Chesapeake Bay News

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and its partners are calling on the federal government to conduct a comprehensive scientific analysis of  the cumulative impacts of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation in the six Bay states, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia.

The first action was to file a legal petition, under the National Environmental Policy Act, calling for that comprehensive analysis, called a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, of the risks and cumulative impacts of the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus shale formation in the Chesapeake Bay states. Once the analysis is complete the petition calls on the government to make appropriate decisions about the need for new regulatory action.

The petition was signed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Shenandoah Valley Network, The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, and Friends of the Upper Delaware River.

CBF also sent a letter to President Obama in support of the legal petition, signed more than 120 businesses, organizations, elected officials, and individuals who are extremely concerned about the unknown consequences and cumulative impacts of natural gas extraction from the Marcellus shale formation on the environment, drinking water and human health, and America’s treasured lands such as our national parks, wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges. Signatories to the letter include Audubon Pennsylvania, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), the Mid-Atlantic Council Trout Unlimited, The Garden Club of America, and American Rivers.

While natural gas in the Marcellus shale offers an abundant source of domestically-produced energy that can create jobs and provide income, the history of resource extraction in this country is littered with long-lasting environmental degradation and risks to human health.

Drilling is already causing damage, to both human health and the environment. There has been contamination of drinking water wells, gas bubbling up into the Susquehanna River, spills of fracking water and diesel fuel, fires, blowouts, and explosions.

“The law is clear that the federal government is required to undertake a comprehensive study if activities like Marcellus drilling are likely to affect the environment through the release of hazardous substances, result in significant cumulative adverse impacts on local air quality, or significantly affect important resources including wetlands, aquifer recharge zones, or fish or wildlife habitat,” said CBF attorney Amy McDonnell. “It is good science and good business to get the facts and that is what we are seeking. Nothing less than human health is also at stake.”

In many of the Bay states, most notably in Pennsylvania, natural gas wells are being permitted at breakneck speed with scant regard to the cumulative damage that is occurring, or support for the affected communities. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the state issued over 1,900 permits for Marcellus shale drilling in 2009. In 2010 it issued over 3,300 more. And, in the first two months of 2011, Pennsylvania issued an additional 590 permits. If that pace continues, Pennsylvania will approve over 3,500 new permits this year alone.

A preliminary report from the Academy of Natural Sciences tested water, and looked for sensitive insects and salamanders in areas with no wells, few wells, and high numbers of wells. It found that as the number of wells in an area increased, water quality deteriorated, and the number of insects and salamanders decreased by 25 percent. In a press statement Dr. David Velinsky of the Academy of Natural Sciences said, “This suggests there is indeed a threshold at which drilling—regardless of how it is practiced—will have a significant impact on an ecosystem.”

“With 35 national parks within or near the Marcellus Shale formation, including nine in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the threats to our national treasures are great,” said Cinda Waldbuesser, senior program manager for NPCA’s Pennsylvania field office.  “The economic benefits of natural gas development must not compromise the long-term benefits of protecting water quality and preserving our national parks, which are already economic generators for local communities.”

The Executive Order issued by President Obama in 2009 says, “Restoration of the health of the Chesapeake Bay will require a renewed commitment to controlling pollution from all sources as well as protecting and restoring habitat and living resources, conserving lands, and improving management of natural resources, all of which contribute to improved water quality and ecosystem health. The Federal Government should lead this effort.”

And though there are several risk assessments underway, none is comprehensive or complete. The cumulative effects of pollution from Marcellus shale drilling activities currently underway or proposed in the future have not been assessed or factored in to any of the state plans to reduce pollution.

source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is encouraging Marylanders “Check Line 37” on their Maryland state income tax form and contribute to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund, a voluntary mechanism created to support Bay restoration and education programs and to protect Maryland’s endangered species.

The fund, which is split evenly between the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, allows Marylanders to donate through their state income tax return to help the Bay and conserve Maryland’s native wildlife and endangered species.

In 2010, more than $1.1 million was contributed through the tax check-off, which funded Bay restoration initiatives, community stewardship projects and environmental education programs throughout the state.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is an independent nonprofit foundation that receives half the proceeds generated from the Bay Fund. The organization awards hundreds of grants each year to organizations that engage individuals and local communities in efforts to improve the health of the Bay and local waters.  Since 1985, the Trust has awarded more than $34 million in grants, including $4.2 million in 2010 alone.

