Ecosystem

Nature Conservancy and Partners Receive $1 Million for Wetland Restoration

December 11, 2019 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

The Nature Conservancy announced that it has been awarded a grant of nearly $1 million through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF) to accelerate wetland restoration efforts across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The grant was one of 47 announced this fall by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), which partners on the fund with two other EPA grant programs. An additional $2.5 million in funding will be leveraged from the grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and other partners.

Wetlands play a critical role in Chesapeake Bay water quality by slowing freshwater entering the bay and trapping nutrients and sediment. They also provide habitat to a range of important species, including black ducks, many migratory birds, and fish. The Chesapeake Bay Partnership has pledged to restore 85,000 acres across the bay watershed by 2025, but only 11% of that goal has been reached since the agreement was last signed in 2014.

The funding will allow the Conservancy and partners to restore 445 acres of wetlands and increase capacity for outreach and the enrollment of additional landowners in public and private wetland restoration programs, as well as bring increased resources to areas that have been identified as restoration priorities.

“Making a real impact on Chesapeake Bay water quality is going to require bringing back some of the 1.5 million acres of wetlands that have been lost in the watershed, and we can’t get there without taking new approaches, said Amy Jacobs, acting Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy in Maryland and DC. “The success we’ve seen with the restoration of the Pocomoke floodplains has taught us a lot of lessons that will help us expand this type of work to other areas in the watershed. We need to aim for ambitious public-private coalitions, engage more private landowners and use the best available science to tell us where restoration will provide the greatest benefits.”

In Maryland, the funding will help the Conservancy and partners expand the ongoing program to reconnect the Pocomoke river with its historic floodplains, which is already one of the largest restoration projects in the state’s history. Thanks to a coalition of public and private partners, as well as extensive private landowner engagement, the Conservancy is working to create breaches along more than 14 miles of the Pocomoke where it had been channelized in the 1940s. During heavy rain events, the breaches allow excess water to flow into the surrounding floodplain wetlands rather than rushing downstream to the bay.

In Delaware, the funds will help the Conservancy to restore over 60 acres of wetlands in the Great Cypress Swamp in partnership with Delaware Wildlands and Ducks Unlimited adding to 750 acres of previously restored cypress and Atlantic white cedar wetlands. Ducks Unlimited and Delaware Wild Lands Inc. will excavate shallow pools, plug ditches, and plant trees to restore both native forested and emergent freshwater wetlands. The Great Cypress Swamp serves as the headwaters of the Pocomoke river, as well as draining into the Delaware Inland Bays.

In Virginia, the Conservancy will work collaboratively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW), Virginia Outdoors Foundation and other partners with the Rappahannock River Land Protection Partnership (RRLP). The Conservancy will leverage this 20-year Virginia partnership to engage private landowners along the Rappahannock River in conservation programming.

“By aligning and focusing our collective efforts to promote and execute wetland conservation, both USFWS and The Nature Conservancy will be able to amplify the collective impact of our work,” says Christina Ryder, biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “This type of collaborative effort is allowing us to affect conservation at a bay-wide scale, and complete projects beyond our individual capacities. USFWS is excited to continue to innovate with the Conservancy to sustain our fish and wildlife resources for the public.”

In Pennsylvania, the Conservancy will focus efforts in the south-central part of the state to build outreach capacity and the kind of new conservation partnerships that have resulted in success in Maryland. As the majority of wetlands in the state are associated with streams, this project will integrate both wetland and stream restoration approaches with the goal of improving water quality in Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay.

“With 40% of the state’s streams listed as impaired and having lost more than half of our state’s wetlands, restoration is essential for people and nature,” said Su Fanok, Director of Freshwater Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. “Restoring streams and wetlands restores vital wildlife habitat while at the same time helping to improve water quality. We look forward to working in partnership to leverage existing expertise, to advance innovative and cost-effective restoration approaches, and to identify additional resources that will accelerate the pace and scale of wetland and stream restoration in south-central Pennsylvania.”

