Eco Notes

441 Acres Preserved in Cecil County for Addiction Recovery

September 19, 2020 by Eastern Shore Land Conservancy 1 Comment

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is pleased to announce closing on a new conservation easement! The easement, completed in partnership with the U.S. Army and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR), protects 441 acres of agricultural land and critical species habitat with scenic value, off Back Creek and McGill Creek in Cecil County.

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust, which protects a property’s agricultural viability, natural habitat, rural heritage, and/or scenic open space in perpetuity.

Aerial of RCA Building

The newly preserved property is the Bracebridge Hall location for Recovery Centers of America (RCA), whose mission is to save 1 million lives from the disease of addiction using evidence-based practices and clinical expertise to deliver quality patient care tailored to individual patients’ needs. The property is 530 acres in total, with 89 acres of unprotected land to allow for the expansion of Bracebridge Hall’s buildings as necessary for operations.

“We are thrilled to partner with ESLC and want to be good stewards of the natural landscape that makes Recovery Centers of America Bracebridge Hall such a unique environment for treating substance use disorder,” said Michael Ogden, Bracebridge Hall CEO. “Our patients are able to commune with nature right on the property and this ability to step outside and appreciate the beauty of the natural landscape without drugs or alcohol can be an important tool for reeestablishing the benefits of a meaningful life in long term recovery.”

This easement brings ESLC’s total to 303across 65,052acres on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and it is one of the Conservancy’s most unique easements based on its use beyond agriculture.

Over the course of 30 years, ESLC has actively worked with thousands of farms, families and community members to protect and enhance the Eastern Shore’s working agricultural landscape. Cecil County has had several big conservation wins – and this is surely one to celebrate.

“Conservation of Bracebridge Hall has been a huge priority for well over a decade,” said ESLC President Rob Etgen. “When this beautiful property was subdivided into over 100 lots potentially destroying the farm soils and habitat, the community partnered with ESLC to strive for a better future. With Recovery Centers of America, a positive steward for the land has been found and a permanent conservation easement will ensure that stewardship lasts into perpetuity. Many thanks to RCA for your commitment to conservation, and congratulations to the community for your long vigilance!”

This project was made possible thanks to financial support from Maryland Department of Resources’ Rural Legacy Program and the U.S. Army’s Compatible Use Buffer Program.

Waterfront View

The Rural Legacy Program was created in 1997 to protect large, contiguous tracts of Maryland’s most precious cultural and natural resource lands (often referred to as “the best of what’s left”) through grants made to local applicants

The U.S. Army’s Compatible Use Buffer Program works with conservation-focused partners to preserve high-value habitat and limit incompatible development in the vicinity of military installations.

ESLC Land Program Manager, David Satterfield said, “Our staff is grateful to DNR and the Army for their dedication to this project. Their support and hard work was instrumental in helping us realize this long-term protection goal. Even more so, we applaud Recovery Centers of America for their dedication to conservation. Our staff looks forward to working with them, in perpetuity, to protect this important resource and hope that it helps guide many of their clients to a healthy future.”

For more information, contact Land Program Manager, David Satterfield, atdstatterfield@eslc.org, or visit www.eslc.org.

About Recovery Centers of America

RCA provides substance use disorder treatment in MD, PA, NJ, MA, and IL. Patients can obtain immediate care by calling 1-800-Recovery.Four Recovery Centers of America treatment facilities, were recently named as 2020 best U.S. treatment facilities that focus on addiction by Newsweek Magazine, including RCA at Bracebridge Hall and RCA Capital Region, both located in Maryland.

About the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is a private, nonprofit land conservation organization committed to preserving and sustaining the vibrant communities of the Eastern Shore and the lands and waters that connect them. For more information please visit www.eslc.org.

ShoreRivers Awarded Maryland Tax Credits for Education

September 19, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

ShoreRivers educator Rebecca Murphy (left), teachers and students investigate critters pulled from a seine net on the Choptank River.

ShoreRivers supporters are now able to donate to the organization’s education program and receive state tax credits in addition to their typical deduction. ShoreRivers has been awarded Community Investment Tax Credits (CITC) through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to incentivize donations that support environmental education programs in Eastern Shore public schools.

