June 2019 Volume 29 Number 4 Biologists fear catfish spread after last year’s record deluge ≈ Decades after introduction, the species is a boon for some anglers, but worries about impact on other species remain.

By Karl Blankenship Last year’s record-setting rainfall brought more into the than pollution and debris. Biologists say the freshwater deluge helped the non- native blue catfish, which was already invading the estuary, to spread farther in the region’s rivers. “The gate is open,” said Martin Gary, executive director of the Fisheries Commission. “They have left and dispersed everywhere.” Blue catfish, which can grow to lengths of 5 feet, were released into Virginia’s Bay tributaries in the 1970s A 252-acre property on the edge of Fones Cliffs will be preserved from development and transferred to the U.S. Fish and as part of an effort to build a sport Wildlife Service this month. The dramatic cliffs along the Rappahannock River are referenced in explorer Capt. John fishery. Smith’s journals from 1608 and were the site of Smith’ interactions with local tribes. (Dave Harp) Since then, they have reached num- bers beyond what anyone imagined in rivers from the James to the Potomac, and they had begun spreading to other Fones Cliffs property to be preserved places in recent years. Biologists and ≈ Conservation efforts hit a the first priorities. Refuge, protecting habitat for one state fishery managers had hoped to milestone for Virginia site, In its place, a different story of the largest concentrations of bald stem further expansion, fearing harm about the generations of people and eagles in the country while adding to native species such as blue crabs, ecologically valuable and sacred wildlife who have lived around these to the refuge’s 9,000 protected acres yellow perch and white catfish. to the Rappahannock Tribe. 100-foot cliffs has already begun to along the Northern Neck. Those hopes were washed away emerge. Conservationists hope that But not every acre is created with 2018’s persistent rain. Blue catfish By Whitney Pipkin narrative will persuade neighboring equal, and the few that cozy up prefer fresh or slightly salty water, For more than a decade, an empty landowners — one of whom filed to the edge of those breathtaking which somewhat constrains their blue house perched on the edge of for bankruptcy on its development cliffs — offering panoramas of the movement into lower reaches of tidal an otherwise houseless sweep of project in May — to consider river’s curves below — are the ones rivers and the Bay itself. The heavy cliffs along the Rappahannock River conservation, too. conservationists are most eager to rain dramatically reduced salinities in loomed as a symbol of its future — Since purchasing the property at protect. rivers and most of the Bay, allowing the which included plans for two housing the end of 2018 from longtime owner “The fact that other people are catfish to spread almost everywhere. developments in an ecologically Terrell Bowers, The Conservation going to be able to come out here and On the Potomac, blue catfish are and historically significant area of Fund has been preparing to transfer see and understand this landscape is generally found north of the Route Virginia’s Northern Neck. But, when it to federal hands this month. If so important,” said Heather Richards, 301 bridge. But last year, they spread the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service all goes as planned, its 252 acres of The Conservation Fund’s Virginia throughout the lower river and beyond. completes its purchase of that forests, fields and deep ravines will state director and program manager, A Baywide fish survey, which had Fones Cliffs property this month, become part of the Rappahannock never before found catfish in the main- dismantling that house will be among River Valley National Wildlife Fones continues on page 20 Catfish continues on page 23 2 Bay Journal • June 2019

BAY JOURNAL is published by Bay Journal Media to inform Editor’s Note the public about ecological, scientific, historic and cultural issues and events related to the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay Journal, Bay Journal, staff receive awards from peers, Jug Bay circulation 35,000, is published monthly except in midsummer and midwinter. It is distributed free of charge. Bundles are available We’re pleased extend our congratulations to all of the for distribution. Material may be reproduced, with permission that three Bay other winners for their work last year. and attribution. Publication is made possible by grants through Journal staff the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay members won Program Office, the Campbell Foundation, the National Oceanic awards from and Atmospheric Administration’s Chesapeake Bay Office, the the / Sumner T. McKnight Foundation, the Rauch Foundation, the Delaware/District Fair Play Foundation, the Shared Earth Foundation, the Virginia of Columbia Environmental Endowment, anonymous donors, and by reader Press Association contributions. Views expressed in the Bay Journal do not in its annual contest for excellence in necessarily represent those of any funding agency or organization. journalism. Our work was judged in a category for large nondaily newspapers, For mailing list additions/changes, please use the form on this and our writers were recognized for the page or contact: Bay Journal, P.O. Box 222, Jacobus, PA 17407-0222 following work that they produced in 2018: E-mail: [email protected] ≈ Tim Wheeler: 1st place in the general BAY JOURNAL MEDIA news category for his reporting on Ellicott City, where -related flooding is Bay Journal Media is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with becoming more severe and frequent. a mission to further public education and awareness of issues ≈ Jeremy Cox: 2nd place in the general affecting the Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic environment news category for his reporting on Smith by creating and distributing journalistic products. In addition Islanders putting their faith in both God to producing the Bay Journal, Bay Journal Media operates and $6.9 million jetties, as a bulwark Friends of Jug Bay Jug Award the Bay Journal News Service, which distributes Bay Journal against the rising tides that threaten their We were greatly honored by Maryland’s articles and original op-eds about the Chesapeake Bay or regional island. Friends of Jug Bay when their organization environmental issues to more than 400 newspapers in the region, ≈ Tim Wheeler: 2nd place in the recognized our work with an award at reaching several million readers each month. investigative news category for his their annual meeting in April. reporting on the dramatic falloff in the The Jug Bay Award, fittingly, is an Karl Blankenship, Executive Director planting of streamside forest buffers — one actual — and really cool — hand-crafted Andrew Nolan, CPA, Chief Financial Officer of the most effective runoff controls — ceramic jug, given in recognition of the Bay STAFF across the Chesapeake watershed. Journal’s work since 1991 in informing the ≈ Jeremy Cox: 1st place in the public public about issues facing the Chesapeake. Editor: Karl Blankenship ([email protected]) service category for his reporting on the The Friends of Jug Bay is a nonprofit Managing Editor: Lara Lutz ([email protected]) ultimately successful effort to keep the group of citizens and citizen-scientists who Associate Editor/Projects: Timothy B. Wheeler ([email protected]) Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge work to preserve the Jug Bay Wetlands CONTACT US Bay Journal News Service Editor: Tim Sayles ([email protected]) open to the public in the face of budget cuts. Sanctuary and support its education and by mail: Copy/Design Editor: Kathleen A. Gaskell ([email protected]) ≈ I won 2nd place in the environmental research programs. We greatly appreciate The Bay Journal Staff Writer: Jeremy Cox ([email protected]) reporting category for my package of the honor — we just need to figure 619 Oakwood Drive Staff Writer: Ad Crable ([email protected]) stories about the region’s efforts to meet its out how to share the jug amongst our Seven Valleys, PA Staff Writer: Whitney Pipkin ([email protected]) 2025 nutrient reduction goals. dispersed staff! 17360-9395 Staff Writer: Sarah Vogelsong ([email protected]) We appreciate the recognition and — Karl Blankenship Photographer: Dave Harp ([email protected]) by phone: ADVERTISING 717-428-2819 Sign Up for the Bay Journal or Change your Address Marketing & Advertising Director: Jacqui Caine ([email protected]) TheBay Journal is distributed FREE by Bay Journal Media, Inc. 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Donald Boesch Kim Coble Name: Tom Lewis Address: Correction City: State: Sharp-eyes readers alerted us to a scribed as a spreader for commercial Zip: photo of a fish in the April issue that fertilizer but the process under way Optional: Enclosed is a donation to the Bay Journal Fund for $ was mislabeled as a walleye, but it was was seeding. a pickerel. o From time to time, the Bay Journal includes a list of its supporters in the The Bay Journal regrets the errors. print edition. Please check here if you would like your gift to remain anonymous and In the May issue, a photo showing not be recognized in the Bay Journal. equipment in a farm field was de- Bay Journal • June 2019 3

Clockwise from left: Nihal Dennis, a student at Virginia’s George Mason University, holds plastic collected from the Occoquan River during a trash trawl on May 10. More study is needed to determine the effects of plastics, especially microplastics on waterways and their inhabitants. See article on page 10. (Whitney Pipkin) A ruby-throated hummingbird. To learn about ’s project to create pollinator habitat along roadsides, see article on page 13. To test your knowledge about ruby-throated hummingbirds, see quiz on page 38. To learn what plants to add to your WHAT’S INSIDE garden to attract hummingbirds and News Restored reefs expected to attract organisms that finfish, other pollinators, see shellfish prey on Bay Naturalist on 5 Impact of voluntary Clean Marina program hard to gauge • the back page.(Bill 22 Community works more than a little magic to preserve Buchanan / U.S. Fish Participants pick which best management practices to use in an and Wildlife Service) effort designed to head off potential mandatory regulations woodlot • In , Fairwood Forest’s neighbors turned neglected land in a natural area worth saving The annual winter 7 Atlantic white cedars helped to build nation, now need help dredge survey rebuilding their population • As sea level rise is quick to take Travel provides insight over trees’ habitat, efforts to replant saplings are slow to take root on the Bay’s blue 5 2 Kayak tours serve up unique view of Baltimore harbor crab population, 9 Chesapeake blue crab population grows despite 2018’s 26 Hole lot of fun: Natural swimming pools in the Blue Ridge which grew during rain • Tougher regulations aimed at protecting females 2018 despite record credited with increase in numbers Columns rainfall. See article on page 9. 10 Microplastics are everywhere, but how do they harm the 4 Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay • RiverSmart helps turn (Dave Harp) Bay? • Stakeholders discuss studies, what’s still needed to home sweet home into home sweet watershed answer that question 39 On the Wing • Fed-ag partnership helps dickcissel to keep 12 Report: 40% of PA rivers, streams violate water quality cropping up in fields standards • Farm runoff and acid mine drainage, followed by 40 Bay Naturalist • Plants & pollinators: Can’t have one stormwater runoff, are three largest causes without the other 13 PennDOT hopes plantings will put pollinators on road to Puzzles & Events recovery • Less mowing, more growing along selected sites designed to attract birds, butterflies, bats – and volunteers 38 Chesapeake Challenge • Eating on the fly 14 Opponents of proposed Bay Bridge pushing for alternatives • 38 Bay Buddies • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds! Officialsays ferry system and mass transit, though, would not 37 Bulletin Board • Volunteer Opportunities • Workshops • do enough to alleviate traffic Events • Programs • Resources 16 Hopewell’s revival strategy recognizes that all roads lead Forum to the rivers • Greenway designed to slow stormwater flow Commentary • Letters • Perspectives is quickly attracting the public to its restored habitats and WE’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY access to James and Appomatox 30 PA program for inmates answers growing demand for green jobs Visit us online: 17 Small-scale study finds no link between poultry farms, fouled bayjournal.com streams • VIMS study on Chesapeake’s Eastern Shore casts 31 Chesapeake Born • Leave it to beavers: Species’ ability to Like us on FaceBook: doubt on pollution connections but draws from small pool of data alter land should be revisited Chesapeake Bay Journal 18 Plan to aerate Bay: A breath of fresh air or pipe dream? 