Chesapeake Bay News

The Third Maryland Streams Symposium and Mid-Atlantic Volunteer Monitoring Conference will be held August 10-13 at Carroll Community College near Westminster, MD.

Stakeholders from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia will meet to discuss stream-related issues. The theme of the Volunteer Conference is Sustaining Volunteer Involvement in Water Quality Management: Key Roles to Play in Critical Environmental Issues.

The four days will include plenary sessions, informative presentations, hands-on workshops and field trips to local streams. Attendees will also learn about state-of-the-art stream restoration techniques and see natice freshwater fish.

The event is sponsored by Maryland DNR, Carroll Community College, The Maryland Water Monitoring Council, U.S. EPA, and The Maryland Local Watershed Implementation Service.

Each day will start with a plenary session (except Saturday) and the kickoff plenary session for the Volunteer Conference will be held on Thursday, August 11th.

Poster sessions, with authors in attendance, will be held throughout the symposium and conference. There will also be plenty of displays from local and regional watershed associations, governmental agencies, and educational organizations.

Stakeholders interested in attending should RSVP to Josh Davidsburg at 410-260-8002 or jdavidsburg@dnr.state.md.us.

A new online Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Bay Region allows for the identification and selection of native plant species for habitat restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The guide is intended to help property owners replace portions of lawn areas and typical landscapes with native plants that suit local conditions, reducing or eliminating the need for fertilizers and pesticides which wash into streams, rivers and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.

Users to the portal, www.nativeplantcenter.net, can search for native plants by name, plant type, sun exposure, soil texture and moisture, and even find native plants with the same shape, color, size or other characteristics as some of their favorite non-native plants. The portal also includes a geo-locator feature to identify plants suited to a user’s specific location. An online network for interacting with other Chesapeake Bay stewards is planned.

The portal uses the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service’s native plant database, associated with the publication entitled Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

To reach more citizens and organizations, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, contracted with Image Matters LLC to create an online version of the guide, the Native Plants Center, Chesapeake Region.

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, early March runoff into the Susquehanna River watershed from heavy rains and snowmelt has brought a flood of nutrients and sediment-laden freshwater flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. This heavy spring runoff has resulted in record low water clarity for the month of March in many areas of Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Continued wet spring weather could extend these high flows which, in turn, could result in less underwater grasses and increased algal blooms. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is expected to continue its comprehensive Chesapeake Bay water quality habitat and living resources monitoring to assess any short- or long-term storm-related impacts.

On March 12, 2011, two days after a very heavy rain event (2+ inches) across the region, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a peak “flow” of 485,000 cubic feet/second (cfs) from the Susquehanna River at Conowingo Dam. Average monthly flows at that site in March are about 75,000 cfs. This is the highest average daily flow rate observed at the dam since floodwaters from Tropical Storm Ivan passed in September 2004.

A review of 26 years of water clarity data collected by the State shows that depth measurements in the Chesapeake Bay and many tributaries in March 2011 are below historic measures or set new historic lows.

A high amount of freshwater flowing into the Chesapeake Bay erodes sediments and transports polluted runoff (including nutrients and sediments) downstream towards the Bay.

The early spring season is a critical period for underwater grasses, which are beginning to grow. Also affected are saltwater and anadromous fish such as striped bass, yellow perch, river herring and American shad, all of which spawn in the Chesapeake during the Spring.

The Potomac River in Washington, D.C. is showing multiple benefits from restoration efforts, newly published research suggests.  Reduced nutrients and improved water clarity have increased the abundance and diversity of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Potomac, according to direct measurements taken during the 18-year field study.

Since 1990, the area covered by SAV in the lower Potomac has doubled, the area covered by native SAV has increased ten-fold, the diversity of plant species has increased, and the proportion of exotic species to native species has declined as nutrients have declined, according to the study by the U.S. Geological Survey and England’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC).

More than a dozen species of SAV, including the exotic hydrilla, co-exist in this reach of the Potomac that was almost barren in a 1978-1981 USGS study.

SAV are critical to the ecosystem in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. They provide oxygen, food, and shelter so that invertebrates, fish, crabs and waterfowl can survive.  High nutrient levels stimulate algal blooms in the water, decrease water clarity, and block light needed for SAV growth.

