Ecosystem

Critical Conservation Work Planned by ShoreRivers Throughout the Eastern Shore

January 20, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Beginning this month, ShoreRivers will begin implementing a suite of conservation projects on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, including multiple installations on farmland to improve soil health, stormwater action plans to modernize outdated municipal systems, partnerships with congregations to put projects on four faith properties, and pollution reduction from a golf course community. This work is made possible through eight grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Chesapeake Bay Trust. Projects will begin in 2020 and culminate in 2022.

Farmland: Agriculture is the primary land use and a large economic driver of the Eastern Shore. In collaboration with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, ShoreRivers will work with local farmers to improve soil health through cover crops and conservation tillage practices. A series of innovative conservation drainage practices will also be implemented to increase crop productivity while reducing sediment loss and nutrient pollution. Two agricultural projects located in the Chester River watershed will be designed to filter runoff from over 500 acres of cropland and to restore wetland habitat for native species.

Saturated buffer installation

Stormwater: Wye Mills, located in a sub-watershed of the Wye River, has poor water quality and experiences frequent flooding. ShoreRivers will complete a thorough assessment to identify pollution sources, flood reduction opportunities, and potential restoration project sites. Similarly, Chestertown has an outdated stormwater system; ShoreRivers will develop a comprehensive stormwater action plan with stakeholder input to improve water quality. The ultimate goal is to create an innovative, modern stormwater system for this historic town.

Community: Environmental conservation efforts thrive thanks to partnerships with strong community organizations such as Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC). To reduce harmful runoff on church properties, ShoreRivers will host two workshops to engage and inform congregations on restoration strategies and develop a plan to implement at least four restoration projects on faith properties.

Homeowners: To improve the health of the Wye River, ShoreRivers’ River-Friendly Yards program staff will work with homeowners in Queenstown near Greenwood Creek to install rain gardens and plant trees. Additionally, ShoreRivers will partner with Prospect Bay Country Club on multiple efforts to reduce fertilizer and herbicide use on its golf course in order to minimize harmful runoff.

ShoreRivers is thrilled to bring significant state and national resources into the region to support integral work for healthy rivers on behalf of our communities. Follow the progress of these projects:@shorerivers on Facebook; @shoreriversorg on Instagram; or subscribe to the e-newsletter at shorerivers.org/subscribe.

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

shorerivers.org

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Falconry & Red-Tailed Hawks at Phillips Wharf Feb. 1

January 17, 2020 by Phillips Wharf Environmental Center (PWEC) Leave a Comment

Eastern Shore Experience Owner and falconer Eric Werner kicks off Phillips Wharf’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series on Sat., Feb. 1, at Phillips Wharf’s classroom on Tilghman Island, Md. The speaker sessions are free, with donations gratefully accepted.

Werner will share details of the 4,500-year-old sport of falconry with a red-tailed hawk. As a falconer for more than 20 years, Eric is one of 3,400 licensed falconer’s in the United States.

“Falcons are brilliant birds and have been trained for thousands of years to work with hunters in the field,” said Werner. “Now, you have an opportunity to get up-close and personal with one of the Eastern Shore’s top predators, a Red-tailed Hawk.”

Falconer Eric Werner kicks off Phillips Wharf’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series.

Each Sip & Socialize speaker event begins at 5 p.m. in Phillips Wharf classroom, with wine, refreshments, and light snacks served. Following the speaker presentation will be time for discussion.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series features topics focused on the Chesapeake Bay, its wildlife and environmental changes.Future Speaker Series events will be posted at phillipswharf.org.

Based on Tilghman Island, Eastern Shore Experience provides wildlife and adventure educational experiences, and relies on Werner’s experiences as a local hunting and fishing guide, federally licensed falconer, and wildlife rescuer. More is at easternshoreexperience.com.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s programs and services support the nonprofit’s mission to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences showcasing the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants.

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Can the EPA Enforce the Chesapeake Bay’s ‘Pollution Diet’?

January 15, 2020 by Bay Journal Leave a Comment

Is the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load and its cleanup deadline enforceable? The answer is complicated.

