ILLETTE

President’s Message W AHON M C M ELLY K

It’s Time!

CBF President Will Baker

ime to change the rules of the game. of the House Transportation and place the conservation practices to reduce For 25 years, the Bay states have Infrastructure Committee, which will con- off-farm pollution. Farm lobbyists have T asked to work under a loose configu- sider the legislation. long said that if funding was available, ration of volunteer responsibilities and their members would willingly be held commitments to “Save the Bay.” They Sadly, the number of Bay-state legislators accountable to put in practices to reduce have missed their goals by a mile. And who are not yet sponsors of the bill is pollution. Recently, U.S. Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agriculture Tom Vilsack con- Agency (EPA) has failed to firmed that over $600 million require them to meet even the of assistance is available to most basic elements of the fed- Every CBF member can help. farmers in the Chesapeake Bay eral Clean Water Act. Visit cbf.org. Click on the watershed states through the “ federal Farm Bill and related Insanity has been defined as Congressional map of the region. programs—funding that CBF doing the same thing over and See if your legislators are on board members fought hard to over and expecting different acquire. And the World results. with the Chesapeake Clean Water Act. Resources Institute projected We can help you thank them if they hundreds of millions of new CBF sued EPA—the only gov- dollars will be available to ernment agency with juris- are or urge them if they are not. farmers through the trading diction over the entire Bay provision in the law. The watershed—to force it to do ” money is now available, but its job. Currently, CBF attorneys are try- greater. Can it be that our elected officials agribusiness is reneging on its pledge. ing to negotiate a settlement that ensures do not favor strict enforcemnt of clean federal action. water laws? It is precisely this type of avoid- It’s time for a change. ance that has allowed the Bay to slip to a CBF has also pursued a federal legislative level that all agree is a national disgrace. Every CBF member can help. Visit cbf.org. approach. We have worked with leaders in Click on the Congressional map of the the United States House and Senate to craft The American Farm Bureau Federation, a region. See if your legislators are on board the Chesapeake Clean Water Act (see page powerful lobbying arm and insurance com- with the Chesapeake Clean Water Act. We 17). It, too, can be a fundamental game pany, is crying foul. They do not agree that can help you thank them if they are or urge changer, setting strict federal law to put a even the biggest agricultural corporations them if they are not. pollution reduction budget in place with should come under the same laws as every- an enforceable time table and periodic one else in the country. Remarkably, they We have an enormous opportunity to turn milestones. In a word, accountability. And have the hubris to argue that farmers are the tide on Chesapeake Bay. It’s time. if the states are not accountable, significant being singled out. penalties will be put in place. Absurd. At the date of publication (February 2010), there were 21 sponsors to the legis- For years, CBF has championed the need William C. Baker lation, including Jim Oberstar (MN), Chair for cost-share funding for farmers to put in President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

2 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org Contents

Winter 2010 Vol. 36 ● No. 1 6 Destination Chesapeake: Virginia’s Lafayette Harmful algal blooms, caused by excess nitrogen pollution from lawns, stormwater runoff, and other sources threaten fish, crabs, and oysters. CBF, other environmental groups, and residents band together to save this recreational jewel. 10 Pennsylvania’s Native Brook Trout The brookie—a favorite of many Pennsylvania fishermen—is an economic engine. Nearly one million anglers spend $4.7 billion annually fishing in Pennsylvania, creating 43,000 jobs. 15 CBF’s Multi-Prong Fight for Clean Water CBF is taking off the gloves in an aggressive combination of education, grassroots activism, and—where necessary—litiga- tion, designed to hold our government accountable for clean, healthy water throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. 25 Save our Children, Save the Bay Governor O’Malley and his task force have both recognized the critical importance of environmental education in Maryland. President Obama has followed suit with federal money for this initiative in his proposed new budget. 6

10 15 25 26 Departments

5 MAILBOX 20 BAY BRIEFS 28 DRIFTWOOD Virginia farmers support the Chesapeake CBF activities in the Bay states and the Bay bits and pieces. Clean Water Act and acknowledge their District of Columbia. environmental obligation in a letter to 30 LAST LOOK Congress. 24 PROFILE A cautionary tale about unlocking the Former CBF educator leads coalition to vast supply of natural gas that lies in a 13 IN REMEMBRANCE pass Chesapeake Clean Water Act. formation of shale beneath areas of the Henry “Hal” Contee Bowie Clagett; Chesapeake region. Senator Charles McC. Mathias; 26 GIFTS AND GIVERS Godfrey A. Rockefeller; Under Armour employees volunteer at Edmund A. “Ted” Stanley, Jr. PHOTO CREDITS THIS PAGE:CHRISTY EVERETT/CBF STAFF; LEFT TO CBF’s Maryland Oyster Restoration Center. RIGHT, ISTOCK, ISTOCK,ALEX MACLENNAN/CBF STAFF, CBF STAFF

3 Save the Bay is published quarterly and provided free of charge to CBF members by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403. FOR A GREAT START TO 2010 Winter 2010 Volume 36 • Number 1 Thank You Loren Barnett Appel, Editor/Director of Creative Services Jen Wallace, Managing Editor © Chesapeake Bay Foundation 2009 Thank you. E-mail: [email protected] 888/SAVEBAY • cbf.org Most sincerely and deeply, thank you. Editor’s Note Over the busy holiday season and in a tough economic market, you opened your wallets The Chesapeake Bay is fighting for its life. And we are with tremendous generosity. We had established an ambitious fundraising goal for the taking every action possible, including litigation against month of December. And we sailed past our goal, thanks to you! EPA, to save it. Our biggest battle is passing precedent- setting federal legislation—The Chesapeake Clean Water In December, we raised $200,000 online—more than any other month in our history. Act (page 14)—which will hold EPA accountable for get- ting our Bay off the nation’s impaired waters list. Your donation will help CBF in our ambitious effort to pass the Chesapeake Clean Water Act At stake are beautiful places like Virginia’s Lafayette (CCWA), the most important piece of federal Bay legislation since the 1972 Clean Water River (page 6) and irreplaceable creatures like Pennsylvania’s native brook trout (page 18). Act. It will achieve what science and CBF have demanded for years—legally enforceable lim- We thank each of you for your support and urge you to its on pollution from all sources. take a simple action to help save our national treasure. Turn to the center of this magazine, fill out a postcard, We are receiving strong opposition from special interest groups that profit from pollution and mail it to our office. Give the other to a friend or and do not want to see CCWA passed. Many of them want no change and claim falsely family member and ask them to do the same. We will make sure that your voices are heard. that it will have a negative impact on them. Your support will help our voice be heard amidst some very loud and powerful lobbying groups.

All of us at CBF are focused on passing this legislation, and your tremendous support will Loren Barnett Appel help enormously. Environmental Awareness Statement The Chesapeake Bay Foundation saved the following If you want to be part of the team actively working on the resources in the production of this publication: legislation, we would love your help. Just e-mail us at 11 tons Trees [email protected] and someone will be in touch. 233,086 gallons Wastewater 506 million BTUs Total Energy Please also visit cbf.org/biggestfight for more information. 29,329 pounds Solid Waste In the meantime, thank you and best wishes for a safe and happy New Year! 75,763 pounds Greenhouse Gases Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator. www.papercalcula- tor.org

WHITMORE: pick-up FSC ART

The inks used for this publication are based on linseed oil, a renewable vegetable oil derived from flax and known for low toxicity.

CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION 2010 TRUSTEES Byron F. Marchant HONORARY TRUSTEES Jane P. Batten H. Turney McKnight Louisa C. Duemling 2009 OFFICERS EX OFFICIO TRUSTEES Donald F. Boesch, Ph.D. Charles W. Moorman IV C. A. Porter Hopkins D. Keith Campbell Governor Martin J. O'Malley W. Russell G. Byers, Jr. W. Tayloe murphy, jr. Burks B. Lapham Chairman Governor Edward G. Rendell John T. Casteen III Marie W. Ridder T. Gaylon Layfield III James E. Rogers Mayor Adrian M. Fenty Amanda Deaver Alexis G. Sant H.F. Lenfest Vice Chairman Joanne S. Berkley Richard L. Franyo Truman T. Semans M. Lee Marston Susan S. Phillips Bay Care Chapter G. Waddy Garrett Simon Sidamon-Eristoff Wayne A. Mills Secretary Bay Care Chapter Alan R. Griffith Jennifer Stanley Alan L. Wurtzel Carolyn Groobey Rt. Rev. Bishop Eugene Treasurer Ann Fritz Hackett Taylor Sutton William C. Baker Michael J. Hanley Anthony A. Williams President Robert A. Kinsley Peter L. Woicke Matthew J. Klein

4 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org The Chesapeake Clean Water Act (CCWA) now pending in Congress, would achieve legally enforceable, science-based limits on pollution from all sources. Though the bill is being challenged by many industrial-scale agriculturalists for threatening to put farmers out of business, the CCWA would provide funding for agricultural Support from Agriculture conservation practices and reveunues through nutrient trading.

ISTOCK Malcolm Baldwin and his wife own a small farm near the Potomac in Lovettsville, Virginia, where they raise wool sheep and grow grapes for a nearby vineyard. They sup- port the Chesapeake Clean Water Act and acknowledge their environmental obligation as stewards of the land to enhance the economic and cultural value of the region. With the bill passed, farmers already following agricultural conservation practices and those installing new pollution controls will find new opportunities for gain. Below is an excerpt from their letter of support sent to members of the House Committee on Agriculture.

