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May 20, 2025

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

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Ecosystem Eco Lead Ecosystem Eco Portal Lead

Mid-Shore Ecosystem: Record Breaking Farm Land Saved by QAC but Future Funding Looks Bleak

February 13, 2024 by Dave Wheelan

For the record, Queen Anne’s County has never preserved more agricultural land in its history than last year. With the combination of Maryland MALPH grants and matching funds, a remarkable $5 million was allocated to purchase conservation easements in 2023.

The County’s success in land preservation in 2023 is attributed to state and local funding programs, strategic planning, and community involvement. However, the foundation of the County’s preservation efforts is the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) and its matching fund program.

This program is primarily funded through an agricultural transfer tax levied when farmland is converted to residential use. In Queen Anne’s County, 80% of this tax is retained locally, with the remainder sent to the state to support MALPF.

In 2023, the state of Maryland allocated $95 million to land preservation, with each County receiving an equal share of approximately $1.8 million. Counties contributing their funds towards conservation can receive additional matching funds from the state, amplifying their capacity to secure agricultural easements.

Queen Anne’s County has been particularly innovative in its approach to funding land preservation. In addition to utilizing the agricultural transfer tax, the County has leveraged revenue from a solar fee tax, directing these funds toward land preservation. This approach supports the County’s preservation goals and mitigates some of the impacts of solar farm development on agricultural land.

Despite these successes, Queen Anne’s County, like all of the state’s counties, is facing significant challenges in the future.

Maryland has projected substantial reductions in land preservation funding for 2025 and 2026, with anticipated budget cuts of two-thirds from the 2024 levels. This reduction poses a real threat to the County’s ability to continue its land preservation efforts at the current scale. The County’s proactive measures, such as leveraging solar fee taxes, may provide some cushion against these cuts, but the overall effectiveness of land preservation initiatives is likely to be impacted.

In response to these challenges, county officials and advocates for land preservation are calling for sustained commitment to funding preservation programs. They argue that the investment in land preservation not only supports local agriculture and maintains the County’s rural character but also offers a strong return on investment by stimulating local economic activity and ensuring the continued vitality of the agricultural sector.

The Spy asked Donna Landis-Smith, who has headed up this project for the last 19 years for Queen Anne’s County Soil Conservation department, and QAC’s commissioners Jim Moran and Jack Wilson, two of the program’s leading advocates, to discuss how successful this state-local program has been and the challenges of funding these priorities in the future.

This video is approximately 12 minutes in length.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Eco Lead, Eco Portal Lead

Md. Offshore Wind Project Loses Energy: Developer Announces ‘Repositioning’ Of Project

January 26, 2024 by Maryland Matters

Maryland’s nascent offshore wind energy industry suffered a major blow late Thursday when one of the two companies planning to install wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City announced that it was “repositioning” its plans, pulling out of its agreement with the state and seeking alternative financial arrangements to keep the project going.

Ørsted, the world’s largest developer of offshore wind, emphasized that it was still committed to building its project in federal waters, but said it was opting out of the agreement it had reached with the Maryland Public Service Commission for financial clean energy credits intended to help fund the development. The company said that while it would still seek permits for the proposed wind farm from the federal government, and would continue to develop construction and operations plans for Maryland, the current financial realties of the offshore wind industry made it impossible to continue under the present arrangement.

Through two separate but adjacent leases known as Skipjack 1 and Skipjack 2 that had won state approval, Ørsted is ticketed to provide 966 megawatts of wind energy beginning later this decade. A company executive said Ørsted was determined to work with state officials, potential investors and other stakeholders in an effort to find a better way to finance and save the project.

“Today’s announcement affirms our commitment to developing value creating projects and represents an opportunity to reposition Skipjack Wind, located in a strategically valuable federal lease area and with a state that is highly supportive of offshore wind, for future offtake opportunities,” said David Hardy, group executive vice president and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “As we explore the best path forward for Skipjack Wind, we anticipate several opportunities and will evaluate each as it becomes available. We will continue to advance Skipjack Wind’s development milestones, including its Construction and Operations Plan.”

By saying the Danish company was exploring “future offtake opportunities,” Hardy was signaling that Ørsted will be looking for new funding streams, new investors, new government programs that could potentially generate additional capital, a new rate scheme for electricity consumers — or some combination.

But it isn’t quite clear where the discussions in Maryland will go from here.

