Chesapeake Bay News

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking interested adults to become TEAM (Teaching Environmental Awareness in Maryland) volunteers. Volunteers will educate students about the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s environment through interactive activities in classrooms Statewide.

“Since its inception in 1998, TEAM DNR volunteers have reached over 40,000 elementary and middle school students in Maryland,” said Amy Henry, Conservation Education Specialist at DNR. “Influencing our children to respect and care for the one world we were given will help preserve our natural environment for generations to come.”

Volunteers should have an outgoing personality and a strong desire to protect the Chesapeake Bay. No prior teaching experience is necessary. Currently, TEAM offers schools-free classroom program on the following topics:

* Chesapeake Bay Watershed
* Streams
* Oyster Reefs
* Horseshoe Crabs
* Chesapeake Watermen.

Upcoming Workshops:
February 4 and 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lobby Conference Room, Tawes Building, Annapolis
(Located at 580 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, 21401)
March 11, 10 a.m. TO 3 p.m., Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary, Lothian
(Located at 1361 Wrighton Road, Lothian, 20711)

Participants are asked to bring their own lunch; beverages and snacks will be provided by the TEAM program.

To register for this training, contact Amy Henry at 410.260.8828 or ahenry@dnr.state.md.us. For more information about TEAM DNR, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/education/teamdnr

source: MD DNR

NOAA’s National Weather Service has completed the testing phase for a new 1000-watt NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards transmitter, increasing service to areas that had limited or no coverage along the Virginia and Lower Maryland Eastern Shores. Now life-saving watch and warning services will be available to recreational and commercial mariners navigating the Atlantic coastal waters in this area.

This transmitter will serve Accomack and Northampton Counties in Virginia, including the cities of Wachapreague and Chincoteague. It will also serve Somerset and Worcester Counties in Maryland, including Pocomoke City and the Atlantic coastal waters between Ocean City, Md., and Oyster, Va. The transmitter will broadcast on a frequency of 162.525 MHz, usually Channel 6 on most NOAA Weather Radio receivers.

“NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is vitally important for both recreational and commercial boaters navigating the Atlantic coastal waters,” said William Sammler, warning coordination meteorologist at the forecast office in Wakefield, Va. “Weather can change quickly and now everyone will be able to keep tuned to the latest forecasts and watches and warnings ? and take appropriate action.”

The new transmitter is located in Mappsville, Va., on a tower owned by Accomack County. Funding for the transmitter was secured by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management using a $59,900 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service, and $16,640 from the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Management Performance Grant. USDA has awarded 99 grants from its Weather Radio Transmitter Grant Program to extend the coverage of NOAA Weather Radio into rural America.

source: National Weather Service

The Chesapeake Bay retriever is one of the most popular hunting dogs in the region. Their powerful, muscular body and waterproof coat make them an excellent retriever for waterfowl hunting. Their coat is short, dense and wavy, usually brown, red or tan. The head of the Chesapeake Bay retriever is broad and wide with a powerful but yet endearing appearance. The head and face of this breed is short haired. The eyes are yellowish or amber in color.

Chesapeake Bay retrievers make friendly, intelligent and obedient dogs. They are known to be courageous, loving and very trainable. The breed has a reputation for being affectionate and good with families. Chesapeakes often join a family as a puppy and take on a variety of roles which may include being a companion and protector of children while also acting as a working dog during the hunting season.

It is said that the Chesapeake Bay retriever breed originated when a shipwreck occurred off the coast of Maryland in 1807. According to legend, Newfoundland dogs survived the shipwreck and these were given to a local family. The pair were bred with local retrievers which eventually led to the development of the breed. The result was a type of dog that is well suited for hunting and swimming in the Chesapeake Bay.

Proposed rules regulating the advertising of “local” foods have been published in the Maryland Register for public comment. The regulations were drafted by MDA as part of a law which seeks to bring clarity to consumers as to what constitutes local.

“With the increased interest in buying local and the current lack of agreement on defining local, we feel it is paramount that consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions about their food purchases,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance.  “If advertising a food product as ‘local’, the proposed regulations will require businesses to disclose the origin of their product and consumers can make their own determination if a food advertised as ‘local’ meets their standard.”