“This bipartisan legislation has been well-crafted to reduce pollution feature of the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Restoration Act is that it entering the Chesapeake Bay with fair-minded provisions that recog- would, at long last, reduce pollution in the watershed by creating a nize the extent to which farmers can reduce nutrient pollutants. We Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for watersheds within the Bay. all know that the Chesapeake Bay Moreover, it will empower states is in very poor health, which has to reduce pollution within those become steadily worse over the Unless we act resolutely and watersheds and require new decades since I first came to quickly, our children and grand- greenfield development to prevent Northern Virginia. “ increased pollution loading. As a children will only know to regret farmer I applaud this greenfield The crabs, fishing, and oysters that the economic and cultural values provision as an essential require- I and others once enjoyed, and ment to reduce pollution entering that allowed employment by thou- that we squandered and lost. the Bay and to make certain that sands, have now become memo- developers, who have the capacity ries. Unless we act resolutely and quickly, our children and grand- to plan and invest ahead” based on clear targets, contribute fairly to children will only know to regret the economic and cultural values the Bay’s restoration.” that we squandered and lost. —MALCOLM F. B ALDWIN (Lovettsville, Virginia) Taking the steps that this bill provides will have immense importance not simply for the Bay but for all the streams and rivers entering the Learn more at cbf.org/cwa. Bay in its vast watershed. Suburban development has caused signifi- cant runoff and pollution problems that threaten to counteract Get in touch with Save the Bay! progress that this bill recognizes farmers have made to protect the Talk to us online Chesapeake watershed. E-mail the editor at [email protected].

Successful protection of the Chesapeake Bay requires firm and con- Write us a letter sistent regulatory measures throughout the watershed that are based Save the Bay Editor, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, on clearly established quantitative limits. Farmers need certainty 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403 around which to plan their operations and suburban developers Give us a call need certainty to establish their new enterprises. The outstanding 888/SAVE-BAY or 888/728-3229

5 Harmful algal blooms, depicted in these odd-colored swirls, invade the Lafayette and other nearby waterways every summer. Excess nitrogen pollution from lawns, stormwater runoff, and other sources cause these explosions of algae which rob the water of oxygen, causing a serious threat to fish, crabs, and oysters. Those who live and recreate on the river will find hope in a new multi-faceted Lafayette Watershed Action Plan to be rolled out this Spring.

CHRISTY EVERETT/CBF STAFF

6 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org DESTINATION CHESAPEAKE: The Lafayette River A Recreational Jewel Struggles to Keep Sparkling

by Andrea Moran

n any given afternoon in the Though picturesque neighborhoods abound rence in the Lafayette River and other waters of Norfolk’s Lafayette along the shorelines, the Lafayette River is Hampton Roads waterways. Not only do River, rowing teams practice now one of the most urbanized tributaries in they look horrific, blooms can rob the their strokes, while osprey and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Norfolk’s water of life-sustaining oxygen resulting Ogulls soar overhead. Anglers on nearby biggest building boom took place from the in fish kills and crab jubilees. bridges reel in croaker and spot while their 1900s to the 1950s, a time when the nega- feathered counterparts fish in the shallows tive impact of impervious surfaces and the Power Plant Poses Big Threat along the shore. importance of wetlands were not well under- Because the Lafayette is already exhibit- stood. “Unfortunately, the Lafayette River is ing pollution overload, CBF and others “It’s a recreational jewel,” comments Chris plagued with problems typical of urbanized are gravely concerned about a huge coal- Moore, Science Advocate for the Chesapeake waterways—excessive nitrogen, phospho- fired power plant proposed for nearby Bay Foundation (CBF). An avid fisherman, rus, and sediment pollution that come from Surry or Sussex County (just 45 miles Moore says anglers enjoy targeting a number a variety of sources including stormwater from Norfolk). According to figures of different species in the river, including red runoff from impervious surfaces in the released by the Old Dominion Electric drum and striped bass. And the river’s watershed,” Christy Everett, CBF’s Cooperative (ODEC), which proposes to remaining marshes offer wonderful opportu- Hampton Roads Director said. build the plant, it would add 1.9 million nities for birding enthusiasts. Kayakers, more pounds of nitrogen pollution, 118 canoeists, and water skiers also make the Shellfish Consumption Banned more pounds of mercury pollution, and most of the river’s interesting twists and Although an angler’s opportunities are 14.6 million more tons of carbon dioxide turns. Other points of interest gracing the plentiful, shellfish consumption has been pollution to the air above Hampton river banks are the Norfolk Yacht and prohibited for years, an ominous sign that Roads. An independent report commis- Country Club, the Virginia Zoo, and the the waterway is not healthy beneath the sioned by CBF demonstrated that the Hermitage Museum, popular for Hampton surface. Mahogany colored algal blooms plant, which if built would be the largest Roads residents and tourists alike. have become a routine summer occur- coal-fired power plant in Virginia, would

7 The Lafayette at a Glance

■ LENGTH: Approximately 7 miles. ■ WATERSHED: Roughly 13 square miles contained entirely in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. ■ LAND USE: Highly urbanized, mostly residential, com- mercial, and some light industry; the Virginia Zoo and the Hermitage Museum are on the Lafayette’s shoreline. ■ RESTORATION GROUPS: CBF Hampton Roads Office, Elizabeth River Project, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership, Hampton Roads Sanitary District, NOAA, Old Dominion University, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The Hermitage Museum and Gardens, The Virginia Zoo, Keep Norfolk Beautiful/Norfolk Environmental Commission, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the City of Norfolk, and the Port of Virginia.

LUCIDITY INFORMATION DESIGN compound existing water quality problems Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) bors to this important activity. Now, he is one and pose further risks to the environment, support this work. of 10 residents along the Lafayette experi- human health, and the economy. menting with CBF’s spat-on-shell oyster gar- Lafayette Residents Play Vital Role dening program. This innovative method of Oyster Restoration is Key to Revival To tackle water quality and restoration growing oysters uses oyster larvae that have While the drive to pass a new Chesapeake challenges facing the Lafayette, CBF and its been “set” on individual shells, ultimately Clean Water Act and halt a new coal-fired vital partner, Elizabeth River Project, have producing natural oyster clusters that pro- power plant are critical, so also will be the been bringing together under one umbrel- vide valuable reef habitat and better protec- return of the water’s natural filters. CBF la a variety of community groups and citi- tion from predators. Instead of growing in and our partners at the Elizabeth floats, the oysters are grown in River Project (ERP) and the small cages. CBF oyster specialists Virginia Institute of Marine Cleanup of the Lafayette and are confident that these new Science (VIMS) believe oyster efforts in the Lafayette will be pro- restoration in particular will be the Bay would get a major ductive, based on the technique’s integral to the river’s restoration. “boost if Congress passes the success in other nearby rivers. Over the next three years, this Based on years of experience and Chesapeake Clean Water Act. program is estimated to result in success with similar collaborative the placement of 30,000 oysters in projects, CBF’s oyster experts ” the Lafayette River annually. A Tommy Leggett and Jackie healthy oyster population will Harmon are working closely with improve water quality and aquatic VIMS to determine the best habitat in the river. methodology for oyster restora- tion in this river. And, CBF’s has Though he and others have seen doubled to 70 the number of volunteers zens who had already shown interest in the Lafayette River decline through the “gardening” oysters for restoration in the protecting the Lafayette. This is just a years, Crisler is hopeful about restoration Lafayette watershed over the past two years. glimpse of recent action items: an elemen- efforts for the river he loves. “We hope to tary school selected a new rain garden site, stay here the rest of our lives,” he said. “It’s In addition to growing oysters, volunteers agencies are increasing water monitoring, so lovely. We feel very fortunate to live and staff will place several million spat the City of Norfolk is planting tree groves, here.” Even those who do not live on the on shell on sanctuary reefs as well as a festival is planned to engage watershed Lafayette know it needs to be saved. help make and plant concrete reef balls residents. The list grows each week as to attract oysters to sanctuary reefs in momentum to save this river builds. Andrea Moran is Virginia the Lafayette, which is one of the first Communications and Virginia rivers to try reef balls. Several Crile Crisler has lived on the banks of the Media Relations Assistant grants, including Restore America’s Estuaries, Lafayette for 37 years. He started oyster gar- for the Chesapeake Bay National Oceanic and Atmospheric dening with CBF about 15 years ago and was Foundation. Administration (NOAA), and National instrumental in recruiting many of his neigh-

8 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org The Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, Maryland, houses the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) headquarters. The building’s design, construction, and operation, reflects CBF’s mission to protect and restore the Bay.

CBF Welcomes New Board Members

DAVE HARTCORN This winter, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation welcomes five new members and one returning member to our Board of Trustees. We rely on these important volunteers for leadership and guidance throughout the year. Please join us in welcoming these bright and talented individuals.

Jane P. Batten of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Amanda Deaver of Washington, D.C., is a co- President of The Sumner T. McKnight is an active community volunteer and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation and has served as a board mem- philanthropist who has served as a board public relations firm Prism Public Affairs. ber of the Gettysburg Foundation, the member of Virginia Wesleyan College, the She has managed media affairs and program Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Harford Virginia Foundation for Independent development for a variety of youth-serving Land Trust, Ladew Topiary Gardens, the Colleges, the Virginia Beach Foundation, organizations, including Children’s Express Family Support Foundation, and the Trust the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, and Advocates for Youth. for Public Land. and the YMCA of South Hampton Roads. Ann Fritz Hackett of McLean, Virginia, is Peter L. Woicke of St. Michaels, Maryland, is W. Russell G. Byers, Jr. of Locust Valley, New Founder and President of Horizon Consulting the immediate past Chairman of the Global York, and Ligonier, Pennsylvania, is a board Group, LLC. She is a board member of Capital Board of the International Save the Children member of the Richard King Mellon Family One Financial Corporation and Fortune Alliance and a member of the Global Agenda Foundation, a co-founder and Chairman Brands, Inc., and previously held posts on Council on the Welfare of Children at the Emeritus of EcoLogic Development Fund, a the boards of Woodhead Industries, Inc, World Economic Forum. He was Managing member of the Trustees Council of the Dartmouth College, and The Potomac School. Director of The World Bank Group from National Gallery of Art, a member of the 1999 to 2005, and during that time served Social Venture Network, and trustee of the H. Turney McKnight of Baltimore, Maryland, as CEO and Executive Vice President of the Green Vale School. is rejoining CBF’s Board. He is the Bank’s International Finance Corporation.

