Chesapeake Bay News

Fly tying demonstration/assistance with local Experts
Odd Fellows Hall
511 York Road
Towson, MD 21204
Wednesday November 18 7:30-9:00 PM

While there is still plenty of good fishing left this year, the cold winter evenings will soon be upon us. A great way to pass the cold winter evenings is to spend time at the fly tying bench. Whether tying that big streamer to ply the winter waters for big browns or tying up a batch of Hendricksons in anticipation of the first spring hatches, fly tying is a great indoor activity. That is why you won’t want to miss MDTU’s November General Meeting featuring Fly Tying. Here you will see first-hand some of the area’s best fly tiers. If you want to, bring your vice and materials. Perhaps you may have a great pattern that you would like to demonstrate.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking interested adults to become TEAM (Teaching Environmental Awareness in Maryland) volunteers. Our volunteers’ mission is to educate students about the Chesapeake Bay and other Maryland environmental issues. Since its inception in 1998, TEAM DNR volunteers have delivered over 1000 classroom programs to more than 30,000 students in Maryland.

Volunteers should have an outgoing personality and a strong desire to protect the Chesapeake Bay. No prior teaching experience is necessary. Currently, TEAM offers schools free classroom programs on the following topics:

* Chesapeake Bay Watershed

* Streams

* Oyster Reefs

* Horseshoe Crabs

* Chesapeake Watermen

The next workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 2009 in the C-1 Conference Room of the Tawes State Office Building, located at 580 Taylor Ave. Annapolis, MD 21401. Participants are asked to bring their own lunch. Beverages and snacks will be provided.

To register for a workshop, contact Amy Henry at 410-260-8828 or ahenry@dnr.state.md.us. For more information about this valuable program, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/education/teamdnr.

Members of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance and the Lower Eastern Shore Tributary Team will host their annual Nanticoke River Wade-In on Saturday, June 27 from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cherry Park in Sharptown. Maryland citizens are invited to wade into the water of the Nanticoke River to demonstrate the level of visibility and water quality and bring attention to the serious impact of nutrient pollution.

“Everything we do on our lands always finds its way into the Bay, and we are all accountable for the state of water quality in Maryland’s waterways,” Governor Martin O’Malley. “These events remind citizens to be cognizant of their everyday actions and make smart, sustainable decisions for the benefit of our natural resources and our treasured Chesapeake.”

Last month, on a tour of the Bush River, Governor O’Malley and senior scientists discussed two new strategies to accelerate Bay restoration in Maryland. Citing what scientists call a “tipping point” — a stage at which progress within a tributary can begin to promote self-healing — the Governor announced plans for a major new outreach effort to enlist local governments, businesses and citizens to take a more active role in restoring the health of Maryland’s waterways. At the Chesapeake Executive Council meeting, Governor O’Malley announced Maryland’s new two-year milestones, short term goals developed over the past several months by the Governor and his BayStat team to better target, focus and accelerate efforts on the ground, and measure results.

In what has become an annual event for each of Maryland’s 10 Tributary Teams, the Wade-Ins are inspired by former State Senator Bernie Fowler, who began wading into the Patuxent River 17 years ago with family and friends to highlight concerns about declining water quality in Maryland’s tributaries and the Chesapeake Bay. Senator Fowler remembered that, as a child, he could wade into the Patuxent and easily see his shoes. The event became known as a Wade-In and is characterized by participants wading into a stream, river or the Bay, and measuring the point at which they can no longer see their shoes, commonly known as the Sneaker Index. Fowler challenged the other nine Tributary Teams to host Wade-Ins or similar water quality awareness events of their own.

This event is a great opportunity to meet folks who love the Nanticoke and celebrate one of the treasures of the Eastern Shore. The wade-in will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a free cookout sponsored by the Lower Eastern Shore Tributary Team. For more information on this event, contact EB James of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance at 410-430-3273 or Scott Hymes, coordinator of the Lower Eastern Shore Tributary Strategy Team at 410-260-8746.

This year, the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance will be honoring their Creekwatcher Volunteers at the event. Creekwatchers monitor 40 sites across the watershed. This program recently received the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval of its protocol, marking a high level of acceptance for the accuracy and validity of the information collected by these dedicated volunteers. They are the only volunteer water monitoring program in the Chesapeake who have achieved this level of data acceptance.

The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance’s mission is to foster partnerships and progress in conserving the natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Nanticoke River watershed through dialogue, collaborative outreach and education. Over 40 organizations belong to the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance. Its diverse membership is made up of foresters, industry, small business owners, government agencies, environmental groups, land trusts, realtors, academicians, fishermen, restoration groups, farmers and citizen groups.