32 Money doesn’t grow on trees; luckily you don’t need money or send us a Tweet: • Despite potential pitfalls, some wary scientists think to grow them @ChesBayJournal proposal to aerate dead zone might be worth closer look 33 Wall Street, government need to put more stock in Bay’s 21 MD oyster sanctuaries likely to boost crab, perch fisheries • economic value 4 Bay Journal • June 2019 RiverSmart helps turn home sweet home into home sweet watershed By Laura Todd through a partnership with the Asheford Court Standing in a forested wetland, you Homeowners Association. are surrounded by native sweetbay While residential magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) trees. stormwater mitigation is The sweet, lemony scent of magnolia gaining local traction in blooms fills the summer air. You are the Oxon Run watershed, lucky to bear witness to a rare plant additional planning is also community — the magnolia bog. in effect to restore the The National Park Service has stream itself. determined that only 13 of these In the District, wetland areas, rich with clusters of challenges to future native magnolia trees, remain in the restoration projects include Atlantic Coastal Plain. Four of these roadway crossings and 13 exist within the boundaries of Oxon nearby sanitary sewer Run Parkway, a 126-acre forest in the pipes. While formal District of Columbia that is managed restoration efforts have yet by the National Park Service. to take place, the planning The survival of magnolia process is under way. A bogs, though, is threatened by few years ago, the DOEE habitat fragmentation and other and the U.S. Army Corps stressors associated with increasing of Engineers completed a urbanization. Oxon Run, the stream flood study to determine for which the parkway is named, flows whether nearby properties across the entire width of the urban would be negatively park and is a tributary of the Potomac impacted by the removal River. The run’s watershed is roughly of a concrete channel. 12 square miles, originating in Prince Oxon Run, a tributary of the Potomac, is the object of efforts to reduce stormwater runoff The channel, in southern George’s County, MD, before flowing through the RiverSmart Homes Program. (District of Columbia Department of Energy and portion of Oxon Run, was into the District via the parkway. Environment) constructed in the 1960s to More than 50% of the Oxon Run alleviate nearby flooding watershed is developed. Residential that development. This increase in issues. Ideally, all of the concrete will use counts toward the majority of development creates a larger footprint be removed in favor of restoring a of impervious surfaces, which more naturalized stream channel and contribute to increased volumes of surrounding landscape. stormwater runoff as well as the Josh Burch, a watershed protection degraded quality of that runoff. There has not yet been the same specialist at the Department of Energy According to the Chesapeake Bay level of involvement in Ward 8 outside and Environment described a restored Program, stormwater runoff is the of the Asheford Court neighborhood, Oxon Run as having “a low, wide fastest-growing source of pollution but the increased participation in the floodplain bench so that when storms impacting the Chesapeake. River-Smart Homes Program there is come in and water levels rise, flood In the Oxon Run watershed, the indicative that there is opportunity for flows have room to spread out.” He Asheford Court neighborhood is growth. said that while the site certainly has a successful model of residential The Alliance and DOEE are leading its design challenges — it is adjacent stormwater mitigation. The a free walking tour of RiverSmart to an old firing range and has a overwhelming majority of homes Homes at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 15. flood control dam overcome with in the loop-shaped neighborhood All are welcome to take the tour, which sediment — there are also plenty of have at least one best management begins at Malcolm X Elementary design opportunities. When restored, practice installed through the River- School. Its goal is to educate local Oxon Run should be a vibrant natural Smart Homes Program, a partnership residents about stormwater and engage area with increased opportunities for between the Alliance for the them in practices at their homes to recreation, including fishing. Chesapeake Bay and DC’s Department make a difference in their watershed Not everyone resides within a of Energy and Environment. The and community. stone’s throw of a rare magnolia program helps DC residents install Attendees will get a close look at bog, but we all have a part to play numerous BMPs: rain barrels, rain numerous best management practices in protecting our local waterways. gardens, BayScape gardens, shade that their neighbors have installed. Increased rainfall is exacerbating the trees, permeable pavement and They can also participate in a question harmful effects of stormwater runoff, impervious surface reduction. and answer session with DOEE and the streams and tributaries of Because the Oxon Run watershed is auditors and a tree identification and the Chesapeake Bay are feeling the entirely within the District’s Municipal maintenance workshop with arborists consequences. In the District, the Separate Storm Sewer System, or from Casey Trees. Oxon Run watershed has long been MS4, everything that enters a storm A limited number of DOEE Storm- subject to this and numerous other drain — water, trash, sediment, pet water Audits will take place at homes in environmental challenges. waste or other pollutants — goes the neighborhood. In addition, partici- But for the magnolias and the directly to the local waterway without pants will be able to mark storm drains to communities near the stream, there is treatment. These and other on-the- remind their neighbors that these drains opportunity in Oxon Run. ground efforts from area residences are go directly to their local stream. Activities Laura Todd is a program imperative to reduce the total volume for children will be available, too. coordinator for the RiverSmart Homes of stormwater runoff. This event is made possible Program. Bay Journal • June 2019 5 Impact of voluntary Clean Marina program hard to gauge ≈ Participants pick which best There’s little margin for error, too, management practices to use because marinas lie directly on and in an effort designed to head off beside the water, giving pollution a direct path to waterways. The facilities potential mandatory regulations. also tend to be enveloped by impervi- By Jeremy Cox ous surfaces — asphalt parking lots Marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs and concrete boat ramps — that don’t across the mid-Atlantic have joined absorb or filter pollutants. an effort to curb water pollution: the To become certified in Maryland, Clean Marina program. facilities implement a number of “best The title, awarded by marine management practices” outlined by officials in 32 states, is reserved for state officials in the Maryland Clean facilities that take steps to reduce Marina Guidebook. The practices contaminants from boats and boatyards include steps such as locating main- that would otherwise foul the waters tenance areas “as far from shore as beneath their docks. Participants affix possible,” “discouraging” underwater specially designed logos to their bro- hull cleaning, avoiding the use of chures and websites and fly flags that creosote-treated wood and planting boaters can easily spot from the water. vegetation around parking lots. The program grew out of Congress’ Facilities are inspected every few 1990 update of the Coastal Zone Man- years to ensure compliance in each state. agement Act. Instead of handing down But, in part because the program is more regulations, the National Oceanic voluntary, there is virtually no tracking and Atmospheric Administration and of how water quality responds to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency activities undertaken by marina owners. partnered to oversee a voluntary, Pat Shugars at Knapps Narrows Marina bags large pieces of shrink wrap into bags for In Maryland, stormwater discharge state-managed cleanup of the marina recycling. The plastic material is used to cover boats in the winter. (Dave Harp) permits — a regulatory requirement — industry. trigger quarterly monitoring at marinas, The first Clean Marina program the campaign has improved steward- pressure-wash and paint their hulls, pump but the tests consist of “visual inspec- took effect 20 years ago — in Mary- ship practices at many facilities, their out sewage tanks and gas up their engines tions” performed by a marina employee. land. Elsewhere in the Chesapeake measurable impact is largely unknown. at fuel pumps. Copper, zinc, mercury, Scholarly databases display little Bay watershed, initiatives in Delaware, A marina is a potential hotbed for nutrients, untreated sewage and other research on the subject. One of the New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia water pollution. In many cases, it’s harmful contaminants have been traced were all operating by 2006. Although a one-stop shop where boaters can to those and other marina activities. Marinas continues on page 6 Restoring the native balance

ernstseed.com [email protected] 800-873-3321 6 Bay Journal • June 2019

Marinas from page 5 that the levels were “similar to those in other areas affected by human activity.” few researchers who has examined Studies on Clean Marina programs the Clean Marina program said he are rarer still. In Ritchie’s case, the struggled to find a journal publisher topic rests at the intersection of two of interested in his article. his greatest passions: sailing and quality “I had to frame [marinas] as a management in the commercial sector. transportation hub,” said Bill Ritchie In a 2017 article for the journal of James Madison University in Har- Transportation Research, Ritchie and two risonburg, VA. colleagues looked at the traits of partici- Even if the Clean Marina program’s pating marinas in Florida’s program. The environmental benefits were more state has signed up 325 marinas, about 16 clearly understood, the modest number percent of the total number of facilities. of participating facilities has likely The early adopters tended to be watered down its impact. About 25 those located within a cluster of percent of Maryland’s 600 marinas and marinas, they found, suggesting a their brethren have become certified. bandwagon effect. The state has In Virginia, the rate is at most 20 created a Clean Marina flag (complete percent of its 350–400 facilities. with a pelican silhouette) that facilities Asked how he gauges the program’s can display, signaling to passing ves- performance, Peter Hall, a former sels their participation in the program. marina owner who has been managing For some customers, that may be the Virginia’s program since its director deciding factor that makes them stop at stepped down eight months ago, points one marina over another, the manage- to testimonials. ment professor said. “A lot of that stuff is not tracked,” he Marinas located in areas with a said. “But I think you have to be sort of lower concentration of competition observing it from the [perspective of] had less incentive to stand out from the guys who are on the inside, the marina crowd and were slower to get on board, owners. They’re seeing increases in if at all, he said. their customer base. The boaters are The phenomenon his team observed coming in because the marina is clean. underscores a larger issue with such vol- It’s neat and well kept.” untary initiatives, Ritchie added. “What Like Hall, many participants we have is a public benefit, not a private describe the program’s returns in both benefit,” he said. “That’s a big question for financial and environmental terms. business owners: ‘What’s in it for me?’ ” “People know if you’re certified Officials in Maryland and Virginia you’re going to be a decent marina,” are careful to highlight the potential said Emily Fletcher, office manager at marketing benefits while making their Bay Boat Works in North East, MD, case for the program to potential appli- an early adopter of the Clean Marina cants. Both offer “Clean Marina” flags standards. The locally owned, 140-slip business can fly and logos they can facility received about $100,000 in At Knapps Narrows Marina, Joe Bradley uses a vacuum-assisted sander that keeps weave into their advertising materials. state grant money to bring itself up to dust from toxic paint on the boat’s bottom from becoming airborne. (Dave Harp) Both also list participating marinas on the Clean Marina standard in 2002. their official websites. Improvements Bay Boat Works spent about a man, MD, was ahead of the curve. It Texoma on the Texas-Oklahoma border, can also result in insurance premium year making necessary upgrades. began catching the pressure-washing focusing on MTBE, a gasoline additive savings, officials say. Owners Don and Mary Green bought water long before the requirement went suspected of causing cancer in humans. To sweeten the deal, Virginia has a boat whose sole purpose was to into effect. Becoming a Clean Marina They discovered that the chemical partnered with marina trade groups meet vessels in the water and pump was about more than a logo, said Pat appeared in the water only from May to offer 5 percent discounts to par- out their sewage holding tanks. They Shugars, the marina’s general manager. to October, a period coinciding with ticipants in conferences and training placed a sewage pump-out system on “We didn’t like all the waste that was the boating season. Samples taken of workshops. Newly added Maryland its docks and installed a cloth-lined going on,” he said, adding that he hopes water beneath the boat docks turned marinas receive a certificate signed drain to capture wash water. And staff other marinas make the effort to get up with the most detections, suggest- by the governor, lieutenant governor members devoted countless hours to certified as well. “It’s time for people to ing the spills typically occurred upon and the secretary of the Department environmental training. wake up and say, ‘If you want crabs and engine startup, they said. of Natural Resources. A press release “It was nice to be green,” said Mary you want oysters, you’d better watch That issue is less glaring today, issued statewide announces their inclu- Green, adding that it allowed the facility what you put in the water.’” though. Statewide bans and gas com- sion, and they can attend an annual to get out in front of future water quality Not everyone is impressed by what panies’ concerns over legal liability awards ceremony for new members. mandates. “You could see the writing on the program offers, though. Norm have largely phased out the use of Donna Morrow, who manages the the wall: These regulations were going to Turner, owner of Horn Harbor Marina MTBE in gasoline. Maryland Department of Natural be enforced one way or the other.” in Port Haywood, VA, said he doesn’t In 2018, a study of hundreds of Resources’ program, said those who In 2011, for example, Maryland see the need for voluntary actions Florida beaches led by University of participate generally are the ones who began requiring marinas to capture when those prescribed by government Miami researchers found that those already pride themselves on being and process the wastewater discharged stormwater and wastewater permits are with nearby marinas were more prone clean facilities. She would like to by pressure-washing boat bottoms if it already strong. to levels of fecal bacteria high enough see more join, but she doesn’t expect was too polluted to begin with. Today, “Yeah, it’s a sticker or stamp that says to trigger swimming advisories or significant growth to occur. all but a few have either installed you abide by these guidelines,” he said, closures. And an Australian paper in “It would be great to have more, systems that loop the wastewater back “but the truth is marinas abide by their the late-1980s suggested marinas could but it’s a voluntary program,” Morrow through the washer or rout the water own stringent standards to begin with.” have a “major impact” in sediments said. “It’s up to these businesses into public sewer drains. In 2001, EPA researchers investigated from the buildup heavy metals and that are often small businesses with Knapp’s Narrows Marina in Tilgh- water quality at five marinas on Lake petroleum hydrocarbons but concluded competing priorities.” Bay Journal • June 2019 7 Atlantic white cedars helped to build nation, now need help rebuilding their population ≈ As sea level rise is quick to take over trees’ “We’re sort of sitting on the edge of our seats habitat, efforts to replant saplings are slow waiting for the trees to die and the salt marsh to to take root. move in,” said LeeAnn Haaf, a wetlands coordinator at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary who has By Jeremy Cox studied cedar landscapes for years. A flock of sixth-graders fanned out across a field To understand the severity of Chamaecyparis pocked with thorny vines and a curious congregation thyoides’ plight, first check in with another prized of evergreens. timber species: Pinus palustris, or longleaf pine. “I’ve got two more trees!” called out Travis Similar forces reduced its scope from 92 million Anthony, a crew leader with the Maryland Conserva- acres to about 3 million. Alarmed conservation tion Corps. “Who wants them?” groups, landowners and regulators banded together “Trees” was putting it politely. These reedy specimens in the 1990s to save the longleaf pine. The movement looked more like Christmas trees that only Charlie coalesced behind the Longleaf Alliance, a nonprofit Brown could love. Nonetheless, two girls immediately that has planted thousands of acres of new stands while thrust their hands into the air and were soon nudging the coordinating research conferences and promoting lower extremities of their saplings into the soft earth. sustainable forestry. In this swampy furrow, surrounded by pine planta- Atlantic white cedars, though, began with only tions and chicken farms on Maryland’s lower Eastern about 500,000 acres and now find themselves with Shore, re-establishing a landscape of Atlantic white about 100,000 acres left. cedars has been the top order of business for 10 years. For more than two decades, organizers behind the The Nature Conservancy, which owns and manages Atlantic White Cedar Initiative have tried to emulate the 15,000-acre Preserve, partners the alliance’s strategy — with mixed success. Biannual with the National Aquarium in Baltimore to connect conferences raised the tree’s profile in academic circles, schoolchildren with nature by having them plant but little coordinated restoration activity followed. thousands of cedar seedlings at the site. The group has been inactive in recent years, said From Maine to Mississippi, the fragrant conifers Eric Hinesley, a retired North Carolina State Univer- are disappearing despite restoration efforts like the Luna Lorance, left, and Peyton Redmond, sixth sity horticulture professor. He joined the organiza- one at Nassawango. Since European settlers arrived graders at Berlin Middle School in Maryland, plant tion in the mid-1990s and writes most of the material in what is now the United States, fires, hurricanes, Atlantic white cedars in The Nature Conservancy’s for its website. urban sprawl and poor forest management have Nassawango Creek Preserve. (Dave Harp) “We really haven’t done anything or talked in the conspired to wipe out at least three-quarters of the last several years,” he said. “Our numbers are kind of stands that Atlantic white cedars once dominated. shingles on the roof of Independence Hall in Phila- shrinking.” Now, experts say the tree that literally helped delphia — faces a serious existential threat as rising build the nation — look no further than the cedar seas push saltwater into coastal forests. Cedars continues on page 8 Want a diversified investment portfolio with a low carbon footprint? Your Money, Your Values.

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Cedars from page 7 matter, known as peat, on which white cedars thrive. The loss of peat Bob Williams is president of Pine lowered the land 3-6 feet. Most of the Creek Forestry, a consulting firm cedar’s habitat inside the refuge is now based in New Jersey. His unofficial permanently under water. title could be the “Johnny Appleseed of “Much of that area that was burned Atlantic white cedar.” He has worked over now is a lake,” Hinesley said. “It’s with landowners to plant millions of a really sad legacy that there is no real cedars, primarily in his home state. mature white cedar left in the swamp.” But that’s just a drop in the bucket Although they sprout along the compared to what’s needed, he said. coast, white cedars can’t tolerate salt. “How do I compete with the loss of So, the future of the species, Haaf said, thousands of acres per year?” Williams depends on preserving and expanding asked. stands farther inland, where they are He has grown frustrated with what unlikely to be poisoned by rising seas. he sees as a lack of top-down effort to In Anne Arundel County, MD, bring the species back from the brink. environmental officials make sure to Time is running out, he said. include white cedars in their plantings “Overall, my feeling is this eco- at stream restoration sites. “The state system is in deep trouble,” Williams of the tree is such that incorporating said. “What we have is a lot of people it into restoration efforts is a good who say they’re concerned, but they do way to preserve the genome and get nothing. We need to get on with it.” it more broadly established,” said The species grows along a margin Erik Michelsen, head of the county’s of coastline stretching up to 100 miles watershed restoration program. inland from the sea from southern At Nassawango preserve, the focus Maine to north Florida and across the is white cedar. Gulf Coast as far west as Mississippi. “They’ve done a lot of site surveys Most can be found in the Pine Barrens here to know this is where they can of New Jersey and along the North survive,” said Maura Duffy, conserva- Carolina coast. tion project manager with the National Despite their name, white cedars Aquarium. “Here’s this tiny sliver of are members of the cypress family. the Eastern Shore where they could They’re finicky, preferring moist, possibly be.” acidic soils. They can tower up to The preserve lies roughly halfway 75 feet tall, forming dense clusters, between the peninsula’s Chesapeake usually along streams with hardly any and Atlantic coasts, making it a other tree types mixed in. relatively safe bet to survive at least “It’s like a cathedral,” Williams several decades of rising waters. said. Another positive sign is the presence The cedar’s decline, according to of fellow white cedars, though not experts, can be traced to an endless nearly as many as there once were. string of setbacks. A resurgence of The restoration takes a herculean the deer population during the 1900s effort. First, the loblolly pines have resulted in a seedling feeding frenzy. to be cut down, and drainage ditches Many cedar stands thinned out because Deborah Landau, ecologist for the MD/DC chapter of The Nature Conservancy, is created for former tree farms have to of too many wildfires — or too few. dwarfed by a stand of Atlantic white cedar. The trees were planted on the Nas- be plugged, Duffy said. The idea is to Others were converted to agriculture or sawango Creek Preserve in Wicomico County, VA, 10 years ago. (Dave Harp) create a swamplike footing where the suburban development. trees can settle in with just the right The timber industry took perhaps effort to sustain the resource.” limited in application.” amount of moisture. Once that’s done, the biggest toll. Aromatic and decay- The loss of white cedars reverber- That assessment has largely proved the Nature Conservancy installs a resistant, Atlantic white cedar wood ated across the ecosystem. Studies prescient. Take what happened at the fence around the perimeter that will has historically been used for making on their role in nature depict them as Great Dismal Swamp. (About 20% keep hungry deer at bay until the trees everything from buckets and fences environmental superheroes. An analysis of the refuge’s land lies in the Chesa- are about 8 years old. to channel markers and Adirondack in the Great Dismal Swamp National peake Bay’s watershed.) Only then can the students take the chairs. Cut into shingles, white cedar Wildlife Refuge, which straddles the In 2003, Hurricane Isabel felled one field to plant the cedars. helped 18th-century houses in Philadel- Virginia-North Carolina border, found the largest pure stands of white cedars in Then comes the vigilance. Workers phia and Wilmington, DE, withstand twice as many birds in cedar stands existence, downing a swath across 3,600 come out regularly to spray herbicides decades of mid-Atlantic summers and than in the surrounding hardwood acres of the refuge, said Chris Lowie, the and remove stray tree species. Even winters. Farther south, they were sawed forest. In northern Florida, a sparse refuge’s manager. The trees are highly so, some of the earliest restoration and sanded into the hulls of shad boats population of black bears showed its susceptible to wind damage because of plots are dotted with pines and sweet that became the backbone of the Outer preference for cedars by slashing at the their shallow root systems. gum. The cedars themselves appear to Banks’s shad fishery. bark with their massive paws. The federal government hired a be thriving, with some reaching more For much of the industry’s history, Restoring cedar’s place in the coastal contractor to salvage the toppled trees, than 15 feet tall, Duffy said. profits and expediency outweighed landscape isn’t easy. A 1989 report clearing space for a new generation So far, the effort has restored about maintaining the health of the forests, prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to take root. But just weeks before 35 acres of white cedar forest. Williams said. After the saws fell Service prescribed a restoration process the contractor’s work was set to be But to remain a meaningful part of silent, there often weren’t enough left that involves felling all existing trees completed in 2008, a wildfire scorched the U.S. landscape, thousands more to seed the next generation of trees. on a site and returning repeatedly to the area. Three years later, a second acres will have to follow suit, experts “They just cut it and walked away, weed out unwanted sprouts. The report blaze burned it again. say. And it’s unclear whether there’s and sometimes it came back and some- labeled such endeavors “costly” and The fires destroyed the mucky layer enough will and resources to make it times it didn’t,” he said. “There was no predicted that they “will be decidedly of decaying leaves and other organic happen. Bay Journal • June 2019 9 Chesapeake blue crab population grows despite 2018’s rains ≈ Tougher regulations aimed at Lindy’s Seafood in Dorchester County. protecting females credited with “Nobody’s seen this.” increase in numbers. Last year’s Baywide harvest was 2% higher than the previous year, the survey By Jeremy Cox showed. Watermen hauled in 55 million Last year’s never-ending loop of pounds of crabs, which was on par with storms may have rattled the Chesapeake’s the totals from the previous four years. ecosystem, but it didn’t scuttle the estu- The Maryland season runs from April ary’s blue crab population. 