9 CBF Lost Four Trustees in 2010 Senator Charles McC. Mathias ported the effort. But when the final report law firm of Jones Day where he served was released in 1983, then EPA until his death. By Doug Siglin Administrator Ann Gorsuch tried to sweep it under the rug, ignoring the findings An early trustee of CBF, Senator Mathias Charles McC. Mathias died on January 25. which documented the Bay’s decline. was a close friend and advisor. As an His life was celebrated by hundreds on Honorary Trustee following Senate retire- February 2 at Washington’s National Senator Mathias, always the strategist, held ment, he would meet with Baker regularly Cathedral. Vice President Joe Biden, a close a Senate hearing to focus attention on to advise on strategy. The two of them friend, spoke, as did sons EPA and the report. There would often visit his former colleagues in Robert and Charles. were two panels of witness- Congress on Bay matters. es, EPA and CBF.Will Baker Second only to Senator noted that, “The Chesapeake In May 2003, Baker invited Mathias to Mathias’ pioneering work Bay is a national resource, recreate his original fact-finding tour on its for Civil Rights, his a national treasure, and 30th anniversary. Senator John Warner Chesapeake Bay advocacy we believe that the federal procured two Black Hawk helicopters was referenced repeatedly government must play a which allowed the delegation and atten- throughout the service. major role in the effort to dant press to recreate the tour in a single MAGES Often called the father of I Save the Bay.” day, holding press briefings throughout the modern save the Bay ETTY Virginia and Maryland. G effort, Senator Mathias con- Senator Charles McC. Mathias Following Gorsuch’s subse- ducted a much-publicized quent firing and the return Charles “Mac” Mathias was fundamental to fact-finding tour of the Bay in May of 1973. of Bill Ruckelshaus to EPA for a second CBF’s development and strategic direction. That trip led to his introduction of legisla- term as Administrator, the Agency accepted Baker, who served as a pall bearer at the tion requiring EPA to coordinate a multi- lead federal status for the Chesapeake Bay funeral, reflected, “Senator Mathias was year, $30 million comprehensive Bay study. Program which continues today. ahead of his time in the 60s, a force of his Two EPA Administrators, Russell Train time in the 70s and 80s, and timeless ever (husband of CBF Trustee Aileen Train) and Senator Mathias chose not to run for reelec- since. When we ultimately save the Bay, it William Ruckelshaus enthusiastically sup- tion in 1986. He joined the Washington will be in honor of Mac Mathias.”

Godfrey A. Rockefeller state/federal conference on the Bay. Godfrey eration Marylander, an attorney, and one of and I had some fun on the stage with Maryland’s most acclaimed horse breeders. By Will Baker Senator Mathias whose wry sense of humor was legendary. Back at our seats, Godfrey Hal became part of CBF’s family in 1981 when CBF lost a great Bay champion on January whispered, “We do well together, don’t we?” he and his family transferred ownership of a 22 when Godfrey A. Rockefeller passed 285-acre farm and endowment to CBF that away at age 85. Godfrey joined CBF’s Board As a young man trying to meet the expecta- had been left in trust by their cousin Charles in 1971, served as Chairman from 1981 to tions of CBF leadership, nothing could Clagett who directed the family to use it for 1991, and was an Honorary Trustee until have made me more proud. educational purposes. The Charles Clagett his death. Center was established, and Hal served as the Godfrey loved the Bay and was determined family representative to our Board ever since. Godfrey holds a special place in my heart, to do all that he could to help save it. He as he was my first board chairman and a was a sailor, a fisher, a hunter. But most of The Clagett Center has served as model for vocal advocate for my selection to run CBF. all, he was a Teddy Roosevelt conservation- sustainable agriculture providing education ist. His contribution to CBF and Bay pro- to tens of thousands of students and adults Godfrey’s combination of business acumen tection was immense. We will miss him. who learn how farming and clean water can and deep ecological commitment were be mutually reinforcing. invaluable to me, the board, and all of the Henry “Hal” Contee Bowie Clagett staff. One of my fondest memories of work- Hal’s contribution to CBF went well beyond ing with Godfrey came in 1983 when we By Mary Tod Winchester farm operations. His wisdom, judgment, presented a lifetime achievement award to and keen political sense were of great value then U.S. Senator Charles Mathias. The Henry “Hal” Contee Bowie Clagett died at to CBF’s board of trustees for nearly three occasion was the first major multi- age 93 on February 1. Hal was a ninth-gen- decades. He will be missed.

10 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org TAFF

Ted Stanley: CBF S Right for the Bay

On December 16, CBF lost a good friend: Edmund A. “Ted” Stanley, Jr. For two decades, Ted and his wife Jennifer have been passionate advo- cates and supporters for CBF’s efforts to restore the health and protect the future of the Chesapeake Bay.

By Will Baker

Ted Stanley! Where do I begin? His history with the Chesapeake For the Stanleys, love for the Bay is a family affair.Ted Stanley (left) is seen Bay Foundation (CBF) was so deep, so sincere, and so much fun here in 2006 with brother Tom, also a CBF member and long-time contributor. for all of us. And as for the Bay, Ted and Jennifer Stanley were CBF’s largest Very early on, Ted told me about one of his most magical experiences donors. on the Bay. He had come down from New York to spend a week by himself on his small sailboat. He was sailing alone, on the I remember the moment I learned of the Stanley’s first significant Rappahannock River, when he saw an eight-point buck swimming. donation to CBF. I was sailing with another trustee, Ernest Jennes, and called into the office. One of our attorneys gave me the good “I’ll never forget that moment. The majesty, the solitude, the beau- news which I immediately reported to Ernie. He pulled out a bottle, ty of the early morning river. I’ll never forget it.” and we toasted our good fortune. With the Stanleys on our side,

JAMES E. LARSEN nothing could stop us. Ted and his wife Jennifer eventually bought a small house in Oxford, Ted was a model trustee. His sea- Maryland, as a get away from New soned judgment, clear thinking, York City. They kept seeing CBF’s and precise articulation of his Save the Bay bumper sticker and beliefs always brought a hush to one day jotted down the telephone the room when he spoke. And he number. They found out where we was a great questioner. He want- were located and came into the ed to know the facts, and he office to see us. So began a 30-year wanted to know all of the possi- relationship with these two remark- ble outcomes of a proposed strat- able champions of the environment. egy. But in the end, he always had just one final question, “Is it right Ted and Jennifer have each served for the Bay?” on CBF’s Board throughout much of that time. Jennifer is currently a In his later years, when friends Trustee and Ted was an Honorary would gather with Ted to talk about Trustee at the time of his death. CBF, he would often tell a story about one of his early campaigns as Ted was a philanthropist of the finest a trustee. He had joined with sort. He was far more interested in In 1999, CBF established the Edmund Truman Semans, Charlie Garland, what his contributions would do than A. Stanley, Jr., Environmental Medal, Porter Hopkins, Arthur Waxter, in what people might say of his gen- meant to recognize those who and several other trustees to push erosity. He wanted his contributions demonstrate outstanding and exemplary leadership in for the selection of a 27-year old to advance the world for the better. saving the Bay.The first award was given first to Ted whose service young man to be the new CEO of to the organization became the gold standard for future awardees. CBF, in spite of protestations that “Ted so respected the work of grant he was too young. That young man seekers—both large and small—who were working for a healthy was me, and I owe my career to him. environment, an informed society, and a peaceful world,” Jennifer said. “This respect made him willing—when other foundations Ted was a trustee, he was a donor, he was a Bay advocate in every often were not—to provide general support and continuing sup- way. But mostly, he was my friend. I will miss him for the rest of port. He was guided by the concepts of action and advocacy.” my life.

