatment facility that will serve the proposed 2,500-building development known as Trappe East (since renamed Lakeside at Trappe), which is said by its investors to be the largest proposed mixed-use development on the East Coast of the United States. Under the MDE permit, sewage from this massive development will be sprayed on 87 acres of farmland that surround the headwaters of Miles Creek, a Choptank River tributary. However, according to ShoreRivers’ review, the final permit fails to verify that nutrients in the wastewater will be fully taken up by the vegetation, and therefore could end up polluting groundwater or the nearby river.

A map of the wastewater treatment complex and spray irrigation fields pulled from the permit issued by

“The permit requires the wastewater treatment system to use what is called enhanced nutrient removal technology, but that will not ensure that all nutrient pollution is taken up by crops, not discharged into the Choptank,” says ShoreRivers Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta. “We are not satisfied that the language in the final permit issued by MDE ensures that the system will actually meet the standards required by state and federal law. The Choptank River is already designated by MDE as impaired by nutrient pollution,” he emphasizes. “This permit, as it’s written, will further degrade the river’s water quality.”

ShoreRivers conducted a close review of the final permit with numerous experts, including hydrologists, agricultural professionals, and an environmental legal team headed up by the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, a nonprofit organization working for the Chesapeake Bay watershed and its communities. The team concluded that there are numerous deficiencies in the draft permit and several instances where the water quality protections were weakened between the draft permit and the final permit. In addition, the nutrient management plan that is critical to ensuring the safe disposal of sewage sprayed onto nearby fields was not released to the public until after MDE closed the comment period, thus depriving ShoreRivers and the public of the right to comment on the full permit.

As a result, ShoreRivers has filed a petition for judicial review in the Talbot County Circuit Court. ShoreRivers hopes the permit will be remanded back to MDE with a requirement to reopen the comment period. It is imperative the permit fully complies with state and federal law to ensure no increase in pollution for the Choptank.

Groundwater discharge permits (which are required when wastewater is spray-irrigated onto farmland) are becoming a more popular choice for managing wastewater from municipal and industrial sources on the Eastern Shore. ShoreRivers has monitored the compliance record of these discharge permits in the region for the past several years; very few of them are in full compliance with their permit conditions. “If the water quality protection deficits and the procedural issues with this permit are not addressed, it will set a damaging precedent for these permits moving forward,” says Pluta. “If the practices in this permit are allowed, we can expect our groundwater and surface waters to get more polluted.”

Another oversight in the permit noted by ShoreRivers is the lack of consideration for impacts from the climate crisis. The years 2018 and 2019 were two of the wettest on record on the Eastern Shore, but the permit fails to consider the impact of increased intensity and volume of storms. “We are setting these permits up for failure from the start if they don’t consider how rainfall and weather patterns will be different in the future. The uphill battle to meet water quality standards will undoubtedly get steeper if we continue to ignore how climate change is affecting precipitation patterns,” says Pluta.

The permit challenge was submitted prior to the February 1 deadline and will be reviewed by the local circuit court.

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

shorerivers.org

February 2021 Sky-Watch

January 27, 2021 by Dennis Herrman Leave a Comment

Mars will be the only “easy” planet to see in our evening skies in February, high up in the west. On February 23rd, the red planet will be just below the blue-white star cluster called the Pleiades, (M 45). Because Mars is now 3 times farther away from Earth than it was at its October opposition, it is much dimmer, though it remains easy to spot. It is as bright as any of the brightest stars. Telescope views of Mars will not yield as much detail either.

Four planets congregate in our pre-dawn eastern skies, though for the most part this month, they will be too close to the Sun to be seen except in twilight. However, on February 20th (Saturday morning), three of the four planets will form a triangle shape.

Saturn and Mercury rise at 5:40 am local time, just 4 degrees apart; with Jupiter rising to the left of Saturn and below Mercury about 20 minutes later. Best time to look for this trio of planets would be about 30 minutes before sunrise, looking East.

On moonless nights in February, March, and April it is possible to find the zodiacal light. This subtle glow in the sky arises from sunlight reflected from meteorite dust that lies in the plane of our solar system. During the next 3 months the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane around the Sun) becomes more steeply inclined to the horizon. So we look for a faint, cone-shaped glow along the ecliptic reaching from the western horizon up through Pisces, Aries, and Taurus (at its narrowest). The first two weeks of February are best for looking for the zodiacal light as the Moon will be in the morning sky.

It will be hard to find the zodiacal light from cities or towns (too much stray light), but it is easier when looking in more rural or country sites with skies dark to the west. Cast your eyes west and gradually raise them up toward the zenith right about the time when twilight is ending.

A crescent Moon will be just below the planet Uranus on February 17th, but binoculars will be needed to spot this very dim and distant planet as a greenish-blue dot. Worth a try though!

Full Moon is one day before February ends; on the night of the 27th.

ShoreRivers Awarded Grants for Conservation Projects Throughout Eastern Shore

January 27, 2021 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Volunteers collecting seeds to plant additional SAV beds throughout the Eastern Shore.

Beginning in January 2021, ShoreRivers will implement a suite of conservation and pollution‑reduction projects on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. These projects include new watershed assessments in Caroline and Kent Counties; a robust action plan for Eastern Shore dairy operations; outreach and restoration projects in the Chester and Choptank River watersheds; and engineered designs for three restoration projects located in the Choptank and Sassafras River watersheds. This work is made possible through eight grants from the Chesapeake Bay Trusttotalingmore than $460,000 and will result in measurable reductions of nutrient and sediment pollution to these waterways.