By Josh Kurtz

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Eco Lead, Eco Portal Lead

Council Member Pete Lesher Makes Proposal to Settle Lakeside Resolution Confusion

January 24, 2024 by The Spy

For anyone following the ongoing zoning discussions about the Lakeside housing development, and its plans to eventually grow to some 2,400 homes, it would be understandable be confused by the number of legislative proposals now circulating which  attempt to address waste water capacity at the site in Trappe. At the moment, amendments  338, 347, and 348 remain active which has led to the creation of a salad of parliamentary woes for all involved.

Before Maryland’s Department of Environment can make final approvals of those plans, Talbot County must show that it can demonstrate compliance with the County’s comprehensive water and sewer plan and consistency between the county’s council and planning and zoning commission’s positions.

Las night, council member Pete Lesher proposed an amendment to combine 338 and 347, which would help to resolve MDE’s requirements and close outstanding issues.

The Lesher proposal, which he outlines in his comments to the Council, will be the subject of a public hearing now scheduled for February 13th at 63o pm.

This video is approximately six minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage, Archives, Eco Portal Lead

The Challenge of Solar Farms on the Shore: A Chat with Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s Steve Kline

January 10, 2024 by Dave Wheelan

Solar farms, at least in the abstract, seem to be one of the more perfect solutions for this country’s crippling dependence on fossil fuels. Passive and free rays from the sun generate a reliable source of energy while at the same time offering struggling farm landowners the opportunity to repurpose their property so they can leave a financial legacy to their families. Case closed, so to speak.

But Steve Kline, president of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, says in a long-form interview with the Spy that the issue is far more complex and challenging when discussing the challenges facing solar farm development on the Mid-Shore of Maryland. And that includes the insight he shares that 60% of farm acreage in this region is leased, not directly farmed by the owners. This leads to a fundamental disconnect in land-use decisions, particularly concerning the adoption of solar farms.

Kline notes that this significant shift in local land-use decision-making is important. Utility-scale solar projects (over two megawatts) bypass traditional municipal or county planning processes, a change driven by court decisions and statutes. This controversial preemption may undermine local authority and public involvement in land management.

Steve also notes that the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is grappling with integrating solar development while preserving substantial agricultural land. A major concern for ESLC is the long-term impact of solar farms on agricultural land. Contrary to the solar industry’s portrayal of solar farms as temporary land use, Kline argues that the transformation is effectively permanent, jeopardizing the future of agriculture.

Maryland has witnessed a significant reduction in farmland over the past decades, a trend that solar farm development could exacerbate. Kline highlights the economic implications, noting that large-scale solar development could drive full-time farmers out of business, as agriculture also requires extensive contiguous lands for viability.

A particularly alarming aspect Kline mentions is the removal or displacement of topsoil in solar farm setups, which could have long-term detrimental effects on the land’s agricultural potential. To mitigate these impacts, ESLC proposes a mitigation fund. For every acre of farmland converted to solar use, a fee would be imposed to fund conservation efforts in the same county, aiming to balance out the agricultural land loss.

Kline stresses that the rush to deploy solar energy should not overlook the critical nuances of land use and conservation. He underscores the need for public engagement and legislative attention to ensure a balanced approach that respects both renewable energy goals and agricultural preservation. The interview ends with a call for citizens to communicate their concerns to legislators, emphasizing the importance of deliberate, well-informed decision-making in this critical area.

But the reality of using precious farm land for solar harvesting is simply not that simple. And this is particularly true on the Mid-Shore and its unique abundance of potential sites for new solar installations.

This video is approximately minutes in length.  For more information about the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and solar farm land use please go here.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 1 Homepage Slider, Eco Portal Lead, Spy Chats

A Conservation Journey From Cordova to Palaka and Back to Delmarva by Norman Greenhawk

January 1, 2024 by Spy Daybook

Editor’s Note: As part of the Spy’s welcoming of the new year, we thought our readers would particularly enjoy this inspiring story by Mid-Shore native Norman Greenhawk and his conservation journey from Cordova to the Philippines to create the Harris Conservation Initiative and his plans for the Eastern Shore.

Twenty years ago, if you told me that I’d be writing this from the Philippines, I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s a far cry from Cordova, Maryland, where I was born and raised. Like most people in town, my family is working class; anyone familiar with Easton Farmers’ Market likely knows my mother’s business, CD Produce, a mainstay at the Saturday market for over 20 years. My grandfather spent his life as a construction worker at James Julian Construction in Delaware. My grandmother worked as a cafeteria manager at the Moton and Dobson buildings at Easton Elementary School in Easton, Maryland. My mother supported our family with her market produce business, and even after retirement, my grandparents helped us on the farm and at our family’s produce stand. 