1 to Dec. 15. The Virginia season is from Results from the annual, Baywide March 17 to Nov. 30. winter crab survey, released May 6, The Virginia Institute of Marine showed a 60% increase in the crusta- Science and Maryland DNR have been cean’s numbers over 2018. At 594 million conducting the survey since 1990. Inves- crabs, it was the highest count since 2012. tigators use crab dredges to sample blue “This is good news,” said Ellen crabs at 1,500 sites around the Bay during Bolen, deputy commissioner of the the winter, when crabs are typically Virginia Marine Resources Commis- buried in sediment and not moving. sion, which regulates the fishery in the To boost the number of crabs after commonwealth’s waters. “But crab a decade of paltry counts, management stocks can vary like they have in the agencies since 2008 have imposed regula- past, so we want to make sure we have A female crab dredged from the York River in Virginia during an annual winter tions offering greater protection to female a balanced plan going forward to ensure survey displays a numerical tag placed on it by a graduate student at the Virginia crabs with the hope that more would the stability of this resource.” Institute of Marine Science. (Dave Harp) survive and reproduce. The number of Blue crab populations can vary spawning-age females was estimated at widely from year to year, experts say, Natural Resources, spent the winter wor- A mild winter ensured better survival, 190 million in the most recent survey, because they are heavily influenced by rying that the strong currents produced by producing an estimated 271 million adult well above the “minimum safe” threshold climate conditions. Young crabs spend last year’s rain had pushed the juveniles males and females — a figure that is well of 70 million crabs. the first several weeks of their lives drift- too far out to sea. above the 30-year average of 199 million The survey’s results offer “further ing in the ocean after they are spawned Instead, their abundance nearly doubled, crabs. The bonanza has already begun proof and a shining example that our during the summer and fall, and weather to 323 million, according to the survey. That at one crab-processing company on efforts to protect Maryland’s blue crab conditions greatly affect the number that figure is seen as a good omen for the crab Maryland’s Eastern Shore. population, while ensuring the health of return to the Bay. harvest in late summer and fall. “You’ve had more crabs come our state’s most important natural asset, Genine McClair, blue crab program In the meantime, there are plenty ashore this year than any year in 54 have been successful,” Maryland Gov. manager for the Maryland Department of of adult crabs for watermen to dredge. years,” said Terry Vincent, owner of Larry Hogan said. 10 Bay Journal • June 2019 Microplastics are everywhere, but how do they harm the Bay? ≈ Stakeholders discuss studies, in 30 locations. They what’s still needed to answer found the highest that question. concentrations in waters near Baltimore and the By Whitney Pipkin District of Columbia. Extremely small bits of plastic are Most of the debris has everywhere, and the Chesapeake Bay is been categorized as no exception. The so-called microplas- fragments from larger tics, often 5 millimeters or less in size, plastics, followed by can be scooped from the surface waters fibers and films. of the and combed from In 2017, students the Bay’s underwater grass beds. at Old Dominion Microplastics that originated as tiny University found that beads in some face scrubs, soaps and microplastics have toothpastes are now banned by federal the potential to carry law. But most microplastics begin in harmful bacteria and much larger pieces: chunks of litter human pathogens such and debris — water bottles, car tires as species of vibrio in and even plastic piers — that break the Elizabeth River. down into increasingly smaller pieces While the scientific but don’t biodegrade for hundreds of work continues, state years. Those plastic bits can leach and federal governments chemicals or become a carrier of have begun taking toxins and invasive species they pick action. The District of up as they float through the water. Columbia, for example, Scientists now know that has charged a 5-cent fee single-celled organisms in the aquatic for plastic bags since environment can easily mistake the Marcy DeLos and Nihal Dennis, both students at Virginia’s George Mason University, fetch a 2010. And this year, smallest particles of plastics for food. plastic water bottle from the Occoquan River during a trash trawl on May 10. A workshop at New York state enacted Those bits then travel up the food the university’s Potomac Science Center just downstream focused on determining the impact of a ban on most single- chain, eaten by larger and larger fish microplastics in the Chesapeake Bay region’s wildlife, habitats and humans. (Whitney Pipkin) use plastic bags. In that are eventually eaten by humans. 2015, Congress banned The Chesapeake Bay Program, a ecotoxicology and risk management that microplastics cause when they’re the microbeads used as exfoliants in state-federal partnership that leads the expert with the consulting firm Tetra prevalent in the region’s habitats, the some cleaning products and, this year, Bay restoration effort, has identified Tech, at the outset the meeting. bellies of fish and shellfish, and even Maryland passed a ban on polystyrene microplastics as a contaminant of “With a chemical, we can say that drinking water. foam food containers. Three jurisdic- mounting concern. But, for all of the this concentration of copper has this tions touching the , headlines and anxiety microplastics effect, so if you have this much in the Connecting data to action including the District and Montgomery have generated, a looming question water it’s not good,” Diamond said. A 2014 report on the presence of and Prince George’s counties, had remains unanswered: What harm are “For microplastics, we don’t have that.” microplastics in four Chesapeake already passed bans on the products, they causing in the Bay? Research on microplastics and rivers appears to be the only peer- commonly found in the river. The Bay Program Scientific and their impact is accelerating around the reviewed study of its kind in the Since that first bag fee in 2010, Technical Advisory Committee globe. Scientists know plenty already region. Conducted by the University several Bay states have considered convened a two-day workshop in late — though not all applies directly to the of Maryland’s Lance Yonkos, and ref- similar measures. The Chesapeake April to begin finding answers. Bay or its suite of species. At the work- erenced throughout the workshop, the Bay Commission, made up of legisla- “We might have an idea of the shop, a consensus emerged that more study confirmed that microplastics are tive representatives from each state, exposure, but on the effect side, we’re work is needed to measure not just the more plentiful in surface waters near has received questions about how the not so sure,” said Jerry Diamond, an presence but also the potential harm urban and suburban centers and after language of several disparate bills heavy rains — and they were found in would impact Bay water quality and A student holds a all but one of 60 samples collected in whether it could be improved. When rainbow-colored the Corsica, Magothy, Patapsco and the commission turned to the scientific selection of small Rhode rivers in 2011. community for help, it found a lot of plastic pieces Yonkos, who has continued to gaps in the research, despite the fact and microplastics research the abundance of microplas- that some jurisdictions were already picked out of tics related to nearby land use, said at passing related legislation. the Occoquan the workshop that his study generated “As a scientist, I thought that, to River. George as many questions as answers for him. give people useful information for Mason University “Just because we found [microplas- a piece of legislation, I had to have recently acquired tics] doesn’t mean they came from 95% certainty and all this data,” said equipment that there,” Yonkos said. “We need to look Denice Wardrop, a scientist at Penn uses lasers to more at transport to understand the State and member of Bay Program’s identify types of source.” Scientific and Technical Advisory small plastics, Researchers also are beginning to Committee. “You don’t. People are which lays the get results from a batch of samples col- willing to use a legislative tool or groundwork for lected from the Bay in 2015 by Trash management action at a lower level of further plastics Free Maryland. The nonprofit group certainty than we assume.” research in the worked with a lab at the University That sentiment became Wardrop’s Potomac. of Toronto to quantify and classify (Whitney Pipkin) microplastics gathered from the water Plastic continues on page 11 Bay Journal • June 2019 11

Plastic from page 10 society can look at how to reduce it,” he said. mantra at the April workshop, where The District of Columbia and scientists grappled with the gap between Maryland jurisdictions already remove what they know and what they still need thousands of pounds of trash from to know about microplastics — and the the Anacostia River each year under need to generate a recommendation for a federal pollution limit that is being the Bay Commission. rewritten. Trash removals like these and other voluntary programs help quantify Next frontier where and how plastics enter the river, Growing evidence suggests that and they also chip away at removing the several species in the Bay and its rivers debris that’s both an eyesore and a future are ingesting microplastics from the source of microplastics. water column or in other habitats. More Research on the impact of microplas- work is needed — and some has already tics, though, has in some ways just begun. begun — to determine what impact the Water treatment processes may plastics could have on the health of fish, come into play too, as scientists learn shellfish and the humans who eat them. more about the presence of microplas- “We’re never going to get down to tics in drinking water. The Hampton zero plastics,” said Kay Ho, a marine Roads Sanitation District is working ecotoxicologist with the U.S. Envi- with the Virginia Institute of Marine ronmental Protection Agency, who Science to understand what types attended the April workshop. “But can of microplastics might be making it we quantify how much is too much?” through the plant’s treatment process. Christine Knauss, a Ph.D. student That question seems more urgent now at the University of Maryland Center that the plant is infusing some of its for Environmental Science at Horn processed water back into the aquifer, Point, is trying to answer that question Ben Rhodes, a junior in environmental and sustainability studies at George Mason where it could become a drinking for hatchery-spawned oysters. Exist- University, paddles back with a haul of trash from the Occoquan River. Large and water source for the future. ing