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August 9, 2022

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

Ecosystem Eco Notes

Toxic Algal Blooms Threaten Health of People and Pets

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Harmful algal blooms can pose significant risk to pets, young children, and anyone coming in contact with the water.

Every summer, news articles show up around the country about toxic blue-green algal blooms. When people and pets get sick or die from exposure to toxic blooms, it makes headlines. The Eastern Shore is no exception: in the summer of 2020, the Sassafras River experienced its largest, most toxic, and longest-lasting algal bloom on record, rendering much of the river un-swimmable for 12 weeks during the height of water recreation season. The toxin concentrations during this bloom were 300-500 times higher than the State’s threshold of risk and were responsible for the death of at least one dog and several cases of people getting sick.

In response, ShoreRivers, in partnership with local health agencies, has developed a program to proactively monitor algal blooms and alert the public of potential health concerns. Additionally, this summer, the Sassafras Riverkeeper will be hosting workshops with local veterinarians and pet owners to educate them on how to keep pets safe. A virtual workshop will be held on August 16 in the evening, with an in-person social event to follow later in August. Visit ShoreRivers.org/events for details, and follow the Sassafras Riverkeeper on social media for the latest updates. This work is supported by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

The three main types of algae exposure are inhaling aerosolized particles in the air, skin contact from wading/swimming, or ingestion of water. The degree of severity varies, with inhalation usually being the least severe, and ingestion being the most severe, but this varies depending on an individual’s health and immune system. Pets are so sensitive to algae that it doesn’t take much of any of these types of exposure to be serious.

“Harmful algal blooms are a serious threat to our ability to enjoy our rivers,” said Sassafras Riverkeeper Zack Kelleher.“ShoreRivers’ monitoring and outreach efforts around these blooms are so critical, especially as we see these blooms increase in frequency and intensity. As a pet owner myself,” he added, “I’m thrilled we’ve received funding to raise awareness about this issue and keep local community members and pets safer each summer.”

Algae occur naturally in waterways, but increased levels of nutrients from human activities and higher water temperatures caused by climate change cause algae to bloom more often and more frequently. Over the past few years, ShoreRivers’ data show higher concentrations of toxin-producing species like Microcystis and blooms that start earlier and last longer than previously observed.

These blooms are fueled by excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus running off into local rivers and streams. Agricultural and lawn fertilizers, leaking septic systems, non-native ornamental plantings, tree removal, and other human activity contribute to these increases in bloom frequency and toxicity. Exposure to these toxins can be fatal to pets within just 12 hours of exposure. Unfortunately, most pet owners and veterinarians don’t know the symptoms of algal poisoning.

The ShoreRivers Harmful Algal Bloom program will educate pet owners and veterinarians throughout the mid and upper Eastern Shore about the causes of blooms, the negative health impacts on pets and livestock, and actions people can take to reduce the excess nutrient loading and runoff that triggers major blooms. ShoreRivers will partner with local veterinarians to distribute essential information about the health risks and how to respond when a pet has potentially been exposed to algal toxins.

Local pet owners or interested community members wanting to learn more, please contact Sassafras Riverkeeper Zack Kelleher at zkelleher@shorerivers.org.

ShoreRivers is pleased to bring significant state and federal 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 monthly e-newsletter at shorerivers.org/subscribe.

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

shorerivers.org

Miles-Wye Riverkeeper Announces Operation Build-a-Reef: Eastern Bay

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ShoreRivers, Oyster Recovery Partnership, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have set an ambitious goal to plant 100 million juvenile oysters in Eastern Bay by the end of 2023. DNR has committed to fund the initial planting of 70 million oysters and ShoreRivers has raised the stakes—and the impact—by committing to plant an additional 30 million oysters. To learn more about Operation Build-a-Reef: Eastern Bay and donate to the effort, please visit shorerivers.org/ways-to-give.

The waterways of Eastern Bay, including the Miles and Wye Rivers, suffer from excess nitrogen and sediment pollution. Increasing oyster populations will not only result in cleaner water, it will also increase crucial habitat. “There used to be enough oysters in the Chesapeake Bay to filter the entire volume of water in just one week. We are grateful for partners like ShoreRivers because together we can work hard to restore oysters and their critical ecosystem functions so that the Bay may again thrive,” explains Ward Slacum, Executive Director of Oyster Recovery Partnership. By providing hiding places for small fish and juvenile blue crabs,as well as a stable foundation to help protect shorelines, planting 100 million new oysters will have a major impact on the health of Eastern Bay.