TMDLs are required for any “impaired” waterbody — one that does not meet standards set by a state to ensure a waterbody is safe for people and aquatic life.

A TMDL sets the maximum amount of a pollutant that the waterbody can receive and still meet those standards. The Bay TMDL maximum “loads” are established for the pollutants nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment.

The TMDL, often called the Bay’s “pollution diet,” allocates those loads among the states and major rivers that drain into the Bay. It also establishes specific limits for entities with a discharge permit.

But, in a strict sense, it is not the TMDL that enforces those numbers for individual dischargers. The permits do that job — but they must be consistent with the TMDL.

“TMDLs are not self-implementable,” said Mike Haire, who helped manage the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s TMDL program for years, and now teaches environmental science at Towson University. “But,” he added, “the bottom line is you can’t write permits that aren’t consistent with the TMDLs.” And if water quality standards are not being met after those permit limits are in place — possibly because unregulated sources of runoff are not meeting their goals — the limits “might have to become more stringent than the requirements in the TMDL,” Haire said.

Likewise, rules governing TMDLs do not establish deadlines, they only state that goals should be achieved in a “timely manner.”

But courts have held that water quality standards are to be met “reasonably promptly,” and the Bay cleanup could face a court-imposed deadline if the effort continues to fail, said Ridgeway Hall, an environmental attorney who has worked on Bay issues and written about its TMDL. (See the related article, MD threatens to sue EPA, PA over lack of action as regional tensions rise.)

While the Bay TMDL sets limits as all TMDLs do, it has several unique aspects. It includes an “accountability framework,” developed by the EPA and the states in the Bay watershed that goes beyond what TMDLs traditionally require. The framework includes a 2025 cleanup deadline that was agreed upon by the state-federal Bay Program partnership in 2007.

The accountability framework also requires states to write plans showing how they will meet cleanup goals, setting two-year milestones to provide “reasonable assurance” that they will meet their goals. Those milestones were suggested by the states.

The TMDL also outlines steps the EPA can take if states fall short of their goals for reducing pollution, including unregulated discharges from sources such as farms. Those “consequences,” such as forcing further reductions from regulated sources, are grounded in the EPA’s authority under the Clean Water Act.

“The contingency actions were set up to get people’s attention and to recognize that there is a limited set of actions that the agency can take under the Clean Water Act,” said Rich Batiuk, retired associate director for science with the EPA Bay Program Office and a key architect of the Bay TMDL. “If states want to control their own destiny, we are saying great, but you need to hold up your end of the bargain or there is a price to be paid,” he said.

The Bay TMDL is also unique because its goals were adopted into the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement signed by the EPA and Bay states.

Section 117g of the Clean Water Act, which creates the state-federal Bay Program, includes a requirement that the EPA administrator “shall ensure that management plans are developed and implementation is begun by signatories to the Chesapeake Bay agreement to achieve and maintain … the nutrient goals of the Chesapeake Bay agreement …”

In terms of TMDL authority, “I think 117g presses EPA into a different place than other TMDLs in other places,” said Jon Mueller, vice president for litigation with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

About Karl Blankenship

Karl Blankenship is editor of the Bay Journal and executive director of Bay Journal Media. He has served as editor of the Bay Journal since its inception in 1991.

By Karl Blankenship

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ShoreRivers to Host Workshop on Building Resilient Eastern Shore Farms

January 8, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

On February 5, ShoreRivers will host a free workshop in Princess Anne on building farm resiliency through improved water management and soil health. The workshop is open to the public and will focus on innovative practices that benefit both farm productivity and conservation efforts. Farmers, landowners, and agricultural professionals are encouraged to attend. View the full agenda at shorerivers.org.

Water availability and soil health have a big impact on farm productivity and resiliency. The workshop will feature presentations from ShoreRivers and University of Maryland Extension staff on innovative conservation drainage practices, the agronomic benefits of building healthy soils, and an overview of Chesapeake Bay water quality goals and how agricultural conservation practices can help meet them.