Harry and Stella Harris of Cordova

My grandparents, Harry and Stella Harris, lived just a mile from my house, and so every weekend I’d stay over from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening. We had a tradition; every week, we’d tune into Wild America and National Geographic documentaries that were aired on Maryland Public Television. These nature programs showed me a world that seemed like fantasy, with brightly colored treefrogs peeking out of bromeliads, giant birds swooping to catch prey, and forests that seemed older than time. My grandfather would take me fishing for bluegill and smallmouth bass at the “gravel pits” owned by his employer. My grandmother would buy every book that caught my eye; the topics usually centered on dinosaurs, tropical forests, frogs, lizards, and botany. My grandfather shared with me his passion of raising aquarium fish and tropical birds. When I wanted my first pet frog, he helped convert an old fish tank into a setup appropriate for housing amphibians. 

They supported my love of nature and the outdoors, but more so, they encouraged my education. I’m the first member of my family to graduate from college, earning my undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from Washington College in 2003. My career took me away from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I’ve lived 11 years in Puerto Rico and five years in the Philippines. I’ve also worked and trained in Belize, Honduras, and Panama. My passions are conservation, herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians), forest ecology, and habitat preservation.

Norman Greenhawk (green shirt, on the left) on a trip to Belize with students from the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

My specialty is ex-situ conservation, specifically, taking endangered animals from the wild, breeding them in captivity, and then returning the captive-bred offspring to the wild to boost populations. In 2015, my Fulbright award took me to the Philippines, where I established Project Palaka, the first organization in the country that focused on “ex-situ” (captive breeding) of endangered Philippine amphibians. We’re currently working to conserve and protect the Gigantes Limestone Frog, Platymantis insulatus, the most threatened frog species in the Philippines. Our team conducts population monitoring and threat assessment, in the remote Gigantes Islands, located in the Visayan Sea in the Philippines. We also have an assurance colony of the frog set up in Subic Bay, Zambales. Since October 2022, Project Palaka has been breeding the Gigantes Limestone frog in captivity, with plans to start reintroduction in late 2024.

Over the past two years, I’ve considered how to bring my experiences home to the Delmarva Peninsula. While my grandparents always worried about me, they supported my travels and work around the world. They have since passed on, and I miss them daily.  As a way of honoring their memory, I created The Harris Conservation Initiative (“HCI”). Formed in 2021, HCI is a 509 (a)(2) charity. Through this organization, I seek to enact real, measurable conservation actions that focus on overlooked, understudied, and ignored species of herpetofauna and freshwater fish. I have established partnerships in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Belize. Now, I’m developing projects in two additional areas- Japan, and back home on the Delmarva Peninsula. 

Platymantis insulatus, the Gigantes Limestone frog, Philippines. Photo by Jayson Madlao.

The Delmarva Peninsula, although small, contains six ecoregions and five types of wetlands. The Peninsula’s diverse habitats, from the forests of the Piedmont Uplands near Pennsylvania to the coastal wetlands, are home to 70 species of reptiles and amphibians and more than 40 species of freshwater fish. Conservation organizations around the world rightly focus on protecting the biodiversity of developing nations, where threats to the environment are often intensified. But that doesn’t mean that developed nations have solved all of their ecological concerns.

On a local level, I’m aiming to set up a network of study sites to monitor target species across various ecosystems on the Delmarva Peninsula, to establish updated baseline populations of threatened species, as well to enact data-driven conservation measures to protect Delmarva’s herpetofauna. I am also highly open to collaborating with local, established NGOs and conservation groups.

Just as importantly, I also began the Harris Conservation Initiative to provide the same opportunities that I have had to others. A major goal of the organization is to facilitate a research and collaboration exchange program between each project. From my time my graduate program at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, I know that every year, Puerto Rican students travel to Maryland’s Western Shore to engage in ecological research. I’d like to open that opportunity to the Eastern Shore and Delmarva, so that students from abroad can experience not only the peninsula’s unique natural landscape, but culture as well. I also want to see talented college students from Delmarva travel to and gain experience in herpetological surveys in Belize, or tropical forestry in Puerto Rico. 

I believe that by providing these opportunities, young, aspiring conservationists will be able to gain experience working in ecosystems that they otherwise might not. 