11 Federal Chesapeake Watershed Legislators NEW YORK Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA 3rd District) ✭ www.house.gov/scott (See cbf.org/cwa for up-to-date information) Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) 1201 Longworth House Office Bldg. schumer.senate.gov Washington, DC 20515-4603 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg. (202) 225-8351 WASHINGTON, D.C. DELAWARE Washington, DC 20510-3203 (202) 224-6542 Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA 4th District) Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC At Large) ✭ Sen.Thomas Carper (D-DE) ✭ forbes.house.gov www.norton.house.gov carper.senate.gov Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) 2136 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 513 Hart Senate Office Bldg. 2438 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-5100 Washington, DC 20510-0801 gillibrand.senate.gov Washington, DC 20515-4604 (202) 225-8050 (202) 224-2441 478 Russell Senate Office Bldg. (202) 225-6365 Washington, DC 20510-3204 Sen.Ted Kaufman (D-DE) ✭ (202) 224-4451 Rep.Tom Perriello (D-VA 5th District) PENNSYLVANIA perriello.house.gov kaufman.senate.gov Rep. Scott Murphy (D-NY 20th District) Sen.Arlen Specter (D-PA) 383 Russell Senate Office Bldg. 1520 Longworth House Office Bldg. scottmurphy.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4605 specter.senate.gov Washington, DC 20510-0802 (202) 224-5042 120 Cannon House Office Bldg. (202) 225-4711 711 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3220 Washington, DC 20510-3802 Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE At Large) ✭ (202) 225-5614 Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA 6th District) (202) 224-4254 www.house.gov/goodlatte www.castle.house.gov Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY 21st District) ✭ Sen. Robert Casey Jr. (D-PA) 1233 Longworth House Office Bldg. 2240 Rayburn House Office Bldg. tonko.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4606 casey.senate.gov Washington, DC 20515-0801 (202) 225-4165 128 Cannon House Office Bldg. (202) 225-5431 393 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3221 Washington, DC 20510-3804 (202) 225-5076 Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA 7th District) (202) 224-6324 MARYLAND cantor.house.gov Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY 22nd District) ✭ Rep. Glenn Thompson Jr. (R-PA 5th District) Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) ✭ 329 Cannon House Office Bldg. www.house.gov/hinchey Washington, DC 20515-4607 thompson.house.gov mikulski.senate.gov 2431 Rayburn House Office Bldg. (202) 225-2815 124 Cannon House Office Bldg. 503 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3222 Washington, DC 20515-3805 Washington, DC 20510-2003 (202) 225-6335 Rep. James Moran (D-VA 8th District) ✭ (202) 225-5121 (202) 224-4654 moran.house.gov Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY 23rd District) Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA 6th District) Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) ✭ 2239 Rayburn House Office Bldg. owens.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4608 gerlach.house.gov cardin.senate.gov 2366 Rayburn House Office Bldg. (202) 225-4376 308 Cannon House Office Bldg. 509 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3223 Washington, DC 20515-3806 Washington, DC 20510-2002 (202) 225-4611 Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA 9th District) (202) 225-4315 (202) 224-4524 www.house.gov/boucher Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY 24th District) Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA 9th District) Rep. Frank Kratovil Jr. (D-MD 1st District) 2187 Rayburn House Office Bldg. arcuri.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4609 www.house.gov/shuster kratovil.house.gov 127 Cannon House Office Bldg. (202) 225-3861 204 Cannon House Office Bldg. 314 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3224 Washington, DC 20515-3809 Washington, DC 20515-2001 (202) 225-3665 Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA 10th District) (202) 225-2431 (202) 225-5311 wolf.house.gov Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY 25th District) Rep. Christopher Carney (D-PA 10th District) Rep. C.A. Ruppersberger (D-MD 2nd District) ✭ 241 Cannon House Office Bldg. maffei.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4610 carney.house.gov dutch.house.gov 1630 Longworth House Office Bldg. (202) 225-5136 416 Cannon House Office Bldg. 2453 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3225 Washington, DC 20515-3810 Washington, DC 20515-2002 (202) 225-3701 Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11th District) ✭ (202) 225-3731 (202) 225-3061 connolly.house.gov Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY 26th District) Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA 11th District) Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD 3rd District) 327 Cannon House Office Bldg. chrislee.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4611 kanjorski.house.gov sarbanes.house.gov 1711 Longworth House Office Bldg. (202) 225-1492 2188 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 426 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3226 Washington, DC 20515-3811 Washington, DC 20515-2003 (202) 225-5265 (202) 225-6511 (202) 225-4016 WEST VIRGINIA Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY 29th District) Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) Rep. John Murtha (D-PA 12th District) Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD 4th District) massa.house.gov www.murtha.house.gov donnaedwards.house.gov 1208 Longworth House Office Bldg. byrd.senate.gov 2423 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 318 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3229 311 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3812 Washington, DC 20515-2004 (202) 225-3161 Washington, DC 20510-4801 (202) 225-2065 (202) 225-8699 (202) 224-3954 Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA 16th District) Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD 5th District) ✭ VIRGINIA Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D-WV) rockefeller.senate.gov www.house.gov/pitts hoyer.house.gov Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) 420 Cannon House Office Bldg. 1705 Longworth House Office Bldg. 531 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3816 Washington, DC 20515-2005 webb.senate.gov Washington, DC 20510-4802 (202) 225-2411 (202) 225-4131 248 Russell Senate Office Bldg. (202) 224-6472 Washington, DC 20510-4604 Rep.Tim Holden (D-PA 17th District) Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD 6th District) (202) 224-4024 Rep.Alan Mollohan (D-WV 1st District) www.house.gov/mollohan www.holden.house.gov www.bartlett.house.gov Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) 2417 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 2412 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 2302 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3817 Washington, DC 20515-2006 warner.senate.gov Washington, DC 20515-4801 (202) 225-5546 (202) 225-2721 459A Russell Senate Office Bldg. (202) 225-4172 Washington, DC 20510-4601 Rep.Todd Platts (R-PA 19th District) Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD 7th District) (202) 224-2023 Rep. Shelley Capito (R-WV 2nd District) capito.house.gov www.house.gov/platts www.house.gov/cummings Rep. Robert Wittman (R-VA 1st District) 2455 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 2235 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 2443 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515-3819 Washington, DC 20515-2007 wittman.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4802 (202) 225-5836 (202) 225-4741 1318 Longworth House Office Bldg. (202) 225-2711 Washington, DC 20515-4601 Rep. Chris Van Hollen Jr. (D-MD 8th District) ✭ (202) 225-4261 Rep. Nick Rahall II (D-WV 3rd District) rahall.house.gov vanhollen.house.gov Rep. Glenn Nye (D-VA 2nd District) ✭ 1707 Longworth House Office Bldg. 2307 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Sponsor/Co-Sponsor of the nye.house.gov Washington, DC 20515-4803 Chesapeake Clean Water Act Washington, DC 20515-2008 (202) 225-5341 116 Cannon House Office Bldg. (202) 225-3452 Washington, DC 20515-4602 (202) 225-4215

16 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org

Profile Choose Clean Water Former CBF Educator Leads Coalition to Pass Chesapeake Clean Water Act

By Doug Siglin

hese days, Hilary Harp Falk is doing a dif- something everyone wants. Nobody advo- T ferent kind of Chesapeake Bay education. cates for dirty water. “

Not long ago, Hilary worked for the The coalition continues to grow rapidly as Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) as organizations hear about it and want to the program manager at its center on sign up. There are no dues, but organiza- Hilary Harp Falk has taken the helm of the Port Isobel, adjacent to Tangier Island. tions must commit to take action to fur- Choose Clean Water Coalition where she has Today, she manages the Choose Clean ther the coalition’s mission. Members redirected her skills as a once CBF educator Water Coalition, a federation of more range in size from the National Wildlife into teaching Congress about the benefits of than 125 organizations working to Federation, which acts as the coalition’s passing the Chesapeake Clean Water Act. encourage the federal government to do fiscal agent and boasts over four million more to protect and restore the Bay’s supporters, to several small watershed makes it easier to get information and ideas water quality and habitat. groups made up of volunteers. about what can be done.” The coalition’s top priority is passage of the Chesapeake Although her current office in Annapolis “Many groups would like to help move the Clean Water Act. can’t match the ambiance of her former federal government, but it seems like a home on the Chesapeake, not everything daunting task. Being a coalition member Visit www.choosecleanwater.org to learn more. has changed. “I’m still busy educating,” Hilary says. “Some days I’m teaching Members of the Choose Clean Water Coalition • 1000 Friends of Maryland • 10000 Friends of Pennsylvania • Adkins Congress about the Bay, and other days I’m Arboretum • American Rivers • Anacostia Riverkeeper • Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership • Anacostia Watershed Society • Audubon MD/DC • Audubon Naturalist Society • Audubon Society of Northern Virginia • Baltimore teaching our members about the ins and Harbor Waterkeeper • Baltimore Jewish Environmental Network • Bay Hundred Foundation • Bohemian River Association outs of influencing federal policy.” • Chapman Forest Foundation • Chesapeake Bay Foundation • Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum • Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council • Chesapeake Climate Action Network • Chesapeake Stormwater Network • Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage • Chester River Association • Choptank River Eastern Bay Conservancy • Citizens for a Fort “I loved working directly with kids, but Monroe National Park • Clean Water Action (PA/MD) • ClearWater Conservancy • Coalition for Smarter Growth • there are many ways to have an impact,” Conservation Voters of PA • Corsica River Conservancy • Delaware Nature Society • Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth she explains. “Congress needs to hear how • Ducks Unlimited • Eastern Shore Land Conservancy • Elizabeth River Project • Environment America • Environment Maryland • Environment Virginia • Environmental Defense Fund • Environmental Working Group • Float Fishermen of important the Bay is to voters if it’s going to Virginia • Friends of Dyke Marsh • Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek • Friends of Powhatan Creek Watershed • Friends of do the right thing. Shenandoah Mountain • Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains • Friends of the Chemung River Watershed • Friends of the Nanticoke • Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River • Friends of the Rappahannock • Friends of the Rivers of Virginia • Growth Action Network of AA County • Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway • Herring Run Watershed Formed in May 2009, the Choose Clean Association • Izaak Walton League • James River Association • Jones Falls Watershed Association • Lancaster Farmland Water Coalition brings groups together to Trust • Lower Shore Land Trust • Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper • Lynnhaven River NOW • Maryland Bass Federation press the federal government to deliver on Nation • Maryland League of Conservation Voters • Mattawoman Watershed Society • Nanticoke Watershed Preservation Group • National Aquarium • National Parks Conservation Association • National Wildlife Federation • Natural Resources years of promises. Initiated in large part by Defense Council • Nature Abounds • New York League of Conservation Voters • Partners for Open Space • Partnership for the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Smarter Growth • Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust • Peachbottom Concerned Citizens • Penn Future • PennEnvironment • Environment, it parallels similar coalitions Penns Valley Conservation Association • Pennsylvania Council of Churches • Pennsylvania Farmer’s Union • Pennsylvania Interfaith Climate Change Campaign • Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Restoration • Phillips Wharf in the Great Lakes region and in the Environmental Center • Piedmont Environmental Council • Potomac Conservancy • Potomac Riverkeeper • Presbyterian Everglades. Citizens in Action • Public Policy Virginia, Inc. • Queen Anne’s Conservation Association • Restore America’s Estuaries • Sassafras River Association • Savage River Watershed Association • Severn Riverkeeper • Shenandoah Valley Network • Sierra Club-MD • Sierra Club-PA • South River Federation • Southern Environmental Law Center • Spring Creek Watershed “Choose Clean Water” speaks to people, Commission • St. Mary’s River Watershed Association • Talbot Rivers Protection Association • Alliance for Aquatic Resource according to Hilary. “Folks in the outer Monitoring (ALLARM) • Trout Unlimited • Upper Susquehanna Coalition • Virginia Conservation Network • Virginia League reaches of the watershed may not have ever of Conservation Voters • Virginia State Watermen’s Association • Virginia Wilderness Committee • West Virginia Rivers Coalition • West/Rhode Riverkeeper • Wetlands Watch • Wicomico Environmental Trust • Wild Virginia seen the Chesapeake Bay, but clean water is