ShoreRivers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores and protects Eastern Shore waterways through science-based restoration, education, and advocacy. With regional offices in Galena, Chestertown, and Easton, the ShoreRivers education department has partnered with public schools for over seven years to provide grant-funded science and environmental programs that support students and schools in meeting graduation requirements, cultivate the next generation of river stewards, and introduce students to environmental career opportunities.

ShoreRivers’ education programs include elementary and high school environmental and science curriculum, cost-free field experiences, and funds that support student-driven projects that reduce pollution and increase environmental awareness at their schools.

ShoreRivers Director of Education Suzanne Sullivan explains why the CITC program is so important, especially this year. “Our schools are facing immense challenges in facilitating at-home, remote learning. ShoreRivers is creating solutions to those challenges while supporting annual science and environmental learning. The CITC program comes at a critical time to allow ShoreRivers to focus on the programs, teachers, and students when they need it most.”

Since 1997, the CITC program has awarded Maryland tax credits through a competitive application process. The program provides benefits that include allowing nonprofits to enhance revenue, offer creative tax relief for business and individual donors, target impacts in communities, and increase visibility and support for nonprofit programs. The tremendous impact of the CITC program speaks for itself with over $3.1 million donated to various Maryland nonprofits in 2018 alone.

In order to qualify, gifts must be a minimum of $500 and the individual or business donor must file taxes in the state of Maryland. To make a donation today, visit ShoreRivers.org/donate and indicate “Education Tax Credits” in the comments box under gift preferences. Tax credits are limited and will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. If you’d like to learn more about the program, contact Rebekah Hock at rhock@shorerivers.org.

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

shorerivers.org

PWEC’s Phillips Cox Named Executive Director, Emerita

September 19, 2020 by Phillips Wharf Environmental Center (PWEC) 2 Comments

The Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Board of Directors has recently accepted the resignation of Kelley Phillips Cox, with Cox citing medical reasons for the move. The Board has named Cox Executive Director Emerita to honor her role as the nonprofit’s founder and first director.

Cox continues to volunteer for the nonprofit that carries her family name, helping with grant writing and administration, among other operational support.

“I’m very much still involved,” said Cox. “Right now, I need to make my health my priority, especially during the COVID pandemic. All the work Phillips Wharf does is still at my heart, and I am continuing to work with our community partners and assist with grants—all which will help to expand their aquaculture and education programs.”

“We are extremely grateful for Kelley’s leadership and service to the nonprofit that will always carry her family’s name,” said Phillips Wharf Board President Matt Albers. “Because of Kelley, we can continue to grow in the services provided as we educate more children and adults about Chesapeake Bay aquaculture and more.”

Kelley Phillips Cox

Albers says the Board is now overseeing PWEC’s limited operations due to the COVID pandemic, and plans to begin a new executive director search by spring 2021.

Cox is a Tilghman Island native who founded Phillips Wharf Environmental Center in 2005 on property that once served as a seafood packinghouse as part of Cox’s family lineage. Cox’s family includes multi-generations of Chesapeake Bay watermen, with Cox receiving her marine biology degree from Salisbury University in pursuit of her passion for science. Her research and expertise are focused on estuarine aquaculture and the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem, with experience as a project WET certified instructor.

Cox continues to be actively involved with numerous regional organizations, including the Maryland Association of Outdoor and Environmental Educators, Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association, National Marine Educators Association, National Science Teachers Association, and the Maryland Oyster Advisory Commission. She is the recipient of MAEOE’s 2014 Robert Finton Maryland Environmental Educator of the Year Award and its 2018 Heritage Heroes Award. Talbot County’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism recognized Cox with its2019 Community Impact Award.

Phillips Wharf’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences highlighting the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants, with more at phillipswharf.org.

ShoreRivers Hosts Chesapeake Bay Commission Meeting on Agriculture

September 17, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

In early September, ShoreRivers virtually hosted the Chesapeake Bay Commission’s quarterly meeting, which explored successes and challenges to meeting agricultural pollution reduction goals as outlined in the federally mandated Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The 21-member commission, comprised of state legislators from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia as well as natural resource cabinet secretaries, acts as a catalyst for the coordination and leadership of state legislative and policy action to restore the Bay watershed.

As we near TMDL’s 2025 deadline,most jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are relying heavily on the agricultural sector to achieve the pollution reductions needed. Other sectors include urban stormwater, wastewater treatment plants, and septic systems. The commission heard from local experts about successful practices, the policies that support them and suggestions for policy changes in order to complete the final push.

