Chesapeake Bay News

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites anglers, hunters and those interested in learning more about outdoor activities to join more than 40 fishing and hunting clubs, conservation organizations and local businesses at Maryland’s 2nd Annual National Hunting & Fishing Day Celebration & Expo on Sat., Sept. 27, 2008. Open to the public, this free event sponsored by DNR begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. at Schrader’s Bridgetown Manor, located at 16090 Oakland Road in Henderson on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

“National Hunting & Fishing Day is an opportunity to celebrate the great family traditions and economic value that sportsmen and women create throughout Maryland,” said DNR Secretary John R. Griffin. “We hope that Marylander’s take advantage of our National Hunting & Fishing Day event to learn more about the sport’s conservation traditions, connect with other sportsmen and women and pass down their passion for fish and wildlife to the next generation.”

Participants can try fun and challenging hands-on activities including spin casting, waterfowl and turkey calling lessons and demonstrations, archery and target shooting on the grounds with skilled instructors. Experienced and novice outdoorsmen and women will enjoy hunting and fishing equipment displays and demonstrations of outdoor skills. Kids will enjoy the clay pigeon and archery shooting range, laser shooting, wood duck box making and fly tying and spin casting, as well as dog demonstrations.

“This event offers fun and educational hands-on activities for all ages to enjoy,” said Patty Allen, National Hunting and Fishing Day Coordinator. “It is a great way to introduce young people and newcomers to outdoor sports, while teaching them about the important role that hunting and fishing play in Maryland’s wildlife conservation and management.”

Backwoods Bluegrass Band will provide live musical entertainment for the day-long event. DNR’s Scales and Tales will be on-hand with live animals for children to view up close. There will be a variety of merchandise and food vendors, and lots of free giveaways.

Formalized by Congress in 1971, National Hunting and Fishing Day was created by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to celebrate the conservation successes of America’s hunters and anglers. From shopping center exhibits to statewide expos, millions of citizens learned to appreciate the country’s sportsman-based system of conservation funding. Sportsmen and women generates more than $1.7 billion annually, which benefit all who appreciate wildlife and wild places.

Local sponsors of this years event include Quality Deer Management, Maryland Sportsman’s Association, Baltimore County Game and Fish Protective Association, Md. Wild Turkey Federation, Md. Trappers Association, Md. Outfitters and Guides Association, Cassidy and Association, Tutor Farms, National Wildlife Federation, National Rifle Association, Delta Waterfowl, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Chesapeake Chapter of Quails Unlimited and the Caroline County of Arts Council.

For more information about Maryland National Hunting and Fishing Day or for directions, visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/NHFD/index.asp.

source: DNR press release

The following message from VMRC should be of interest to anyone that is in favor of restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

We’re looking to form a flotilla one morning next month for an hour.

John M.R. Bull
Director of Public Relations
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
(757) 247-2269

Saturday, Aug. 23 is Natural Resources Day at the Maryland State Fair TIMONIUM, MD. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will offer interactive exhibits at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium from Friday, Aug. 22 through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1 at a new exhibit area. DNR’s exhibit showcasing sustainable ideas that citizens implement at home and work will be on the second floor of the new Maryland State Fair building along with the State Fair museum next to the 4-H Home Arts facility.

“I hope that people will stop by DNR’s new state fair exhibit to learn about what we can do to help them protect our environment,” said DNR Secretary John R. Griffin. “We invite fair goers to experience a virtual journey through the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and learn how they can help us protect, restore, appreciate and enjoy in Maryland’s great outdoors.”

The Chesapeake Bay is home to more than 400,000 acres of land, thousands of miles of streams, multitudes of fish, mammals, birds and reptiles and the biggest estuary in North America. At DNR’s interactive exhibit area, participants can learn about Chesapeake Bay Restoration efforts including oysters, bay grasses and nutrient reduction. Many of the necessary, sometimes slimy but always fun things found in the Bay and its tributaries will be on hand for a totally interactive, up-close-and-personal experience. Touch and feel everything from bay grasses to turtles and snakes.

For more information about DNR’s exhibits, presentations and activities at the State Fair look for DNR’s entire State Fair schedule on our Web site at www.dnr.maryland.gov/statefair/ or call 1-877-620-8DNR x-8006.

Virginia’s Biggest In-Water Boat Show Returns to Downtown Norfolk Waterfront September 12 – 14, 2008

NORFOLK, Va. – May 14, 2008 – The 4th annual Virginia In-Water Boat Expo and SAILFEST returns to the Downtown Norfolk waterfront, September 12-14, 2008. As the state’s largest in-water boating exhibition, this growing event caters to every boating enthusiast, who along with their friends and family can enjoy a wide selection of the newest boats and cutting edge marine products and accessories, all in one place for the best deals all year round.

This three-day boating spectacular will showcase hundreds of the latest in luxury and cruising yachts, sport fishers, bass boats, performance boats, personal water craft, sailboats, engines, and marine accessories. The Expo will also feature live entertainment nightly, interactive exhibits and a Discover Boating pavilion, where experts will be on-site to provide unbiased information for novice boating enthusiasts and the most experienced of boaters.