Norman Greenhawk is the director of the Harris Conservation Initiative. He is a graduate of Washington College and is holds a Master Herpetologist certification from  The Amphibian Foundation. He is also a recipient of the National Geographic Explorer award and a U.S. Department of State Fulbright Specialist. He currently lives in Philippines.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Eco Lead, Eco Portal Lead

Environmental Reclamation and Sustainability for the Bay: The Poplar Island Project

December 16, 2023 by Matt LaMotte

Dr. Michael Erwin

Recently retired career field biologist and college professor Michael Erwin, Ph.D., penned a scientific memoir, Birds, Beaches, and Biologists (2023, Austin Macauley Publishers, NY), chronicling a lifetime of teaching and field research in such exotic locations as Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname. But the book’s final chapters focus on Erwin’s decade-long dedication to the ongoing Poplar Island reclamation project here on the Chesapeake Bay.

Officially titled the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island, the reclamation effort has evolved into a model “Beneficial Use Project.” It is now the largest of its kind globally. It also reflects successful cooperation and coordination between Federal, State, and local organizations.

The interagency team includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Geological Service (USGS), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Maryland Department of Transportation/Maryland Port Administration (MDOT/MPA). The University of Maryland (UMD) and University of Virginia (UVA), where Dr. Erwin ended his over 40-year research career, also played important roles.

The history of Poplar Island goes back to well before colonial times. By the mid-1800s, surveys showed that the island was around 1,200 acres; by 1900, there were nearly 100 residents. Besides several farms, the island had a post office, a church, and a school. Erosion was already taking its toll, and by the 1930s, it had been reduced to about four acres of “drowned wetlands.” By the 1990s, Poplar Island seemed doomed to extinction.

In 1996, the Maryland General Assembly passed a declaration stating that “all material dredged (from Baltimore Harbor) must be placed within a confined area or be beneficially reused.” A Poplar Island Research Group – a consortium of federal, state, local agencies, and non-government organizations — produced an Environmental Impact Statement that recommended using dredge material from the Baltimore Harbor to reconstruct Poplar Island as it was first surveyed in 1847. By 2000, environmental scientists like Dr. Erwin began researching the impact of the added dredge material on wildlife on and around Poplar Island.

What remained of Poplar Island was a little more semi-submerged marshland (aka, drowned wetlands) and mudflats that came and went with the tides. Using sand, rock, and stone, engineers built over 35,000 feet of dikes that created containment cells. At present, there are 20 cells. Water was discharged from these cells and dredged material was pumped in. After settling for several years, the remaining soil was graded to create a habitat that would be conducive to wildlife nesting and migratory resting areas. This is where the observations of Dr. Erwin and other scientists became so vital.

Beginning in the late 1990s, Dr. Erwin began working on Poplar Island by serving on a committee focused on project planning and design. In 2003, Dr. Erwin received funding from the USACE to serve as the USGS scientist to assist with designing upland and wetland wildlife habitats as well as monitoring wildlife populations – particularly rare species of waterbirds. For example, the arrival of the American Oystercatcher at Poplar Island has been a notable recent visitor to the Chesapeake Bay.

In the years since, waterbird species of concern, such as Least Terns, Snowy Egrets, Glossy Ibis, Black-necked Stilts, and Tricolored Herons, have begun nesting at Poplar Island. Ospreys have nested in good numbers along with Herring Gulls. In winter, rare Short-eared Owls have been seen. Since the Poplar Island Project began, researchers have identified over 250 species of birds, including close to 40 nesting species. 

Dr. Erwin’s years of field monitoring observations greatly influenced construction decisions for the island. Ultimately, construction decisions were made in no small measure based on Dr. Erwin’s years of field monitoring. It was here that he met and became associated with St. Michael’s own Jan Reese. During both field monitoring and habitat planning meetings, Dr. Erwin remarked that “Reese’s vast knowledge of the Bay’s natural history” proved extremely helpful to him and other researchers at Poplar Island. 

For Dr. Erwin, the Poplar Island Project was the longest as well as one of the most challenging projects of his career. “I had a reputation as an expert in the design and monitoring of key species using coastal habitats. It was challenging coordinating and working with the variety of engineers, administrators, and research scientists on the numerous upland and wetland decisions that were ultimately made.” In particular, the numbers and variety of colonizing, nesting, and hatching success of coastal waterbirds – many declining species – was an important highlight for Dr. Erwin. 

“As far as the future of Poplar Island, there is an ongoing need for natural resource monitoring and management,” stated Dr. Erwin. “Continuing public tours and education to make sure the island remains a wildlife and fisheries magnet – not to mention a dredged material depository – will be an important component of the ultimate success of the Project.”

