Chesapeake Bay News

A new website will increase government transparency and expand public participation in President Obama’s Executive Order on Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. The website will serve as the clearinghouse for all Executive Order information, including news, documents and events from the various federal agencies working on new approaches to cleaning up the nation’s largest estuary. The public can also provide feedback on the website and use online tools to track Executive Order activities.

The website address is http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net

“President Obama wants real action and real results in restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. The best way to ensure that we meet those goals is to reach out and engage the Bay communities,” said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, who chairs the Federal Leadership Committee overseeing development of the Executive Order. “Executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net is a way for everyone – from concerned parents, environmental advocates, and men and women who make their living on the Bay – to be part of the solution. The website will help promote transparency in our work and accountability to the 17 million residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

Through a blog format, a variety of content will be posted on the website in the weeks and months ahead, such as discussions of the key challenges facing the Chesapeake Bay, announcements of upcoming public meetings and events, and documents required by the Executive Order. On September 9, the draft reports on how federal agencies will address topics including water pollution, climate change and public access will be available to the public and published on the website. By November 9, these reports will be incorporated into a draft strategy for restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay, which also will be available online.

Input from the public is critically important to the federal agencies as the various reports and overall strategy are created. When the draft strategy is released on November 9, the formal public comment period will begin. But until then, feedback can be posted on the website under the Provide Feedback section. The federal agencies will receive any information that the public posts online.

The public is also encouraged to track Executive Order developments by utilizing the RSS feed, Twitter updates and Facebook page. Video and photos will be available on the YouTube and Flickr channels. Access to these tools can be found under the Stay Connected section at http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net

EXECUTIVE ORDER BACKGROUND

On May 12, 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order that recognizes the Chesapeake Bay as a national treasure and calls on the federal government to lead a renewed effort to restore and protect the nation’s largest estuary and its watershed.

The Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration Executive Order established a Federal Leadership Committee that will oversee the development and coordination of reporting, data management and other activities by agencies involved in Bay restoration. The committee will be chaired by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and include senior representatives from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, Transportation and others.

These agencies will submit draft reports by September 9, 2009 that make recommendations to:

* Define the next generation of tools and actions to restore water quality in the Bay and describe the changes to be made to regulations, programs and policies to implement these actions.

* Target resources to better protect the Bay and its rivers, particularly in agricultural conservation practices.

* Strengthen storm water management practices for federal facilities and federal land within the Bay watershed and develop a best practices guide for reducing polluted runoff.

* Assess the impacts of climate change on the Bay and develop a strategy for adapting programs and infrastructure to these impacts.

* Expand public access to the Bay and its rivers from federal lands and conserve landscapes of the watershed.

* Expand environmental research, monitoring and observation to strengthen scientific support for decision-making on Bay restoration issues.

* Develop focused and coordinated habitat and research activities.

In preparing the reports, federal agencies will consult with the governments of the seven Bay jurisdictions – Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. By November 9, the Federal Leadership Committee will integrate these reports into a draft strategy for restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay. This draft strategy will be available for public comment and a final strategy will be completed by May 12, 2010.

Beginning in 2010, the Federal Leadership Committee will publish an annual Chesapeake Bay Action Plan that describes how federal funding will be put toward Bay restoration in the upcoming year. It will be accompanied by an Annual Progress Report that reviews current environmental conditions and assesses implementation of the strategy. An independent evaluator will also periodically report on progress toward meeting the goals of the Executive Order.

Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer, Delegates Ron George and Richard Sossi and Secretary John R. Griffin recognized 12 Marinas this year that voluntarily adopted best management practices to certified as Clean Marinas at an awards luncheon in Annapolis.

“Every Marylander has a role in helping to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “I want to commend these business owners for making a significant contribution to this effort.”

Since 1999 DNR has certified 115 Clean Marinas and 24 smaller facilities designated as Clean Marina Partners. These facilities voluntarily adopt best management practices, exceeding legally required permits and plans, to reduce polluted run-off into adjacent waterways. The Maryland Clean Marina Initiative is a public-private partnership developed in response to federal legislation, requiring the State to reduce ‘non-point source’ pollution from marinas, boatyards, and recreational boats.