Hours are Friday, from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for military personnel and their spouses. Children 15 and under are FREE. Tickets are good for same-day re-entry with display of wristband. Take advantage of the $2.00 per ticket discount through Thursday, September 11, when you purchase your ticket online at VirginiaBoatExpo.com.

For advance tickets and show information, visit www.VirginiaBoatExpo.com or call 757-441-2345.

Sponsors of the 2008 Virginia In-Water Boat Expo and SAILFEST include TowneBank, Jeep, Discover Boating, Boaters World Marine Center, Geico and the City of Norfolk.

The Virginia In-Water Boat Expo and Sailfest is co-produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Norfolk Festevents. NMMA is the world’s largest producer of boat shows and the leading association representing the $37.6 billion per year recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in the U.S. For more information about the NMMA, visit www.NMMA.org. Norfolk Festevents, LTD is a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to producing premier concerts, festivals, ship visits and special events and city celebrations for residents and guests of Hampton Roads. Celebrating its 26th season, Norfolk Festevents has garnered international acclaim for its outstanding quality programming. Norfolk Festevents is the official event marketing and production agency for the City of Norfolk.

Maryland Offers Free Fishing Days on June 14 & July 4

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages first time anglers and children to commemorate their first catch through DNR’s My First Fish certificate program.

“Every child should have the opportunity to explore Maryland’s natural resources through fishing. Some of my earliest childhood memories are fishing with my dad and grandfather, “said Tom O’Connell, Maryland Fisheries Service Director. “I’ll never forget the look on my son and daughters faces when they caught their first fish. We hope that parents and mentors will commemorate their children’s first catch by taking advantage of our My First Fish program.”

First-time anglers of all ages may receive a free My First Fish certificate noting their name, species caught, length, catch date and fishing buddy upon completing an online form or visiting an official Maryland Sport Fishing Citation Center. If a digital photograph is taken and included with the entry form, the photo will be included on the certificate.

To encourage new people to try out the sport, Maryland designated June 14 and July 4 as free fishing days, where anglers may fish in public waters without the normally required annual fishing license.

Both first-time and experienced anglers may also join the hunt for Diamond Jim through the 2008 Maryland Fishing Challenge this summer. Any angler who catches a citation award qualifying fish will be eligible to win one of the several grand prizes including, including a 2008 Toyota Tundra 4×4 pickup truck from Central Atlantic Toyota, a boat and trailer from Bass Pro Shops and $5,000 in fishing gear from Bill’s Outdoor Center. More than 60 species of fish are eligible for the grand prizes in the summer-long contest that runs through September 1.

To help ensure that all Maryland children have an opportunity to experience and connect with nature, Governor O’Malley recently signed an Executive Order establishing the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature. This coalition of state, local, private and non-profit partners is charged with promoting the well-being of youth by accelerating environmental learning, connecting communities to parks and public lands and expanding opportunities for structured and unstructured outdoor time in nature for both play and learning.

To access the online My First Fish form and a list of local citation centers visit www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/recreational/tournament/firstfish.html.

For more information about Maryland’s free fishing days, visit www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/freefishing.html.

For more information on the 2008 Maryland Fishing Challenge, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/fishingchallenge.

source: DNR press release

On June 11, 2008, Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley will be honored with the prestigious Sportsmen’s Best Friend of the Year Award by the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation at its 7th Annual Banquet & Auction, Loews Annapolis Hotel.  It is the highest honor annually awarded by the Foundation – an affiliate, non-profit organization of the bi-partisan Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus within the Maryland General Assembly.

The Governor is being honored by “Maryland’s first conservationists,” in recognition of his extraordinary leadership on the environmental issues critical to the time-honored traditions of fishing, hunting and trapping, as well as his support of other legislation that impacts Maryland’s sportsmen and women.

“Look at the Governor’s record,” said Senator John Astle, Democratic Co-Chair of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.  ”He stands with the sportsmen of Maryland on all fronts, meaning he wants what we want and he goes after them.  Enactment of the 2010 Trust Fund, a fully-funded Program Open Space, compliance with a financial commitment to the recreational fishing community, rebuilding of the Bay’s beleaguered blue crab population, promotion of fishing habitat and oyster reefs through the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative, advocacy for sustainable forestry and a strengthened Critical Areas law, just to name a few.”

Republican Co-Chair of the Caucus, Delegate Richard B. Weldon, Jr. echoed Senator Astle’s sentiments.

“When it comes to the traditional rights of sportsmen to hunt, fish and trap, there are no partisan boundaries,” Delegate Weldon said. “We all want available open space land in which to hunt and a clean watershed in which to fish.  And, in the final analysis, we’re all conservationists which need to stand together.  I commend the Foundation for its decision to honor Governor O’Malley as the Foundation’s Sportsmen’s Best Friend of the Year.  And, I commend the Foundation for its unrivaled efforts to build bridges with other stakeholder community groups which share our same conservation-minded values.

The Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation – in partnership with the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus – works on behalf of current and future generations of Maryland Sportsmen not only by helping to conserve, promote and protect the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s coveted open space lands, wildlife and habitat, but also by safeguarding their traditional rights to hunt, fish, trap and enjoy the lawful use of their firearms.  MLSF is a 501 (c) non-profit organization.

NorthBay, an environmental educational center located in North East, Md., will host a demonstration of habitat mapping with a Robotics in the Bay event on June 10, 2008. Presentations are scheduled to include technical demonstrations from the Mid Atlantic Bight National Undersea Research Center, Rutgers University, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office, and NASA.

The event will include demonstrations of autonomous operated underwater vehicles (AUV) used to create a bay-floor habitat map for the NorthBay area of North East, Md. This baseline data will be used by NorthBay students to monitor temporal and spatial changes in the bay bottom.

After the AUV has been launched and is gathering data, educators will design, build and launch an operating remotely operated vehicle (ROV). This exercise is available to educators to create and integrate into their own programs. Additionally, the event will include an informal, open forum for participants to discuss and explore the types of technologies presently being used to explore the ocean, and ways to integrate these techniques into the classroom in a contagious way.

NorthBay was established in 2005 by The Erickson Foundation to establish educational opportunities for young people. Through its partnerships with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Department of Education, NorthBay hosts more than 10,000 middle school students each year. With a full-time staff of more than 100 professionals, NorthBay uses experiential education to instill confidence, knowledge, and leadership in young people and teach them that their actions have a lasting impact on the future. NorthBay is located on more than 97 acres at the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River in Cecil County, Md.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is observing National Safe Boating Week through May 23 to highlight the need for boaters to wear a life jacket at all times while on the water as well as abide by other safety precautions.

“Safe boating saves lives,” said Col. George F. Johnson, NRP Superintendent. “When you boat in Maryland, remember to practice safe and responsible boating, always wear your life jacket, and be alert and aware while on the water.”

On average a dozen people die each year in boating-related incidents on Maryland waterways, most of which could have been prevented had a lifejacket been worn. Last year, Maryland saw an increase in fatalities, from eight in 2006 to ten in 2007, and injuries went from 163 to 208. Records show that the majority of accidents are the result of wake and/or excessive speed, reckless or negligent operation and operator inexperience or inattention.

Nationwide, 3,474 injuries and 710 fatalities resulting from boating-related accidents were reported in 2006. Overall, two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those who drowned, 90 percent of the victims were not wearing their life jacket. Eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 20 feet in length.

source: DNR press release

Over the next two weeks, Tuckahoe State Park will welcome nearly 350 elementary school students from Caroline County for a series of educational and inspirational “all things Bay” activities as part of the park’s annual Bay Days environmental education celebration. Media are invited to take part in Greensboro Elementary School’s Bay Day on Wednesday, May 14, between the 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“Visiting a Maryland state park is one of the best ways for children to learn about our natural environment and the Chesapeake Bay,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Maryland remains committed to ensuring that every school-aged child enjoys and learns from an outdoor environmental education experience.”

Through Bay Days, students learn from hands-on environmental activities. Through a presentation by the park’s scales & tales program, the children learn about the area’s native birds and reptiles and how their well-being is directly connected to the condition of the land and waterways where they reside. Seining in the Bay offers students the opportunity to identify and better understand the fish and other marine inhabitants living in the park’s lake and creeks. Students also work together to plant trees, which will help to reduce run-off of nutrients and other pollutants into the park’s waterways and ultimately benefit Bay health. Since it’s inception, thousands of tree saplings have been planted, further improving the park’s buffer zone and providing necessary habitat for the park’s bird and wildlife populations.

“The half-day field trip is designed Tuckahoe State Park rangers to impart upon visiting students the importance of our natural resources and how what we do on land ultimately affects the health of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Ranger Jessica Conley. “Our strong partnership with Caroline County Public Schools enables hundreds of students to learn about our environment through first-hand outdoor experiences every year.”

Bay Days also support Governor O’Malley’s new Children in Nature Initiative, which was established last month via an Executive Order that charged a partnership state, local, private and non-profit with promoting the well-being of youth by accelerating environmental learning and expanding opportunities for outdoor experiences. The Partnership is tasked with creating an environmental literacy plan for Maryland students, increasing opportunities for structured outdoor learning through programming on state parks and other conservation lands, enhancing school and community natural areas to provide for structured and unstructured play, and tracking program progress.

Tuckahoe State Park which has organized the program for the last seven years, has hosted more than 2,800 schoolchildren during its annual Bay Days. Funding for Bay Days is provided by a generous grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art hosts the free reading program “Nature Tales for Tots” from 10-11 a.m. every first and third Wednesday of the month in the Ward Museum lobby. This program is designed for children of the preschool to first-grade age. Early learners hear lively stories pertaining to the environment. Following the reading, a fun craft activity is conducted. For more information call 410-742-4988, ext. 104 or 110, or visit the museum’s Web site at www.wardmuseum.org.

Upcoming topics and dates include:

May 21: Saltwater Marshes
June 4: Insects
June 18: How the Garden Grows
July 2: Islands
July 16: Ocean Animals
August 6: The Chesapeake Bay