17 By Matt Royer

18 Fall 2009 ● cbf.org n the forests of Pennsylvania can be found the jewel of its waters—the eastern brook trout. The Commonwealth The sporting interest in is blessed with 86,000 miles of streams, the cleanest and coldest of which provide prime habitat for the beloved this fish makes it an economic brookie, Salvelinus fontinalis, Pennsylvania’s state fish “engine—nearly one million Iand its only native trout species. anglers spend $4.7 billion When William Penn landed at the mouth of Delaware, a vast annually fishing in Pennsylvania, and sprawling forest lay before him. The streams flowed through Penn’s Woods cold and clear. The brook trout was creating 43,000 jobs. found throughout Pennsylvania. ” But as the colony was settled and gave birth to a new nation that grew and became an industrial and world leader, many of those forests were felled, converted to farms, cities, and towns, and later subdivisions and strip malls. Runoff from the altered landscape began to flow into Pennsylvania’s streams unchecked, water temperature rose, and the book trout could no longer survive.

The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, a public-private partner- ship dedicated to restoring the brook trout, has documented the brookie’s decline. Today, brook trout populations remain intact in only one percent of subwatersheds in Pennsylvania, primarily in the thickly forested headwater streams of the northern tier. It is either eliminated or greatly reduced in over 70 percent of the watersheds that comprised its historic range.

The native brookie is a true beauty. Its greenish brown back is mottled with distinctive yellow marbled patterns called “vermiculations.” The flanks are dotted with spectacular scarlet spots encircled in light-blue halos. The belly and lower fins are a brilliant red, each fin edged in a bold black and white stripe.

The magnificence of both the fish and its natural habitat make the native brook trout a favorite sport fish of anglers. Many Pennsylvania fishermen have spent countless hours of enjoy- ment hiking up small mountain streams cloaked in hemlock and rhododendron, stalking gin-clear pools in search of hun- gry brookies. The sporting interest in the little brookie make this fish an economic engine—nearly one million anglers spend $4.7 billion annually fishing in Pennsylvania, creating 43,000 jobs, according to a 2004 report, Saving a National Treasure: Financing the Cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay,bythe Chesapeake Watershed Blue Ribbon Finance Panel.

“Our wild trout streams are among our most precious natural resources and most important economic assets,” says Tim Schaeffer, Director of the Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Communications for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. In tough economic times, people are seeking close-to-home recreational opportunities like fishing. “Our 2009 fishing license sales have hit a five-year high, with the largest annual percentage increase since 1980,” Schaeffer said. “People have returned to fishing as an affordable, family-orient- ed activity, which is a positive for our local economies.”

19 PENNSYLVANIA BROOK TROUT Brookie Facts

DESCRIPTION: The eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is the only trout native to the Chesapeake watershed. Although it can reach several pounds in size, because it is generally relegated to small, headwater streams, the native brookie tends to be small, from six to ten inches in length. A twelve-inch native is a true trophy. The brook trout is spectacular- ly colored. Its back is greenish brown mottled with distinctive yellow marbled patterns called “vermiculations.”The flanks are dotted with scarlet spots encircled in light-blue halos. The belly and lower fins are a brilliant red, each fin edged in a bold black and white stripe. The brookie feeds on a variety of aquatic insects, such as POPULATIONS: While the mayflies, caddis flies, and stoneflies. brook trout is still plentiful in relatively undisturbed HISTORY: The brook trout was once found portions of the watershed, its throughout vast stretches of the populations have declined from Chesapeake Bay watershed where historic levels due to land-use forested streams offered the clean, changes and a variety of other cold water necessary for brook trout threats. In Pennsylvania, populations survival. Its historic range included remain intact in only 1 percent of all of Pennsylvania, the mountain subwatersheds, primarily in the thickly and Shenandoah Valley regions forested headwater streams of the northern of Virginia and West Virginia, and tier. The Pennsylvania native brookie is either the mountain and piedmont eliminated or greatly reduced in over 70 regions of Maryland. Dramatic percent of the watersheds that comprised its land-use changes, particularly historic range. Numbers are similar for Maryland in lowland regions, have (2 percent intact; 87 percent eliminated or greatly extirpated the brookie from reduced) and Virginia (9 percent intact; 52 percent many of its historic waters. eliminated or greatly reduced). WHERE TO FIND THEM TODAY: The brook trout is found in forested streams with clear, cold water, particularly in the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain portions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Most of the intact brook trout populations are found in small headwater mountain streams with contiguous forest cover TOCK

and little development pressure. S I

The brookie means clean water. It is the committed to restore forest buffers But new threats to the brookie are emerg- proverbial “canary in the coal mine”—it along Pennsylvania streams. David ing. Thousands of feet below the pristine survives only in the coldest and highest Wise, Pennsylvania Office Watershed trout streams of northern Pennsylvania quality waters. Water temperatures above Restoration Manager, oversees a staff of lies a rock formation known as Marcellus 75° F are lethal. Sediment chokes its grav- field technicians who work with farmers Shale. Energy companies are descending el spawning grounds and smothers eggs, and other landowners to plant forest on northern Pennsylvania in a veritable preventing reproduction. Excess nutrients buffers along streams. Since 1998, CBF gold rush to drill for natural gas in can result in algal blooms, which along has restored over 2200 miles of forest the Marcellus, creating a variety of with warming water temperatures causes buffers throughout the watershed. threats to clean water. (see Destination dissolved oxygen to plummet. These buffers are clean water factories Chesapeake, Save the Bay magazine, that control stormwater runoff, process Fall 2009). As drilling ramps up in This same problem—pollution—threatens nutrients, prevent stream bank erosion, Pennsylvania, CBF is fighting to make the Chesapeake Bay. Cleaning the Bay filter pollutants, cool streams, and pro- sure the mighty little brookie continues starts by cleaning up the headwater vide wildlife habitat. “By restoring for- to have the clear, cool water it needs to streams of Pennsylvania. Bring back the est buffers, we are improving brook survive and thrive. brookie, and we can bring back the Bay. trout habitat on streams across the watershed,” said Wise. “What we are To learn more about Pennsylvania’s native That’s why the Chesapeake Bay doing does make a difference, one brook trout and restoration and protection Foundation (CBF) has for over a decade stream at a time.” efforts, visit www.easternbrooktrout.org.

20 Fall 2009 ● cbf.org Save our Children— Save our Bay

By Tom Zolper

igh school commencement: Beaming H graduates stride off the stage with a diplo- ma and an appreciation for submerged aquat- ic vegetation.

That’s a possible vision of the near future in

Maryland. And more than just knowing TAFF about grasses, oysters, and algae, graduates would understand their role in the /CBF S

Chesapeake Bay ecosystem—how a long ENNAN L shower, for instance, might impact the life AC M of a crab, or a waterman. LEX A In October, Maryland Governor Martin Need Governor Martin O'Malley (right), seen here exploring Bay ecology with school children, has put O’Malley announced at a press conference in motion a plan that could produce a high school graduation requirement in environmental literacy. in Riverfront Park in Laurel the first steps the state will take to advance environmen- flexible course of study to allow each stu- Governor O’Malley and his task force have tal literacy among school children, and to dent to meet that standard. Successful com- both recognized the critical importance of provide increased opportunities for chil- pletion would be a requirement for gradu- environmental education, and increased dren to reconnect with nature. Maryland’s ation, just as passing a certain number of opportunities for Maryland students to recon- Children in Nature Action Plan for 2010 classes in math, language arts, science, and nect with nature. An environmental study pro- announced by O’Malley is a timeline for other courses is now. gram could help save the Bay by fostering an implementing recommendations by a spe- ecological ethos among all students. It also cial task force appointed by the governor. The alliance of groups, the Maryland No could save our children. Today’s youth spend Child Left Inside Coalition (MDNCLI), rep- much of their free time indoors watching tele- One key recommendation by that task resents over 625,000 Marylanders. vision or in front of a computer, disconnected force—the Children in Nature Partnership from nature. This “nature deficit disorder” has —was to require that every high school stu- The governor’s task force recommended just been linked to a range of behavioral and health dent in Maryland take an environmental such an environmental literacy standard issues, including childhood obesity, attention course of study to be eligible to graduate. and graduation requirement. The initiative deficit disorder and depression. President O’Malley has not specifically endorsed that doesn’t necessarily mean a separate new Obama also recognizes the importance of recommendation, and his action plan does course for students, or new expenses for environmental literacy. His proposed new not specify a date when that should hap- already strapped school districts, the part- budget includes money for the initiative in his pen. But it did require school administra- nership report suggested. A student might U.S. Department of Education spending plan, tors to explore a possible graduation be able to meet the requirement by passing a major step forward for outdoor education. requirement, and those discussions are a combination of existing science (or other) underway. courses that together help students achieve Visit cbf.org/ncli to learn more.

the basic understanding necessary to be AMELIA STINNETTE CBF and a group of 215 education, envi- considered environmentally literate. ronment, conservation, recreation, religion, Tom Zolper works in CBF’s youth, health, and business interests are Many school districts, nevertheless, have Annapolis, Maryland, office as the Communications actively urging the governor to follow expressed a concern with the proposal. Coordinator. He spent nine through on the task force recommenda- School officials in some counties such as years teaching middle and tions, especially to enact a standard for Anne Arundel and Carroll have offered to high school. environmental literacy, and some sort of help advocate along with MDNCLI.