Dr. Erwin retired in 2012, including from the Poplar Island Project, but he stays in touch with others he’s worked with and mentored even today. Construction and restoration, as well as monitoring and wildlife management at Poplar Island, is scheduled to continue until 2040. It should be noted that a similar project at James Island is just getting underway based on the Poplar Island model that he was instrumental in establishing.

“In the near future, we need to continue to assess and limit the degree of predation there – especially focusing on nesting birds,” said Erwin. “We should continue limited public tours, scientific research, and education visits to keep everyone aware of the invaluable wildlife and fisheries magnet that Poplar Island has become.” 

Dr. Erwin has dedicated more than 40 years to wildlife research, management, and conservation. As reflected in his memoir Birds, Beaches, and Biologists, Erwin’s career should inspire us to restore and sustain our delicate ecosystem. Poplar Island is a model example of how mankind can turn the tide and, particularly in the Chesapeake region, help reverse the ongoing loss of unique island habitats.

Matt LaMotte, a native of the Eastern Shore, has a diverse background. He grew up in Baltimore but spent much time in Easton and Chestertown. After college, he returned to the Mid Shore and worked in insurance and finance while raising his two sons. He then pursued a teaching and coaching career in independent schools across different states. In 2018, he chaired the History Department at Sts. Peter and Paul High School in Easton before retiring in 2021. Matt is now focused on conservation, outdoor education, and staying engaged with local and global affairs.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Eco Lead, Eco Portal Lead

Washington College’s Natural Lands Project Creating More Wildlife Habitat

December 14, 2023 by Dennis Forney

Dan Small, coordinator of Washington College’s Natural Lands Project, uses prescribed burning as one of the tools available to help maintain early successional grasslands on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

“The long-term efforts managing early successional habitat at our model farm, the River and Field Campus, have shown us that when you make a dedicated effort to set aside marginal cropland and install early successional habitat, birds will thrive.” – From Washington College’s Natural Lands Project website

Proof of that opening statement? Over the course of the last couple of years, at least 32 distinct coveys of Bobwhite Quail have been identified on and around Washington College’s River and Field Campus on the Queen Anne’s County side of the upper Chester River.

Summer surveys have recorded as many as 35 males singing their distinctive bobwhite calls. That’s according to Dan Small, coordinator of the college’s Natural Lands Project, under the umbrella of the Environment and Society department. Go big or go home!

Last week I wrote wistfully about a bygone era when evening summer rides through the Eastern Shore countryside would often be accompanied by the distinctive songs of Bobwhite Quail males. That soundtrack, due to lots of factors, eventually faded away.

This week though I write, more optimistically, about the success of the college’s efforts to return those sounds to the Eastern Shore landscape.

Since 2011, Small has been researching grassland birds such as quail. That research evolved into habitat management and conservation which led in part to creation of the Natural Lands Project in 2015.

The Chestertown college’s River and Field Campus of approximately 5,000 acres is known locally as Chino Farms. Dr. Henry Sears gathered several farms to create Chino in the latter half of the 20th century. Now known as the River and Field Campus, the diverse complex is owned jointly by Sears and the college. The total property includes 2,600 acres of farmland, 1,800 acres of forested woodlots, along with other wetlands and meadows.

“Dr. Sears,” said Small, “set aside 200 acres of that land in 1999 for experimental grasslands where he hosted classes and labs.  The specific goal was to create a successful habitat of early successional grasslands attractive to quail.  Now a thriving population occupies that area along with several other species that have been in decline including lots of different birds. On a summer’s day, it’s not unusual to hear 15 male quail calling in that area.”

Partnering with Maryland’s parks, and other state open space programs, as well as conservation-minded private landowners, the Natural Lands Project aims to replicate that success up and down Maryland’s Eastern Shore. “We advise and provide funds to assist landowners in the process,” said Small.

He noted that in cooperation and assistance with the program, public and private owners have converted more than 1,200 acres of mostly marginal farmland into early successional habitat.  Those are habitats that emerge after clearing events such as cultivation, burning or mowing take place.

If those areas were left undisturbed and unmanaged for several decades, they would eventually evolve into forests.  But management such as prescribed burnings hold them in that early successional grassland phase so preferred by quail and other species, including a number of sparrows.

”A lot of people are interested in helping,” said Small. “On eight of the properties we have converted in recent years, quail have shown up. For two years in a row we have seen successful breeding. We would like to create a corridor of habitat spanning several connecting farms. With proper management, we can have quail in the modern agricultural landscape.”