“While we’re making important strides in restoring wetland and marsh habitats in the Chesapeake Bay region, better, more effective partnerships are critical in bringing our collective goals to scale,” said Jake Reilly, director of Chesapeake Bay programs for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. “NFWF and its public and private funding partners are excited to support TNC and its partners’ efforts to build the collaborative partnerships necessary to meet our ambitious goals for a more resilient Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.”

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 72 countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. Learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s work in Washington DC and Maryland at nature.org/maryland and follow us @Nature_DCMDVA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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ShoreRivers Film Festival Supports Future River Stewards

December 11, 2019 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Nearly 300 dedicated environmental advocates gathered at the Tidewater Inn and the Avalon Theatre to enjoy ShoreRivers’ 10^th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival this November. The theme of the evening was the generational power behind the ShoreRivers mission. Generational power is activated when values are shared across generations with family and friends, uniting voices and sustaining a movement into the future. The event was made possible by the leadership generosity of Dock Street Foundation, KELLY Benefit Strategies, and more than 50 additional sponsors.

Thanks to the generosity of event guests, ShoreRivers will be able to educate future river stewards in Dorchester, Talbot, Kent, Caroline, and Queen Anne’s County schools through:

• Five water quality testing labs for students to test their school’s stream and identify potential sources of pollution
• Fourteen classroom oyster reefs whose progeny will be planted in a local oyster sanctuary
• Four drone mapping workshops to teach students how to map pollution on their campus and in local tributaries, and
• Six field trips to Horn Point Laboratory for a class or an entire school.

Photo: Riverkeeper Matt Pluta works to protect and restore the Choptank River for his family and the next generation. Photo still from “A Voice for the Rivers” film by Sandy Cannon-Brown and Dave Harp.

These exciting new opportunities augment existing ShoreRivers’ education programs that engage nearly 5,000 students on the Eastern Shore annually. Meaningful watershed educational experiences include investigation, analysis, and real-world skill-building that culminate in community-focused action projects, all geared toward raising the next generation of environmental stewards.

For another opportunity to support ShoreRivers’ current and future Riverkeepers, plan to join us early in the new year for select showings of “A Voice for the Rivers.” A collaboration between Sandy Cannon-Brown and Dave Harp, the film showcases the varied and exciting life of a Riverkeeper. The powerful final image of the feature (captured here)depicts Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta and his young family. Healthy waterways will not be possible without empowering the next generation of river stewards with the knowledge, passion, and skills to protect and restore our natural resources at risk.

Visit shorerivers.org/join to support this powerful clean water movement.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

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CBMM Shipwrights to Restore Oldest Existing Log Canoe

December 10, 2019 by Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Leave a Comment

This winter, shipwrights at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., will take on the restoration of a subject they’re all too familiar with — a Chesapeake Bay sailing log canoe.

Part of CBMM’s small craft collection, Glide is a three-log canoe believed to have been built c. 1864 at Town Point in Dorchester County, Md., by Washington Hammond Skinner (1823-1901). Originally called Monkey, it is believed to be the oldest existing Chesapeake Bay log canoe and was donated to CBMM in 2018 by John T. Adams, Jr.

Three-log canoe Glide

“This project is an opportunity for visitors to observe as our shipwrights conserve one of our most historic vessels,” said Associate Curator of Collections Jenifer Dolde. “Curatorial staff will document each step of the process as we uncover the mysteries of Glide’s log-hull construction, replacing decayed wood in order to preserve the canoe for years to come.”

CBMM’s Shipyard staff, led by Joe Connor, will work to restore Glide to sailable condition without doing a complete overhaul of the historic canoe’s log hull. The primary focus of their work will be resplining two primary log joints to increase their strength and water-tight capabilities while maintaining the mechanical biscuit fasteners original to the vessel. Their goal is to sail Glide by the end of summer 2020 before returning the canoe to sit on display in CBMM’s Small Boat Shed. All work will be done in adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Vessel Preservation.

CBMM’s working Shipyard has previously built two log canoes—Bufflehead (2014–2015) and Caroline (2018-2019)— and completed a historic restoration of 1889 bugeye Edna Lockwood, another log-hull Chesapeake Bay-built boat, in 2018.