research found that Pacific oyster small plastics often break down into microplastics as they make their way to the Yonkos, the author of that sole larvae not only consume polystyrene Potomac River and the Bay. (Whitney Pipkin) Bay-focused microplastics report, is microbeads but also experience looking for microplastics inside worms impacts to their growth and reproduc- Knauss said more studies are vacuuming tiny plastics into their guts, and mussels in the Anacostia River to tion because of it. Knauss wanted to needed not only in the lab but also where they remained when they were see if they could serve as markers of see if the same is true for a Bay oyster in the field, where a combination of eaten by the sea bass. ecosystem health. He’s also collecting species. factors — from pollution and plastics So far, small black sea bass that sediment cores from Bay rivers that After including tiny plastic beads in to climate change and predation — consumed microplastics seem to have might now contain microplastics to the feed mix for Crassostrea virginica impact the larvae’s ability to grow. decreased immune responses and compare with cores stored away in the larvae, Knauss has so far found that Susanne Brander, a researcher at higher cortisol levels, which indicate lab from the early 1980s. the plastics seem to have an impact Oregon State University studying stress. Their respiration does not appear Even as the body of research around during their first six days in the lar- how microplastics impact black sea to have been affected, Brander said. tiny plastics begins to grow, policy vae’s system, before the larvae excrete bass, agreed. Brander, while at the “Quantifying mortality can be makers at the workshop encouraged most of the beads. During that period, University of North Carolina, began a challenging in the lab,” Brander said. the group to act quickly to apply new the larvae had higher respiration rates two-year project on the important East “If you think about it, plastics are one information. The flow of plastics to and seemed to clear out their guts more Coast fishery, which visits the lower more pressure added on top of many local waters isn’t expected to ebb quickly, though growth and mortality Chesapeake Bay, where microplastics other pressures. We always say that anytime soon. did not seem to be heavily impacted. were found in 60% of black sea bass in more research is needed.” “We don’t want to wait another five “I always get [asked] the question of the wild. Bill Ball, executive director of the years while these animals and habitats whether [the beads] are actually inside In the lab, she found that Centro- Chesapeake Research Consortium, are getting clogged with more plas- the larvae,” Knauss said, showing pristis striata larvae often discrimi- said studies like these could be enough tics,” said Kimberly Grubert, a coastal a video of the plastics, marked with nated between floating foodstuffs and to trigger more policy changes in the planner at the Maryland Department fluorescent dye, swirling inside a tiny microplastics — but the single-celled watershed. of Natural Resources, at the close of oyster. “They do eat them, and they do organisms they ate did not. She showed “We need evidence that it’s clearly the workshop. “We need a sense of get into the gut.” images of microscopic organisms a pollutant and that it’s harmful. Then urgency.” 12 Bay Journal • June 2019 Report: 40% of PA rivers, streams violate water quality standards ≈ Farm runoff and acid mine Boat Commission has drainage, followed by stormwater repeatedly requested runoff, are three largest causes. that the state declare the lower Susquehanna By Ad Crable impaired, which would Pennsylvania’s latest water quality require the state to report has found that 40% of its 85,000 come up with a plan to miles of streams and rivers are violating identify water-quality the state’s water quality standards in problems and fix them. some way, with agricultural runoff and But the administrations acid mine drainage mostly to blame. of two governors refused, That includes a stretch of the instead launching detailed , which flows monitoring of the river. into the Chesapeake Bay and has a Ironically, the bass have major impact on the Bay’s health. The recovered to near-record 46-mile segment of the middle and levels in recent years while lower river, which has been plagued the Susquehanna has come with sick fish in recent years, was under closer scrutiny and found to be impaired for aquatic life has now, indeed, been because of high pH levels. listed as impaired. The draft 2018 Integrated Water “DEP should have Quality Monitoring and Assessment addressed this in 2005, Report was released in May for public when we had a major comment before submission of the fish kill, but they’re final report to the U.S. Environmental finally taking the first Protection Agency. step in admitting there’s The state also recently released a An eroding stream winds through a farm field in Lancaster County. Pennsylvania is targeting such a problem,” John Arway, draft plan for meeting its share of the streams on farms where lack of fencing to keep livestock out of the streams and little or no streamside veg- the now-retired executive Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals, outlin- etation sends nutrient pollution to local waters and the Bay. (PA Department of Environmental Protection) director of the Fish and ing the need to invest $485 million Boat Commission told a year — more than twice what it is becomes highly acidic. When flowing found to be impaired because of poor Pennsylvania Outdoor News. currently spending. into streams, the mix kills or restricts results for aquatic insects that are an The unprecedented sampling of the While that would help address some aquatic life. The state reported that important part of the food web and for Susquehanna also has found troubling of the issues identified in the new 5,575 miles of waterways are impacted high pH levels, a violation of water- levels of “contaminants of emerging water quality report, the state would by such runoff, a slight reduction from quality standards. concern” — a group of pollutants that need to spend significantly more to fix 2016. The section of the Susquehanna include hormones, pharmaceuticals all of its stream health problems. Stormwater runoff, the third major now considered impaired for aquatic and certain pesticides. The findings Not surprisingly, agricultural runoff source of pollution, picks up fertilizers, life runs from the mouth of the Juniata also have contributed to Pennsylvania of soil, nutrients and chemicals are the soil, pesticides and other contaminants River at Duncannon downriver to initiating a statewide search for the cause of the most miles of impaired and flushes them into streams. The Columbia, in Lancaster County. cancer-causing group of chemicals waterways across the state — 5,741 in amount of impacted waterways was If the EPA approves the report, the known as PFAS that has been generat- all. High concentrations of nutrients 3,066 miles, up by 164 from 2016. state will have to develop a cleanup ing concerns nationwide. cause algae blooms in the Bay, reducing Again, Shull said the figures may not plan for both sections of the rivers. The As far as required cleanups of oxygen needed by aquatic life. Those mean a worsening of the problem but report does not identify a cause for the impaired waterways in the state, blooms, along with sediment washed rather better assessment methods. impairments, which will be required there is a clear priority by state into the Bay, also block sunlight from Pennsylvania, like every state, has to before a cleanup plan is made. But it environmental officials to address reaching underwater grasses. And sedi- evaluate the water quality of its streams notes that high pH levels are often tied streams and rivers that drain into the ment can bury emerging grasses. and rivers every two years to see if to algae growth from high levels of Chesapeake Bay. About half of the The amount of waterways impacted they meet water standards designed nutrients, and Bay cleanup plans target state does. by agricultural runoff is actually 680 to protect such things as aquatic life, nutrient reductions. Shull noted that “We’re telling the public that miles fewer than the last water quality water supply, fish consumption and there was evidence of algal blooms. Pennsylvania DEP is focusing on assessment in 2016. On the surface, recreation. States submit the reports to A 4-mile section of the Susquehanna agricultural impairments right now as that appears to be an encouraging and the EPA, including a list of waterways was listed as impaired for recreation, as a priority to restore,” Shull said. logical trend because the amount of that should be officially designated it was in the 2016 report, mainly for the One visible sign of that initiative nutrients and sediment flowing down as “impaired.” The EPA reviews and presence of fecal coliform. The cause is the creation of 28 “restoration the Susquehanna into the Bay has been approves the list, and the state must was not listed but sources could be priority watersheds.” All but three declining somewhat for years. then develop plans showing how they manure from livestock, sewage treat- are in the Chesapeake Bay drainage But the decline described in the will clean up those waterways. ment plants or industries. and all but two are impaired because report may be partly due to more For the first time, Pennsylvania’s The increased focus on the main- of agriculture runoff. “These are the accurate stream assessments rather than 2018 report gauged the health of stem of the Susquehanna and Juniata places where we need to have our most a direct result of stream improvements, aquatic life on the lower and middle has been driven by an alarming die-off restoration successes,” Shull observed. said Dustin Shull, environmental group sections of the Susquehanna River and of prized smallmouth bass beginning The full report and supporting doc- manager for the Pennsylvania Depart- the Juniata River, a major tributary. in 2005. About a year ago, scientists uments may be found online at depgis. ment of Environmental Protection. All wadeable streams in the state identified the cause as manmade state.pa.us/2018_integrated_report/ The second-largest source of poor had been assessed for aquatic use chemicals, largely from ag-related index.html. The site includes, for the water quality was runoff from aban- previously but this was the first time herbicide runoff and reproduction- first time, an online interactive map doned mines. When water draining that sections of the Susquehanna and altering pharmaceuticals, as well as a where users can click on any stream in from the old mines flows over exposed Juniata were assessed. virus and parasites. the state, see if it is impaired and, if so, sulfur-bearing rock and materials, it The sections of both rivers were The Pennsylvania Fish and the reasons for the problems. Bay Journal • June 2019 13 PennDOT hopes plantings will put pollinators on road to recovery ≈ Less mowing, more growing is a mowed lawn. As we modify some along selected sites designed to of our practices to accommodate attract birds, butterflies, bats – pollinators, people may see less of that. This is a way of enhancing pollina- and volunteers. tor habitat and the diversity of these By Ad Crable species throughout the state,” Zawisa The roadsides, rest stops, inter- said. The public may also see more changes, traffic islands and even urban spot spraying of herbicides to weed out intersections across Pennsylvania invasive plants along roadways. may soon look a little more unkempt Close-cropped mowings will con- or sprout what passing motorists may tinue right against roads to maintain mistake for weeds out of control. safe sighting conditions for motorists. But it’s really “conservation And no plantings will be made in the mowing” and carefully planned plant- medians on interstate highways. ings as part of a new initiative by the PennDOT also will continue its Pennsylvania Department of Transpor- practice of cutting trees in the rights of tation to help struggling bees and other way, called “daylighting.” Done initially pollinators that are vital to the state’s for safety reasons, opening the rights agriculture. of way to more sunlight encourages PennDOT is reaching out to civic milkweed and nectar-producing plants. and environmental groups, scouts, Plantings to attract bees, butterflies gardening clubs and willing individu- and other pollinators along roads will als in a search for volunteers who can not cause more of them to collide with establish and maintain carefully sited vehicles, Zawisa contended, because pockets of plantings and small mead- roadside plantings give pollinators what ows as part of the agency’s Pollinator PennDOT is seeking volunteers to help with its new initiative to increase plantings for they are looking for and less reason Habitat Plan. pollinators along state roadsides, intersections, traffic islands and rest stops. Included to fly across roads looking for habitat. It’s an expansion of the agency’s will be meadow-like plantings, above. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) “When you put in pollinator habitat, highly popular Adopt-A-Highway research has shown that vehicle contact program aimed at litter cleanup and Unit. There is no funding allotted for and vegetables. The number of crops is lower than without,” she said. the Adopt-And-Beautify program that the program, so success will depend on dependent on pollination in Pennsyl- And with less mowing, fewer deer plants splashes of colorful flowers groups of volunteers to obtain plants and vania, about 75 percent, is near the will be attracted to roadsides, likely along roads and intersections. seeds, as well as conduct maintenance. highest of all states. There are more cutting down on deer-vehicle colli- The new project aims to establish Groups such as Pheasants Forever than 300 species of bees that pollinate sions, she said. That’s because deer are key plants that provide food and sup- are already on board to install meadow crops in Pennsylvania. drawn to the tender new growth that port the reproductive cycle of pollina- plantings at suitable sites. So are But habitat loss, fragmentation of constant mowing leaves in its wake. tors such as bees, bats, hummingbirds Master Gardeners. landscapes, pesticide use and intro- The new plantings will also add and other species. The highway agency The striking decline of honey bees duced diseases have done a number on color to the routes. For example, a pre- also will do less mowing. This “con- has been well documented. But the pollinators nationwide. Pennsylvania ferred pollinator mix includes 21 types servation mowing” will encourage threat to pollinators extends to many has fared better than most with its of wildflowers mixed with grasses. pollinator plants to grow. other species. A federal ruling is smaller farms and variety of habitat, Interested in signing up as a State and federal agencies have expected this month on whether the “but we still have our problems,” volunteer? An application may be been given marching orders to help monarch butterfly should be listed Zawisa noted. found online at dot.state.pa.us/public/ pollinators under a presidential memo- under the Endangered Species Act. To do its part, PennDOT will PubsForms/Forms/M-461A.pdf. The randum by former President Barack Also being considered are the yellow- modify its mowing techniques on application, which ideally includes a Obama in 2015. With 110,000 acres of banded bumblebee, regal fritillary roughly 58,000 acres of rural roadside description of the project and a sketch scattered rights of way, PennDOT is butterfly and frosted elfin. rights of way — which is to say, there plan, needs to be sent to the roadside positioned to make a difference. Pollinators are not just pretty will be less of it, allowing milkweed specialist in your PennDOT district. “We really need the public’s creatures in the landscape. In Penn- and other native plants favored by Phone numbers of districts are on the help,” said Toni Zawisa, a biologist in sylvania, they are vital to the state’s pollinators to grow up. form. Individuals may be assigned to a PennDOT’s Environmental Analysis agriculture industry, especially fruit “A lot of people believe that beauty group project. CHESAPEAKE BAY WORKBOAT MODELS Fishing Boats, Crab Boats, Oyster Boats, Skiffs & More

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215-290-3722 www.BlackwayBoatModels.com 14 Bay Journal • June 2019 Opponents of new Bay Bridge pushing for alternatives ≈ Official says ferry system and nearly two decades mass transit, though, would not old in some cases do enough to alleviate traffic. and no longer reflect current traffic patterns By Jeremy Cox or technologies, As Maryland officials prepare to Mendelson said. take a critical step toward deciding The ferry and transit how people will cross the Chesapeake studies, as Mendelson Bay for decades to come, they face sees it, rely too growing criticism that the effort is heavily on how much bypassing options that don’t involve traffic they can divert building a new multibillion-dollar off the bridge. What bridge. about, for example, Maryland’s Bay Bridge consists of the environmental two adjacent spans between Annapolis benefits? and Kent Island: a two-lane bridge “That’s constructed in 1952, which serves as problematic because the eastbound route, and a three-lane we’re living in a time westbound span that opened in 1973. when transportation After more than two years of study, the is the No. 1 source of Maryland Transportation Authority, carbon pollution in which operates the 4-mile structures, Maryland and the No. plans to release a narrowed-down list 1 source of climate of possible routes for a potential third change emission in span in the coming months. the country,” she said. The $5 million analysis is expected While bridge to name a “preferred corridor traffic is light or alternative” by December 2020. Under moderate during the most sanguine time line, a new most periods, it bridge would still entail a decade or In rural Kent County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, “No Bridge” yard signs have begun sprout- is racking up the more of planning and construction ing up. Meanwhile, a state senator from the Western Shore’s Anne Arundel County unsuccessfully heaviest congestion before it could open, planners say. pushed fellow lawmakers to grant the county veto power over a third span — a power currently scores possible during As the study nears its next stage, given to the nine counties across the Bay. (Timothy B. Wheeler) typical weekday many environmentalists and smart afternoon rush-hours growth advocates are questioning the No fewer than six studies were $400 million for bus service between and summer weekends, according to necessity of a third bridge. They want conducted between 2000–07 to look Annapolis and Kent Island to nearly MDTA statistics. the state to explore alternatives, such at the possibility of connecting the $30 billion for a heavy rail system The annual number of vehicles as expanding mass transit or launching Eastern and Western shores via a extending from Washington, DC, to using the bridge has remained steady a ferry service. ferry service, said Heather Murphy, Ocean City. over the last decade at around 26 mil- “Given how much money is involved MDOT’s planning director. “You really need a lot more density lion — a phenomenon many planners and the time frame for the construc- The ferry option that would remove than we have” to make a mass transit attribute to the Great Recession. tion of a new bridge, there needs to be the most traffic from the bridge — a option work economically, Murphy With one recent analysis projecting consideration of other options,” said low-speed ferry shuttling between said. “Yeah, you could take some of 14-mile backups at the Bay Bridge by Kimberly Golden Brandt, director of 2040, though, the public debate has Smart Growth Maryland. largely shifted away from whether a Based on what is publicly known In February, a map showing 14 potential crossing sites third span should be built to where it about the study, though, some observ- leaked onto social media. It depicted bridges should be built. ers doubt that the state is doing that. The issue has become a flash point Earlier this year, the MDTA vaulting across the Bay as far north as Harford-Cecil counties on both sides of the Bay. released a report on the Purpose and as far south as St. Mary’s-Somerset. In rural Kent County on the Eastern and Need for a third Bay crossing in Shore, “No Bridge” yard signs have Maryland, stating that the study’s aim Chesapeake Beach and Cambridge — the traffic of the Bay Bridge and put begun sprouting outside people’s is to “consider corridors for providing only managed a cut of 917 vehicles, less it on mass transit, but it would be homes and on the edges of cornfields. additional capacity and access across than 1% of the peak summer season nowhere near the numbers we would Meanwhile, a state senator from the Chesapeake Bay.” Transportation congestion. Talk of a ferry system needs need and at a very high cost.” the Western Shore’s Anne Arundel planners presented a “no-build” option to be “decoupled from that of a third Murphy was the opening speaker County unsuccessfully pushed fellow but only to show how congested the bridge,” a governor-appointed ferry at an April 18 workshop run by the lawmakers to grant the county veto existing spans will become by 2040 committee concluded in 2007. Eastern Shore Land Conservancy power over a third span — a power unless another bridge is built. “They didn’t see how that would at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, currently given to the nine counties An MDTA spokesman declined to relieve enough traffic off the Bay with sweeping views overlooking the across the Bay. comment or make anyone within the Bridge,” Murphy said. two bridge spans. She isn’t involved In February, a map showing 14 department available for an interview A rapid transit bus service or rail in the MDTA crossing study beyond potential crossing sites leaked onto for this report. system could siphon off about 1,250 “keep[ing] tabs on it,” she said later. social media. It depicted bridges But at a recent meeting about the vehicles from the bridge’s eastbound Lindsey Mendelson, who tracks vaulting across the Bay as far north crossing study, a top official with the lanes during busy summer weekends, transportation issues for the Maryland as Harford-Cecil counties and as Maryland Department of Transporta- she said, citing a 2007 MDTA report. Sierra Club, listened to the presenta- far south as St. Mary’s-Somerset. tion threw cold water on suggestions But that would still represent only tion with growing dismay. “I was The MDTA and Federal Highway that a ferry, a rail service or buses could about a 1% traffic reduction and pretty upset by that portion,” she said. alleviate the Bay Bridge’s traffic woes. come with a price tag ranging from The studies Murphy cited were Bridge continues on page 15 Bay Journal • June 2019 15

Bridge from page 14 far beyond the bridge.” Administration created the map but Critics say a labeled it as “pre-decisional” and new bridge may “deliberative.” be self-defeating. The new study is set to project Building new fresh cost estimates for a third bridge, lanes to ease a figure expected to range well into current congestion the billions of dollars. What if that may encourage money was invested in an alternative more people to to road construction? asks Jay Falstad, drive, creating executive director of the Queen Anne’s “induced demand” Conservation Association. that quickly snarls “We don’t feel these alternatives traffic once again. have been explored in any meaningful When a panel way, and it would just be ridiculous of transportation to add a costly third span without experts was asked exploring these alternatives,” he said. about induced About 8 million visitors flock to demand at the Ocean City during the summer. Falstad conservancy suggested staggering their check-in workshop, one and checkout times to spread out the replied that it has traffic that currently piles up on the already happened weekends. on the Bay Bridge. During a separate presentation at In 1985, more than the conference, Dan Nataf, a pollster 13 million vehicles at Anne Arundel Community College, The annual number of vehicles using the Bay Bridge in Maryland has remained steady over the last decade were crossing the said surveys show that at least two- at around 26 million — a phenomenon many planners attribute to the Great Recession. (Dave Harp) spans annually, thirds of the county’s residents support and jams were expanding the existing bridges or bus will take years, if not decades, to build. and communities inland from the Bay’s starting to get on drivers’ nerves. service across the Bay. But just 31% By then, the combined effects of sea shoreline. Steve Cohoon, Queen Anne’s would support a higher toll fee to cover level rise and sinking land might have “There’s so much discussion about public facilities planner, said Gov. the cost. put the approaches to the new bridge the bridge, but what does the bridge William Donald Shaefer responded “I’ll tell you why everything you underwater, Brandt said. connect to?” she asked. “Are you with a litany of congestion fixes under want to do that costs any money isn’t She hopes that the state’s analysis — building new roads or expanding exist- the banner “Reach the Beach.” The politically feasible,” he joked. and ensuing public debate — includes ing roads to accommodate the bridge annual number of vehicles crossing the A bridge won’t just be expensive; it the impact of a new bridge on the land traffic? So, the impacts obviously go spans doubled by 2005.