In 2010, Trust grants engaged 97,803 students and 42,000 volunteers who removed 553 tons of trash from Maryland streams and rivers, planted 115,665 native plants and trees, and restored 47 acres of wetlands, oyster reefs and streamside buffers.

Launched in 1990, the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund is one of the most successful voluntary tax check-off programs in the nation.  Last year, almost 46,000 Maryland state income tax statements were returned with contributions to the fund, which averaged $28 per donation.

To make a donation, taxpayers can simply complete line 37 on their Maryland state income tax form or ask their accountant to process the donation.  Donations of any dollar amount can be made and all are tax deductible.

For more information on the Chesapeake Bay Trust, visit www.cbtrust.org

For information about the Department of Natural Resource’s Wildlife and Heritage Division, visit www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife.

source: Chesapeake Bay Trust

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Clean Marina Program has launched a contest to determine the 2011 Maryland Clean Marina of the Year.

Anyone can nominate a Clean Marina for the award (except program staff and contest sponsors). Nominations will be accepted through December based on services performed at the marinas during 2011. The goal is to hear from boaters, marine contractors, staff, and citizens about Maryland Clean Marinas that are excelling in their efforts to run a clean facility.

Winner(s) will be chosen by the Clean Marina Program based on demonstrated excellence in:

* Overall cleanliness of the facility (indoors and outdoors);

* Environmental services offered (recycling liquid and/or solid waste, pump-outs, vacuum sanders, pet waste pick up bags, absorbent pads at the fuel dock, etc.);

* Communicating and enforcing “clean marina” practices and goals to customers and contractors through rules, signs, and services.

Maryland launched the first Clean Marina Program in the United States in 1998 and to date has certified 143 facilities as Clean Marinas or Clean Marina

Partners. DNR has created this contest to celebrate the excellent work of these small businesses to protect our natural resources and comply with complex regulations.

Prizes for the Clean Marina of the Year Contest are being solicited from companies that provide marine services and products that can help Maryland Clean

Marinas protect our natural resources and/or comply with environmental regulations. The acceptance of donated prizes from any company is not an endorsement of that product or service by either the Maryland Clean Marina Program or the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Any company interested in donating a prize to the Maryland Clean Marina of the Year Contest should contact Donna Morrow at dmorrow@dnr.state.md.us or 410-260-8773.

Complete contest rules and a current list of Maryland Clean Marinas and Clean Marina Partners are available on line at

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/cleanmarina/

source: MD DNR

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, early March runoff into the Susquehanna River watershed from heavy rains and snowmelt has brought a flood of nutrients and sediment-laden freshwater flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. This heavy spring runoff has resulted in record low water clarity for the month of March in many areas of Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Continued wet spring weather could extend these high flows which, in turn, could result in less underwater grasses and increased algal blooms. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is expected to continue its comprehensive Chesapeake Bay water quality habitat and living resources monitoring to assess any short- or long-term storm-related impacts.

On March 12, 2011, two days after a very heavy rain event (2+ inches) across the region, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a peak “flow” of 485,000 cubic feet/second (cfs) from the Susquehanna River at Conowingo Dam. Average monthly flows at that site in March are about 75,000 cfs. This is the highest average daily flow rate observed at the dam since floodwaters from Tropical Storm Ivan passed in September 2004.

A review of 26 years of water clarity data collected by the State shows that depth measurements in the Chesapeake Bay and many tributaries in March 2011 are below historic measures or set new historic lows.

A high amount of freshwater flowing into the Chesapeake Bay erodes sediments and transports polluted runoff (including nutrients and sediments) downstream towards the Bay.

The early spring season is a critical period for underwater grasses, which are beginning to grow. Also affected are saltwater and anadromous fish such as striped bass, yellow perch, river herring and American shad, all of which spawn in the Chesapeake during the Spring.

On World Water Day (March 22, 2011), America’s Great Waters Coalition designated nine new Great Waters, including the New York/New Jersey Harbor, the Albemarle Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, and the Colorado River.