Small said the Natural Lands Project also contributes to efforts to improve water quality in the Chesapeake watershed by creating natural buffers that keep sediments and fertilizer run-off from entering waterways.

Partnering with Queen Anne’s County, the Natural Lands Project has helped convert 200 acres of farmland into grasslands between the Chester and Corsica Rivers. A parking area at the Conquest Preserve near Centreville invites visitors to walk trails winding through meadows and forests along the Chester. The meadows and five different managed wetlands attract birds, reptiles and mammals, and groups of people who like to watch nature in action. Members of the Talbot bird club, for instance, flocked there recently to add LeConte’s sparrows to their lifetime lists.

Conquest Preserve also includes an edible food forest with a variety of trees and shrubs designed to provide wild fruits for critters up and down the food chain.

“Momentum is growing,” said Small. “Farming operations are passing down to a new generation that is more conservation minded.  They realize the benefits of not farming marginal land and saving on the cost of inputs, as well as the importance of providing habitat for birds and animals.”

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Eco Lead, Eco Portal Lead

Study: Lawn Mowers and Leaf Blowers in MD Produce as much Pollution as Long Car Trips

November 18, 2023 by Maryland Matters

It’s leaf blower season, adding new layers of unwelcome noise to the cacophony of daily life.

Leaf blowers — along with gas-powered lawn mowers, string trimmers, chainsaws and other garden equipment, also generate an alarming amount of air pollution. Some machines emit as much pollution in an hour as driving hundreds of miles in a car.

A recently released report by the Maryland PIRG Foundation, called “Lawn Care Goes Electric: Why It’s Time to Switch to a New Generation of Clean, Quiet Electric Lawn Equipment,” attempts to quantify the public health risks and potential damage.

Analyzing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data, the report found that gas-powered lawn and garden equipment in Maryland emitted an estimated 597 tons of harmful “fine particulate” air pollution in 2020 — an amount equivalent to the pollution emitted by 6.4 million gas-powered cars over the course of a year.

Montgomery County, which is phasing out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and leaf vacuums, ranked 16th among U.S. counties for “fine particulate” air pollution in 2020, with Prince George’s, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties all ranking in the top 100 as well.

“It’s absurd that we have been tolerating so much harmful pollution and noise just to cut grass and maintain landscapes,” said Maryland PIRG Foundation Director Emily Scarr.

The pollutants emitted by gas-powered lawn equipment include fine particulates (PM2.5), ozone-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and air toxics such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene and formaldehyde. Exposure to these pollutants has been linked to health problems including asthma attacks, reproductive ailments, mental health challenges, cancer and premature deaths. Because they burn fossil fuels, gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers also emit carbon dioxide, the leading contributor to climate change.

The report estimates the emissions of each pollutant and health impacts for the state and on a county-by-county basis. It also calculates the benefit of taking the gas-powered equipment out of circulation, comparing it to the equivalent of taking a certain number of gas-powered cars off the road.

“Air pollution from lawn equipment isn’t some big, distant problem — it’s happening right in our own backyards,” said Tony Dutzik, associate director and senior policy analyst at Frontier Group, a nonprofit think tank that focuses on transportation and environmental policy, who is one of the authors of the new study. “The data in this report shows that emissions from lawn equipment are an important issue in every part of our country.”

The report recommends that local and state governments use electric equipment on public property and provide financial incentives to encourage the widespread adoption of electric lawn equipment by residents. It further suggests that cities and states consider restrictions on the sale and use of the most-polluting fossil fuel-powered equipment.

“The good news is, for those who chose to not use a rake or other manual tool, cleaner, quieter electric-powered lawn equipment is capable, affordable and readily available,” Scarr said.

Those recommendations align with sections of the preliminary Maryland Climate Pathway report, which the Maryland Department of the Environment issued earlier this year, with suggestions for how the state can meet its aggressive climate goals. A final version of the pathway report is due out next month.

Earlier this fall, the Montgomery County Council voted 10-1 to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers and leaf vacuums. Sales of those items will be prohibited in the county beginning on July 1, 2024, and their use will be banned altogether a year later — with exceptions for large-scale agricultural operations.

As he signed the legislation in September, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said the county was “putting the health and safety of all our community members first,” and said the government would design a rebate program to help residents defray the cost of purchasing electric leaf blowers and vacuums.

Del. Linda M. Foley (D-Montgomery) introduced legislation in the 2023 General Assembly session that would have phased out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and vacuums, similar to the Montgomery County measure. In addition to several environmental groups, supporters of the bill included the National Association of Landscaping Professionals and the Humane Society of the United States. The Maryland State Firefighters Association supported the legislation but sought an exemption for the Department of Natural Resources, Forestry division fire management team, arguing that battery-powered leaf blowers do not operate for as long a period as gas-powered units.