Since 1995, Maryland’s Tributary Teams have assisted with the implementation of the state’s watershed-based plans to reduce nutrient pollution to Maryland’s rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Support for the Tributary Teams is provided by staff at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR); however the members are volunteers whose tireless energy results in invaluable contributions to restoration efforts. The Wade-Ins are just one of the ways the Teams highlight local water quality and get their communities involved. Visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/bay/tribstrat to explore all of their programs.

Senator Gerald W. Winegrad will speak at the Severn River Association Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 7: 00 PM on the topic “WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO RESTORE THE BAY? (The inconvenient truths of Bay restoration)”
The location is Calvary Methodist Church, 301 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis MD 21401. This lecture is free of charge and open to the public.

Sen. Winegrad will make a presentation and lead a discussion on the decline of the Chesapeake Bay and what needs to be done to restore this great estuary. He will show why the Bay is in serious trouble after 25 years, even after recovery efforts under the Chesapeake Bay Program and the expenditure of billions of dollars. Collapsed fisheries, including oysters and shad, and the crab fishery’s recent decline are among many signs of the serious ecological collapse as proud Smith Islanders become prison guards, leaving their island homes forever.

The renowned Bay scholar and leader will discuss how we have so poisoned our waters that reports abound of serious infections in humans who come in contact with Bay waters. These reports are widespread-from the Severn to the Nanticoke rivers, and beyond. Rockfish, one of the few success stories in the recovery of living resources, have been turning up with lesions from a chronic wasting disease, which is transmittable to humans. Catfish in the South River have cancerous lesions and male bass from the Potomac are turning up with female egg sacs.
Bay grasses acreage is only one-third of target agreed upon by the states, and oyster populations show no signs of recovery.

When the Bay Program began with the adoption of the first Bay Agreement in 1983, Gerald Winegrad notes, if anyone had chosen to frighten the public into action with a doomsday scenario, it would have probably read as he describes above and yet this scenario has become reality: Just how much worse does this horrible situation have to become before policy makers take the bold but necessary actions to reverse the decline of the Bay? Half-measures and “save the Bay” palliatives won’t do–come learn of the bold, decisive actions that can be taken now to turn the tide.

Senator Winegrad will present startling data on the impacts of growth and agricultural pollution on the Bay’s decline. He will describe the details of nutrient and sediment pollution choking the Bay and their sources Baywide and in the Severn River Watershed. Most importantly, he details what needs to be done to reduce pollutants to restore water quality. Gerald makes the case for controlling human population growth, sprawl development and the loss of forest land. He then describes the problems of storm-water runoff from development and how this can be addressed to restore the Severn and the Bay. The necessity of regulatory controls for agricultural pollution–the Bay’s greatest source of nutrient and sediment pollution–also will be a focus of his talk. Come see this up-to-date presentation and learn how we can Save the Bay and our natural heritage. SRA members have a special role to play in making these changes to turn the tide.

On November 20th, Governor Martin O’Malley hosted the 2008 annual meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council (EC) at Union Station in Washington, D.C., marking the 25th anniversary of the regional partnership.  The meeting resulted in several significant actions, including regional agreements to advance the production and use of biofuels and accelerate the pace of nutrient reductions.

“We are proud of the progress we have made through this partnership,” said Governor O’Malley, “Given the rate of decline of our Bay’s health, however, as well as the vulnerable status of iconic species like the blue crab and native oyster, we must continue to escalate our efforts to reduce nutrients as quickly as possible.”

Last year, the Council confirmed that the region would not meet the 2010 nutrient reduction goals set by the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement. This year the Council adopted a new strategy for establishing a deadline that involves moving the annual meeting to the spring, beginning in 2009, when the most current scientific information about pollution levels becomes available.  To focus attention on needed progress and allow for better tracking, more adaptability and accountability, the Council further agreed to establish specific milestones for restoration in two-year intervals next spring.

Joining Governor O’Malley for today’s work session were incoming Council Chair, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair and Pennsylvania House of Representatives Member Arthur Hershey, and representatives from Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“With the recent election of a new President and the 111th Congress comes the opportunity to seek a renewed federal commitment to protecting the nation’s largest estuary,” said Governor Kaine. “On behalf of the Bay States, Washington, DC and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, we will seek the support of President-elect Obama and our congressional leaders for changes to policy, legislation and funding that will accelerate restoration efforts.”

“We are grateful to Governor Kaine for his leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with him and the Obama administration to identify new funding opportunities that will benefit not only the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, but also water quality and natural resource improvement nationally,” added Governor O’Malley.