ShoreRivers announces an effort to plant 30 million oysters in Eastern Bay with the support of Oyster Recovery Partnership and their planting vessel, the Robert Lee.

Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) is the nonprofit expert in Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration, planting more than 9 billion oysters on 3,000 acres of reef since their founding in 1994. ORP will be providing the oyster spat and conducting all plantings in Eastern Bay for Operation Build-a-Reef. The first reef chosen for restoration is located off Tilghman Point, Claiborne, and the first planting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12. A subsequent planting will be held the week of July 25 and more plantings will be held throughout the summer. Community members are invited to watch the plantings by boat.

Operation Build-a-Reef: Eastern Bay is a community stewardship restoration project, where donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations support direct oyster restoration work. Learn more about your Miles-Wye Riverkeeper and ShoreRivers’ comprehensive environmental restoration efforts at shorerivers.org. ORP leads the conservation of the native oyster in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond through oyster restoration, shell recycling, and sustainable fishery practices. Find out how at oysterrecovery.org.DNR leads Maryland in securing a sustainable future for our environment, society, and economy by preserving, protecting, restoring, and enhancing the state’s natural resources.

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

shorerivers.org

Harris Adds Language to FY23 Appropriations Bill to Address Invasive Blue Catfish Species

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Acting Ranking member of USDA Appropriations Subcommittee Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), has issued the following statement on language included in the House USDA, Rural Development and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Bill. This language addresses the invasive blue catfish species in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Under the language, included at the request of Ranking Member Harris, the USDA must create a system of providing waivers from USDA inspection requirements to invasive blue catfish processors that are in compliance with less burdensome FDA regulations for the safe processing of fish. The language will assist both processors and anglers in bringing this fish to market and facilitate reduction of the invasive blue catfish populations in the Bay in alignment with the State of Maryland’s Bay conservation strategies.

“Blue catfish are an invasive species which feed on many species native to our Bay, including blue crabs.  As our watermen have demonstrated time and time again, one of the most formidable tools we have at our disposal in reducing the blue catfish population is to fish them out of the Bay and bring them to market. Because of burdensome USDA inspection procedures, it has become increasingly difficult for watermen to do just that. New language included at my request in the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Bill will require the blue catfish inspection process to be moved from USDA to a less burdensome but just as safe regime under the FDA. In doing this, we are eliminating unnecessary regulation and allowing easier commercial catch of blue catfish which would help control the growing population of this harmful species.”

For media inquiries, please contact Congressman Harris’ Washington, DC office at 202-225-5311, or contact Anna Adamian at: Anna.A@mail.house.gov.

ShoreRivers Volunteers Plant River-Friendly Marina

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Pictured (left to right) are ShoreRivers staff and interns Kyle McKim, Meagan White, Darran White Tilghman, and Lexi Norman.

ShoreRivers’ office at the Chestertown Marina Cerino Center is now a beautiful and purposeful demonstration of river-friendly plantings. If you look closely, you can see that the native shrubs and perennials—with their showy yellow, orange, and purple flowers—are removing pollution from stormwater before it flows to the Chester River. All of the gutter downspouts have been rerouted into a large pipe that runs under the deck and empties into a rock-lined retention basin in front of the building. There, water can slowly filter into the surrounding plantings, leaving the soil and nutrients in place.

“Instead of rain rushing across the turf grass and the impervious parking lot, picking up pollution and carrying that load straight into the Chester, we capture that rainwater and let the plants work their magic. In addition to absorbing runoff, native plants also provide critical habitat benefits and food sources that non-native landscaping cannot,” says ShoreRivers Sassafras Riverkeeper Zack Kelleher, who helped with the design and plant species selection.

Learn more about how you can make positive change in your own backyard (or front yard, workplace, church, or school) with advice and incentives from ShoreRivers’ River-Friendly Yards program at shorerivers.org/river-friendly-yards.

This innovative project was made possible by a grant from the Robert F. Schumann Foundation and the design team at South Fork Studio Landscape Architecture. Essential support and expertise were provided by Wye Gardens, Anthony’s Flowers and Landscaping, Owen Excavation, and Edge Roofing. ShoreRivers volunteers put all 320 plants in the ground at a First Friday “Dig and Drinks” event in June.

“What I love most about this project is that you immediately see the benefits to the whole ecosystem,” says ShoreRivers Director of Community Engagement Darran White Tilghman. “Our workplace is now alive with birdsong and buzzing with pollinators. It also transforms the space for humans. Whether you arrive at our town marina by boat, car, or on foot, you’ll feel welcomed into the beauty of this little landscape.”