The authors analyzed measurements of aquatic plant species abundance, nutrient effluent from the wastewater treatment plant, and water quality from 1990 to 2007. The surveys included a 50-mile reach of the tidal Potomac downstream from Washington.

Key Findings on the Potomac River’s SAV:

- Native SAV cover increased tenfold from 288 to 3081 acres.

- The overall area covered by SAV in the Potomac more than doubled since 1990, increasing from 4207 to 8441 acres.

- The diversity of SAV has increased. In 1990 the exotic hydrilla was 10 times more abundant than any other species. In 2007 the abundance of the 7 most frequently occurring species are more evenly matched.

- In 1990, more than 80% of the total SAV was hydrilla; in 2007 hydrilla declined to 20%.

- Results suggest declining fitness of exotic species relative to native species during restoration.

These results are consistent with a multi-agency study released in July, which correlated nutrient reductions with gains in the abundance of SAV in some Chesapeake Bay tributaries, while noting a negative correlation within the bay between SAV and nitrogen.

The study was supported by USGS National Research Program; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore; the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Aquatic Plant Management Program; and the Fisheries Division of the District of Columbia Department of Health.

The report, “Long-term reductions in anthropogenic nutrients link to improvements in Chesapeake Bay habitat is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1003590107.

source: USGS

Maryland has announced the launch of StreamHealth, a website to help Marylanders learn about the health of their streams and take action to improve them. The site provides resources for citizens, grassroots organizations, schools and scout groups to survey their streams, and receive technical guidance and funding opportunities to restore and protect them.

The project was developed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Maryland Environmental Service, Towson University, and the Maryland Departments of the Environment and Information Technology.

Among the tools are an interactive map which provides information on individual stream health as well as the presence or absence of forested streamside buffers and impervious surfaces — two of the major factors influencing stream health.

“The health of the Bay is ultimately determined by what we do on the land — in our cities and towns, on our farms and forests, in our schools and backyards,” said Governor O’Malley.  “Through this website we are providing information that is real to people because they can see the status of the streams in their neighborhoods –- our lifelines to the Bay.”

Maryland’s governor also encouraged citizens to join the Stream Waders program, the volunteer arm of the Maryland Biological Stream Survey, an internationally acclaimed assessment program that provides data for the StreamHealth website as well as the Chesapeake Bay Health Report Card.

Maryland released its annual Chesapeake Bay Health Report Card on May 18, 2010. The Chesapeake Bay showed broad water quality improvements in 2009, receiving its highest mark since 2002 from the annual Chesapeake Bay Health Report Card. At the same time, the state launched StreamHealth, a website to help Marylanders learn about the health of their streams and take action to improve them.

The report card — an annual analysis conducted through the EcoCheck partnership between University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office — is based on data collected by state and federal agencies through the Chesapeake Bay Program. The 2009 report noted improved conditions in eight Bay regions and degraded conditions in two, earning the Bay a grade of “C” for overall health.

Grades for 14 reporting Bay regions varied, ranging from “B-minus” (moderate-good) to “F” (very poor). The highest ranked region, for the third year in a row, was the Upper Western Shore, which includes the Bush and Gunpowder Rivers. The lowest ranked region was the Patapsco and Back Rivers.

Scientists attribute the overall improvements to last year’s unique regional rainfall patterns, continued efforts to reduce nutrient pollution within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the gradual rebound in Bay health since the historically poor conditions observed in 2003.  Over the report’s 24-year history, overall Bay health was rated at its highest in 1993 with a score of 57, and it lowest in 2003 with a score of 35. The 2009 rating of 46 falls in the top 25 percentile.

“Despite the record high rainfall in parts of Maryland and Virginia, the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay improved last year,” said UMCES researcher and project leader Dr. William Dennison. “Normally, more precipitation means poorer Bay health. But last year, the Bay benefited from below average rainfall throughout Pennsylvania which appears to have reduced the amount of pollutants reaching the open waters of the mainstem Bay.”