Chesapeake bay journal

What is it? CLIMATE CHANGE What are the effects? What is at stake? - SPECIAL EDITION - What can be done to curtail and adapt to it?

ADVERTISE IN THIS SPECIAL PUBLICATION, TO BE DISTRIBUTED SUMMER 2019 CONTACT JACQUI CAINE, 540-903-9298 [email protected] 16 Bay Journal • June 2019 Hopewell’s revival strategy recognizes that all roads lead to the rivers ≈ Greenway designed to slow roots create spaces to make stormwater flow is quickly the land itself more pervi- attracting the public to its ous, so the land is more spongelike and is able to restored habitats and access to hold water better.” James and Appomattox. In this way, trees can By Sarah Vogelsong significantly reduce nutrient Nestled in the crook of the James and sediment runoff. The and Appomattox rivers, the small state-federal Chesapeake Virginia city of Hopewell has for more Bay Program estimates that than a century been synonymous with every acre of tree canopy industry and pollution. But recently, planted reduces 1.9 pounds ambitious efforts to address stormwa- of nitrogen runoff, 0.23 ter runoff and reconnect residents to pounds of phosphorus and nature are rewriting that familiar story. 22.6 pounds of sediment. “I feel like Hopewell is on the cusp Compared with other of returning to its former glory,” said cities in the region, though, Ann Jurczyk, the Chesapeake Bay Hopewell’s canopy is woe- Foundation’s Virginia director of fully lacking. A Bay Founda- advocacy and outreach. “It’s got a bad tion study funded by the rap because of all the chemical plants National Fish and Wildlife that are there, and there’s some legacy Foundation found that while sediment issues that are horrible, but I the tree canopy covers about feel like it’s poised to rebound.” 42% of Richmond, 43% of Nowhere is that more evident than A “regenerative stormwater conveyance system” in Hopewell, VA, controls stormwater runoff Waynesboro and 47% of the Riverside Park Stormwater Green- from an adjacent neighborhood before it flows into a local stream and out into the Appomattox Charlottesville, it only shades way. This roughly half-mile-long haven River. (Sarah Vogelsong) 30% of Hopewell. for wetlands, a restored stream and That does more than native plants cuts a green swath through in response to federally mandated of rock and sand before the water ends impact stormwater runoff. It also less- the heart of Hopewell. At its head sits cleanup goals for the Chesapeake Bay up in the stream. An overflow pipe lets ens quality of life, especially in lower- a cemetery where almost 6,800 Civil and its tributaries. water bypass the cells if heavy rainfall income areas where residents may not War soldiers lie, heavily used ballfields “We can’t change the volume of threatens to overwhelm their capac- have access to air-conditioning and are and an active osprey nest perched atop a runoff. The city’s been paved. We’re ity — an important consideration as impacted by the “urban heat island,” stand of lights that illuminate one of the getting more rain,” Battiata said. precipitation increases. where pavements and developed areas baseball diamonds. At its foot sits the So, he said, “The goal is to use At the bottom, permeable pavement become hotter than the surrounding city’s busy marina, kayak launch and nature to process all those nutrients and a bioretention basin installed by air. fishing areas. and sediment.” the Chesapeake Bay Foundation help Research has shown that poorer In between, Riverside Park — Funding was cobbled together to catch runoff just before it flows into areas tend to have less tree canopy formerly known as Jaycee Park — was from multiple sources: the Virginia the waters of the marina. than more affluent ones, a relationship once what Hopewell stormwater Department of Environmental Qual- Altogether, the city estimates that described by conservation organiza- program manager Joseph Battiata called ity’s Stormwater Local the project will prevent tion American Forests as “tree equity.” “a haven for illegal activities.” Assistance Fund, the about 1,600 pounds of The Bay Foundation sought to be “There would be squatters living in National Fish and nitrogen, 450 pounds of “mindful” of that phenomenon as these woods for weeks or months at a Wildlife Foundation, The goal is to use phosphorus and 78,800 it embarked on efforts to increase time,” he said. the Chesapeake Bay pounds of sediment Hopewell’s canopy, Jurczyk said. Part of what made these squatters’ Foundation and the city nature to process all from flowing into the Trees have been planted in the city’s camps possible was the hardening of of Hopewell. those nutrients and Appomattox annually. Woodlawn and Arlington parks, as the unnamed stream that flows down What resulted was the But while the well as outside the community center, the greenway into the marina, where restoration of a stream sediment. greenway quickly which sits a stone’s throw from many it joins the Appomattox. As Hopewell that now winds through — Joseph Battiata became a centerpiece of Hopewell’s industrial plants. developed into an industrial power- the floodplain, lined Hopewell stormwater of Hopewell’s efforts to In the upcoming year, an additional house, much of its 11 square miles was with native plants, trees clean up its waterways, it grant from the National Fish and paved. With so much impervious sur- and pocket wetlands. By program manager also signaled a renewed Wildlife Foundation will allow the face, stormwater runoff increased, and raising the channel at focus on the city’s water foundation to plant 250 additional its higher volume soon transformed the the top of the greenway quality. trees in neighborhoods with the lowest city’s innumerable small waterways and installing structures like log “In a place like Hopewell, every- amount of canopy. Trees will be placed into deeper, faster channels. sills and cross-vanes — which direct thing is 50 years old. The infrastruc- along streets, where they can catch In Riverside Park, that evolution water toward the center of a stream — ture’s been neglected for so long. And rainfall before it meets the impervious led to the partial disappearance of engineers were able to slow the stream’s it’s an industry town,” said Battiata. surface of roads and sidewalks. A tree wetlands and the disconnection of the speed, reduce erosion and help overflows “We have a list a mile long.” stewardship class will also ensure that stream from its floodplain. spread out across the floodplain, where While the city looks downward to when the foundation’s work is complete, While the drier land allowed squat- excess nutrients and sediments could replace its aging sewer pipes, the Chesa- residents will have the knowledge and ters to make the park their home, the filter through the soil instead of being peake Bay Foundation is looking upward expertise to keep the trees alive. faster streamflows allowed high loads of dumped directly into the river. for solutions — to the tree canopy. All of the partners in the efforts to sediments, nutrient pollution and trash to At the top of the greenway, a “Part of our problem now with improve Hopewell’s stormwater runoff be deposited into the Appomattox. “regenerative stormwater conveyance rainfall is that it’s coming in these are aware that it’s still early — but for The Riverside Park Stormwater system” helps to funnel runoff from really high-intensity storms,” Jurczyk Battiata, progress is clear. Greenway was first proposed as the adjacent neighborhood through a said. Trees “hold part of that intensity “We’re kind of at a point where we an effort to reduce that pollution series of pools constructed with layers during that first flush,” while “their can begin to see the benefits,” he said. Bay Journal • June 2019 17 Small-scale study finds no link between poultry farms, fouled streams ≈ VIMS study on Chesapeake’s in the beginning.” Eastern Shore casts doubt on In Accomack County, the industry’s pollution connections but draws epicenter on the narrow peninsula, land owners have built 218 poultry houses from small pool of data. since July 2014, according to the By Jeremy Cox county’s planning department. Fresh evidence collected in a corner of Accomack had 254 chicken facilities Virginia where chicken farm construction when the building boom started. has boomed in recent years casts doubt on The surge prompted the county’s one of the most enduring criticisms of the elected leaders to pass a raft of protections industry: that the operations contaminate that required farmers to plant buffers local streams with nutrients and harmful around their properties and build farther bacteria. away from existing housing develop- A Virginia Institute of Marine Science ments. Local outcry also persuaded state study found no “smoking gun” to suggest environmental officials to begin enforcing a link between chicken farms on the groundwater withdrawal limits at the state’s Eastern Shore and downstream large operations. pollution, said Richard Snyder, the The construction of new houses report’s lead author. appears to be tapering off. Since the His samples revealed a mixed bag beginning of 2018, the county has seen of results. Streams near poultry sites just 11 houses approved for development. typically had higher amounts of nitrogen Studies like the one conducted by and bacteria associated with animal guts VIMS will help show whether the new than those not affected by farm runoff. In Accomack County, VA, the industry’s epicenter on the Delmarva Peninsula, land state and local regulations are working, But they also had lower ammonia and owners have built 218 poultry houses since July 2014. (Dave Harp) said Jay Ford, an outreach coordinator phosphorus counts. for the CBF in Virginia. The slowdown Because no strong pollution links Wood, a Virginia-based scientist with the were in full operation, said Sue Mastyl, a in construction, he said, gives lawmakers emerged one way or the other, Snyder and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Every little board member of the nonprofit Virginia an opportunity to examine whether more co-author Paige Ross wrote, the informa- bit of data helps, but from our perspective, Eastern Shore Clean Water Council. It needs to be done to protect residents and tion “does not suggest stormwater runoff it’s hard to interpret this very difficult also doesn’t say why the sampling sites the environment. impacts from poultry operations.” issue from a small pool of data.” were chosen. “It would seem to me that The VIMS study concentrated on the Poultry industry leaders embraced the The Snyder and Ross report relies on to draw any conclusions at this point is southern half of Accomack, where much findings as proof that modern stormwater samples taken at three different times — premature,” she said. of the new construction has taken place. management practices are paying off. one during dry weather last July, another Snyder described the analysis as Even though the industry’s activities Chickens produced for the region’s after a heavy rain later that month and intended “mostly for local information