The Coalition works to ensure the restoration of America’s Great Waters to protect people, wildlife, and the economy by advocating for adequate funding for restoration efforts and raise awareness and educate decision makers about the challenges facing our nation’s Great Waters.

“We cannot afford not to protect our Great Waters,” said Theresa Pierno, co-chair for the America’s Great Waters Coalition and executive vice president for the National Parks Conservation Association.  “The health of our Great Waters is directly linked to America’s economic recovery and the creation of jobs. Millions of jobs are dependent on our Great Waters and contribute trillions to our nation’s economy.”

For more than three decades, landmark legislation and funding for restoration efforts has protected America waterways. With intense disagreement on funding levels for fiscal year 2011, funding for critical restoration projects is at risk. The Coalition is advocating that decision makers support restoration efforts for America’s waterways that are critical to local economies and way of life for communities nationwide.

“Cuts now will cost us later,” said Roy A. Hoagland, co-chair for the America’s Great Waters Coalition and vice president at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “The longer we wait to invest in restoring our nation’s Great Waters – whether it be the Chesapeake Bay, the Everglades, Great Lakes, Long Island Sound, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, the Gulf of Mexico or others – the more we will have to pay to achieve healthy ecosystems. It is frightening to consider the impacts that major funding cuts would have on the health of our Great Waters.”

In addition to the Chesapeake Bay and 9 other Great Waters already designated, the Coalition added the following bodies of water: the Albemarle Pamlico Sound, Colorado River, Delaware River, Galveston Bay, Missouri River, Narragansett Bay, New York/New Jersey Harbor, Ohio River, and the Rio Grande.

While the Great Waters vary in geographic location and physical characteristics, they are plagued by similar problems such as toxic pollution, altered water flows, habitat loss and destruction, invasive species, and more.  However, across the country, restoration efforts funded by the federal government are producing on-the-ground results.

The Coalition consists of more than 50 local, regional, and national organizations that believe that speaking with a united voice and working together will help nationalize Great Waters’ priorities, and will bring more strength to each region’s restoration efforts.

To learn more about the Great Waters Coalition, visit: www.nwf.org/greatwaters.

River coordinators from 13 of 18 Chesapeake Bay participating tributaries met on March 2 with Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff on Kent Island to prepare for the Marylanders Grow Oysters summer growing season.

The 13 local program sponsors, managers from the DNR Fisheries Service shellfish division and the Oyster Recovery Partnership spent the day discussing the results of the past three years, the benefits of the program for oysters and for the Bay citizenry, and how the program can be improved.

Coordinators shared their experiences and advice with one another to improve their efforts and methods. They also discussed logistics for the collection of oysters this summer, which will be planted in local sanctuaries. Last summer, approximately 1.9 million oysters were grown by the volunteer growers and were planted in sanctuaries.

Through the Marylanders Grow Oysters Program, citizen volunteers tend to young oysters growing in wire mesh cages suspended from private piers for their first year of life. The oyster spat and cages are provided by DNR and other program partners at no charge to the volunteers. The oysters require minimal care – mostly rinsing the cages every two weeks.

Citizen oyster growers enjoy the personal rewards of stewardship and learn about oysters while contributing to the enhancement of an oyster reef in their local tributary. The year-old oysters are collected and planted in a local oyster sanctuary, and a new group of young oysters is distributed to participating growers to start the process again.

In more good news for Maryland’s native oyster, DNR’s most recent oyster survey showed promising results. The number of spat or baby oysters in Maryland waters is at its highest level since 1997, the survival rate for young oysters is also up and more Marylanders are looking to start up or expand aquaculture businesses.

Governor O’Malley launched the program in 2008 with nearly 900 oyster cages along the Tred Avon River. DNR expanded the program with various oyster partners and now about 8,000 cages, tended by approximately 1,500 growers, are located in 18 tributaries. The oyster cages are built by Maryland inmates at Maryland Correctional Enterprises in Hagerstown and the Eastern Pre-Release Unit in Church Hill. Additional inmates assist with oyster spat production at the DNR hatchery in St. Mary’s County.

The Marylanders Grow Oysters Program is managed by the DNR in conjunction with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science which produces the majority of the spat, and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

For more information about Marylanders Grow Oysters visit oysters.maryland.gov

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) seeks volunteers who have an interest in conservation and desire to visit significant natural areas, farms and forest land, waterfronts, historic and scenic landscapes.