Rupert Rossetti of Garrett County was honored with the prestigious 2008 Bernie Fowler Award at Maryland’s 13th Annual Tributary Team meeting on Saturday, March 6 at the Maryland Department of the Environment in Baltimore.

The so-called “White Sneaker Award” is named for the former State Senator who initiated the annual Patuxent River wade-ins more than 25 years ago to test water turbidity and bring attention to declining water quality. The award is given annually to recognize outstanding contributions of a tributary team member to Bay health and habitat.

“Rupert Rossetti’s work is a shining example for Marylanders,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. ”As we work towards restoring the Bay and our 2-year milestones, the work of our tributary teams is more vital than ever. Rupert and all our tributary team members’ dedication inspire others to get involved, while working towards a greener, more sustainable future.”

“It was a retraining opportunity in his early retirement from DuPont that got Rupert turned onto the field of water quality work — he took a GIS class from the University of Delaware that keyed him into a lot of this water quality stuff,” said his wife, Cynthia Rossetti.

Established in 1995, Maryland’s Tributary Teams are made up of more than 350 volunteer members comprised of citizens, business leaders, farmers and government officials, charged with helping implement pollution prevention measures in the State’s 10 major tributary basins. The ongoing work of the teams is a model for citizen involvement and action.

Under the Smart, Green & Growing initiative launched last year, the O’Malley-Brown Administration is working to involve every Marylander in reducing the State’s carbon footprint, preserving our most valuable resource, lands, and restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Rossetti recently led a work plan development exercise to reduce pollution. He inspired 15 fellow tributary team members to take the lead in the various team work plan projects. He also remains involved in other local issues such as the county comprehensive plan review, local water quality monitoring, and a stormwater management ordinance review. He has been a presenter at local and regional water quality monitoring and restoration seminars.

The teams also presented 10 Tributary Teams Watershed Hero Awards on Saturday, to team members who made exceptional contributions in 2009:

* Clarence (Doc) Kuntz, Choptank Tributary Team
* Keota Silaphone, Lower Eastern Shore Tributary Team
* Bob Boxwell, Lower Potomac Tributary Team
* Amy Clements, Lower Western Shore Tributary Team
* Kate Fritz, Middle Potomac Tributary Team
* Bill Stack, Patapsco/Back Tributary Team
* David Brownlee, Patuxent River Commission
* Joe Blizzard, Upper Eastern Shore Tributary Team
* Dave Biser, Upper Potomac Tributary Team
* Rupert Rossetti, Upper Western Shore Tributary Team

source: MD DNR press release

The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources, has awarded a $200,000 grant to the Coastal Conservation Association Maryland (CCA MD) to purchase an open-water monitoring buoy for placement over the Dominion Reef at the Gooses, an artificial reef in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay.

The effort is a partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office, the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative (MARI), the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail and other Chesapeake Bay organizations.

CCA MD has placed the grant funds with MARI.

“The buoy at the Dominion Reef at the Gooses offers something for everyone who loves and values the Chesapeake Bay,” said William C. Hall Jr., a vice president for Dominion Resources and president of the company’s Dominion Foundation. “It provides educational opportunities for students, vital data for scientists working to restore the Bay, and weather, wave and water information for boaters and anglers. As part of the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake Trail, it even has something for the history buff. Dominion is honored to be a partner in this important project.”

The buoy will monitor the health of local Bay waters and help assess benefits to fish populations that are created by the Dominion Reef. A wide variety of environmental measurements important to scientists, students and anglers will be collected during the coming years. The buoy also will be part of the Captain John Smith Trail, the nation’s first national water trail covering 3,000 miles of the historic route Smith took in 1607-08.

“Maryland is pleased to continue to have Dominion as a partner in our efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay,” said DNR Secretary John Griffin. “In addition to providing critical water quality data, this project will aid anglers and promote boating safety by providing real-time water and weather conditions.”

“Partnerships such as this harness the strengths and creativity of corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations to address the bay’s restoration,” said David O’Neill, President of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail. “We are very pleased that the Dominion Foundation has asked that the buoy be tied into the country’s first all-water National Historic Trail.”