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

shorerivers.org

Pickering Creek Audubon Center August Public Programs

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Starry Night: Perseids & Summer Constellations
Friday, August 12, 2022
8:30 – 10:00 pm
$5 per person
The perseids are some of the year’s most exciting meteor showers and the best place to see them is somewhere without a lot of external lights. That’s why Peterson woods is an ideal getaway for viewing not just the perseids but also our fantastic summer constellations! Relax and enjoy the view from the Peterson woods lawn as Pickering Creek naturalists regale stories of the constellations, facts about the perseids and hopefully catch some shooting stars to boot! REGISTER HERE

The Art of Nature: Nature Journaling
Saturday, August 27, 2022
10 – 11:30 am
$10 per person
A practice spanning centuries, nature journaling is a great way to sharpen your observation skills, think critically and practice drawing! Without nature journals we wouldn’t have the works of some of the great ecological thinkers like Aldo Leopold, Charles Darwin, Jane Goodall & Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Learn how to do your own nature journal with detailed observations and sketches while enjoying a hike around Pickering Creek led by Pickering Creek naturalists. Journaling materials will be provided but feel free to bring your own as well! REGISTER HERE

ESLC Announces Addition of Local Community Leaders to Board of Directors

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Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to the organization’s board of directors: Jules Hendrix of Queen Anne’s County and Darius Johnson of Talbot County; the new additions were approved by the current board of directors during their most recent meeting on Monday, June 13, 2022.

Jules Hendrix is the owner of Crow Insurance Agency in Middletown, Delaware, a full-service insurance agency serving clients through the mid-Atlantic region; with a focus on agribusiness, Hendrix and the Crow Insurance team specialize in the insurance needs of businesses and families, including farm, crop, business, home, auto, and life insurance. Hendrix has spent years working in and with the ranch and farming community, and has authored a book on crop risk management for insurance professionals. She has a Master of Science degree in Horticulture and Agronomy from the University of California-Davis and holds the Agribusiness and Farm Insurance Specialist (AFIS) and Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) designations.

Darius Johnson, a proud Kent County, Maryland native, is the Regional Director of the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program of America. Additionally, Johnson is a Senior Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program and a Community Curation Fellow with Chesapeake Heartland: An African American Humanities Project at Washington College, Johnson’s alma mater. He also serves on various boards of other local nonprofit organizations, including Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area, Rural Maryland Council, and the Alumni Board at Washington College. Additionally, Johnson previously worked with ESLC as a member of its staff: first as the Community Revitalization Project Manager, then as the Communications Manager.

“Jules and Darius are fantastic additions to our board of directors, with a clear and active commitment to our mission of protecting and enhancing the rural character of the Eastern Shore. I look forward to working with both of them for years to come,” said ESLC President Steven Kline.

ESLC Board Chair Bill D’Alonzo added, “Jules and Darius bring meaningful and relevant professional experience to the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy board of directors, from agriculture and business, to non-profit leadership and community engagement. Their addition to our board will clearly benefit the future of this organization and its critically important work.”

For more information, contact ESLC’s Communication Coordinator, Bethany Straus at BStraus@eslc.org, or visit www.eslc.org.

About 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.

Mid-Shore Chapter of the Izaak Walton League Awards Seven Scholarships

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From Left to Right: Jamie Pierson, Joshua Cohee, Autumn Conley, Davonte Douglas, Thomas Reincke, Laura Wiltsee, Suzanne Sullivan, Bruna Sobrinho

On June 30, at the Chapter’s monthly dinner meeting, seven local students received scholarship awards ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 for a total of $14,500.  Each recipient and attending parents were introduced and each student gave us a bit of background about themselves and their aspirations for college and career.

The three graduate students are attending the Univ. of MD, Center for Environmental Studies in Cambridge at the Horn Point campus: Laura Wiltsee, Bruna Sobrinho, and Nicole Trenholm.  Dr. Jamie Pierson represented the Laboratory’s candidate selection committee in place of Mrs. Carin Starr (get well soon). Also attending, in support of the winners, was Dr. Patricia Glibert.

Nicole Trenholm was unable to attend the dinner because she is on a research vessel headed for Greenland and will be participating on a team studying glacial coastal fjords that host various water masses that influence the coastal fjord biomass generation, species richness, socio-economy and carbon burial. Nicole is pursuing a PhD. She comes to Horn Point with extensive field work, having obtained a B.S. from LaSalle University in Geology. Between 2015 and 2020 she has participated in studies in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and the Northwest Passage in the Artic. — Nicole’s scholarship was funded by the IWLA Maryland Division.