MET will offer a volunteer training session from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on April 17, 2011 at Cromwell Valley Park in Baltimore County for individuals interested in helping to monitor conservation easement properties.

Volunteers must participate in the one day training session and agree to complete ten monitoring visits annually. Volunteers should be over 20 years of age, physically able to walk over potentially rugged terrain and have their own transportation and camera.

Lunch will be provided. Pre-registration is required. The deadline to register for this training session is March 25, 2011. For more information or to register for the volunteer training, please contact Michelle Johnson, (410) 514-7908 or mjohnson@dnr.state.md.us.

source: MD DNR

Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) President William C. Baker issued a statement regarding Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s notice that he intends to file an amendment to the fiscal 2011 funding bill.

According to the CBF, the amendment would eliminate all Environmental Protection Agency funding to “develop, promulgate, evaluate, implement, provide oversight to,” Bay clean-up efforts under the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

“How unfortunate that Congressman Goodlatte, who represents one of the states that would benefit most from a healthy Chesapeake Bay, is seeking to torpedo the Bay restoration plan before its ink is scarcely dry. The cleanup plan, finalized just weeks ago, is the result of years of intense work, community outreach, and consensus agreement among scientists, policymakers, and leaders in six states. It follows decades of widely acknowledged failure to restore a national treasure that multiple presidents, governors, and members of Congress have pledged to restore and that millions of voters have consistently said they support.

“A successful Chesapeake Bay restoration plan simply must have a fully supportive and involved federal partner. As history has shown, the Bay states cannot do it alone. The Bay TMDL may well represent the Bay’s best and last chance for restoration. Its goal is to restore clean water to the Chesapeake and to tributaries such as the Shenandoah River, a polluted river flowing through Congressman Goodlatte’s own district, by 2025. Pollutions has resulted in fish kills, dead zones, and impacts to human health, as well as costing jobs and damaging local economies. CBF fervently hopes the Goodlatte amendment will be defeated.”

Maryland is offering grants to help local communities prepare for responding and adapting to the anticipated impacts of climate change. Launched in April 2009, Maryland’s CoastSmart Communities Initiative (CCI) has provided over a half-million dollars to help local communities brace for the effects of accelerated sea level rise, shoreline erosion, increased storm frequency and intensity, and changes in rainfall and related flooding.

CCI provides financial and technical assistance to local governments to promote the incorporation of natural resource and/or coastal management practices into local planning and permitting activities. Through the planning process, program partners and communities will identify best management practices, education opportunities of both municipal officials and the public, potential code and ordinance changes, and any relevant restoration and protection opportunities.

In partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the State will provide grants from $10,000 to $75,000 to coastal communities to support the planning and preparation needed to adapt to climate related impacts in the short and long term. In addition to competitive grants, the State will offer on-the-ground expertise, planning guidance, training and tools to support local planning efforts. Applications are being accepted through March 24.

“Land planning decisions in coastal areas along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline are made primarily by local municipalities. Without support from the Chesapeake and Coastal Program, Queenstown and many other small municipalities would not have the necessary tools to plan for potential storm events, shoreline changes, and protecting our water resources,” said Kathy Boomer, the project manager for Queenstown’s CCI project and member of the Queenstown Planning Commission.

Due to its geography and geology, the Chesapeake Bay region is ranked the third most vulnerable to sea level rise, behind Louisiana and Southern Florida. Maryland’s low-lying coastal communities, public infrastructure and vital habitats are particularly at risk to the impacts to climate change, especially with respect to accelerated sea level rise, shoreline erosion and increased storm frequency and intensity. With the adoption of the Climate Action Plan in 2008, the State committed to provide sea level rise planning guidance to advise adaptation and response planning at the local level.

The Maryland Commission on Climate Chance recently released its Phase II Strategy for Reducing Maryland’s Vulnerability to Climate Change. For more information about the Commission’s efforts, visit http://www.green.maryland.gov/climate.html.

Recent CoastSmart Communities projects have included: the development of a strategic plan targeting sea level rise and climate change in Anne Arundel County; a sea level rise adaptation and response plan for the City of Annapolis that includes a vulnerability and impact assessment as well as outlines policy response options; improvements to Caroline County’s floodplain and stormwater management programs; an integrated community and watershed design project and transportation element for the town of Queenstown; and improvements to stormwater and coastal erosion management in several small Talbot County villages.