“There’s no other Shipyard in the world more experienced in working on Bay-built log canoes,” Connor said. “We’re always excited for an opportunity to help preserve a vital piece of Chesapeake Bay history and to teach both the public and our apprentices more about traditional wooden boatbuilding.”

Photo courtesy of John T. Adams, Jr.

For most of its history, Glide used for pleasure, but not for racing. John T. Adams Sr. acquired the boat in 1962 from Raymond Ziegler of Cambridge, who bought the boat in the early 20^th century from Earle Orem, a mayor of Cambridge. In 1943, marine architect Howard I. Chapelle restored Glide and took its lines. Unusual among surviving Chesapeake Bay log canoes, Glide’slogs are joined with wooden mortise and tenon rather than the iron drifts typical of later log canoes.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s working Shipyard preserves traditional Chesapeake Bay wooden boatbuilding skills and techniques through living traditions, experiential archaeology, and education from youth to adults. A tangible connection to the Chesapeake’s rich history boatbuilding, shipwrights are dedicated to passing on skills and knowledge necessary to carry the wooden boat tradition forward. To learn more about CBMM’s Shipyard, its staff, and its current restoration and construction projects, visit cbmmshipyard.org.

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ShoreRivers Pumpout Boat Has Best Season Yet

November 9, 2019 by Spy Desk

ShoreRivers’ pumpout boat works on the Miles and Wye rivers to reduce nutrient pollution and harmful bacteria that can be introduced from recreational boaters’ waste. In an effort to assist local boaters committed to more river-friendly boating practices, the pumpout boat is a convenient way to properly dispose of waste rather than discharging it into our waterways. The 2019 season saw a record amount of waste pumped – 17,800 gallons. Since its first year of operation in 2016, the boat has pumped 53,300 gallons total, preventing that pollution from entering our rivers.

“Our rivers are impaired from excess nutrients,”said ShoreRivers’ Miles-Wye Riverkeeper Elle Bassett. “We all want swimmable and fishable rivers. This pumpout boat offers a simple and easy way for recreational boaters to join in the effort to improve local water quality.”

Pumpout boat captain Jim Freeman provides free pumpout services to boaters on the Miles and Wye Rivers. Photo courtesy of CBMM.

The boat pumped over 8,500 gallons in 2016, over 12,000 gallons in 2017, and over 15,000 gallons in 2018. It operates in partnership with Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels. CBMM donates free dockage, storage, and use of their land-based pump-out station to offload the waste from the boat. The sewage then goes directly to the St. Michael’s wastewater treatment plant.

“We’re thrilled that the amount of waste kept out of the Bay by this vessel continues to grow each year,” said CBMM President Kristen Greenaway. “The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is fully invested in environmental stewardship, and this partnership with ShoreRivers is a wonderful extension of those efforts. We can’t wait to see how much of an impact we can make together next season.”

The pumpout boat operates from May through October on the Miles and Wye rivers, offering free service to boaters. The vessel was acquired in 2016 and continues to operate with funding from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in conjunction with the Clean Vessel Act administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. For more details and contact information for the pumpout boat captain, visit shorerivers.org/pumpout-boat.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

The ShoreRivers pumpout boat pumps more waste each year from recreational boaters on the Miles and Wye rivers, preventing that nutrient and bacteria pollution from entering our waterways.

Juvenile Terrapins Released on Tilghman Island

November 2, 2019 by Phillips Wharf Environmental Center (PWEC)

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center staff recently released four juvenile diamondback terrapins along Black Walnut Cove on Tilghman Island. The baby terrapins were rehabilitated at PWEC over this past year, after being rescued from harmful conditions in the local area.

Native to the Chesapeake Bay region, diamondback terrapins are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Newly hatched terrapins are roughly the size of a quarter, and are often preyed upon before they have the chance to reach adulthood. Other threats include habitat loss, and impacts from human recreation such as drowning in crab traps. Hatchlings are also susceptible to a number of health issues such as respiratory infections and an occasional eye infection.