- At last year’s EC meeting, Council members embraced “champion roles” as a way to speed up restoration efforts; Maryland’s champion commitments include Accountability, Blue Crab restoration, Local Government Engagement and Innovative Technology.

- To increase accountability and effectiveness, Maryland led the effort this year to reorganize and streamline the Bay Program.  At the 2008 meeting the partners agreed to establish an independent evaluator – a team of world renowned scientists — to monitor performance, provide advice and hold the partners accountable.

- Governor O’Malley announced a new agreement between the Maryland Departments of Environment, Natural Resources and Transportation to apply the BayStat approach to employ a better model for using mitigation funds to accelerate Bay restoration and improve cost effectiveness.

- Through strong action and a historic collaboration with Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, Maryland took significant steps this year toward rebuilding a sustainable blue crab fishery.  This included directing $3 million in State funding to mitigate the impact on watermen, and in partnership with Maryland’s Congressional delegation securing a federal fisheries disaster declaration which will result in up to $10 million in federal funds to support watermen to conduct environmental restoration work.

- Maryland efforts to improve service delivery and results, and engage local governments, citizens and businesses this year included creation of the 2010 Chesapeake and Coastal Bays Trust Fund development of the Watershed Assistance Collaborative, and the launch of the Maryland Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership.

- Governor O’Malley also announced Maryland’s first two investments in new technologies to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution:  A $100,000 grant to Zymetis, Inc., whose enabling enzyme technologies can be used to create biofuel ethanol from cellulosic biomass; and a $50,000 grant to Traffax Inc., for work on advanced solutions to traffic congestion.

The Executive Council states, the District of Columbia and the Chesapeake Bay Commission signed a Biofuels Executive Council Directive to make the region a national leader in advancing the expanded production and use of biofuels in a more sustainable way.  This directive, led by Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, is another result of last year’s champion commitments.

The partnership also agreed to support the introduction of National Geographic’s FieldScope, a state-of-the-art web-based GIS tool designed to help students and citizens investigate water quality issues on local and regional scale.

Since taking office in January 2007, the O’Malley-Brown Administration has made steady progress to restore the health of the Bay including the creation of BayStat, an innovative tracking and targeting tool; creation of the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund; passage landmark Clean Cars legislation; stringent power plant emission controls regulations; passage of new stormwater legislation; full funding of Program Open Space; update of the State’s Critical Areas Laws; creation of the Maryland Climate Change Commission; restoration of the Office of Smart Growth; and a leadership role in the creation of the first auction of greenhouse gas emission credits in America.

Governor O’Malley recently launched Smart, Green & Growing, a new initiative to inspire action among all Marylanders to create a cleaner, greener, more sustainable future for our State.  Maryland’s incarcerated  individuals are contributing to this effort as well by, working on Bay restoration projects and learning new skills.

“Our most important days are rarely the easiest ones.  Progress often comes in the form of two steps forward and one step back.  But it is progress nonetheless,” said Governor O’Malley.  “Coming together in partnership, we can find man-made solutions to the man-made problems of our Bay.”

The Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to more than 16 million people living in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Since 1983, the Chesapeake Bay Program has coordinated the restoration of the Bay and its watershed.  The Executive Council, which establishes the policy direction for the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its living resources, includes the Governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

For more information about the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council visit www.chesapeakebay.net.

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.

NorthBay was awarded a mini-grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust in the amount of $598 for the establishment of a native tree nursery as an addition to their growing Follow-On Program.

By creating the native tree nursery at NorthBay students will have the opportunity to engage in a meaningful learning experience about living organisms and ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay. By adding the nursery on-site, NorthBay will be able to provide trees to schools throughout the state at no cost, particularly in Baltimore City, who are taking on Schoolyard Habitat or reforestation projects in their community. The trees will be donated to schools to increase the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay as well as instill an appreciation and awareness of one of the greatest and most valuable filters for the bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a private, nonprofit grant-making organization created to promote public awareness and participation in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its Maryland tributaries. Since its creation in 1985 the Trust has awarded more than $24 million in grants that have made a measurable impact in the Bay restoration effort. The Chesapeake Bay Trust funds projects that help protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.

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

The Eastern Shore Anglers Club of Virginia is holding their annual “kids day” of fishing at Morley’s Wharf on Sunday, May 4, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Registration begins at noon and is limited, because of pier space, to 100 children aged 3 to 15 and accompanied by an adult.  Free rods and reels to keep, bait, and members there to render any assistance needed.  Awards and a hot dog lunch immediately afterwards.

For further information call Matt at Seahawk Sports  410  957  0198.