As part of the Maryland Artificial Reef System (MARI), the Dominion Reef at the Gooses covers a 320-acre site with approximately 80 acres of concrete that serves as habitat for fish and other Bay life. Dominion provided a $250,000 grant in 2008 to pay for building the reef and seeding it with oysters and oyster shell. It is located about 10 miles southeast of Chesapeake Beach and northwest of Lusby, Calvert County, where Dominion’s liquefied natural gas storage facility is located.

The buoy, which will be installed by next spring, will provide real time data through DNR and NOAA Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) websites: www.eyesonthebay.net and www.buoybay.org, respectively. Additionally, up-to-date data and interpretive information will be available via the CBIBS 877-BUOYBAY telephone service.

The buoy system will be similar to those currently used by NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Interpretative Buoy System (CBIBS) and water quality, waves, currents, and meteorological sensor packages and a telemetry package to relay the data to websites in real-time.

“We appreciate this opportunity to augment observing capabilities in Chesapeake Bay, particularly to serve an area where we don’t currently collect such measurements” said Peyton Robertson, Director of NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office.

Both DNR and CCA believe this collaboration will benefit thousands of Maryland citizens.

“This grant will allow a broad cross section of Marylanders to become aware of current information through easily accessible websites,” said Tony Friedrich, CCA MD executive director. “Not only will recreational anglers and boaters find information such as wind conditions, but any citizen will be able to learn about the life on this reef. Monitoring results will lead to greater public awareness of the value of projects such as oyster restoration to improve water quality in the Bay.”

Participants in this project include: Dominion – www.dom.com; DNR- www.dnr.maryland.gov; NOAA – www.noaa.gov; CCA MD – www.ccamd.org; MARI – www.ccamd.org/MARI; The Chesapeake Bay Foundation – www.cbf.org; Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail – www.friendsofthejohnsmithtrail.org: Chesapeake Bay Observing System – www.cbos.org. Many of these groups and others will use their websites to communicate data from the buoy to their members and the general public.

source: DNR press relese

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has certified the Port of Snow Hill (Worcester County) as the newest certified Maryland Clean Marina Partner, bringing the number of Clean Marina Partners to 25. Along with 115 larger Clean Marinas, Maryland now boasts 140 certified facilities.

“I want to congratulate the Port of Snow Hill and its management for their Clean Marina certification,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “The Port should serve as an example for other marinas and for all Marylanders, that with only a little extra effort we can all move towards a more sustainable future.”

Partners are small facilities, without many amenities who primarily serve small, trailered boats as opposed to long term slip holders. They are usually public boat ramps or landings, such as Port of Snow Hill, or community marinas, and educational facilities.

The Clean Marina Program is a voluntary program for marine facilities that want to reduce their impact on Maryland’s waterways by implementing “best management practices” outlined in the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook. Certification also includes passing a site inspection by DNR staff for the initial certification, and again every three years to maintain certification. Approximately 23 percent of marinas in the state are now certified Clean Marinas.

The Port of Snow Hill is comprised of three small public parks, along the Pocomoke River. Each park offers slightly different amenities including fishing areas, two boat ramps, and short term dockage for boats up to 30’ in some areas and up to 40’ in another. The Sturgis Park area has a pump-out station, to remove sewage from vessel holding tanks. The primary thing that Park Manager Rick Merritt did to meet award criteria was to step up their environmental outreach to visitors on issues such as trash, recycling, and sewage.

“Using a bulletin board and materials provided by the Clean Marina Program helped us to increase our outreach to visitors about environmental and safety issues. We also give out oil absorbent pads and tip cards the program provided, which the visitors are happy to receive and use,” said Merritt.

“We are pleased to have another municipal boating facility added to the growing list of Clean Marina Partners. These facilities help us reach the many boaters who launch and retrieve smaller boats, instead of using marinas for long term dockage. Statistically, there are far more trailered boats using ramps, than larger boats kept in the water. It’s important that we connect with the boating facilities they use, to help educate this large group of boaters,” said Clean Marina Program manager Donna Morrow.

Marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs of any size are encouraged to learn more about the voluntary Clean Marina Initiative developed with both industry and government input. Marina operators can visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/cleanmarina/, send an email to dmorrow@dnr.state.md.us or call 410-260-8773.

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.”