“Phillips Wharf was able to treat these conditions in the juveniles and rehabilitate them to a size that would be favorable for their survival in the wild, which is approximately three times the size of when they were brought in,” said PWEC Aquaria Manager Sarah Moffat. “Another juvenile terrapin release is planned for fall 2020 for the five hatchlings still in our care.”

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center is currently accepting donations and sponsorships for their Terrapin and Turtle Rehab efforts. These donations help fund the care needed for the terrapins while at the center—including medical treatments and prepared diets—as well as for habitat improvement projects, including PWEC’s outdoor terrapin and turtle habitat center.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences showcasing the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants. To become a supporter of PWEC’s Terrapin and Turtle Rehab program, contact PWEC Aquaria Manager Sarah Moffatat 410-886-9200 or at sarah@phillipswharf.org.

Coalition to Think Beyond State Borders to Offset Conowingo Flows

October 30, 2019 by Bay Journal

A coalition of nonprofits is developing a plan to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution that now flows over the Conowingo Dam. (Dave Harp)

Write and enact a plan to eliminate millions of pounds of nutrient pollution washing into waterways.
Do it without duplicating the pollution reduction plans that states will be using to meet their own goals, which typically contain the cheapest and potentially most effective options.
Oh, and come up with a way to pay for it, too.

Surprisingly, people have signed up for this seemingly impossible job. A coalition of nonprofits is developing a plan to reduce nutrient pollution to the Upper Bay to offset the impact of the Conowingo Dam — and to pay for it.

They hope to identify highly effective ways to reduce agricultural and stormwater runoff, which carries nutrients into waterways, and use them in places not already being targeted by states for Bay cleanup efforts. They also aim to tap new funding sources, including the private sector, to help pay for the plan.

“It is certainly a challenge,” said Byran Seipp, a watershed manager with the Center for Watershed Protection who is helping to coordinate the effort. “There is no doubt about that. It is something people have been wrestling with for quite a long time.”

The 94-foot-high Conowingo Dam, located just 10 miles up the Susquehanna River from the Chesapeake, has been casting a shadow over Bay cleanup efforts for years. Scientists had long known that once its 14-mile-long reservoir was filled, it would no long trap pollutants and they would begin to flow downstream.

But that day of reckoning was thought to be far in the future — at least past the 2025 Bay cleanup goal. As a result, impacts from the filled reservoir were not factored in when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assigned nutrient reduction goals to states in 2010.

Recent studies, though, determined that the reservoir has filled and is spilling more nutrients — nitrogen and phosphorus — into the Chesapeake than previously thought.

Computer models estimate that an additional 6 million pounds of nitrogen and 260,000 pounds of phosphorus would need to be controlled to make up for the dam’s lost trapping capacity. That would require roughly 15% more nutrient reductions beyond the stated 2025 cleanup goals — more than some states in the region have to accomplish individually.

With states already struggling to meet those goals, the state-federal Bay Program partnership last year decided to seek proposals from outside parties to develop a strategy to make up that gap.

Proposals were collected earlier this year, and the EPA recently awarded grants totaling nearly $600,000 to the Center for Watershed Protection, Chesapeake Bay Trust and Chesapeake Conservancy to tackle the job. They, in turn, will enlist the support of nearly a dozen other nonprofits, university partners and private sector consultants.

They’ll be working in partnership with a steering committee of state and federal representatives to coordinate the effort and ensure that their plan does not rely on practices states are counting on to meet their own cleanup goals.

The hope is that the Conowingo group will bring new insights that help tackle problems where progress has been elusive.

While the region has succeeded in reducing nutrient pollution from wastewater treatment plants, which can be addressed through regulation and technology, it has struggled to reduce nutrient-laden runoff from farms and developed lands. Progress remains far off the pace required to meet Bay water quality goals.

The Conowingo team will look to new high tech tools, new ideas and new financing strategies to accelerate progress.

“There is a real opportunity to create a sort of case study of how these states can come together to solve these basinwide issues in a cost-effective way,” Seipp said.