Laura Wiltsee did her undergraduate studies a RutgersUniversityand received a B.S. in Marine Biology & Biological Oceanography. In the winter of 2020, she participated in a Long-Term Ecological Research Network (LTER) project on the West Antarctica Peninsula for six weeks. Focusing on phytoplankton data collection using filtered chlorophyll samples, imaging flow cytometry, and fluorescence.  Currently Laura is a Shellfish Aquaculture Innovation Laboratory (SAIL) Fellow and has done research on oyster feeding and respiration flow and on salinity tolerance.  Laura’s current research is focused on how oysters change their feeding based on the environment around them.

Bruna Sobrinho grew up in Brazil and studied Oceanography at the Federal University of Paraná., Enchanted by the beauty of phytoplankton and their importance for the health of the planet, she has chosen pursue graduate studies, working with Professor Patricia Glibert and conducting research on the ecology and physiology of phytoplankton. Bruna is participating in a multi-disciplinary project studying the blooms of Karenia brevis in Florida.

The undergraduate students were selected by a Mid-Shore Chapter committee of three members, chaired by Suzanne Sullivan with concurrent reviews by Dr. Shawn McLaughlin and Mr. Jacob Shaner, both from the Oxford Laboratory.

Joshua Cohee is from Preston, Maryland and plans to attend Chesapeake College in the Fall to major in Criminal Justice along with playing baseball at the college. His goal is to become a Natural Resource Police Officer.

Autumn Conley is from Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. She will be a senior at Shepherd University and is looking forward to graduating with a B.S. in Environmental Studies next May.  In all probability, Autumn will be going on to graduate school (maybe Horn Point).

Davonte Douglas is from Preston, Maryland and he is currently entering his senior year at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He’s very passionate about environmental issues, especially in his home state of Maryland. This summer Davonte is working as a student technical assistant at the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Thomas Reincke lives in Dorchester County Maryland and will be attending the University of Maryland College Park to major in environmental science and technology.

The Chapter is most fortunate to have persons working in the environmental sciences field as chapter members and committee members who can readily assess the various candidates. Comprehending the accomplishments of our candidates is well beyond the knowledge of those of us laypersons. Again, many thanks to Carin, Jamie, Pat, Suzanne, Shawn and Jake.– Let’s do it again next year and many thereafter.

“Wake Up…We Need Everybody” on View at Adkins Arboretum

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The piercing, orange-red eyes of a sharp-shinned hawk stare right into your own eyes in Anna Harding’s exhibit, Wake Up…We Need Everybody. In her exquisite drawings on view through Sept. 3 at the Adkins Arboretum Visitor’s Center, this Easton artist uses her skills as a botanical artist to portray some of the many plants and animals indigenous to Maryland whose existence is at risk due to human activity. There will be a reception to meet the artist on Sat., July 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The only human in this captivating show is asleep. In a poignant image titled “Wake Up!” this human figure, drawn in pale gray graphite, sleeps on a bed of roots that tangle down into a colorful, animated assembly of species that includes ten different plants, four birds, two dragonflies, one salamander, two fish, two beetles and three butterflies, all of them at-risk species.

Using ultra-sharp graphite and colored pencils, Harding draws with such astonishing detail and precision that her artworks immediately invite you to step in close for an intimate look. There are dragonflies with gossamer wings, a spirited brown-headed nuthatch perched on a tree trunk, an extinct Maryland darter fish with tiny, intricately patterned scales and the elegant blossoms of a northern pitcher plant hovering above its eccentric jug-like leaves etched with complex webs of dark red veins.

“Backyard Birds 1” is among the works of Easton artist Anna Harding now on view at Adkins Arboretum. Titled Wake Up…We Need Everybody, Harding’s exhibit of botanical art drawings focuses on plants, animals and insects put at risk by human activity.

Each of Harding’s drawings is alive with a sense of wonder. You can practically hear the raucous call of a boat-tailed grackle, and you’ll long to touch the luxuriant texture of a precious underwing moth’s gold and black wings. Again and again, the thought arises: what a loss it would be if these creatures no longer existed.

In her own gentle way, Harding is raising the alarm about the native plants and animals that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has identified as threatened, endangered, extinct or extirpated (purposely destroyed).

As she planned for this show, Harding said, “I thought about how I can spark curiosity about the small things in our backyards and alert people to the conditions of our environment and the impact of human-induced climate and environmental conditions, and maybe inspire them to take some small action that could have a positive effect.”