Following the presentations, attendees are invited to visit a nearby farm that uses cover crops and no-till, and where ShoreRivers partnered on a conservation drainage project that includes drainage water management and a structure for water control at the outlet.

This workshop is being held in partnership with University of Maryland Extension and will be held at their Somerset Office located at 30730 Park Drive in Princess Anne, Maryland. The workshop will run from 9am-2pm with lunch provided. For a full agenda or to RSVP, please contact Laura Wood at lwood@shorerivers.org or 410-810-7556 ext. 276.

Farmers located on the upper Eastern Shore can expect a similar event hosted more locally in late spring 2020 as a part of this series of workshops funded by Northeast Extension Risk Management Education.

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

shorerivers.org

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Dirty Air and the Human Brain: Does Pollution Poison the Mind?

December 27, 2019 by Maryland Matters News Service

Air pollution is known to be a serious health risk – a cause of asthma, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and a factor, according to the World Health Organization, in an estimated seven million deaths worldwide every year. A growing body of research suggests air pollution may also be harming our brains.

Chalk Point Generating Station, Eagle Harbor, Maryland

In recent years, new areas of study have opened up into how air pollution might affect our minds and the way we think and feel. Epidemiologists and neuroscientists have found evidence linking long-term exposure to air pollution with increased incidence of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other brain maladies. At the same time, behavioral and labor economists have published a series of papers about the effects of air pollution on cognitive performance.

Anthony Heyes, an economics professor at the University of Ottawa, has co-authored a number of such studies. One 2016 paper linked heavily polluted days in Los Angeles with upticks in violent crime; another from the same year found that on days with bad air quality in New York, returns on the S&P 500 stock market index were significantly lower. Heyes theorizes that pollution, like bad weather, “makes you blue, short sighted and risk-averse.”

“We’re gradually learning about the range of effects from air pollution on the human condition,” Heyes said. “We know there are physical effects. But your psyche is disturbed or influenced in many, many different ways.”

Prior research has shown that workers doing physical labor, such as picking fruit, are less productive on polluted days. Recent studies have found that air pollutants like ozone, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter affect the performance of highly skilled workers performing mostly cognitive tasks. One paper published this year and co-authored by Heyes showed that on polluted days, members of the Canadian Parliament spoke in less complex language, as measured by a formula that computes the length of sentences and syllables per word in speeches. Another study from 2018 found that on polluted days, Major League Baseball umpires make significantly more mistakes when calling balls and strikes, as measured by pitch-tracking technology used in major league ballparks.

James Archsmith, a co-author of that study, said its conclusions “make us think we should be concerned with other similar types of occupations, like air traffic controllers, where thinking and perceiving are much more important than physical activity.”

Studies in Israel and in China have shown both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to lower standardized test scores. And a paper published in September of this year found that chess players in Germany make more mistakes, as measured by a computer program’s suggested moves, when there is more fine particulate matter in the air.

More than 10 studies, meanwhile, have linked air pollution with a higher incidence of brain diseases, including dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The Environmental Protection Agency sets limits for fine particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide and other air pollutants. Millions of Americans live in areas that exceed those standards. But a growing chorus of scientists and advocates says that the standards aren’t strong enough. And some of the recent research suggests that levels currently considered “safe” by the EPA may still be harming our brains.

“The evidence is compelling, as far as I’m concerned, that there’s no safe level of air pollution, just as there is no safe level of cigarette smoking,” said Caleb Finch, a professor of the Neurobiology of Aging at the University of Southern California, though he cautions: “It’s a very young field. In comparison to [what we know about] cigarette smoke, we’re about one tenth of a percent of the way there.”

Not everyone is so convinced by the research – at least not yet. James Hendrix is the chief scientific officer for LuMind IDSC, a foundation that studies Down’s syndrome, and the former director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer’s Association. He said the recent studies, though intriguing, only show an association between air pollution and brain diseases, and do not prove causation.