21 Bay Briefs PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvanians Care about Three gas-drilling knowledge and experience to conduct such Clean Water permits revoked after the reviews.” The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF’s) Chesapeake Bay Foundation The revoked permits were for Ultra Pennsylvania members and other citizens are filed legal challenges. Resources Inc. operations in Gaines and Elk stepping up to the plate to encourage the Townships in Tioga County, and Pike and region’s senators and congressmen to sup- Abbott townships in Potter County, and port the Chesapeake Clean Water Act (see Fortuna Energy Inc. permits in Ward and page 17). More than 800 people have con- enough to ensure protection of our wetlands Jackson townships in Tioga County. tacted Senator Specter’s office, and more and streams as further drilling activity pro- than 300 citizens have sent e-mails to ceeds across Pennsylvania. DEP must change Drilling Impacts Dimock Drinking Senator Casey urging them to become co- its policy of rubber stamping applications Water Wells sponsors. CBF has encouraged without technical review. Until then, we will Congressman Platts, who is on the House continue to challenge permits that put our committee that will hear the bill, to sign on natural resources at risk.” too, and 350 people have written, called, or e-mailed his office to show their support. In April, DEP stripped review authority from local county conservation districts, If you would like to know whether your and it instituted an expedited stormwater Congressional representatives have signed on to permitting process that does not allow for the legislation, visit cbf.org/cwa. public participation or meaningful agency TAFF review of permit applications. In a press

CBF Legal Challenges Prevail release announcing the permit revocation, /CBF S

DEP acknowledged “numerous technical ELTON In a victory for clean water in Pennsylvania, deficiencies discovered after our approval of P OM the Pennsylvania Department of Environ- the permits.” T mental Protection (DEP) revoked permits at Victoria Switzer of Susquehanna County is three gas drilling sites as a result of legal “The technical deficiencies CBF exposed concerned about her drinking water becoming challenges filed by CBF. are exactly the reason why a permit process contaminated by gas drilling near her home. without technical review is fundamentally “We are glad DEP saw the merit of our chal- flawed,” Royer said. “DEP should end its Pennsylvania has fined a Texas-based natural lenges and agreed to revoke these permits,” policy of issuing permits without technical gas drilling company, Cabot Oil & Gas, said CBF Pennsylvania Attorney Matthew review and restore authority to the conser- $120,000 for causing underground methane Royer. “But these victories alone are not vation districts, which have the local leaks that contaminated the drinking water of 13 families in the northeastern part of the

TOM PELTON/CBF STAFF state, near Dimock, Pennyslvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Natural gas drilling near Dimock, Protection ordered the firm to develop a plan Pennsylvania, polluted a stream and to permanently restore or replace the water wetlands, caused a fish kill, and con- supplies of these homes. taminated the drinking water wells of 13 families. These kinds of problems underscore why CBF is fighting to protect clean water during the current drilling boom across Pennsylvania.

To learn more about gass drilling in Pennsylvania, see page 30.

Hear the story of exploding wells and one woman’s struggles at cbf.org/dimockwells.

For more information on how CBF is working to protect Pennsylvania waters, visit cbf.org/ Pennsylvania or call 717/234-5550.

22 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org Bay Briefs MARYLAND

CBF defends Bay Maryland Looks to Slash Budget; Charles County has a poor record pre- programs from cuts while CBF to Fight for Bay Programs serving its natural resources. Compared state grapples with to other Maryland counties, the rate of Like other Bay states, Maryland has been $2 billion shortfall. sprawl is increasing fastest in Charles. cutting its spending significantly to make That sprawl comes with a cost: on aver- ends meet, yet still needs to close a $2 bil- age, developers cut a greater percentage lion deficit during the legislative of forest for a new project in session ending in April. Charles County than anywhere else in Maryland. Forests are nat- “Unfortunately, it is tough eco- ural filters to prevent water pol- FFICE O

nomic times throughout the lution. Development expected S ’ state and nation. We understand from the proposed highway that environmental programs would pollute the already threat- OVERNOR will need to be reduced, howev- ened Mattawoman Creek. G er, what we want to ensure is that there are not disproportion- In a report issued this summer, ate reductions to environmental Trouble Ahead: Use Alternate OURTESY OF THE programs. ” said Kim Coble, Routes, the Alliance suggested C CBF executive director in better ways to grow in Charles Maryland. “If we shortchange County that would preserve nat- the environment now we’ll pay ural resources and encourage much more later in lost jobs, new jobs and prosperity at the irreversible damage to the ecolo- same time. Jennifer Bevan-Dangel gy, and other consequences. Bay of 1,000 Friends of Maryland restoration programs already Governor Martin O’Malley presented an austere state budget told the forum audience that the were cut approximately nine proposal on January 19. county has some positive ideas percent in the last budget.” for managing growth: preliminary Public Supports New Vision for plans for a light rail system and a revital- Governor Martin O’Malley announced his Charles County ized town center in Waldorf. She urged the proposed fiscal 2011 budget on January 19. county to shift its funding and energy While his proposal manages to avoid serious The World Series was on television, and away from the highway project to make reductions, and actually increases spending the weather outside was threatening, but concrete progress on the alternative for Bay restoration, legislative leaders have an estimated 300 people turned out to a growth ideas. said no programs will be spared from scrutiny. public forum in November to hear speak- ers from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation The large forum attendance and other Maryland has many programs which help to (CBF) and its local partners map out a bet- signs suggest the large majority of county restore water quality in the Bay, with money ter growth plan for Charles County. The residents see the dangers of continued spent to upgrade municipal sewage treat- health of an ecological gem in Maryland, sprawl and want a new way to grow. In a ment plants, acquire and protect land from the Mattawoman Creek watershed, will survey commissioned by CBF this past development in sensitive environmental depend on the county government active- summer, 73 percent of those polled said areas, help homeowners replace failing sep- ly embracing that vision. they prefer improved rail service in the tic systems, assist farmers who take steps to county over the proposed highway, reduce pollution, and other programs. CBF and other organizations in the Smarter which will cost county taxpayers between Growth Alliance for Charles County hosted $45 and $60 million, according to vari- Maryland is depending on those programs the forum in La Plata as part of a campaign to ous estimates. to reduce Bay pollution enough to meet two- stop the proposed Cross-County Connector year goals it set last spring. Too deep cuts Highway, which cuts across the Mattawoman Stay updated on the Cross-County Connector would set state clean-up plans back signifi- watershed, and to persuade the county to and the Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles cantly just when scientists say the Bay needs shift its resources from encouraging harmful County at cbf.org/sgacc. greater, not lesser attention. sprawl to building communities. For more information on how CBF is working to Read CBF’s official statement on Governor Erik Fisher, a land use planner with CBF, protect Maryland waters, visit cbf.org/Maryland O’Malley’s budget at cbf.org/mdbudget. explained at the forum how fast-growing or call 410/268-8816.

23 Bay Briefs DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

First Annual Chesapeake Choose Improvement of federal be released back into the atmosphere through evaporation rather than directing Clean Water Conference Rocks clean-water policy discussed the House it to the municipal water treatment system. at Chesapeake Choose They also help filter out dirt and debris More than 200 people gathered in Clean Water Conference. from stormwater before it runs into our Washington, D.C., January 10th through drainage system. 12th for the first-ever conference of the Choose Clean Water Coalition Densely built urban areas (see page 17). are often up to 15 degrees hotter than their outlying The conference featured suburban neighbors because keynote speeches or remarks of the abundance of heat- by CBF President Will Baker, absorbing materials, such as U.S. Environmental Protection asphalt, concrete, and gran- Agency (EPA) Administrator ite with minimal vegetation. Lisa Jackson, Senator Ben Vegetation on the roof helps Cardin (MD), and eight other keep the ambient tempera- members of Congress. Jackson ture cooler through evapora- chose the occasion to make a tion, thus reducing theur- major announcement about ban heat island effect. EPA’s intentions to develop new regulations to limit pollu- The office building has sev- tion from large animal feeding eral other environmentally operations and new suburban friendly features. Its proxim- developments. Congressman ity to public transportation, Elijah Cummings (MD) and shops, restaurants, and Senator Cardin lit up the room housing reduce the need for with highly emotional speech- driving. Ten percent of the es about the need to pass their parking capacity is dedicat- pending legislation. ed to alternative fuel cars— CADE MARTIN This green roof on a Washington, D.C., office building will help hybrid or electric—and car- See part of Congressman reduce stormwater runoff and provide increased insulation for the space below. sharing vehicles. Water con- Cumming’s speech from the Another benefit of green roofs is that they insulate buildings, reducing the need servation efforts include to heat and cool interior spaces and saving energy and money. Choose Clean Water conference at installation of water con- www.youtube.com/user/choose- serving fixtures throughout cleanwater. strictly private office building in the the building, elimination of irrigation District. The roof is the eighth and final through conscientious landscape design, Platinum-Rated, Green Office project completed under the Chesapeake and the selection of native and adaptive Building in D.C. Bay Foundation’s (CBF) green roof incen- plants. Recycled building materials, tive grants program, which began in 2004. regionally obtained materials, and wood A platinum-level LEED-certified, 300,000- The successful program offered developers products obtained from forests using sus- square-foot office building built by the incentives to build green roofs rather than tainable harvesting techniques were used Akridge company recently opened at 700 conventional ones. Two of the other seven wherever possible, and over 75 percent of Sixth Street in Washington, D.C.. LEED roofs grace the Washington Nationals all construction and demolition debris (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Baseball Stadium and the U.S. Department was salvaged for reuse. Design) certification is the nationally recog- of Transportation Headquarters building, nized program established by the U.S. both adjacent to the Anacostia River. For more information on CBF’s green head- Green Building Council to facilitate greener quarters, visit cbf.org/merrillcenter. building practices. Platinum is the highest Green roofs are especially important in possible rating and shared by CBF’s Philip heavily urbanized areas where antiquated For more information on how CBF is working Merrill Center in Annapolis, Maryland. sewer systems can be overwhelmed by in Washington, D.C. and at the federal level to storm runoff resulting in raw sewage flow- protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its A significant feature of the new building is ing directly into our waterways. Green rivers and streams, visit cbf.org/DC or call the largest green (or vegetated) roof on a roofs capture storm water and allow it to 202/544-2232.