Watershed Assessments: In Caroline County, the town of Denton is transected by a tributary of the Choptank River called Poor House Run. This stream conveys stormwater from nearly 750 acres of urban and commercial land use and, as a result, is incised and eroding the sub-base under a major intersection. ShoreRivers will assess this watershed to identify strategies to restore the stream to its natural state. ShoreRivers will also conduct an assessment of the Bayside Creeks watershed (Still Pond, Churn, Worton, and Fairlee Creeks; tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in Kent County, MD) for the purpose of identifying and prioritizing opportunities to reduce pollution loads. The resulting watershed assessments will then be used to pursue additional funding to put projects in the ground to reduce pollution and improve water quality.

Dairy Planning: Dairy cows produce a significant waste stream and require large quantities of silage for feed, providing a unique opportunity to achieve significant reductions in nutrient pollution with the right practices in place. ShoreRivers will work with Eastern Shore dairy operations to create robust conservation action plans that identify ongoing environmental resource concerns, analyze restoration options to address these concerns, and detail funding opportunities in order to create operations that are more environmentally sustainable for future generations of dairy farmers. Dairy operations interested in participating or learning more are encouraged to contact Director of Agriculture & Restoration Tim Rosen at trosen@shorerivers.org or 443-385-0511 x209.

Dairy cows produce a significant waste stream, providing a unique opportunity to achieve significant reductions in nutrient pollution with the right practices in place.

Outreach and Restoration: ShoreRivers will expand its Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) volunteer program into the Chester and Sassafras watersheds, with plans to make this program more equitable by utilizing ShoreRivers’ fleet of kayaks. This project will restore 24 acres of SAV to improve water quality and clarity, increase aquatic habitat, and bring Maryland closer to reaching the Chesapeake Bay Agreement habitat goal. Additionally, four River-Friendly Communityconservation planting projects are planned in common spaces on the Tred Avon River in the Choptank watershed, and on Southeast Creek in the Chester watershed. These projects will educate homeowners and empower them to take additional stewardship action on their own properties. Citizens interested in this program are encouraged to contact their local Riverkeeper, submit a volunteer form at shorerivers.org/volunteers, or leave a message at 443-385-0511ext 201.

Engineered Restoration Designs: ShoreRivers will create shovel-ready designs for three restoration implementation projects: bioswale facilities to reduce nuisance flooding issues at the Town of Galena Community Park and beautify the space with shade trees and native plants (Sassafras watershed); restore ecological and habitat function of approximately 3,000 linear feet of forested stream on a headwaters tributary of Turners Creek on the Sassafras River that receives drainage from 139 acres of row crop agriculture; and restore natural hydrology to a stream ditch that drains from a dairy operation directly to the Choptank River, producing 2,146 linear feet of stream/ditch restoration, 6.7 acres of restored floodplain, and better treatment capacity for the drainage from 129.5 acres of predominately agricultural land.

ShoreRivers is pleased to bring significant state and national resources into the region to support integral work for healthy rivers on behalf of our communities. Follow the progress of these projects@shorerivers on Facebook; @shoreriversorg on Instagram; or subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter at shorerivers.org/subscribe.

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

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin to Speak at Rural Maryland Council Legislative Luncheon

January 25, 2021 by Rural Maryland Council (RMC) Leave a Comment

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Maryland’s senior senator and former Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, will be the featured guest speaker for this year’s Rural Maryland Council (RMC) legislative luncheon to be held on Friday, January 29, from noon to 2 p.m. via Zoom. The event is free.

For information, visit rural.maryland.gov, or email rmc.mda@maryland.gov. To register visit https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ehikcvig0fcdac5c&oseq=&c=&ch=

Senator Cardin is a staunch believer that access to affordable, quality health care should be considered a right, not a privilege, and is a leading advocate for the Chesapeake Bay. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, and currently serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship. Senator Cardin also serves as senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Environment & Public Works committees, in addition to sitting on the Senate Finance Committee.

During the luncheon attendees will hear reports from Rural Maryland Council working groups and will discuss the slate of priorities for the Maryland General Assembly’s 2021 Legislative Session.

These priorities include:

Advocating for continued funding of $6 million for the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF) to address disparities in unemployment and poverty rates in Maryland’s rural communities and to support economic development programs;
Supporting the Governor Hogan’s FY 2022 Capital Budget Appropriation of approximately $10 million for the Local Government Infrastructure Fund in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to create and retain vibrancy in rural communities including rural broadband expansion;
Encouraging rural economic development in the form of tax credits to new or expanding businesses as well as for private angel investments;
Advocating for tax credits and a sales tax exemption to support broadband expansion services and broadband equipment;
Supporting programs and policies that will sustain and enhance agricultural production and agritourism;
Addressing the shortage of health care professionals by enabling and expanding telehealth to provide access to preventative and critical care services in rural areas.

Established in 1995, the Rural Maryland Council is an independent state agency, which brings together rural leaders, government officials at all levels, and representatives of the non-profit and for-profit sectors to develop public policy solutions to the challenges unique to rural Maryland. RMC operates under the direction of a 40-member executive board in a nonpartisan and nondiscriminatory manner with the goal to improve the quality of life while preserving the cultural heritage of Maryland’s rural communities.

For more information, visit rural.maryland.gov, call (410) 841-5772, or email rmc.mda@maryland.gov. Connect with the Rural Maryland Council at facebook.com/RuralMaryland or on Twitter @RuralMaryland.

Sections

More