“It’s really difficult to ascribe a cause and effect,” Hendrix said. “Often, exposure to pollution and environmental toxins can be a surrogate for low economic status, and we know that that’s a surrogate for poor access to health care. You may have untreated hypertension that can lead to dementia. Many of these things are so intertwined and mixed, it’s difficult to isolate one thing.”

He is similarly skeptical about the economics papers, like the umpire study.

“The umpire may be suffering from allergies caused by the pollution,” he said. “Their eyes may be watering. That’s not really about your brain functioning. It’s about your eyes.”

What’s needed, he said, are controlled, scientific experiments to discover whether pollutants actually damage the brain. That’s difficult to do with humans, since it would involve deliberately exposing them to harmful substances, although Finch points out that about 20 experimental studies have shown air pollution negatively affects animal brains.

“The great mystery,” Finch said, “is how does it cause damage that crosses into the brain. It’s likely that it causes an inflammatory response, but that’s a major unknown in the field.”

Researchers hope that the growing body of evidence will spur international action to reduce air pollution. Economists like Archsmith and Heyes, meanwhile, hope that their research will show the hidden toll air pollution takes on the economy, and thus the hidden benefits of eliminating it.

“If air pollution is negatively impacting worker performance, that’s basically a tax on every company,” Archsmith said.

“The assumption has always been that there’s this trade-off,” Heyes said, “that if you want cleaner air, you need more regulations, which hurts business. This is telling the opposite story.”

By Hillel Aron

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EPA Confirms Shortfalls in PA, NY Bay Cleanup Plans

December 23, 2019 by Bay Journal

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency confirmed on Thursday that plans produced by Pennsylvania and New York fall far short of meeting Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals.

But the agency did not call for any new actions against the states, although their shortfalls — especially Pennsylvania’s huge gap — means the region would miss its 2025 deadline to put in place all actions needed to achieve the Bay’s clean water goals.

Instead, the agency asked the states to provide more details about the actions they would take during the next two years to get their programs back on track.

Meanwhile, the EPA’s evaluation of other state plans, which were submitted in August, found that they met goals, though the review found that most needed more detail to show how they would achieve the dramatically ramped-up rates of action needed to curb polluted runoff from farms and developed lands. The District of Columbia, though, has met its goals.

The EPA in 2010 established a new cleanup program called the Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load, or “pollution diet,” which set limits on the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that each state sends to the Bay. The nutrients spur algae blooms that cloud its water and fuel oxygen-starved “dead zones.”

Since then, the levels of the water-fouling nutrients have declined — and phosphorus goals likely will be met — but the region remains far off track for nitrogen. Nitrogen reductions are lagging mostly because of shortfalls in Pennsylvania, which is, by far, the largest source of nutrients reaching the Chesapeake, though it does not border the Bay.

The EPA required the new state cleanup plans to show how states will meet nutrient reduction goals by the TMDL’s 2025 deadline. Between now and then, states also must continue to submit additional plans showing the actions they will take in two-year increments to show they are making adequate progress.

“It is critical that we continue the momentum that has led to signature successes and positive signs of resilience in the watershed,” said EPA Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and its environmental, economic and cultural importance cannot be understated.”

But the agency’s failure to announce any actions against Pennsylvania — whose plan fell 25% short of its nitrogen reduction goal and had an annual funding shortfall of more than $300 million a year— was a disappointment to some.

“EPA has failed to fulfill its obligation to be the referee of the multi-state partnership. It has not held Pennsylvania accountable,” said William Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Rather, it has once again kicked the can down the road, abdicating its Clean Water Act responsibilities and putting the Bay restoration in jeopardy.”

He said the environmental group was considering suing the EPA for not using its regulatory oversight authority to enforce cleanup goals.

The agency has the ability to take a variety of actions against states failing to meet their goals, such as increasing oversight, extending regulatory authority over more entities, and requiring more pollution reductions from dischargers with permits, such as wastewater treatment plants.

In its evaluation, though, the EPA focused on providing assistance rather than meting out punitive measures, pledging to provide Pennsylvania with more technical support, continued grant funding, and help identifying places where runoff control measures would be most effective in meeting Bay goals.