In the state of Maryland, the Eastern Shore’s agriculture sector will produce approximately a third of the total nitrogen reductions required of the state;17% will come from the Western Shore’s agricultural sector; and the remaining half will come from the urban, septic, and wastewater sectors across the state.

The agriculture sector on the Eastern Shore will account for a third of the total nitrogen reductions required of the state.

This presents an opportunity for the Eastern Shore to benefit from substantial conservation funding, increased technical expertise, and innovative ideas and technologies to reduce pollution in order to meet the 2025 deadline. State and federal funding for conservation projects including wetland and stream restorations, drainage practices, and floodplain reconnections boost the local economy by investing in local businesses and farms, contractors, engineers, construction workers, nurseries, and horticulturalists.

The meeting’s first panel, representing perspectives from the science, conservation, and agribusiness fields, was comprised of Isabel Hardesty, deputy director for ShoreRivers; Jeff Sweeney from the Environmental Protection Agency; and Lindsay Thompson, director of Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts and Maryland Grain Producers Association.

“In order to meet our 2025 pollution reduction goals, we need to provide funding to fully staff Soil Conservation Districts,” said Hardesty. “We need more technical service and expertise to implement conservation practices. These county districts are understaffed and it is actively inhibiting our ability to reach Watershed Implementation Plan goals.” Thompson highlighted this need as well.

Tim Rosen, director of agriculture & restoration for ShoreRivers, led the Commission on a virtual tour of the history of conservation drainage practices around the Bay watershed, ending with a tour of projects completed with local farmers Kyle and Bobby Hutchison. Conservation drainage practices allow for better control of water in a farm field, resulting in less nutrient loss, erosion, and flooding, and greater crop yields.

“There is ample opportunity to implement conservation drainage practices across the Bay watershed and retain significant amounts of nutrients and sediments on farm fields instead of losing them to surface waters,” said Rosen.

To adequately meet pollution reduction goals, the Chesapeake Bay TMDL requires that all conservation practices be in place by 2025. In the remaining four years, both funding and implementation of practices must be prioritized in order to meet the deadline and achieve cleaner rivers and a healthier Bay.

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

shorerivers.org

CBF Announces New VP for Environmental Protection and Restoration

September 17, 2020 by Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leave a Comment

Alison Prost

Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) President William C. Baker is pleased to announce that Alison Prost is CBF’s new Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration. Ms. Prost has broad experience in environmental issues, having received her Environmental Law Certificate from the University of Maryland and having worked at the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning before coming to CBF. She has been with CBF for more than 12 years, first as the Maryland Office attorney, then as the Executive Director of the Maryland Office. Prost began her career as a legal intern with CBF in 2003 before joining the staff fulltime in 2007.

“Alison Prost’s broad experience with local, state, and federal government agencies makes her an ideal choice to lead CBF’s policy, grassroots, and restoration programs,” CBF President William C. Baker said. “Alison understands the challenges the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint faces. With just five years to go it is essential that EPA and the Bay states accelerate efforts to reduce pollution. Alison’s experience and knowledge will be crucial to restoration of this national treasure.”

The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, implemented in 2010, is unlike past state/federal voluntary agreements. It includes pollution limits, state-specific plans to achieve those limits, two-year milestones to evaluate progress, and consequences for failure. In it, the states also committed to implement the practices necessary to restore the Bay by 2025.

As Maryland Office Director, Prost led CBF’s advocacy efforts in the state that have helped increase funding for Bay restoration efforts, establish and permanently protect oyster sanctuaries, conserve forested land, and aid farmers who install environmental practices. She has also overseen CBF’s Maryland restoration work, which has included planting millions of new oysters and tens of thousands of trees during the previous decade.

“CBF is an amazing place to work,” Prost said. “It’s a team of committed staff that are at the top of their fields. I look forward to applying my experiences in Maryland throughout the watershed. In this new role, I’ll continue to fight for completing the Blueprint so that future generations can have cleaner streams, rivers, and a restored Chesapeake Bay to enjoy.”

