Chesapeake Bay News

The Conservation Fund has released A Sustainable Chesapeake: Better Models for Conservation, a new book that provides a conservation resource for government agencies, community groups, businesses and others involved in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.

A Sustainable Chesapeake profiles promising conservation practices and technologies and describes the protection of critical land and water resources in a series of 31 case studies that feature the work of government and private organizations and conservation leaders throughout the Bay watershed. The book’s six chapters—Climate Change Solutions, Stream Restoration, Green Infrastructure, Incentive Driven Conservation, Watershed Protection, and Stewardship—are each introduced with a summary of the restoration principles learned from the projects.

The case studies show the many dimensions of land and water conservation through a standardized, user-friendly format that includes photos, diagrams, tables, facts and concepts that people and organizations can draw from to solve local conservation challenges.

The book was developed by David Burke, an experienced conservation planner and president of Burke Environmental Associates, and Joel Dunn, program coordinator of The Conservation Fund’s Sustainable Chesapeake initiative. The initiative builds on The Conservation Fund’s record of land and water conservation with tools that lead to smarter conservation and development, increases the capacity of regional groups and agencies to solve conservation issues, and demonstrates sustainable economies. The Fund has conserved more than 300,000 acres in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

A Sustainable Chesapeake is available in print and on The Conservation Fund’s website. The website (www.conservationfund.org/sustainable-chesapeake) allows users to download individual profiles, chapters or the entire publication as PDF files.

Until limited supplies are exhausted, a hard copy version of the publication can be obtained through Joe Wagner of Whitmore Group by emailing: joe [AT] whitmore.com with the name and address where a UPS shipment can be delivered.

The Chesapeake Watershed: A Sense of Place and a Call to Action has just received a national book award. The book was the 2010 Winner of the Best Book on Environmental and Natural Resources, given by The American Society for Public Administration.

For more information about the book, see this article:

New Estuary Book “The Chesapeake Watershed: A Sense of Place and a Call to Action”

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has announced the release of the tenth publication in its habitat management series, entitled “Living Shorelines: Impacts of Erosion Control Strategies on Coastal Habitats.” Living shorelines, or soft shorelines, are an approach to shoreline stabilization that preserves natural sand edge or vegetated shoreline.

An increasingly popular management strategy along the Atlantic coast, living shorelines not only control erosion but create environmentally desirable features, including habitat and vegetated buffers that improve water quality and reduce the effects of upland run-off.  Unlike traditional bulkhead or revetment approaches to shoreline protection, living shorelines also tend to dissipate rather than reflect wave energy.

The document provides a brief overview of traditional erosion control methods and living shorelines, as well as the types of habitats that may be considered when creating living shorelines. It identifies the impacts of some shoreline erosion control measures on the environment, and presents examples of how various regulatory authorities are involved.

To illustrate the value of living shorelines in a “real world” setting, the document provides a case study of their use in Maryland. This document should not be considered a complete review of existing living shorelines literature. That information can be found in other documents included in the bibliography.

Appendix B suggests potential erosion control projects. The purpose of this document is to provide resource managers and the general public with a concise comparative discussion of the benefits of living shorelines, and a case study of successful projects to use for reference within their own programs.

“Living Shorelines: Impacts of Erosion Control Strategies on Coastal Habitats” is available on the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking news, or through the direct link at:

http://www.asmfc.org/publications/habitat/hms10LivingShorelines.pdf.

It is also available on CD-ROM; please send requests to info@asmfc.org (Subject line: Living Shorelines CD).

A limited amount of printed copies will be published. If you are interested in receiving one, please contact Tina Berger at tberger@asmfc.org or 202/289-6400.

Other reports available through the Commission’s habitat management series include:

* Atlantic Coast Diadromous Fish Habitat: A Review of Utilization, Threats, Recommendations for Conservation, and Research Needs (January 2009)

* The Importance of Habitat Created by Molluscan Shellfish to Managed Species along the Atlantic Coast of the United States (May 2007)

* Beach Nourishment: A Review of the Biological and Physical Impacts (November 2002)

source: ASMFC press release

The Chesapeake Book Company has just published a significant new book by local author and environmental scientist Ned Tillman. The Chesapeake Watershed: A Sense of Place and a Call to Action is a must read for anyone living in the 6 state region that drains into the Chesapeake Bay. The book illustrates how we all have a very important role to play in restoring our environment so future generations will not have to suffer from our mismanagement.

Tillman, who is Chairman of the Howard County Environmental Sustainability Board and is past chair of the Howard County Conservancy, says he wrote the book to engage, inform, and offer suggestions to all of us on how we can help restore a healthy balance between mankind and the rest of the earth. I wrote the book so it would be of interest to everyone. It should help us all develop a greater sense of place for this wonderful region where we live. The more we appreciate what we have, the better stewards we will become.

The book is receiving great reviews and is being used in high schools and colleges, and by land trusts, nature centers, and other non-profits. Tillman is particularly pleased to see industry and the government sectors also responding to the message. “We are all in this together and I am hoping this book becomes a good tool to help inform and stimulate us all to take the actions we need to restore the bay and the ecosystems that we have come to rely upon.”

For more information, visit www.thechesapeakewatershed.com.