One of the first tasks is determining, geographically, the best places for making additional nutrient reductions. While the dam is located on the Susquehanna, reductions from nearby areas of Maryland’s Eastern and Western shores would have similar impacts on Bay water quality. The group is working with computer modelers to more precisely identify those areas.

The ability to explore that type of question is one reason that this plan will be unique. Unlike states, which are constrained to reducing nutrients within their borders, the Conowingo team can make reductions across jurisdictional borders.

Once those regions are identified, the team will use high-resolution satellite data and other tools to identify more precisely specific sites where runoff control practices will have the greatest benefit to water quality.

Many state and federal cost-share programs tend to rely on farmers signing up on their own to participate. By identifying specific sites, or groups of farms, they envision using more proactive outreach to targeted groups of farmers and other landowners, based on priority locations.

“It is not working an acre here and acre there,” said Jeff Allenby, director of conservation technology with the Chesapeake Conservancy. “You can actually put together some significant initiatives that achieve larger results than they would if you were just working project by project.”

The team also will explore barriers, whether financial, technical or cultural, to different nutrient reduction techniques. Some stream restorations, for example, meet resistance from landowners or local governments because the work requires more land than they are willing to make available or can acquire. The new tools can help identify opportunities for such projects that require less land.

Allenby said the group also might identify effective but underused manure treatment technologies to try to figure out how to boost their adoption.

Ultimately, though, the effort will require more money.

Some could come from Exelon, the utility that owns the dam. The state of Maryland recently announced an agreement with Exelon, in which the company will pay $200 million toward pollution reduction and habitat improvements over the next 50 years.

Even so, the Conowingo plan will require more money and creative ways to find it. A group of financial advisers will be recommending ideas, including private sector involvement.

One possibility is to view some agricultural efforts as infrastructure projects, and fund them through bonds. That would bring money to address problems more quickly, but allow those improvements to be paid off over time.

Also, the plan will likely involve the use of nutrient “trading,” and other market-based tools that encourage private investors to install nutrient control practices for credits that can be sold to jurisdictions or businesses needing to offset pollution impacts in other places. And that needs to happen across state borders, said Dan Nees of the University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability.

“Somehow, we have to agree that geopolitical boundaries are not going to work when it comes to finance,” Nees said. “There needs to be an opportunity for revenue to flow back and forth where it has the greatest economic value, and that is through markets and water quality trading.”

Such techniques have been talked about for years in the Bay region, but have never had widespread adoption. Because of its cross-border approach, Nees said the Conowingo plan is ideally suited to pilot such concepts.

“We’ve been talking about this for too long,” Nees said. “We have to actually do it.”

A draft strategy is expected by March, with a final plan in June.

There is one key difference between the Conowingo cleanup plan and those written by the states. The EPA can take action against the states if their plans fall short, because they are legally required to meet Bay water quality standards. There’s no such legal requirement for the groups working on the Conowingo plan.

“We are working toward being able to devise a plan and have the funding to implement it and the tools to track it,” Seipp said. “But if that doesn’t happen, the people who ultimately hold the regulatory responsibility is the states.”

Town Creek Foundation’s Stuart Clarke Signs on with UM’s Center for Environmental Science

October 30, 2019 by Spy Desk

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) announces the hiring of Stuart Clarke as its new Vice President of Strategic Initiatives.

“I am delighted that Stuart Clarke will join us as our new Vice President for Strategic Initiatives,” said Peter Goodwin, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. “Stuart is a highly respected environmental leader with 25 years of philanthropic experience. I am confident that his passion and professional commitment to the environment combined with his extensive experience will translate into profound benefits for our research, impact in Maryland and beyond, and the entire UMCES community.”

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science/Cheryl Nemazie.