Botanical art began as a method of plant identification and classification requiring an in-depth knowledge of botany and keen observational skills. While following its tradition of painstaking attention to scientific detail. Harding takes her drawings a step further, focusing on the personality of each plant or animal and hinting at its habits and ways of living.

Although she has been involved in art since her college days, Harding’s passion for botanical art began in 2013, when she started taking botanical art classes with Lee D’Zmura while simultaneously earning a certificate as a Maryland Master Naturalist. She went on to study botanical art with teachers in the U.S. and abroad and, as her skills matured, to teach at Adkins Arboretum.

“I was hooked on the connection between art and science,” Harding said. “It has been a fortuitous melding of my botanical artwork and my interest in the natural environment.

Harding says that the crux of her work is described in a favorite quote from the late poet Mary Oliver: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”

 Wake Up…We Need Everybody is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through Sept. 3 at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center located at 12610 Eveland Road near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely. Contact the Arboretum at 410–634–2847, ext. 0 or info@adkinsarboretum.org for gallery hours.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

ShoreRivers Solstice Celebration Highlights Environmental Education

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More than 300 people celebrated the Summer Solstice and donated generously to support ShoreRivers’ environmental education program led by Director of Education Suzanne Sullivan (center).

ShoreRivers received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community to the return of its Solstice Celebration under the tent on the banks of the Chester River this year. More than 300 environmental stewards gathered in support of ShoreRivers, with a specific and urgent emphasis on environmental education. Raising nearly $140,000 for science-based advocacy, restoration, and education programming, the Solstice Celebration capped a week of expeditions and experiences that reinforced the nonprofit’s mission toward environmental action.

Executive Director Isabel Hardesty called the event “a spectacular evening. It’s always uplifting to see our supporters in person and remind each other why this work is so important—our stories are all different, but the core is the same. Special thanks must be given to the Solstice Celebration Committee, numerous expedition leaders and hosts, generous auction item donors, and more than 70 sponsors. The generosity of this community continues to surprise me in the best way.”Of the total raised, $33,000 was earmarked for environmental education.

ShoreRivers’ education team delivers hands-on environmental education programming to thousands of third and ninth graders in three Eastern Shore counties as well as multiple teacher professional development trainings across the mid-Atlantic region. Funds raised during the reverse auction will support the Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit as well as new, paid high school internships.

Student participants at the 2022 Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit. Funds raised during the Solstice Celebration reverse auction will support next year’s summit, as well as paid high school internships. Photo credit: Finn Merrick

“Our young people care deeply about their communities and the environment. They have vision for change and many are already taking action. The Summit has evolved to elevate youth voices and help them activate change in their communities by providing professional experiences and career training,” explains ShoreRivers Director of Education Suzanne Sullivan. The education programs offered by ShoreRivers integrate all pillars of the organization’s mission—science, advocacy, and restoration—into dynamic and effective student experiences.

For donors who wish to contribute to these environmental education initiatives, ShoreRivers has Community Investment Tax Credits available. Any donation of $500 or more from individuals or businesses who file taxes in Maryland are eligible for a tax credit equal to 50% of their gift. Contact Rebekah Hock with any questions at rhock@shorerivers.org or visit shorerivers.org/donate to make your gift today.

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

shorerivers.org

CBEC’s LIFE Adult Environmental Program to be Offered this Fall

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The Chesapeake Bay LIFE Program offers adult in-depth education and experience in Bay area ecology and restoration.

The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) will offer its six-week environmental education program for adults, Legacy Institute for the Environment (LIFE), this fall, Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., September 21 through October 26, 2022.

LIFE is designed for adults interested in learning about the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay region and in becoming environmental stewards who share their enthusiasm and knowledge with others. Through classes “hands-on, feet-wet” activities – most offered at CBEC’s Education Center at 600 Discovery Lane in Grasonville — participants learn about the Bay region’s geography, geology, aquatic life and natural history of the Bay; the impact of human activity and climate change on the health of the Bay; plant and insect life at CBEC; birding and animal life in the region; and volunteer opportunities in the field of environmental protection.

LIFE is supported by grants from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United Way and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“We are very proud that since the program’s inception, more than 150 adults have attended the LIFE program,” said Anne Brunson, who with her husband Dave, serves as Volunteer Coordinator for CBEC. “LIFE brings together like-minded people in a mission to protect and preserve the Chesapeake Bay environment for future generations.”

The cost of the program is $150 per person and a commitment to devote 20 hours as a volunteer for CBEC.  To register, visit bayrestoration.org/LIFE/. For more information, contact the Brunsons,  volunteercoordinator@bayrestoration.org