“As the capital of Maryland and the Sailing Capital of the World, Annapolis is a very popular destination for thousands of boaters a year. The Annapolis Harbormaster’s Office is now playing a key role in helping the state’s Clean Marina program educate the boating public on simple ways they can truly make a difference when it comes to protecting water quality and saving the Bay,” Said Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer. “Annapolis is honored to be a Clean Marina partner in this important environmental program and we encourage every marina in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to become a clean marina.”

To receive certification a marina must meet its regulatory requirements as well as implement a significant number of recommendations from the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook in areas such as sewage handling, waste containment and disposal, and marina management. The marinas must meet minimum scores—75 to 80 percent – in each area of the Award Checklist and pass a site inspection.

The Clean Marinas receiving the Governor’s Citation were:

Annapolis City Dock

Annapolis Maryland Capital Yacht Club

Annapolis Yacht Club Sailing Center

Campbell’s Boatyard at Jack’s Point (Oxford)

Clark’s Landing Marine Center (Chester)

Gunpowder Neck Boat Club (Aberdeen Proving Ground MWR)

Mill Creek Marina (Naval Station Annapolis)

Nanticoke Harbor Marina (Nanticoke)

National Harbor Marina (Oxon Hill)

Tradewinds Marina (Baltimore)

West Basin Marina (Patuxent River Naval Air Station)

Yacht Basin Company (Annapolis)

The Clean Marina Initiative was developed as an alternative to further regulations of the marina industry. Through the efforts of a committee comprised of leaders in the marine industry and government representatives, the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook was printed in 1998. Implementation of this program began in the winter of 1998.

Since 1997 the Clean Marina Initiative has used funding from several sources including NOAA and EPA and currently uses State Special Funds (Waterway Improvement). EPA’s Non-point Source Program also funded demonstration projects of pollution prevention equipment in selected watersheds for four years.

Marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs of any size are encouraged to learn more about the voluntary Clean Marina Initiative, developed with both government and industry input. Marina operators can either visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/cleanmarina/, send an email to dmorrow@dnr.state.md.us or call 410-260-8773. Recreational boaters are also encouraged to visit the Clean Marina webpage to learn how they can prevent pollution and to sign the Maryland Clean Boater Pledge.

source: DNR press release

The Chesapeake Executive Council has announced a new course for recovery of the Chesapeake Bay that will use short-term goals to dramatically accelerate the cleanup, increase government accountability and provide clean water in streams, creeks and rivers throughout the watershed. Restoration will also be greatly intensified by an Executive Order issued by President Barack Obama, who has declared the Chesapeake Bay a national treasure and deepened the federal commitment to restoring the estuary.

The new course for the restoration effort was announced at Historic Mount Vernon, Virginia, at the annual meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council, which establishes the policy agenda for the Chesapeake Bay Program. Participating in the meeting were top executives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Agriculture; the states of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, West Virginia; the District of Columbia; and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

Instead of pursuing a distant deadline, the Chesapeake Bay Program will now focus on short-term goals every two years for reducing pollution, called milestones, with the first milestone on December 31, 2011. Many states will significantly increase the pace of cleanup. Watershed-wide, the rate of progress in reducing nitrogen will accelerate by 77 percent, for a projected reduction of 15.8 million pounds. The rate of progress in reducing phosphorus will increase by 79 percent, for a projected reduction of 1.1 million pounds. By meeting biennial milestones, all pollution control measures necessary for a restored Bay will be in place no later than 2025.

“We have charted a new course for the Chesapeake Bay’s recovery that will succeed because it includes the short-term goals necessary to make steady progress and is backed by federal and state leaders who share a profound conviction to protect our environment,” said Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, chairman of the Executive Council. “It is our obligation to invest in clean water for communities today and future generations.”

President Obama’s Executive Order makes restoration of the Chesapeake Bay a greater national priority and contains many provisions, which include establishing a Bay federal leadership committee, directing EPA to fully use its Clean Water Act authorities, reducing water pollution from federal property, developing a Chesapeake Bay climate change strategy, improving agricultural conservation practices and expanding public access to the Bay.