Alison Prost resides in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Director of Pickering Creek Audubon Center Contributes to Publication on Teaching about Climate Change

September 4, 2020 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center

Mark Scallion

“Teaching Climate Change in the United States” by Joseph Henderson and Andrea Drewes was released on April 8^th in both online and print formats through the Taylor Francis group. The book highlights best practices in climate change education through the analysis of a rich collection of case studies that showcase educational programs across the United States.

Framed against the political backdrop of a country in which climate change denial presents a significant threat to global action for mitigation and adaptation, each case study examines the various strategies employed by those working in this increasingly challenging sociopolitical environment. Via co-authored chapters written by educational researchers and climate change education practitioners in conversation with one another, a wide range of education programs is represented. These range from traditional institutions such as K-12 schools and universities to the contemporary learning environments of museums and environmental education centers. The role of mass media and community-level educational initiatives is also examined. The authors cover a multitude of topics, including the challenge of multi-stakeholder projects, tensions between indigenous knowledge and scientific research, education for youth activism, and professional learning.

With stories of success and failure from the field, this book provides climate change researchers and educators with tools to help them navigate increasingly rough and rising waters.

Talbot County’s own, Mark Scallion, Director of Pickering Creek Audubon Center is one of eight contributors to the seventh chapter of the book entitled Becoming a Persistent Professional Development Community for Informal Educators Addressing Climate Change: A Story from Two Perspectives. Partners Cat Stylinski (UMCES), Joe Heimlich (COSI Center for Research and Evaluation), Lesley Bensinger (Delaware Nature Society), Sharon Bowen (The Maryland Zoo), Sarah Milbourne (MDDNR), Bart Merrick (NOAA), and Christopher Petrone (Delaware SeaGrant) shared their experiences with climate change education, working as a Maryland/Delaware ‘Community of Practice on Climate Education.’

Communities of practice (CoPs) offer an effective professional development approach that supports informal educators in their climate change education work. The chapter tells the story – through both community facilitators’ and members’ voices – of how a facilitated Community of Practice transitioned to an independent, unfunded, yet sustained effort, that remains valuable to its members. The facilitators describe how they initiated and supported the Community of Practice, including increasingly requiring members to take on leadership roles and eventually full control of the community. Members recall anxiety about this leadership transition but also a strong commitment to long-term sustainability. The chapter outlines several lessons for transitioning to a self-sustaining CoP Overall, both facilitators and members believe the CoP had dramatic professional and personal impacts on participants in terms of their climate change education efforts.

Pickering Creek Audubon Center has inspired generations to learn about and protect wildlife and the natural world. As one of the leading causes of wildlife and habitat degradation, education about climate change has been part of the majority of Pickering Creek’s programming for many years. Led by Director Mark Scallion, Pickering Creek’s four educator/naturalists and three seasonal educators make over 13,000 contacts each year with students of all ages to build their awareness of the human impact on our land, water, and air and the life it supports and develop their desire and capacity to become stewards of it.

Collaborative Program by UMCES and ShoreRivers Expands Environmental Education

September 2, 2020 by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

ShoreRivers partnered with University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) to create a five-day professional development summer workshop for 14 teachers, ranging from third grade through high school, from across the Eastern Shore, the start of a yearlong experience aimed at growing environmental education.

Teachers and trainers met virtually for a five-day professional development summer workshop, the start of a yearlong experience aimed at growing environmental education.

Teachers and trainers met virtually during July and August. The Meaningful Watershed Environmental Experience (MWEE) Academy, developed by Horn Point Laboratory faculty, graduate students, and Outdoor Education Specialist, was supported by a grant from Chesapeake Bay Trust and funding from the Fullwood Foundation. This initial week-long teacher engagement experience was designed to lay the foundation for a year-long MWEE Academy supporting teachers integrating Chesapeake Bay-focused issue investigations within existing curriculum following the MWEE framework: outdoor learning where students learn to ask questions, discover the answers, and create solutions to local environmental issues.

Originally scheduled to be a hands-on-experiential, week-long event, Point Laboratory’s Environmental Education Specialist Bryan Gomes and faculty member Judy O’Neil collaborated with ShoreRiver’s Director of Education Suzanne Sullivan and ShoreRivers staff member Rebecca Murphy to produce a virtual workshop. To foster familiarity and cohesiveness between the 14 participating teachers and the program’s leaders, a MWEE Academy Yearbook was created in which each participant shared the best piece of advice, favorite place to travel, and what “environmentalism” means to them.