Several individuals testified against the measure, as did The Maryland Arborist Association, Inc., which argued that the bill would cost tree care companies — and their customers — more money.

The House Health and Government Operations Committee took no action on Foley’s legislation. But Foley said Monday she would be back with similar bills in the 2024 session, with some changes.

Foley said she is changing the phase-out period of her prior legislation to make it “a little more generous” and is expanding the list of equipment covered to include all “non-road” fossil-fuel engines.

“It is a small portion of fossil fuel emissions [in the state], but every bit of it matters,” she said.

Foley said she anticipates putting in a separate bill regarding sales of leaf blowers. In all likelihood, she said, consumers would be required to buy electric yard equipment when their older, gas-powered equipment breaks down.

By Josh Kurtz

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage, Eco Portal Lead

Chesapeake Bay Region on Track for 2-million-acre Land Protection Goal

November 3, 2023 by Bay Journal

The Chesapeake Bay region has permanently protected about 1.64 million acres of land since 2010, putting it roughly on pace to meet its goal of preserving 2 million acres by 2025, according to figures from the Chesapeake Bay Program.

That brings the total amount of protected land in the Bay watershed through 2022 to 9.1 million acres, or about 22% of its 41-million-acre total.

Conserving land is considered one of the best ways to protect water quality and natural habitats from the continued pressure of population growth, and it has been a major objective of the state-federal Bay Program for decades.

The bulk of the protected lands are state and national forests, parks and wildlife areas, but they also include privately owned farms or forests with conservation easements, historically important lands such as battlefields or colonial sites, and local parks.

“Land conservation plays a crucial role in preserving the environmental integrity of the Chesapeake watershed,” said Aurelia Gracia, an outdoor recreation planner with the National Park Service who coordinates the Bay Program’s Protected Lands Workgroup. “By protecting these landscapes, we can ensure that the region’s cultural and natural resources remain preserved, and that habitats for countless species, including aquatic ecosystems, are maintained.”

Achieving the 2025 conservation goal met unexpected headwinds when improvements to federal land data removed more than 300,000 acres from the region’s protected land total. Those acres did not have long-term conservation protections and included water areas such as lakes and reservoirs.

Still, the amount of protected land has increased 19% since 2020, though the region will need to protect about 130,000 additional acres a year through the end of 2025 to meet its goal. Officials say they expect to achieve that goal by continuing the pace of land protection taking place since 2010.

The 2-million-acre goal was established in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, approved by the Chesapeake Executive Council. The council which includes the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the governors of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and New York; the mayor of the District of Columbia and the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, which represents state legislatures.

While the region is generally on track to meet the 2025 land conservation goal, it needs to dramatically accelerate efforts to meet a subsequent goal, established by the executive council in 2021, to protect 30% of the watershed by 2030, said Joel Dunn, president of the nonprofit Chesapeake Conservancy.

“The world’s leading scientists are calling for dramatic increases to conserve 30% of the Earth’s lands and waters by 2030, which President Biden responded to with an executive order for the United States,” Dunn said. “To achieve that goal here in the Chesapeake, we will need to increase the annual rate of conservation by 350%. It’s a massive, but achievable undertaking and one that is paramount to the future sustainability of our watershed.”

Pennsylvania has the most acreage of protected land in the Bay watershed, with 3.6 million acres. It is followed by Virginia with 2.9 million acres; Maryland with 1.7 million acres, West Virginia with about 440,000 acres, New York with about 332,000 acres, Delaware with about 126,000 acres and the District of Columbia with 8,700 acres.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage, Eco Portal Lead, News Portal Highlights

Discover the Mysterious Creatures of the Deep Sea at the St. Michaels Library with Horn Point’s Andrew Thaler

October 25, 2023 by Val Cavalheri

Perfectly timed for the season is an otherworldly exhibition found in of all places at the St. Michaels Library. Dr. Andrew Thaler, a deep-sea ecologist and adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland Horn Point Lab, has assembled a miniature museum of bizarre sea creatures from the deep sea’s dark abyss. 

On Monday, November 6th, at noon, Dr. Thaler will present a special Lunch & Learn lecture at the library, discussing these lifeforms. Having spent over 20 years researching deep-sea ecosystems, Thaler has countless fascinating stories to share. Attendees will learn how technological innovations are rapidly expanding our access to one of the planet’s last unexplored frontiers, and they’ll discover just how much wonder and mystery still lurk in the unseen majority of our world.