Further federal action is coming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is creating the Chesapeake Bay TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load). The TMDL is essentially a pollution diet for the Bay that will drive the six states and D.C. to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus entering waterways. Under the Executive Order, the EPA will also be developing strategies to ensure compliance and enforcement with pollution laws throughout the watershed. Additionally, the Clean Air Interstate Rule will reduce nitrogen pollution to the Bay by an estimated 10 million pounds annually beginning in 2010.

“This Executive Order is a strong signal of the President’s commitment to restoring this national treasure which is so vital to the environment, the local economies and the way of life for millions of people,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We are bringing the full weight of this partnership to bear on this challenge, and I am extraordinarily hopeful about what we can accomplish working together.”

The restoration effort will also be invigorated by an unprecedented level of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Farm Bill, which are providing hundreds of millions of dollars to federal agencies involved in restoration and states in the watershed.

Government accountability is a critical component of the new approach to restoration. Progress can be tracked through the two-year milestones, Chesapeake Bay TMDL and Bay Barometer, the partnership’s annual report on Bay health and restoration efforts. Also, the Executive Council has requested an independent evaluation of the Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Academy of Sciences was selected to fill this role.

At the meeting, Executive Council members called for support from local governments, watershed groups and the region’s 17 million residents. Restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and the watershed’s thousands of streams, creeks and rivers will not be possible without everyone taking personal responsibility for their impact on the water. The public can help reduce pollution by taking simple actions, such as not fertilizing lawns, installing rain barrels and rain gardens, planting native trees, picking up after pets and volunteering for watershed groups.

“Partners of the Chesapeake Bay Program have launched an ambitious new course to restore the Chesapeake Bay and, most importantly, to hold ourselves accountable for progress,” said Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. “We are also calling on our citizens to work at the local level to improve water quality by reducing pollution from their property and neighborhoods. Each of us reaps the benefits of this magnificent estuary, and each of us has a responsibility to contribute to its recovery.”

The Trust for Public Land’s Parks for People-Community Rivers program in Maryland is focused on the western Chesapeake Bay shoreline and tributaries of
the four major river systems-the Gunpowder, Patuxent, Patapsco, and Potomac.

Working with government agencies at the local, county, state, and federal levels and with local organizations, The Trust for Public Land’s goal is to see
one-third of the land along these shores protected as parks and open space.

Through a GIS analysis, the program has identified over 230,000 acres of high-priority unprotected lands within a mile of the western shore of Chesapeake Bay and the four tributaries. the program is seeking to collaborate with public and private partners to collectively advance protection of these lands and create one of the greenest and most natural metropolitan river park systems in America.

To learn more, please visit: www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=22585&folder_id=628

Or contact: Tom Gilbert, Regional Conservation Services Director- tom.gilbert@tpl.org

Bay grasses, a favorite home to the blue crab, increased 20 percent in 2008 in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The majority of the 7,221-acre increase resulted from a continued expansion on the Susquehanna Flats, home of the largest bay grass beds in the Chesapeake Bay. While the new number — 42,237 acres (up from 35,016 acres in 2007) — marks a significant increase, Maryland bay grass acreage remains far short of the 2010 restoration goal of 110,000 acres.

“Whether they fish, boat, swim in its waters, or simply enjoy its world-class seafood, the waters of the Chesapeake Bay are a vital resource for Maryland families… and bay grasses are vital to a healthy Bay,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “While this increase is encouraging, we must continue to take aggressive action, collectively and individually, to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution from the major Bay sources. By properly maintaining septic systems, practicing sensible lawn care or planting trees, every Marylander can make a difference.”

Bay grasses, or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are critical to the Chesapeake by providing food and shelter for a wide range of fish, shellfish and waterfowl including largemouth bass, blue crabs and the canvasback duck. Healthy bay grass beds also protect shorelines from erosion, produce oxygen, remove excess nutrients from the water and trap sediment that would otherwise cloud the water.

“Because bay grasses are sensitive to even minor changes in water quality, they serve as a key indicator of the health of our waterways,” said Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin. “So, while these increases are good news for some portions of the Bay, there are still places where poor water quality continues to restrict recovery.