The law authorizes the Secretary to regulate the use of the terms “local” or “locally grown” when used to advertise agricultural and seafood products.  It aims to support Maryland farmers and provide transparency to consumers interested in purchasing local foods by informing Marylanders about their local foods purchases.

In recent years, interest in locally produced foods has surged, leading to the rapid growth of farmer’s markets, and the appearance of Maryland products in restaurants and grocery stores.  However, there has been little agreement as to the definition of “local” foods.  A task force of farmers, retail representatives, consumer advocates, and other interested stakeholders provided input for the proposal.

The 2010 Policy Choices Survey by the University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy found that 78 percent of Marylanders are more likely to buy produce that is identified as having been grown by a Maryland farmer.

source:  Maryland Department of Agriculture

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Waterway Improvement Fund has approved a project at Wicomico County’s Nanticoke Harbor totaling $1,605,000. The project includes maintenance dredging 13,600 yards of material and repairing two existing stone jetties totaling 1,373 feet in length.

“This project is beneficial to the commercial and recreational boating citizens of Wicomico County and visitors who use Nanticoke Harbor,” said Gary Mackes, Director of Wicomico Parks, Recreation & Tourism.

Dredging will make the harbor more accessible to recreational and commercial boats that use the facility. Currently, some boats must wait to come and go at high tide to avoid running aground in the shallow channel. Rebuilding the stone jetties will help to keep sediment from accumulating in the harbor. Over the years the jetties have settled, reducing their effectiveness. This also means they are covered by water in high tides, rendering them a hazard to anyone not familiar with their location.

The dredging will begin immediately, followed by the reconstruction of the stone jetties. The project could be completed by the end of March. The contract was awarded to Corman Marine Construction.

This project is funded entirely by the Waterway Improvement Fund, which is funded by the five percent excise fee boaters pay when they register a boat in Maryland.

Bob Gaudette, Director of DNR’s Boating Services, said jobs like the Nanticoke Harbor project support marine contractors.

“It really is a stimulus program for those in the marina industry. Contractors have indicated to me they would have laid off employees without the projects,” said Gaudette.

To learn more about DNR’s Waterway Improvement Fund, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/boating.

source: MD DNR

Artists, crafters and online shops are offering some exceptional Chesapeake Bay gifts for 2010. This page showcases just a few of the many items that are available online for the 2010 holiday shopping season.

For skipjack enthusiasts, this historic working skipjack design is available on t-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, stickers and other collectibles.

This t-shirt features a classic Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboat, used for transportation, commercial fishing, crabbing, oystering and charter fishing and recreational fishing.

Duck enthusiasts will be interested in this line of redhead duck artwork. The collection includes t-shirts, sweatshirts and other apparel.

This Chesapeake Bay osprey logo is featured on men’s and women’s long sleeve t-shirts as well as a variety of other apparel.

This calendar features photographs of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, fish, ducks, geese, lighthouses and more.

To see the entire line of  Chesapeake Bay Artwork, visit Outdoors USA online store.

Amazon also has an extensive collection of Chesapeake Bay books and other gifts.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust recently approved $1.3 million in grants to 64 organizations and schools throughout the area to fund Bay restoration activities and environmental education programs.  Recommendations for four of the Trust’s major grant programs and initiatives, including its Living Shorelines program, Green Streets-Green Jobs initiative, Watershed Assistance Grant Program and Mini Grants Program, were approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees and will fund projects that protect eroding shorelines, promote green infrastructure, and engage Maryland’s students in meaningful environmental and outdoor educational experiences.

Specific grant programs that were awarded include:

Living Shorelines Grant Program: $728,629 in funding for seven grants

The Trust, in partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center and the Maryland Department of the Environment, awarded funding to seven organizations to create and promote living shorelines in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C portions of the Bay.  Recipients included the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Virginia Institute for Marine Science, among others.

Green Streets Green Jobs Initiative: $231,320 in funding for eight grants

The Trust, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Department of the Environment, partnered with the EPA on a special funding opportunity to develop green streets and other urban green infrastructure projects.  Eight municipalities received funding including the Town of Bladensburg, City of College Park, and Town of Cheverly, among others.

Watershed Assistance Grant Program: $216,867 in funding for eight grants

The Trust and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources funded eight organizations for restoration programs and projects that will lead to improved water quality in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.  Recipients included the Potomac Conservancy, Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, the City of Rockville, and more.