As written, Pennsylvania’s plan would be about 9 million pounds short of its nitrogen reduction goal. New York’s plan was about 1 million pounds a year short.

That gap is more than a fifth of the 47 million pounds of additional annual nitrogen reductions the region needs to achieve to meet Bay water quality goals.

Most of the nitrogen reaching the Bay from Pennsylvania — and all of it coming from New York —flows down the Susquehanna River, the Bay’s largest tributary. Nutrients from the river, which empties near the head of the Bay, have an enormous impact on the Chesapeake’s water quality. Failure to come close to meeting nitrogen goals in the Susquehanna means that most of the Bay would be unlikely to meet clean water objectives.

Achieving nutrient reductions in Pennsylvania has been a struggle because most of its nitrogen comes from agriculture and stormwater runoff — sectors that all Bay states grapple to control. Pennsylvania has far more farms — 33,000 — than the other states, though, and most are small, making both oversight and outreach difficult.

Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia have made progress largely because they have reduced nutrient discharges from large wastewater treatment plants, and Pennsylvania has few of them. Since the TMDL was established, 85% of the nitrogen reductions in the Bay watershed have come from upgrading wastewater treatment plants across the region. But there are few plants left that need upgrades.

All states must now significantly ramp up efforts to control runoff from farms and developed lands at rates far beyond what they have demonstrated they can achieve in recent years. From now to the end of 2025, state plans cumulatively call for about 82% of the remaining nitrogen reductions to come from agriculture and 5% from developed lands.

While plans from other states generally described programs that would reach their goals, the EPA said more details are needed to boost confidence in that outcome. Its analysis said that states should provide estimates about the number of on-the-ground nutrient control actions they plan to take during the next two years.

In some cases, state plans call for the implementation rates of runoff control practices to be increased tenfold beyond recent levels. In comments submitted earlier this year about state plans, many local governments and conservation districts expressed skepticism that such an aggressive ramp-up could be achieved.

By Karl Blankenship

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Adkins Arboretum Transforms Living Collections Database

December 16, 2019 by Adkins Arboretum

Adkins Arboretum recently upgraded and increased the accessibility of its Living Collections Database. The upgrade was made possible with a $25,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), awarded through its most competitive grant program, Museums for America, in the category of collections stewardship. Adkins Arboretum is considered a living museum, as its exhibits are in the forms of living plant material, land preservation and educational resources.

The upgrade transformed the Living Collections Database into a robust, user-friendly database, geographic information system (GIS) and web mapping platform for broader public access and to improve monitoring and management of the Arboretum’s living collections. The end result is an easily navigable Living Collections Database that may be accessed online for all who are interested in learning more about the Arboretum’s flora. The expanded inventory of mapped plants makes it easier for visitors to locate species of interest, and it links to outside resources such as the Maryland Plant Atlas, further enhancing the learning experience.

Adkins Arboretum Horticultural Consultant Leslie Hunter Cario, at left, and volunteer Laura Rocco.

The project was completed over a two-year period by Adkins staff, including Executive Director Ginna Tiernan, Land Steward Kathy Thornton, Chesapeake Bay Trust Chesapeake Conservation Corps Members Emily Castle, Nathan Simmons and Blake Steiner, Arboretum volunteers, and local contractors Sylvan Kaufman of Sylvan Green Earth Consulting, Thayer Young of Cicada Systems GIS Consulting and Leslie Hunter Cario of Chesapeake Horticultural Services.

Founded in 1980 as Maryland’s official state arboretum, Adkins Arboretum is now a native plant preserve. Located adjacent to Tuckahoe State Park, the Arboretum operates and maintains a visitor’s center, 400 acres of meadows, woods and wetlands, and five miles of paths under a 50-year lease with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Its diverse collection includes more than 600 species of trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers native to the Eastern Shore and the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Its mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning and cultural and civic engagement. Its grant making, policy development and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit imls.gov or follow IMLS on Facebook and Twitter.

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Nature Conservancy and Partners Receive $1 Million for Wetland Restoration

December 11, 2019 by Spy Desk

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

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

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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