Maryland’s increase in bay grass acreage has been driven by the Susquehanna Flats beds, which now cover about 15,000 acres or about 23 square miles. The Flats, located at the top of the Chesapeake Bay, is actually a delta formed below the mouth of the Susquehanna River near Havre de Grace. These thriving beds are home to over 12 different types of bay grasses.

Increasing in size since 1991, these vast beds have also become more dense. Today they act like a giant water filter, often producing visibility up to eight feet, a level unrivaled in other areas of the Bay. These substantial increases have co-occurred with long-term reductions in nitrogen loads reaching the Bay at the Susquehanna River as confirmed by State monitoring.

In addition to the remarkable growth on the Susquehanna Flats, bay grasses in the Elk River increased nearly 20 percent to 2,347 acres meeting its acreage goal for the first time in 2008. Expansion of bay grass beds in the Northeast River continued a 3-year trend, increasing an additional 60 percent to 182 acres in 2008, far exceeding the 89-acre goal for the river.

Numerous other areas have also met bay grass restoration goals for several years now, including the Bohemia, Bush and upper Potomac Rivers, and Mattawoman Creek, though grass in the Bohemia and Bush have been declining in recent years. Also encouraging, bay grasses in the middle Patuxent and Middle Rivers, Piscataway Creek, and the upper Chesapeake Bay directly below the Susquehanna Flats are all approaching their restoration goals.

Grasses in the Potomac River — from near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge south to about Mattawoman Creek — have shown steady increases since 2000, and have exceeded the restoration goal by 47 percent. This is due in part to major upgrades in wastewater treatment at the Blue Plains Facility in Washington, DC. Long-term water quality monitoring has confirmed reduced levels of nitrogen in the Potomac River since the partial wastewater treatment plant upgrade in 1996 and the full upgrade was completed in 2000.

Increases in bay grass coverage on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore were driven primarily by the recovery of eelgrass, a higher salinity-tolerant type of bay grass, after significant reductions in eelgrass populations resulting from a bay-wide dieback in 2005. Several regions, including Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds and the Manokin and Big Annemessex Rivers, have seen increases in eelgrass since 2006. In the Honga River, bay grass acreage nearly doubled in 2008 due to a resurgence of widgeon grass, another type of bay grass tolerant of saltier waters.

Despite this encouraging progress, other Bay areas are showing steady declines in bay grass acreage. Poor water quality continues to hamper bay grass recovery in the middle zone (Kent Island south to the Potomac and Pocomoke Rivers). Several regions, including the Choptank, Little Choptank and lower Potomac Rivers, continue to experience substantial declines in bay grass acreages.

Bay grasses acreage is estimated through an aerial survey, which is flown from late spring to early fall. Additional information about the aerial survey and survey results, is available at www.vims.edu/bio/sav/.

BayStat is a statewide tool designed to assess, coordinate and target Maryland’s Bay restoration programs, and to allow citizens to track its progress. To learn more about the health of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, the sources of the problems, and the effectiveness of the wide variety of programs designed to address these problems and restore the Bay, visit www.baystat.maryland.gov.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine have announced the Chesapeake Bay’s adult population of blue crabs has increased substantially over last year, indicating management measures put into place in 2008 to address population declines are working.  The results of the most recent bay-wide winter dredge survey, which is conducted annually by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), estimate the total number of crabs overwintering in the Chesapeake Bay during 2008-2009 has increased from 280 million in 2007-2008 to just over 400 million.

The increase in abundance is primarily due to a striking increase in the number of adult female crabs, nearly double last year’s estimate.  Coupled with a 50 percent increase in abundance of adult males, overall adult abundance in 2008-2009 is estimated to be approximately 240 million crabs —  slightly over the interim target level of 200 million set by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee in early 2008.

Despite the adult population increase, the abundance of young-of-the-year crabs (less than 2 inches across the carapace) did not change measurably from last year, and remains below the 18-year survey average.  These crabs will become vulnerable to the fisheries late in the 2009 season and represent the 2010 spawning potential.

“The success of these management measures sets the stage for the next step of recovery for the Bay’s blue crab, an increase in juveniles that we hope to see next year,” said Governor O’Malley. “The ultimate challenge, of course, is to achieve sustainable crab fishery and maintain it over time.”