24 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org Bay Briefs VIRGINIA

LIBBY NORRIS/CBF STAFF Eyes on Stormwater in Legislature New state regulations Opposing any legislation that would abolish will promote proper storage or weaken Virginia’s recently adopted of poultry litter and reduce stormwater runoff rules will be the pollution to the Bay. Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF’s) focus as the 2010 Virginia General Assembly con- vened January 13 in Richmond. The Got Shell? stormwater rules, intended to reduce runoff pollution from new development—the only Save Oyster Shells (SOS), CBF’s oyster shell pollution that continues to increase across recycling program in Virginia, continues to the Chesapeake Bay watershed—have been collect hundreds of thousands of empty strongly opposed by the home building and shells from Hampton Roads restaurants, raw development communities. bars, oyster roasts, and other events for use in oyster restoration projects around the Bay Other CBF priority issues during the ses- watershed. To date, CBF volunteers have col- sion, expected to be dominated by severe lected nearly 1,000 bushels of shells— state budget shortfalls, include continued enough to create 10 living shoreline reefs. funding for Virginia’s agricultural cost-share The effort includes 53 bushels collected at programs, “raids” on the state’s Water the Urbanna Oyster Festival in November, Quality Improvement Fund for purposes reports program manager Jackie Harmon. other than pollution reduction, and funding for environmental education. “A recently donated utility trailer has provid- ed a big assist, making collecting shells at Clean the Bay Day Needs You! large events much easier,” Harmon says. Sign up today for the biggest clean-up event Future plans call for constructing more shell of 2010: Virginia’s 22nd Annual Clean the bins for public collections. Bay Day on Saturday, June 5, 2010. Register at cbf.org/clean. For more information, email For more information on CBF’s SOS pro- [email protected]. gram, go to cbf.org/shellrecycling. Virginia Improves Jackie Harmon, manager of CBF's Save Oyster Poultry Waste Rules Shell (SOS) program, stands amid the 53 bushels of empty oyster shells collected at The Virginia State Water November's Urbanna Oyster Festival. Control Board has approved The shells will be dried, cleaned, and reused much-needed changes to for constructing living shoreline reefs. state regulations governing the management of poultry rated many opportunities for vigorous dis- waste, also called litter. The cussion. The regulations are designed to changes will ensure that provide farmers with flexible options for poultry litter transported off compliance. regulated poultry farms to “end-users” is stored and “The Water Control Board and the land-applied in a manner Department of Environmental Quality are to that promotes healthy crops be congratulated for addressing serious con- and clean water. cerns about poultry waste that leaves poultry farms—roughly 80 percent of the litter pro- The regulations were devel- duced in Virginia,” said CBF Staff Scientist CBF Virginia Executive Director Ann Jennings presented oped by a broad group of Kristen Hughes Evans. CBF’s Virginia Conservationist of the Year award to Lawrence stakeholders, including poul- W. Latane III, former Chesapeake Bay reporter for the try growers, poultry brokers, For more information on how CBF is working Richmond Times-Dispatch, at a Northern Neck Land and producer organizations, to protect Virginia waters, visit cbf.org/Virginia Conservancy fundraiser in September. and the process incorpo- or call 804/780-1392.

CHUCK EPES/CBF STAFF 25 Our Giving Community $1M Commitment Drives CBF Growth in Hampton Roads here the Chesapeake Bay meets the Virginia, CBF will directly engage more W Atlantic sits Hampton Roads, Virginia. citizens in restoration efforts, and employ Crisscrossed by five rivers and the mouth of more grassroots advocacy to leverage the the Bay, 10 percent of the watershed’s popu- region’s political strength. lation lives here, about 1.7 million people. In Hampton Roads, investments like CBF’s work in Hampton Roads has grown Clarke’s help boost CBF’s community pro- steadily for almost 35 years. And now, with grams, such as the Blue Planet Forum lec- a $1 million commitment from Virginia ture series, Clean the Bay Day, and “Hokies Beach resident and business leader George for the Bay” – a new partnership with Clarke IV, CBF will further expand our Virginia Tech. These programs engage work in this key region. thousands of citizens of all ages in educa- tional and restoration activities. In addi- “Clean water is important to everyone in tion, CBF continues to partner closely with the watershed,” says Clarke. “But here in organizations including Lynnhaven River Hampton Roads, where there’s water NOW, the Elizabeth River Project, NOAA, everywhere, I think we see the Bay and its Nauticus, and many more. tributaries’ troubles even more acutely.” A new commitment by Georges Clarke IV will grow CBF’s work in Hampton Roads. “I see CBF as an experienced leader, a Clarke, the President and Founder of great community partner, and a real cata- MEB General Contractors, is part of a ensure a cleaner future for Hampton lyst for change in Hampton Roads,” says growing group of area business leaders Roads waterways. Thanks to Clarke’s Clarke. I’m thrilled to invest in a leader for who have joined forces with CBF to donation and surging CBF membership in cleaner water.” Under Armour Team Provides Homecoming for CBF Oysters reparing homes for baby oysters is par for prepared to accept new oyster spat. Center. During a single workday, they sweat- P the course when it comes to CBF’s oyster Fortunately for CBF, about 20 Under ed out what would have taken CBF staff restoration efforts. Reef balls must be built, Armour employees volunteered last summer weeks to accomplish without their help. oyster shell cages constructed, and shells at CBF’s Maryland Oyster Restoration Then this winter, the company welcomed young oysters of their own to a new oyster garden at the dock at their global headquar- ters on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The gar- den will be monitored by employees and students at the Green School of Baltimore and Patterson Park Charter School.

The increased involvement by Under Armour employees comes on the heels of a generous donation to support CBF’s work across the watershed. “Baltimore is our home and the Bay is our backyard.” explains Will Phillips, Manager of Under Armour Green. “Participating in oyster

TAFF restoration work with CBF means a lot to the Under Armour employees who live and /CBF S work here.”

Under Armour employees spent a corporate work- ODENHAUSEN R day building reef balls (seen here) and oyster OHN

J cages, and shaking shell.

26 Fall 2008 ● cbf.org Our Giving Community

cally in the Antietam Creek, Monocacy River, Opequon Creek and Rocky Marsh watersheds, CBF volunteers restored acres of forested riparian buffer, miles of stream bank, and acres of wetlands. They also helped fence livestock out of streams, keeping manure out of tributaries and helping to protect grasses and trees grow- ing there.

In another project, CBF began working TAFF with plain sect farmers in Pennsylvania to

/CBF S improve conservation practices on their

PPEL farms. Plain sect farmers include Old A Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite farmers. Such farmers own over half of the ARNETT B farms in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, OREN

L and a significant number in Chester County’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Farmer Partnerships Benefit the Bay watershed. gricultural run-off is widely recognized as ers and their nutritionists to monitor and Use of agricultural best management prac- A the largest contributor to nitrogen and adjust the nutrients in the dairy cow feed. tices is limited in these communities phosphorus pollution in the Bay. That’s the The goal was to keep cows healthy while because funding for these types of bad news. minimizing the nutrients in their manure, improvements often comes from the gov- which in turn minimizes nutrients ulti- ernment, and many plain sect farmers are The good news is that reducing this type of mately reaching the Bay. Milk production hesitant to accept such funds. Building on run-off is the most cost effective way to and herd health were maintained on all existing relationships with Amish and reduce Bay pollution, and farmers – who farms, and some saw significant improve- Mennonite farmers, CBF and our partners rely on the health of the environment for ments through dietary adjustments. Many are beginning to work with dozens of farm- their livelihood- are often willing partners farmers benefited from a reduction in feed ers and will ultimately help implement in the effort. The other good news: through costs, and the Bay benefited from fewer conservation practices on roughly 50 the federal Farm Bill, government agencies, nutrients reaching the Bay. University of farms. These practices include conserva- and foundations such as the National Fish Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State tion planning, prevention of runoff from and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), funds University Cooperative Extension were also barnyards and animal concentration areas, are available for farmers to improve opera- valuable partners in this effort. no-till farming, planting cover crops, and tions on farms. Around the watershed, forested stream buffers. In these and many CBF scientists and restoration specialists In another project supported by a grant agricultural projects around the watershed, are partnering with local Conservation from NFWF using funds from the U.S. our partner organizations’ staff work side Districts, various agricultural and conser- Environmental Protection Agency, CBF staff by side with CBF to provide advice and vation organizations, and farmers to make and hundreds of volunteers worked on technical help to farmers. the most of these funds with hands-on farms in Maryland, West Virginia, and restoration projects and by piloting inno- Pennsylvania to restore natural buffers. With valuable partners, and support from vative programs geared towards improving When strategically planted along stream these agencies, CBF is able to help farmers water quality. banks and drainage areas, natural buffers take advantage of programs designed to such as trees and grasses are powerful nat- help them—funds that in 2008 we worked For instance, in Pennsylvania, under a ural filters, serving a vital role in reducing so hard to win in the federal Farm Bill and grant from the U.S. Department of nutrients reaching the water. continue to fight for through enhance- Agriculture Natural Resources ments to the Clean Water Act. These proj- Conservation Service (NRCS), CBF staff With this as a guiding principle, CBF staff ects not only have an immediate impact on and partners helped implement precision and project partners provided technical and groundwater and water quality and ulti- dairy feeding on 70 Pennsylvania farms. As financial assistance as well as manpower to mately Bay health, but also provide models part of this Conservation Innovation landowners adding trees and other natural for other farms in other areas of the water- Grant, our staff worked with dairy produc- buffers to their property. Working specifi- shed to follow.