To learn more about this opportunity as well as the services offered by the State to help communities reduce their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, please visit the CoastSmart Communities Online Resource Center at http://dnr.maryland.gov/CoastSmart, or e-mail the Chesapeake & Coastal Program staff at CoastSmart@dnr.state.md.us.

On February 8, 2011, the Chesapeake Bay Trust released the results of a statewide poll that surveyed more than 1,000 Marylanders on their attitudes about Chesapeake Bay restoration and other environmental issues.  In total, more than 90 percent of respondents stated that “water pollution in rivers, streams and the Chesapeake Bay” is their top environmental concern.

While most Marylanders believe that the health of the Bay and local waters is not yet improving, they remain strikingly optimistic about the prospects for the future, with 85 percent saying that “the [water pollution] problem can be fixed.”  The study also shows that Marylanders are willing to step up efforts – in their personal lives and by government – to ensure the Bay’s recovery.

“The Trust commissioned this study as part of our ongoing effort to support Marylanders’ everyday commitment to environmental stewardship.  Even in the face of continuing economic difficulties, Marylanders care deeply about a healthy Bay and a clean environment,” said Allen Hance, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.  “More importantly, this commitment is backed up by high levels of individual stewardship and civic involvement and robust support for strengthened public policies to protect the environment.”

Marylanders are highly engaged in the civic life of their communities, with large numbers supporting or becoming actively involved in organizations working to solve local problems.  More than three quarters (78%) contribute money to causes they believe in, with 38 percent saying they have done so frequently over the last year.  Almost three quarters (63%) volunteer for a charitable organization in their community and 58 percent report that they’ve worked with others in their local community to solve a problem or make it a better place.

“The Chesapeake Bay Trust makes grants to organizations and schools to engage volunteers and community members in efforts to create local solutions to local problems, especially those related to water pollution.  We have always known that Marylanders are civic-minded and service-oriented,” said Hance, “but this survey reveals levels of participation higher than national averages and allows us to identify new opportunities to support community-based stewardship.”

When it comes to public policymaking, Marylanders place a high priority on protection of the natural environment.  55 percent of Marylanders place their concern for the natural environment “above average” or “at the top” of their priority list, with only 13 percent ranking their concern as “below average” or “at the bottom.”  With respect to water pollution and the health of the Bay, nearly three-quarters of Marylanders (71%) believe that government regulation is necessary to deal with the problem.  Only 22 percent think the problem can be fixed with incentives and voluntary actions alone.

When asked about a new federal and state regulatory plan for Bay clean-up, 73 percent voiced support for the concept of a pollution diet “that will require local governments in Maryland and other Bay states to reduce pollutants coming from homes, businesses, and farms within their jurisdictions.”  Nearly the same number (71%) would support a stormwater fee to address the problem of polluted runoff, provided the policy was enacted equitably across the state, returned revenue to local communities, and created jobs.  A strong majority (80%) would support “strengthened regulations on the formulation and application of lawn and garden fertilizers in order to prevent support runoff from reaching local waters and the Chesapeake Bay,” with only 15 percent opposed.

In their individual lives, Marylanders demonstrate their strong commitment to environmental stewardship in a number of ways, ranging from recycling to purchasing green products to reducing lawn fertilizer and pesticide use.  The vast majority (89%) report that they recycle and the same number (89%) are attempting to reduce energy usage.  Similar numbers of Marylanders say they pick up litter (87%) and 39 percent care enough that they talk to others about littering.  Nearly half (47%) indicate that they are actively reducing their use of lawn fertilizers and pesticides.

“This research shows that Marylanders’ concern for the Chesapeake Bay and the natural environment doesn’t slip, even in times of budget deficits and persistent economic challenges.  For Marylanders, it’s not an ‘either-or’ between the economy and the environment,” said Steve Raabe, Founder and President of OpinionWorks, the firm that conducted the survey.  “They want to see tangible progress toward a healthy Bay and are willing to pay for restoration and to support regulatory changes designed to achieve this goal.”

source: Cheseapeake Bay Trust