“We recognize that this success did not come without unavoidable economic impact to those who work in Maryland’s crabbing industry,” added Governor O’Malley. “I thank them for their conservation efforts and remain committed to mitigating the impact of conservation measures on our working families as we work to create a more profitable and sustainable crab fishery.”

“This is terrific news and a great first step, but this does not mean the problem is solved,” said Governor Kaine. “This scientific survey clearly shows we are on the right path but we need to continue our conservation efforts to rebuild this environmentally and economically vital species. I want to thank our crab industry for their support and endurance through these difficult times.”

Last spring, in response to scientific data that showed the Bay-wide population of blue crabs had plunged 70 percent since 1993, the two Governors agreed to work collaboratively on a Bay-wide effort to rebuild the species by reducing the harvest of the spawning stock of female blue crabs by 34 percent in 2008.

At that time, scientists from both states deemed conservation measures necessary as blue crabs suffered near historic lows in spawning stock.  Despite the states’ shared harvest target of 46 percent, in place since 2001, the combination of low abundance of crabs and continuing high fishing pressure led to more than 60 percent of the Bay’s crab population being harvested in 2007.

Overall, the survey indicates that the 2008 coordinated management actions implemented by the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, were collectively effective at increasing the abundance of spawning–age females, a major goal of the 2008 conservation measures.  These adult females will spawn this summer, and the resulting young crabs will be measured as young-of-the-year during the 2009-2010 survey.  It is expected that the large number of mature female crabs conserved last year will significantly increase the chances of a strong spawn in 2009.

“While we are still above our target exploitation rate of 46 percent, the survey results represent an important first success in moving the Bay’s blue crab population to a healthier state,” said DNR Secretary John Griffin. “Now we must have the discipline to stay the course, so that we may ultimately achieve and maintain a sustainable fishery.”

“It is pleasing to see this collaborative effort to rebuild the Bay’s blue crab population achieve so much, so fast,” said Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources L. Preston Bryant, Jr. “While much remains to be done, sound science shows we are on the way to creating a sustainable blue crab fishery.”

“The sharp increase in crab abundance was not a random event, nor was it due to improved environmental conditions. It was clearly due to the recent management actions,” said Dr. Rom Lipcius, who directs the VIMS component of the dredge survey. “Now, we have to ensure that these females survive to spawn this summer, and that their offspring produce a healthy spawning stock in coming years.”

Based upon winter dredge survey results, Maryland and Virginia may allow for a modest increase in the harvest of female crabs, while still focusing on the shared goal of ensuring that no more than 46 percent of the available crabs are removed in any year.  The details of any changes to catch limits and or closing dates will be developed in coordination among the management jurisdictions and in consultation with stakeholders. Changes are anticipated by the end of May.

The Bay jurisdictions will be working through 2009 to establish long term management approaches that will maintain focus on annual removal rates,  improve the efficiency and predictability of blue crab management (i.e. develop harvest allocation by jurisdiction) and increase the level of certainty in our management actions (i.e. addressing latent effort).

Governor O’Malley has worked with Maryland legislators to identify funding to help mitigate the economic impact of the regulations on the blue crab industry. The majority of $3 million designated from the State’s FY ’09 Capital budget has funded a work program through which more than 500 watermen have conducted oyster bar rehabilitation activities; $500,000 has been allocated to fund aquaculture projects. An additional $3 million is included in the State’s FY ’10 budget to continue this important work.

In September 2008, Maryland and Virginia were each awarded $10 million in federal blue crab disaster funds from NOAA‘s National Marine Fisheries Service, in response to a request from Governors O’Malley and Kaine, and advocacy by the Maryland Congressional Delegation under the leadership of Senator Barbara Mikulski. Each State also expects to receive $5 million in additional federal disaster funding as a result of recent federal budget action.

Maryland has committed much of its federal blue crab fisheries disaster money toward additional work for watermen, addressing critical issues such as the large volume of unused crabbing licenses ($4 million have been targeted for license buy–backs), a quality crab meat assurance program, additional funding for economic diversification into aquaculture, and enhanced enforcement of crabbing restrictions.