Currently, Thaler runs a small environmental consulting firm in St. Michaels focused on deep-sea policy and conservation technology. But his passion for the abyss began decades earlier as a child, the first in his family to express interest in marine biology. “I’ve always been interested in studying deep-sea hydrothermal vents,” he says. “They’re unlike anything else on Earth – these oases of life dependent not on sunlight but on chemical energy gushing from undersea hot springs.”

When pursuing his Ph.D. at Duke University, Thaler specialized in researching the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining, a burgeoning industry poised to tap into valuable seabed resources. For his graduate work, he traveled to a series of hydrothermal vents off Papua New Guinea, racing to catalog species and gather ecological data before miners could disrupt the pristine sites. “The good news is, the company ended up going bankrupt,” Thaler said. “So the vents I studied were never actually mined. But it was an amazing opportunity to explore this incredible environment before any harm was done.”

Now, as a researcher and advocate, Thaler continues working to develop frameworks that allow us to study and harness the deep sea’s potential resources while safeguarding its fragile ecosystems.

The specimens currently on display at the St. Michaels library come from the archives of Thaler’s mentor, legendary deep-sea ecologist Dr. Cindy Van Dover, the first woman to pilot the DSV (deep submergence vehicle) Alvin. Van Dover retired in 2019, and Thaler inherited her samples to continue the research she had begun. “Once you’ve collected something from the deep sea,” he said, “we have a moral duty to get as much knowledge as possible out of it. So that the impact of taking it from the deep sea isn’t lost, and we get the opportunity to learn something.” 

Thaler curated the best of the samples into an educational mini museum – including the current star attraction, a giant deep-sea isopod.

Resembling a massive roly-poly or pillbug, this alien arthropod found deep in the Gulf of Mexico grows as big as a housecat, obviously dwarfing its terrestrial cousins. Thaler says the oddity appears to have become a destination for local curious kids, though some squeamish adults find it disturbingly huge and eerie. If that’s not mind-bending enough, there are also monstrous giant tubeworms, blind albino shrimp, scale worms that survive in near-boiling water, glass sponges, squat lobsters, and a menagerie of other creatures from the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Margin, and Western Pacific. As Thaler will explain, each organism hints at the outrageous forms evolution can take given the right conditions.

Dr. Andrew Thaler

“There are some truly astounding animals down there,” says Thaler. “Some of the weirdest creatures you’ve ever laid eyes on.” Yet, as he explained, only a handful of researchers, let alone ordinary citizens, have ever glimpsed such organisms in their natural habitat. Historically, undersea exploration has lagged behind space investigation. “I used to joke that we have more robots on Mars than we have vehicles capable of exploring the deepest parts of the ocean,” he said.

But that has changed dramatically. Now, dozens of robotic and autonomous vehicles are capable of going into the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Besides the manned submersibles, live-streamed remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) allow shore-bound scientists virtual access to the seabed. 

Still, most of us earthlings will never voyage to the abyss themselves. That’s what makes the St. Michaels exhibit so unique. “I don’t know of any other place where you can see specimens like this, from the deep ocean, somewhere so accessible as a public library,” says Thaler. “It’s a real testament to the library that they want to showcase something unusual yet evocative.”

Thaler hopes the creatures spark curiosity and wonder in visitors, especially children. He aims to share his own passion for the planet’s least explored realm. “We all share this amazing world, with incredible places most of us will never see firsthand,” said Thaler. “Yet they can still inspire us in meaningful ways.”

As part of his current research, Thaler is investigating how microplastics accumulate in the bodies of deep-sea organisms – a threat to vulnerable ecosystems we’ve scarcely begun to understand. But while environmental realities must be faced, a sense of awe persists.”The deep ocean is incredibly biodiverse,” says Thaler. “There are some of the most astounding animals down there. It’s an opportunity to discover something new and incredible, unlike anywhere else.”

Don’t miss this rare chance to glimpse the mysteries of the deep at your local library. Dr. Andrew Thaler’s upcoming lecture will illuminate how researchers are unveiling the wonders of the seabed while the ongoing exhibition lets you come face-to-face with denizens of the abyss. There is much left to explore.

Dr. Andrew Thaler will be the guest speaker for the November Lunch & Learn series at the St. Michaels Branch on Monday, November 6th, at noon. The deep-sea mini museum is currently on display until November 30th.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Eco Lead, Eco Portal Lead

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