Mini Grants Program: $107,484 in funding for 41 grants

The Trust’s Mini Grant Program awards up to $5,000 grants to support activities at schools and non-profit organizations that help promote awareness of and participation in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.  Dozens of schools throughout the area were awarded funding to get K-12 students involved in hands-on outdoor activities that promote environmental stewardship and restoration.

For more information on these grant programs and what the Trust funds, visit www.cbtrust.org.

source: Chesapeake Bay Trust press release

In November, the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative (MARI) added additional concrete material to Dominion Reef at the Gooses, its second major construction operation at this site this year. In cooperation with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Maryland Charterboat Association, Weeks Marine used crane barges to deploy the concrete, supplied from a local reconstruction project, on November 5.

“The Dominion Reef at the Gooses represents a valuable opportunity to enhance the habitat of a site in the Chesapeake that has the potential to be a field of dreams for myriad species — including mussels, oysters, crabs, striped bass and other types of finfish,” said DNR Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell. “These ecological benefits will translate into economic benefits for many bay fishing communities, including Chesapeake Beach, Deale, Solomons, Tilghman and Kent Island.”

MARI was established in 2007 to raise funds for marine habitat enhancement projects across Maryland. With over 50 partners, MARI has built four artificial reefs using more than 80,000 tons of recycled concrete from the demolition of the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C.

Dominion Reef at the Gooses was christened in 2007 as part of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project. It is MARI’s largest project to date. The project was named after the Dominion Foundation, the largest corporate sponsor, which provided a total of $275,000 toward the mission. In July of this year, a water quality monitoring data buoy funded by Dominion was placed on the reef along with the initial batch of new reef material from the reconstruction of the Dominion LNG gas dock near Calvert Cliffs.

The entire site, approximately 360 acres, includes 50 acres of recycled concrete. The project has the overwhelming support of the public, local businesses, conservation groups, state agencies and recreational anglers.

source: DNR

On October 18, 2010, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that the 2010 Young of the Year Striped Bass Survey is 5.6, below the long-term average of 11.6. This is the third consecutive year of below average striped bass production in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

The population remains above the management action trigger set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). According to the commission, the number of adults in the Atlantic coast population and levels of fishing are well within limits as set by the ASMFC management framework.

DNR biologists point out that variation in annual spawning success is normal because striped bass reproduction is influenced by many factors including water temperature, winter snowfall, spring flow rates, and prevailing weather conditions.

DNR biologists have used the same techniques to monitor the reproductive success of striped bass and other species in Maryland’s portion of Chesapeake Bay annually since 1954. Twenty-two survey sites are located in the four major spawning systems: Choptank, Potomac, and Nanticoke rivers, and the Upper Bay. Biologists visit each site monthly from July through September, collecting fish samples with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine.

During this year’s survey, biologists identified more than 37,000 fish of 50 different species, including 737 young-of-year striped bass. Other findings of note were an increase in the number of juvenile spot. This important forage species and popular target for recreational anglers is at the highest level since 2005. White perch reproduction was also above average in the upper regions of the Bay. The juvenile indices are calculated as the average catch of young of the year fish per sample. For more information, go to www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/juvindex/index.html

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the launch of its updated Online Boating Access Guide. The web-based guide provides the location of public boating access sites across the state, as well as site-specific details on amenities, parking, directions, and fees. The new site is located at www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/boatramps.asp

“The previously offered data were out of date, and boaters told us they needed more information,” said Lisa Gutierrez, DNR’s Division Director of Boating Services who oversaw the project. “In addition, we wanted to reflect the growing number of non-motorized recreational boaters who wanted information on soft launch sites.”

DNR’s Boating Services Unit worked for almost two years to produce new maps and collect data from local, state and federal partners for the updated site. Boaters planning to use launch sites are encouraged to check the website before planning a trip.

While DNR provides the maps, most boat ramps are operated by county departments of parks and recreation. Contact information for these offices is provided on the new website and boaters should contact the counties for information on parking, fees, and permits, which vary.

“This new guide will help supply boaters all over Maryland, and beyond, with the information they need to access and experience Maryland’s waterways and the Chesapeake Bay,” said Bob Gaudette, DNR’s Director of Boating Services.

For more information visit www.dnr.state.md.us/boating