The Bay-wide blue crab winter dredge survey is a cooperative effort between DNR and VIMS, and is the primary survey used to assess the condition of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population. Since 1990, the survey has employed crab dredges to sample blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay from December through March. By sampling during winter when blue crabs are buried in the mud and stationary, scientists can develop, with good precision, estimates of the number of crabs present in the Bay.

Estimates of abundance are developed separately for young of the year crabs, mature female crabs, and adult male crabs. Together, these groups of crabs will support the 2009 fishery and produce the next generation of crabs. In May, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) will conduct a complete examination of the blue crab data including dredge survey results and 2008 harvest information. The results of this analysis will be presented in the 2009 Blue Crab Advisory Report to be released in late summer of 2009.

Additional information is available at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/crab/031709crabdredgebrief.pdf.

Maryland’s citizen oyster growing program is expanding for 2009, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to assist in coordinating the effort in local tributaries. Launched by Governor Martin O’Malley in September 2008, Marylanders Grow Oysters fosters stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay among citizens, and creates living oyster reef populations in protected sanctuaries to help restore the iconic species.

“I like to call this program ‘Head Start’ for oysters,” said Governor O’Malley. “It is a unique and fun way to enlist Maryland families in helping rebuild our oyster population, and create a smarter, greener more sustainable future for our State, our children, and our beloved Chesapeake Bay.”

Through the cooperative efforts of DNR and numerous partners, last fall 177 waterfront property owners began growing oysters in 854 oyster cages along the Tred Avon River in the first phase of the program. In 2009, the program will expand to other tributaries.

This year DNR is seeking NGOs to act as local project coordinators who will identify waterfront property owners willing to become oyster growers and deliver oyster cages and oysters to growers in the tributary. The NGOs can be community associations, non-profit organizations, RiverKeepers or similar groups.

Through the 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 then collected and planted in a local oyster sanctuary, and a new group of young oysters are distributed to participating growers to start the process again.

Interested NGOs should visit http://www.oysters.maryland.gov/pdfs/Oyster_App_Doc.pdf to obtain an application. Applications will be accepted until May 22. Contact Chris Judy at 410-260-8259 or cjudy@dnr.state.md.us for any additional information.

On April 7, 2009 the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) Executive Committee announced their agreement to identify a native-only restoration strategy as the preferred alternative in the final PEIS due to be published in late June. The Governors of Maryland and Virginia praised the decision.

“Over the past two years, the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia have built an unprecedented partnership to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its living resources,” said Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. “I am extremely pleased that, together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we have reached an agreement on a preferred oyster restoration alternative, one that will not threaten the Bay’s already stressed ecosystem. We look forward to finalizing this process over the next few months, and to collaborating with our partners in Virginia to use new science developed through this extraordinary study to support both the ecological restoration of our native oyster and the revitalization of our oyster industry with emphasis on new aquaculture opportunities.”

On Friday, April 3, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources submitted a proposal for federal stimulus funds in the amount of $10 million to fund oyster related projects. The proposal included projects to recreate and/or place natural/alternative oyster reef substrate, produce and plant oyster spat and enhance hatchery productivity and monitor oyster populations and water quality for oyster health on restoration sites. The State of Maryland currently has $5 million slated for oyster projects during Fiscal Year 2009, which will supplemented by additional funding from federal partners: $1 million via Army Corps of Engineers and $2.6 million from NOAA through the Oyster Recovery Partnership.

“Virginia has long been committed to finding solutions that address the decline in oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and we’re proud of the collaborative progress we’ve made through a strong regional partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland, and federal agencies,” said Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine. “While we have seen certain promise in ariakensis aquaculture from the Virginia Seafood Council trials over the past seven years, we agree-based on the recommendations of our Virginia Institute of Marine Science-that moving forward we should focus primarily on restoring the Bay’s native oyster. We’re pleased the Corps will allow for possible continued ariakensis experiments under tightly-controlled conditions so that we can continue answering scientific questions in the future.”

The Army Corps of engineers commended the Committee’s cooperative efforts.