In addition to playing a pivotal role in identifying partners and funding opportunities and diversifying funding sources, the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives will be responsible for coordinating traditional institutional advancement activities with a primary focus on UMCES’ Strategic Initiatives that address pressing environmental issues, including research challenges surrounding coastal resilience, sustainable landscapes and seascapes, changing oceans and climate, and healthy urban waterfronts

“I am pleased to welcome Stuart Clarke,” said Charlie Monk, partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr and chair of the UMCES Board of Visitors. “I am confident that Stuart’s long-standing experience in the environmental community will assist our Board in advancing the interests of our world-class environmental institution. ”

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, a globally eminent research institution advancing scientific knowledge of the environment, is one of the 12 institutions that make up the University System of Maryland. Its scientists work from a network of research laboratories across the state to understand and discover solutions to environmental challenges in the Chesapeake Bay and around the world and to provide the scientific basis for policymakers and civic leaders to address pressing issues, from sustaining healthy crab and oyster fisheries to protecting coastal communities from sea-level rise.

Clark begins his position December 2. He is responsible for coordinating traditional institutional advancement activities with a primary focus on team science initiatives with foundations, NGOs, inter-governmental bodies, and the private sector.

“I am very excited to join UMCES’ leadership team at this critical time,” said Stuart Clarke. “Given the profound environmental challenges that we face as a state, a nation, and a globe, strong, sound science may be more valuable than it has ever been. I am eager to get to work helping to expand and strengthen UMCES’ partnerships and to support UMCES’ scientists in their critical work.”

Before joining UMCES, Clarke served as the Executive Director of the Town Creek Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation dedicated to a sustainable environment. His previous philanthropic experience includes assignments as a Program Officer with the Turner Foundation managing a grant-making portfolio including national water quality protection and environmental and as Development Director of the Southern Partners Fund supporting social justice organizing in the South. He has also served as co-chair of the Maryland Climate Commission that provides governance for State initiatives to address climate change and as a trustee for Greenpeace USA.

Clarke is currently a Trustee of the Maryland Institute College of Art; the Blue Mountain Center, an artist and activist retreat center in the Adirondack Mountains; and the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers. He formerly served as director of the Environmental Grantmakers Association.

He served as Assistant Professor of Political Science at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts; as the Director of the Atlanta Outward Bound Center; and as the Chief Operating Officer of Hands On Network, a national network of community-based centers for volunteerism and civic action.

He received an undergraduate degree in Government and Law from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and a graduate degree in political science from Yale University.

Op-Ed: Thriving – Not Simply Surviving – in the Delmarva Oasis by Jim Bass

October 29, 2019 by Spy Desk

Last weekend we at Eastern Shore Land Conservancy held our annual Party to Preserve where we discussed Delmarva Oasis, an initiative to protect 50% of the Delmarva Peninsula we love and call home by the year 2030. Protecting land –specifically placing low-lying and waterfront properties in easements to limit future development – is critical to the future of Delmarva as flooding episodes such as this increase in frequency and severity.

The timing of this year’s Party to Preserve was fitting as many attendees had difficulty traveling due to exceptionally high tidal flooding. Across the Shore you may have noticed this if you drove on low-lying roads, tried to visit a waterfront business, own property own or near the water, or have friends or family who meet any of the above criteria. I think that almost every person on the Eastern Shore falls into one of those categories. This was a widespread flooding event which impacted our whole region, and without a drop of rain fallen.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore is the nation’s third-most vulnerable region to the threats of sea level rise, following south Florida and coastal Louisiana. As this type of flooding becomes deeper and more chronic, the region’s existing vulnerabilities will only become worse. Shorelines will fail, school and work commutes will be disrupted more frequently, vehicles will corrode, and infrastructure will be weakened. Flooding from hurricanes and tropical storms will also become worse in the future as sea level rise drives storm surge further inland. All of which reinforces the necessity for a widespread land preservation effort like Delmarva Oasis to ensure that nature is allowed to play its role in protecting our communities and our lives.

It’s not fair to say that recent flooding is a complete and direct result of climate change. The moon was almost entirely full which pulls tides higher than normal. Tropical Storm Melissa, well out into the Atlantic Ocean, was large enough to drive Chesapeake Bay waters higher than normal and prevent some of the tide’s regular ebbing. But we would be naïve to think that sea level rise is not playing a major role in the increased impacts of flooding that we are experiencing today. Tides today are a foot higher than they were a century ago, and that number is growing increasingly every day. Sea level rise is not an abstract concept for future community planning – it is a concrete, measurable phenomenon occurring right now which is impacting our lives and those of waterfront community members across the country.