Teachers participated in three days of introduction to the MWEE process to develop skills associated with Environmental Literacy and to learn how to use the Environmental Literacy Model (ELM) to develop inquiry-based investigative learning modules.

The final two days involved a more in depth-dive into current research on the Chesapeake Bay being carried out by UMCES’ Horn Point Laboratory researchers, starting with an overview of research and environmental science education and a virtual introduction to campus. Science presentations were shared by faculty and graduate students included: Microplastic pollution in the environment;sustainability in the Bay: the role of oyster aquaculture; using oysters for engineering breakwaters for erosion control,harmful algal blooms and water quality,investigating effects of low-oxygen zones on plankton, and the use of drone technology for assessing water quality. Presentations included pre-recorded demonstrations by researchers in the field, following CoVID-19 safety protocols, combined with live virtual presentations.

Christine Knauss, PhD candidate at HPL, shares with teachers the prevalence, challenges, and dangers of plastic pollution to marine animals, the environment, and humans.

The next step in this year-long MWEE Academy experience involves teachers working in collaboration with ShoreRivers and UMCES’ Horn Point Laboratory to construct their own environmental education modules designed specifically for their class grade level and school community environmental issues. The development of Meaningful Watershed Environmental Experiences for the Chesapeake Bay region will help schools satisfy the state of Maryland mandate for environmental literacy and compliance with environmental literacy (e-lit) standards. The Chesapeake Bay Trust grant also includes funding for the teachers to visit Horn Point Laboratory’s Environmental Education Center for hand-on experience and funds for the teachers to initiate an environmental community action activity at their school, to help share their newly gained knowledge on pressing environmental issues in the Chesapeake Bay that would be of concern for their local region.

ShoreRivers Awarded DNR Grant for Two Large Restoration Projects

August 27, 2020 by Spy Desk

Post-restoration shows the streambed raised and re-connected to its natural floodplain.

ShoreRivers is pleased to announce the receipt of a Maryland Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant to complete two large ecological restorations on the Eastern Shore that will significantly reduce nutrient and sediment pollution entering our rivers. In the Wye River watershed, ShoreRivers will restore 29 acres of marginal cropland to ponds, wetlands, and forest. In the Sassafras River watershed, ShoreRivers will restore 16 acres of floodplain and 4,800 feet of stream. This project will result in the complete restoration of the entire length of the stream, from a headwater agricultural ditch to the main stem of the Sassafras. The projects are slated to begin this fall and be completed by December 2021.

Wye River Restoration at Chesapeake College
The Chesapeake College Agriculture to Ecosystem project will convert 28.72 acres of an agricultural field with a badly incised ditch that drains nutrient and sediments to the Wye East River. The land will be removed from production, converted into two ponds, a series of wetland cells with habitat islands, planted infiltration berms and approximately 13.5 acres of tree plantings.The campus of Chesapeake College is located at the headwaters of the Wye East River.

This site will undergo a total conversion from an agricultural field to high quality wetland and forest habitat, all in view of heavily trafficked Route 50. This project will complement ShoreRivers’ regenerative stormwater conveyance project installed on a separate stream on the Chesapeake College campus, in addition to bioretentions, tree plantings, wildflower meadows, switchgrass buffers, and a wetland that have been installed throughout the campus. The project will also incorporate a walking path to allow students to use the project as an outdoor laboratory.
For more information about the Chesapeake College restoration, contact ShoreRivers Director of Operations & Finance Kristin Junkin at 443.385.0511 ext 204 or kjunkin@shorerivers.org.

Sassafras River Stream Restoration
The project in the Sassafras River watershed will restore 16 acres of floodplain wetlands and 4,800 feet of a headwater stream in the upper Sassafras. Combined with a recently completed restoration of 3,800 feet of stream also funded by Maryland DNR, this project represents 8,000 consecutive feet of stream restoration beginning in a headwaters agricultural ditch and flowing all the way to the main stem of the Sassafras River.

This restoration site is directly downstream of a ShoreRivers sampling site that historically has the highest monitored nutrient concentrations in the non-tidal Sassafras. The drainage is mainly agricultural but includes 43 acres of state and county roadways. Heavy stormflow runoff events have incised the stream channel with steep, eroding banks that are disconnected from its historic floodplain and subsequently unable to disperse stormflow energy, continually increasing the severity of bank erosion and over-widening of the channel.