“Based on the current state of the science and extensive public review, the use of non-native oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, its tidal tributaries and the coastal bays and waters of Maryland and Virginia poses ecological risks. Therefore, it is prudent for us to adopt a native oyster alternative, while allowing for scientific research for improving our understanding of non-native oyster ecology and restoration implications. This is critical since the PEIS was inclusive whether the native oyster can make a full comeback Bay wide,” said Col. Dionysios “Dan” Anninos, Norfolk District commander, during a media teleconference.

A 30-day public comment period will follow publication of the final PEIS, with a formal Record of Decision expected to be published in late July.

The Executive Committee includes the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the secretaries of natural resources for the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia, working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Following is the complete joint statement agreed to by the Committee:

Based on the current state of the science, and extensive public discourse the use of non-native oysters in Chesapeake Bay, its tidal tributaries, and the coastal bays and waters of Maryland and Virginia poses unacceptable ecological risks.

Therefore, it is prudent for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia and Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) to adopt a native oyster only preferred alternative for purposes of the PEIS. In selecting the native oyster alternative, the Corps, together with the cooperating federal agencies, the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia and PRFC will remain fully committed to using only the native oyster to work towards revitalizing oyster restoration and aquaculture in meeting commercial and ecological goals. Furthermore, the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia and PRFC will work towards implementing biologically and economically sustainable harvesting measures for the public oyster fishery. Finally, the Corps, together with the cooperating federal agencies, the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia and PRFC will pursue the establishment of realistic metrics, accountability measures and a performance based adaptive management methodology for all efforts in revitalizing the native oyster for purposes of achieving commercial and ecological goals.

In selecting this preferred alternative, the Corps is aware that future scientific investigation may be proposed for purposes of improving our understanding of non-native oyster ecology and restoration implications. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will consider such proposals only when they are part of a scientific research framework. The research framework must be reviewed and approved by the PEIS lead and cooperating agencies and PRFC. A key criterion for approval of any such proposal will be to demonstrate that the proposal will not pose unacceptable ecological and socio-economic risks. Utilizing established regulatory process, the review of any such proposal will include consultation with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and a process agreed to by the partner agencies to obtain scientific advice and peer review similar to that which was utilized for the development of this PEIS.

The Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants (SWG) Program provides grants of $20,000 to $200,000 to organizations and local governments working on a local level to implement protects that improve small watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay basin, while building citizen-based resource stewardship. The program also provides small grants for project planning and design. This program is funded by EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office, as well as by NOAA Fisheries, USDA Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other sponsors.

The RFP for the 2009 Small Watershed Grants Program is now live on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation website, at www.nfwf.org/smallwatershed, where you will find information about the program, how to apply, and a link for the webinar we will conduct on Monday, March 16 at 12 noon. The webinar will provide guidance on how to prepare competitive applications for the CBSWG Program, as well as information about NFWF’s new Easy Grants online application system.

For more information about how to apply via Easy Grants, please go to www.nfwf.org/applicantinfo

To start an application go to www.nfwf.org/easygrants

applications are due May 1, 2009.

The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) is accepting grant applications for the Keep Maryland Beautiful program from voluntary non-profit groups or communities for solutions to environmental problems. The grants are part of the Trust’s Keep Maryland Beautiful activities, which are funded by the State Highway Administration, a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The Margaret Rosch Jones Award is awarded to an ongoing project that has already demonstrated success in solving an environmental issue, whether local or statewide.

The Bill James Environmental Grants are awarded to nonprofit youth groups for new environmental education projects in their community.

The Jones award is given in memory of Margaret Jones, the executive director and moving spirit of the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program for many years. The Trust looks forward to honoring Ms Jones qualities of devotion, energy and ingenuity with a group working today to re-build and enhance their community environment.

The Bill James Environmental Grants are given in memory of William S. James, who drafted legislation to create the Maryland Environmental Trust, incorporating the activities of the Governor’s Committee to Keep Maryland Beautiful.

To be considered, a project must have:

* Demonstrated leadership and volunteer participation
* Potential benefit to the environment and community
* A feasible plan, including goals, success criteria and time line for completion

Application forms with guidance may be obtained at www.dnr.state.md.us/met or from Beki Howey (410-514-7915). Deadline for applications is March 31, 2009.