Protecting fifty percent of Delmarva means utilizing conserved and protected lands and open spaces as protective barriers between our towns and the flood hazards which surround us. Fifty percent of Delmarva means investment not only in natural resources, but also the space we need to thrive as a vibrant community on the Eastern Shore. Fifty percent of Delmarva means towns and people as well as land.

To build this Delmarva Oasis in the face of climate change and sea level rise, ESLC is engaging government partners at the local and state level to bring funding and resources to the region which will result in safe, adaptive, and resilient communities now and in the future. We are working with property owners across the region to consider their vulnerability and identify adaptation solutions. And we are building partnerships with local businesses to ensure that the economic base of the Eastern Shore, rooted in agriculture and small business, remains strong and competitive. But this is not enough. To build true regional resilience and preserve a vibrant Eastern Shore, we must have full engagement from all residents and community members to protect what we love and value. We must identify the things worth protecting, the things that make us unique, and use them as a guide and inspiration for building resilience and ensuring a future where we thrive, not simply survive, here on the Eastern Shore.

Jim Bass is the Coastal Resilience Program Manager for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy

Warmer Temperatures Could Have Chilling Effect on Fall Foliage

October 25, 2019 by Bay Journal

Autumn leaf peepers in Chesapeake Bay states may be disappointed by more muted colors because of climate change, scientists say. A study says the effects of climate change may lead to more muted autumn foliage colors for leaf peepers. (Ad Crable)

“Dull falls” may be added to the string of detriments climate change may bring, according to a 2018 report by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “Climate change is disrupting the timing of natural cycles, such as trees’ emergence from dormancy, leaf development and blooming,” the agency said in a recent statement highlighting the problem.

“It can get very complicated, and it can have negative impacts to the vibrancy of the foliage,” added Kerry Campbell, environmental manager for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection energy office.

Leaf color is affected by an interplay of conditions, including excess rainfall or drought, high or low temperatures and frost. Climate change is expected to have an influence on all of them. Among the changing conditions that could lead to a fall foliage letdown: a dry, hot summer caused by rising temperatures and disrupted rainfall patterns that can result in browning or early leaf drop.

Climate change also is expected to make conditions more hospitable for diseases and invasive insects, which can further stress trees and lead to more muted colors.

Also, scientists are predicting that the dominate range of some tree species will move northward to escape warming temperatures. Among the likely candidates are sugar maples, which provide one of the most brilliant autumn displays.

“In ecology, everything is connected,” said Chris Firestone, a plant botanist with DCNR. “Climate change can impact small things that we don’t think about, and we don’t always know how those things may play out.”

By Ad Crable
Bay Journal

Easton Utilities Plans for EV Charging Station

October 25, 2019 by Spy Desk

Easton Utilities obtained unanimous approval from the Easton Town Council to utilize four parking spaces at the bottom of Brewer’s Lane to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in partnership with the Town of Easton. “Providing this valuable amenity in downtown Easton will benefit residents and visitors who drive an EV, while reflecting our commitment to sustainability and technology,” stated John J. Horner, VP of Operations for Easton Utilities.

The EV charging station will consist of pedestal mounted Level 2 Tesla and universal chargers.Easton Utilities studied several locations based on charging technology, vehicle accommodation, infrequently used parking spaces, downtown accessibility, convenience, visibility, safety, pedestrian traffic and proximity to infrastructure.After evaluating these criteria, the Brewer’s Lane location was selected primarily because it will minimize impact to prime parking spots in the Town.

Currently there are no public EV charging stations in the Town of Easton; however, there are multiple locations along the Eastern Shore. “As the number of electric vehicles continues to increase, it is crucial to provide accessible charging stations to encourage and promote their use,” added Horner.

Easton Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility and telecommunications company operating the Electric, Natural Gas, Water, Wastewater, Cable Television, and Internet services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. Please visit www.eastonvelocity.com or call 410-822-6110 to learn more.

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