This restoration, designed by Ecotone Ecological Restoration in consultation with ShoreRivers, goes beyond the consideration of nutrient processing and sediment storage, placing significant emphasis on promoting quality of in-stream and floodplain habitat, ecological uplift, and biodiversity. The restoration will promote higher dissolved oxygen levels within the stream system and lower water temperatures. This, along with connectivity of the floodplain, restoration of groundwater hydrology, seep habitat, and vernal pool wetlands, will provide critical habitat for a range of amphibians, reptiles, insects, and fish, and improve fish passage through the system to the Sassafras River headwaters.

For more information about the Sassafras restoration, contact ShoreRivers Restoration Manager Kim Righi at 443.385.0511 ext 251 or krighi@shorerivers.org.

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

shorerivers.org

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September 2020 Sky-Watch

August 19, 2020 by Dennis Herrman

Perhaps the best known constellation to most people is the BIG DIPPER. But the truth is the Big Dipper is not a constellation at all. It is an ASTERISM. Asterisms are unofficial groups of stars recognized mostly by amateurs. Since 1930 the International Astronomical Union has recognized 88 official constellations with professional astronomers around the world in agreement. Asterisms may be made up of several stars from a single constellation, or they may pull stars from several different constellations.

The familiar Big Dipper shape is the 7 brightest stars from the constellation Ursa Major (Big Bear), which has 88 stars. In September the Big Dipper is easily seen low in the northwest sky. Nearly straight overhead we can find VEGA in Lyra the harp, the sky’s 4th brightest star. Looking east (left) of Vega is the bright star DENEB in Cygnus the Swan; and then down and below these two is bright ALTAIR in Aquila the eagle. Connect these three stars with imaginary lines and we form the asterism known as the SUMMER TRIANGLE. As we move into fall the Summer Triangle will gradually appear to shift to the western sky and remain visible almost to Christmas.

The eastern sky has another asterism; the GREAT SQUARE OF PEGASUS. It is a nearly perfect square of 4 bright stars which often reminds me of a baseball diamond. Asterisms may be found in all seasons of the year and include the famous 3 belt stars in the center of the winter constellation ORION, and they are fun to look for.

Our planet show continues in September with Jupiter and Saturn appearing due south all month. Jupiter is 8 degrees in front of Saturn and brighter. On September 25th and 26th watch the 1st Quarter Moon pass just below the two planets. A wealth of detail can be seen by those of us with telescopes; binoculars also give great views. But just seeing them and realizing that we are looking out 400 to 700 million miles into the solar system is amazing in itself.

Mars grows ever closer to us throughout September reaching its closest approach to Earth in 2 years in October. By the end of the month it will be as bright as Jupiter. Best viewing time for Mars this month is after midnight when it is nicely up in the southeastern sky. A bright waning gibbous Moon may be seen very close of Mars on September 5th.

Venus remains unmistakably bright in the eastern sky before dawn. Venus rises around 3 am among the stars of Gemini. A waning crescent Moon will be just left of Venus one hour before sunrise on September 14th. September’s Full Moon comes on September 2nd.

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CBF and Partners Help Eastern Shore Jurisdictions Secure Grant for Environmental Improvements

August 18, 2020 by Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Three years ago, six jurisdictions on the Eastern Shore teamed up with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to develop a system to increase their ability to conduct Bay restoration work – and make priority environmental projects more attractive for grant funding.

In July, the new effort paid off when the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced a $300,000 grant award for projects throughout five of the jurisdictions. Property in Talbot and Queen Anne’s counties, the towns of Easton and Oxford, and the city of Cambridge will benefit from the grant, which was awarded through DNR’s Trust Fund. Salisbury, the sixth jurisdiction involved in the effort, did not receive funding through the DNR grant, but received funds from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to conduct a tree canopy study as part of the combined work.

The DNR grant will pay for 41 acres of trees and nine acres of meadow. About 20 acres of plantings will be in the Critical Area, land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters. These coastal areas serve as the last line of defense for filtering pollutants and stormwater before rain runoff flows into rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Ditches and swales will also receive new plantings to slow down and filter polluted runoff after it drains from roads and farm fields. Plantings scheduled to begin in September are on a fast track to be completed by December.

