Chesapeake Bay News

The North Face has announced the launch of the Explore Your Parks program, a partnership with the Maryland and Virginia State Parks, American Hiking Society and The National Park Trust, to encourage families to get outdoors and enjoy state parks in the Washington, DC, area this fall.

By providing families the tools they need to enjoy the open spaces near them, these groups are actively supporting Let’s Move Outside, the outdoor recreation component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to end childhood obesity. Since Let’s Move Outside kicked off in early June, thousands of American children and families have taken part in fitness-boosting activities such as hiking, biking and canoeing on public lands and waters across the country.

During the month of September, people living in the greater DC area can receive a free one-day pass (good until December 31, 2010) for use in any Maryland or Virginia State Park with a $50 purchase or more of any The North Face product. Additionally, people who retrieve a code at 10 featured trails in state parks can receive a free Explore Your Parks stainless steel water bottle from participating DC-area retail locations (found at www.exploreyourparks.com under “Retailers” section).

Special launch events for the Explore Your Parks program will be held Saturday, September 18, at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg, MD, with Chris Bushman, deputy superintendent of the Maryland Park Service, attending, and on Sunday, September 19, at Mason Neck State Park, in Lorton, VA, with Virginia State Parks Director, Joe Elton, attending. For more information on the events and directions to these parks, please visit www.exploreyourparks.com

Maryland State Parks have been recognized as having one of the top 12 trails in the United States for viewing fall foliage, and in 2009 alone, they had more than 10.1 million visits. Similarly, Virginia State Parks had more than 7.5 million visits last year, and have received more than 100 awards for being recognized as having the best beaches, campgrounds trails, scenic views and programs. Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Throughout the month of September, The North Face will donate $1 to trail preservation in Maryland and Virginia State Parks for each new member to PlanetExplore.com, a resource for local outdoor events, or new download of the Trailhead App.

The recent colonial shorebird census compiled by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources found 1,042 nesting brown pelican (Pelicanus occidentalis) pairs in the Chesapeake Bay, the largest number in recorded history.

“Pelicans are relatively new to the bay ecosystem, and not something that Captain John Smith would have seen during his historic explorations,” explained DNR biologist Dave Brinker. “Climate change – warmer weather and milder, shorter winters – may be encouraging pelicans to expand their northernmost Atlantic Coast habitat into the Chesapeake Bay.”

DNR biologist Dave Brinker discovered Maryland’s first-ever recorded nesting pair of brown pelicans 1987. Every summer since then, Brinker has lead teams of biologists and volunteers to band 95 percent (more than 18,000) of the pelican chicks raised in the bay’s isolated islands. From just five known nesting pairs in 1987, the number of brown pelican pairs in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay grew to 141 in 1999 and 1,042 in 2008.

Weighing just 8 to 10 pounds, a brown pelican’s 6 1/2 foot to 7 1/2 foot wingspan enables it to travel hundreds of miles every year. Brown pelicans from the mid-Atlantic population are believed to be the most migratory of the species, with Maryland as the northernmost state with successful nesting pairs. Brown pelicans arrive in the Chesapeake Bay to nest and breed beginning in mid-March. After spending the summer feeding on menhaden, shad and other fish, the migratory birds leave the Chesapeake for warmer winter weather in Florida and northern Central America.

“If you see pelicans, do not feed them,” urged Brinker. “Feeding pelicans and other migratory birds distracts them from their natural migration behavior, which can be deadly for pelicans.”

Last month, the Maryland Commission on Climate Change appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley released a Climate Action Plan that detailed the effects of global warming facing our state and recommended actions to protect Maryland’s people, land, and investments from rising sea levels and changing weather patterns. Under the O’Malley/Brown Administration, Maryland is reducing global warming pollution through: the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative; the Clean Cars Act; EMPOWER Maryland; increasing Renewable Portfolio Standards; enacting living shorelines requirements; strengthening the Critical Areas Act to protect sensitive shorelines; adopting new green building standards for public buildings and investing in green technology for schools; transitioning the state’s fleet to hybrid buses; fully funding land conservation programs; improving mass transit options; and encouraging smart growth in BRAC development zones. For more information visit http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/dnrnews/infocus/climatechange.html.

source: DNR press release