27 Driftwood

Sign Up Soon for TAFF /CBF S PES

Virginia’s June 5th E HUCK

Clean the Bay Day C An unhealthy Bay is unacceptable! Mark your calendar and keep an eye on CBF’s website to sign up for Virginia’s 22nd annu- al Clean the Bay Day litter cleanup event, Saturday June 5. Last year more than 7,000 volunteers removed 204,280 pounds of debris from 475 miles Virginia waterways. Join fellow Virginians for Clean the Bay Day on June 5th. The removal and disposal of waterway and On foot or by boat, join fellow citizens shoreline litter by volunteers is a service to local communities, the Commonwealth, and the Bay. across the Commonwealth in removing lit- ter from local waterways. Clean the Bay Day they’re on board with CBF’s Biggest Fight for their members of Congress to urge them to is a fun way to help Save the Bay! Clean Water This Nation Has Ever Seen. This support the Chesapeake Clean Water Act year, CBF will also ask all involved with currently before Congress. For more informa- Now more than ever, this high profile event Clean the Bay Day to take their concern for tion on how to contact your legislator, go to gives volunteers the opportunity to show the Bay one step further by calling or writing cbf.org/pass117.

Events Around the Watershed March 13: Wildflower Meadow Planting, Bell Island, James River Park, Richmond. To volunteer contact Jess Barton at [email protected] or Maryland 804/780-1392. February and March: VoiCeS Adult Training Course, Philip Merrill March 27: Cyclists for the Bay Ride, Mount Vernon Trail, north end of Environmental Center, Annapolis, various times. Space is limited. For Theodore Roosevelt Island. Join this bike clinic and ride on the Mount TAFF more information on the course and to download the application form, Vernon Trail. Space is limited. For more information contact Jess Barton visit cbf.org/voices, or email [email protected], or call 443/482- at [email protected] or 804/780-1392. /CBF S

2156. ORAN M February, March, and April: VoiCeS Adult Training Course, Easton, Pennsylvania NDREA various times. Space is limited. For more information on the course Ongoing: TreeVitalize, various times and locations. CBF is a partner in A and to download the application form, visit cbf.org/voices, or email this program run by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural [email protected], or call 410/543-1999 x502. Resources.The goal is to put one million new trees on the Pennsylvania landscape by 2012. For more information visit cbf.org/pa. April 10 and 11: Green Life Festival, Historic Savage Mill, Saturday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Come celebrate green For more information, visit cbf.org/events. culture with music, food, green demonstrations, and more. For ques- tions, contact Tracy Devine at [email protected] or 443/482-2125.

Virginia February: Grasses for the Masses Workshops, various times and locations. Learn how to grow grasses in your home for replanting in the Bay or a river or stream. Register at cbf.org/grasses. February 20: Cannon Creek Greenway Cleanup, Richmond. To volun- teer contact Charles Price, Cannon Creek Greenway Project, at [email protected] or 804/358-0256. February 27: Forest Hill Park Project, Richmond. To volunteer to help CBF is a partnering with the PA Department of Conservation and Natural with trail reclamation, contact Jess Barton at [email protected] or Resources to focus on riparian buffers in their TreeVitalize program. 804/780-1392. Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the year.

28 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org Driftwood Environmental Educators of the Year

Three principals in Fairfax County have decided that it takes a Bay to make things happen! The Chesapeake Bay Foundation named three Fairfax County, Virginia, principals as our 2009 Environmental Educators of the year. Dwayne Young of Centerville Elementary (left), Debra Lane of Rolling Valley Elementary (center, right), and Sal Rivera of Flint Hill Elementary (far right) re shown above with CBF’s Vice President for Education Don Baugh. Not only have they made outdoor learning and environmental education accessible to their schools, but they were also instrumental in establishing a Chesapeake Classrooms teacher professional development program for the county. This year’s awards were presented at the Virginia Association of Science Teachers’ annual awards ceremony and dinner in Herndon, Virginia. Congratulations!

Feedback Tomorrow’s stewards of the environment are in our schools today. We can influence them greatly by taking small steps. Changes we have made include expanding our recycling efforts, creating a science lab with an environmental focus, working towards Green School certification, and getting our kids outside regularly as part of their instruction.

This summer, CBF led trips for Maryland and Virginia principals to explore the Bay and learn about environmental education and outdoor learning. After the trips ended, we asked them what they learned. This is what Principal Lee Derby of Cedar Grove Elementary School in Montgomery County, Maryland, had to say.

29 TAFF /CBF S ELTON P OM T

Pipe Dreams

By Tom Pelton Retired nurse Norma Fiorentino went without drinkable water for almost a year after methane and diesel fuel from hydraulic fracturing by a Texas-based oil company contaminated her well.

t first, the influx of gas drillers into rural recalled, sitting on a couch draped with Finally, on October 28, a day after a local A northeastern Pennsylvania seemed like hand-made quilts. paper published a story about her despera- free money to Norma Fiorentino and her neigh- tion and poverty, the drilling company bors. But her story is a cautionary tale Then the problems started. In a wooded dropped off four cardboard boxes of bot- about the mixed blessing of unlocking the area about a football field away from her tled water at her home. “It was a little late,” vast supply of natural gas that lies in a home, workers clear-cut five acres of trees she said. formation of shale under the Chesapeake to install a well, leaving a moonscape of Bay region. fractured rock. The gas company spilled As it turns out, even a clean-burning fuel like 8,000 gallons of drilling fluids into a creek natural gas can be hazardous to get out of the About 650 wells have been dug in not far away, causing a fish kill and damag- ground. So as the gas-drilling gold rush Pennsylvania over the last four years using a ing wetlands. spreads across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, process called hydraulic fracturing. Millions and Western Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay of gallons of water mixed with chemicals are Methane from the drilling seeped into Foundation has been fighting to protect blasted into the ground, fracturing the shale Norma’s drinking well. “My well exploded drinking water supplies and streams. We and releasing the gas into a pipe. successfully challenged permits that failed to protect waterways. Norma threw her arms open to the Even a clean-burning fuel like And we are pushing for stronger trucks, tanks, rigs, and clatter that natural gas can be hazardous drinking water protection laws and descended upon her quiet farming “ a tax on drilling. town of Dimock, Pennyslvania, to get out of the ground. two years ago. The 66-year-old It’s great to unlock new sources of retired nurse signed a lease to allow energy. But it is also vital that a Texas-based company to extract gas from in the front yard, and it pushed up thou-”energy be focused on our other resources: beneath her property, and started receiving sands of pounds of concrete when it blew,” our drinking water, streams, and forests. $165 monthly checks. Her husband, Joseph, she said. Otherwise, in a few years, all of us could had recently died of a heart attack. With the feel like Norma Fiorentino—like we loss of his income, Norma was terrified that No one was injured. But after the blast, undermined our own home. she would lose their ranch house, with its Norma said her tap water ran black and walls lined with photos of her six children reeked of diesel fuel. To drink, she was Tom Pelton is Senior Writer for and 19 grandchildren. forced to haul water in buckets from a the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. neighbor’s home. She asked the drilling His column on current Bay “I really needed that money, because I lost company to supply her water, but they issues can be found at cbf.org/baydaily. a great portion of my income,” she refused…for 10 months.

30 Winter 2010 ● cbf.org Imagine... a gift to CBF that would provide

quarterly income,

a fixed rate of return,

immediate tax savings,

and a legacy of a saved Bay. TAFF /CBF S ARROLL C RISTI K

A charitable gift annuity can benefit you while it supports CBF’s initiatives throughout the region. For more information on this exceptional opportunity, we invite you to contact our planned giving director, or consult with your financial advisor. Your charitable gift annuity to the the Chesapeake Bay Foundation can offer: ❑ The security of quarterly income payments for the rest of your life, ❑ A fixed rate of return between 5.7 and 9.5 percent annually, Contact: Reid Rago ❑ Tax savings you can take advantage of now, and Manager of Annual and Planned Giving 443/482-2102 ❑ An investment in the future of the Bay and its rivers and streams. [email protected] Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Chesapeake Bay Foundation Southern, MD Philip Merrill Environmental Center Permit No. 305 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403 410/268-8816

On the cover: The great egret, the largest of three species of Bay-area egrets, stalks small fish, amphibians, and aquatic insects and invertebrates in the shallows of tidal wetlands and fresh and saltwater marshes and ponds. Photo by Jay Fleming A Saved Bay is Worth the Fight

We won’t stop until the job is done.