The award represents a major milestone for the “circuit rider” program supported by CBF Senior Regional Watershed Services Manager Tom Leigh, who worked closely with the Shore localities to identify environmental projects they needed funding to put in place. By working together, Leigh and the jurisdictions were able to use one application, one grant manager, and one contractor to apply for and plan the projects—a process that if done individually by each jurisdiction would have taken significantly more resources. This was the first time a circuit rider program like this one had been attempted anywhere in the state.

“These jurisdictions had several projects they wanted to put in the ground, but lacked the funding to do so,” Leigh said. “By working together, we were able to create efficiencies that enabled us to secure a sizable grant to plant trees, shrubs, and other vegetation that will help improve the region’s water quality long-term.”

“This is just the beginning. As Maryland works to accelerate effort to meet Bay restoration targets by 2025, public and private partners are looking at this pilot as a way to get the job done cheaply and effectively,” Leigh added. “This program enables the smaller jurisdictions to access grants that were typically being awarded to larger counties with more resources and staff at their disposal to handle the application and implementation process.”

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) provided funding to enable the creation of the partnership as well as capital to pursue opportunities such as the DNR grant. Matching contributions from the local jurisdictions, CBF, and MDE ensured the successful implementation of the circuit rider model.The new DNR grant deepens the impact of NFWF’s original investment, adding new resources that help advance locally important stormwater management goals.

The contractor working on the projects funded by the DNR grant is Delmarva Resource Conservation & Development, a locally-owned nonprofit in Cambridge, MD.

“Working directly with Tom Leigh through the circuit rider program, Queen Anne’s County was able to realize stormwater reduction goals identified in its Watershed Implementation Plan,” said Michael Wisnosky, Queen Anne’s County Director of Planning and Zoning. “Without this partnership, the funding and ability to implement these best practices on public and private lands would not have occurred within the foreseeable future. Tom’s ability to assist the County to identify specific environmental projects and to pool resources between jurisdictions has been extremely valuable, and we look forward to continued opportunities to join forces.”

“The Town of Oxford is appreciative of the work of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in support of our community water quality improvement efforts and especially grateful for our Regional Watershed Services Manager, Tom Leigh,” said Cheryl Lewis, the Town of Oxford’s Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer. “Tom, acting as a circuit rider for multiple jurisdictions, has been instrumental in keeping us all on track, assisting us individually in defining the projects that will best serve our communities, and jointly pursuing funding for those projects.”

“We are overjoyed with the recent success of this collaboration’s application, which Tom took from an idea to a robust submittal to the DNR Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund on our behalf,” added Lewis. “The success of our multijurisdictional group is a remarkable feat, as demonstrated by the recent award from DNR, and one of which I am proud to say the Town of Oxford is a participant.”

As the grant-funded project moves to the construction phase, Leigh is working to secure other benefits, such as buying trees in bulk to reduce costs. He’ll also continue to evaluate the program’s effectiveness to determine how the projects fulfill the jurisdictions’ stormwater reduction requirements and Bay cleanup goals.

Project Details:

Queen Anne’s County

Lining 12 acres along Price Creek in the Blue Heron Nature reserve with a grass buffer
Planting trees near the entrance of the public Blue Heron Golf Course driving range
Planting trees and shrubs around a portion of the perimeter of Grasonville Park
Transforming turf grass areas in Whitemarsh Park with trees, shrubs, and meadows
Adding a new meadow at Batts Neck Park near a stormwater pond overflow

Talbot County

Adding trees and shrubs around the perimeter of Cordova Community Park
Expanding a riparian forest buffer near the biosolids spray irrigation facility northeast of Easton
Planting a newly created ditch near the recently expanded Goldsborough Neck Road with shrubbery to reduce runoff to Goldsborough Creek

Easton

Planting trees, shrubs, and meadows at Moton Park and RTC Park
Adding seven acres of new meadow next to the Easton Airport

Oxford

Using reclaimed sediment to create a large berm that will be graded into an outdoor amphitheater at Oxford Central Park. The area will also be planted with trees, shrubs, and meadow and new bioretention areas will be created.

Cambridge

Planting trees in Great Marsh Park to reduce flooding during high water events that have become more frequent

Note: Funding provided to CBF by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction program includes funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its funding sources. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or its funding sources.

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