happen largely indoors, Snyder said he meat-packing companies are raised a final one during a November drizzle. purposes.” He doesn’t plan to submit it was concerned that air vented by the inside large, shed-like “houses,” and their That’s not enough to draw conclusions to a peer-reviewed journal. It has too few houses’ giant fans might be spreading manure is stored in covered buildings from, Wood said. samples to garner serious consideration ammonia and contaminated dust that until it’s ready to be used as fertilizer on The researchers took water samples at for publication, he said. could be deposited into streams. nearby cropland. about 40 spots along ditches and streams He had no funding outside of money For the most part, he found low “What we’re doing seems to be work- where they crossed beneath roads. Wood he could scrape together from his own amounts of ammonia in the water. Nitro- ing,” said Holly Porter, executive director said he would have liked to have seen budget. And he didn’t have time to travel gen levels spiked above the safe limit on of the Delmarva Poultry Industry trade them taken at the outfalls of the facilities. very far. But he wanted to do something, 16 of 58 samples, but there was no differ- association. Taking them farther downstream all but he said, amid growing scrutiny of the ence in the concentrations whether they Environmentalists applauded the VIMS ensures that pollution concentrations poultry industry. were downstream of a chicken operation researchers for trying to answer water will be diluted and other factors, such as “This has been a big issue since I got or not, according to the study. quality questions that have long loomed other pollution sources, will come into here in 2015,” said Snyder, director of Snyder said he hopes to continue over the industry. But they are raising play, he added. the VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory in sampling to see if those trends continue. questions about the study’s usefulness. The study doesn’t make clear the exact Wachapreague. “The first question I got But, he added, “If anything was going to “I think we’re hesitant to make any location of the poultry houses within the asked was where do I stand on the poultry show up, I think it would have in one of drastic conclusions from it,” said Joe examined watersheds or whether they issue. I was kind of reluctant to get into it those three events.” 18 Bay Journal • June 2019 Proposal to aerate Bay: Breath of fresh air or pipe dream? ≈ Despite potential pitfalls, some tributary of the Patap- wary scientists think proposal to sco River near Balti- oxygenate the dead zone might be more, has had aerators since 1988. They were worth a closer look. put there in response By Timothy B. Wheeler to complaints about the What if the dead zone that plagues rotten-egg odor given the Chesapeake Bay could be eliminated off by the creek in now, not years down the road — and summer. at a fraction of the billions being spent A 2014 study by annually on restoring the troubled researchers with the estuary? University of Maryland Fanciful as it sounds, Dan Sheer Center for Environmen- figures it’s technically doable. Whether tal Science rated the it’s the right thing to do is another ques- Rock Creek aerators a tion. Bay scientists are wary of potential success. They raised pitfalls, but some still think it’s worth oxygen levels near the taking a closer look. bottom enough to stop Sheer, founder and president hydrogen sulfide from emeritus of HydroLogics, a Maryland- bubbling out of the based water resource consulting firm, sediments — another has suggested that the oxygen-starved byproduct of low- area down the center of the Bay could oxygen conditions. become a thing of the past if enough air “The aerators were could be pumped into the depths and be incredibly effective allowed to bubble up through the water. at restoring dissolved “It pretty much gets rid of the prob- oxygen to the creek,” lem,” he said during a recent presenta- said Lora Harris, an tion to scientists at the University of associate professor at Maryland, Baltimore County. And it’s the UMCES Chesa- not just him saying that. The federal- Dan Sheer, founder and president emeritus of a Maryland water resources consulting firm, guides peake Biological Labo- state Chesapeake Bay Program ran his his sailboat, Pegathy, up Rock Creek, where aerators have been used since 1988. They successfully ratory and lead author oxygen-bubbling calculations through dealt with low-oxygen conditions there that generated a rotten egg odor. He has calculated that of the study. Water the computer model it uses to simulate a large-scale deployment of aerators in the middle of the Bay could eliminate the dead zone that quality improved even water quality in the Bay, and the prelimi- forms every summer. (Timothy B. Wheeler) downstream, she said, nary results appear to back him up. nearly to the mouth of The dead zone, as it’s called, is sustain aquatic life. “I’m enthusiastic about the idea in a lot the tidally influenced creek. produced when algae blooms fed by Sheer isn’t the first to suggest bub- of ways, but there are a lot of questions,” Rock Creek is relatively shallow and excessive nutrients in the water die bling the Bay like an aquarium. It’s been said Bill Ball, director of the Chesapeake small, compared to the water bodies and decay, consuming the dissolved brought up repeatedly over the last 30 Research Consortium, a nonprofit that where aeration has been tested before. oxygen that fish, crabs and shellfish years, only to be dismissed as unwork- coordinates Bay studies among seven The aerators there also were placed on need to live. This zone of low to no able and inordinately expensive — hare- universities and labs in the region. the bottom, rather than floating on the oxygen forms near the bottom in the brained, even. Sheer, who holds a doctorate in surface. deep trough down the center of the In the late 1980s, Maryland tested environmental engineering from Johns The Rock Creek aerators cost Bay every spring and grows through floating aerators in a cove off the Hopkins University, said the idea of $285,000 to install and about $7,000 a summer, until finally receding in fall , but gave up after they aerating the Bay mainstem came to year to run, according to Janis Markusic, when algae growth ends. produced a barely detectable change him about 18 months ago while listen- a planner with Anne Arundel County’s The Bay Program has been labor- in oxygen near the bottom. In 2011, ing to a presentation at UMBC about watershed restoration office. The county ing since the 1980s to reduce nutrient the nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore, the costs and complications of the is now replacing the original aerators, pollution and raise dissolved oxygen in partnership with a consulting firm, federal-state restoration effort. When she said, to the tune of $1 million. levels enough to eliminate the dead placed a small aerator in Baltimore’s he stood up and asked why not try Doing it in the Bay mainstem zone, but the effort has been costly and harbor, with similar results. bubbling the dead zone away, he said would likely cost much more. Work- challenging. The region missed two Aeration has been used with some others in attendance ticked off a litany ing with scientific colleagues, Sheer earlier cleanup deadlines and is now success elsewhere in freshwater lakes of flaws they saw in his proposal. has estimated that it would cost $10 working toward another target date of and reservoirs that suffer from nutrient “The room sort of turned into a million–$20 million to install the 2025, when all projects and programs pollution. And, it has helped water shooting gallery,” he recalled, “and I piping network, bubble diffusers, air needed to meet nutrient reduction quality in some rivers, such as the was the target. I had lots of objections compressors, oxygen generators and goals should be in place. That’s look- Thames in the United Kingdom. … ‘you’re fixing the symptoms and not other equipment. To run it would take ing increasingly unrealistic as well. Pumping air into big open bodies the problem,’ ‘you can’t possibly pump another $11 million a year, by their Aerating the Bay would be quicker, of tidal water is more problematic. enough air,’ ‘it’s way too expensive, estimates, with much of that spent on Sheer contends, and potentially Scientists in Sweden and Finland have takes too much energy’ ” and more. electricity to power the air compres- less expensive. His idea: Lay 16 looked at and tested aeration as a pos- After that, Sheer set out to see if his sors, pumps and other equipment. pipes across the deepest part of the sible remedy for severe algae blooms critics were right. While not cheap, that’s far less Chesapeake at 5-mile intervals from in the Baltic Sea. But they’ve held back “It looks like it really will work,” expensive than the current Bay cleanup Maryland’s Bay Bridge to the Potomac from trying it on a large scale, in part he said. tab, Sheer pointed out. In fiscal year River, with a series of openings in because of uncertainty about its costs Sheer pointed out that aeration has 2017 alone, the six Bay watershed them to release streams of tiny air and effectiveness. long been in use in one small corner of states and federal government spent bubbles. The oxygen in the bubbles Given that history, reaction to the Bay watershed, where he happens would dissolve into the water and help Sheer’s proposal has been mixed. to keep his sailboat. Rock Creek, a Aer ate continues on page 19 Bay Journal • June 2019 19

Aer ate from page 18 the symptoms of a distressed Chesapeake without fixing the causes of its woes. nearly $2 billion on the restoration While aeration could engineer a effort, according to Bay Program remedy for low dissolved oxygen, figures. Testa warned that if nutrient pollution Sheer said the Bay Program model isn’t reduced, “we’re still going to runs showed his aeration proposal have problems” with algae blooms, would do just as much to raise oxygen sediment-clouded water and important levels in the Bay’s depths as the last habitat like sea grasses not getting round of nutrient-reducing cleanup enough light to grow. plans drawn up by the watershed states “Frankly, from a policy perspective, and the District of Columbia. I think it’s a horrible idea,’’ said Beth The model also indicated aeration McGee, director of science and agricul- would actually outperform the Bay ture policy with the Chesapeake Bay pollution diet in another, important Foundation. It would “let people off the way. Artificially increasing oxygen hook,” she contended, weakening public levels would reduce the release of and political pressure to make pollution algae-fueling phosphorus and nitrogen reductions that would benefit the whole back into the water from bottom Bay watershed, including its rivers and sediments where they had built up over streams — not just the dead zone. time. That recycling of nutrients from Indeed, the 2014 Bay Watershed the sediments has long been viewed by Agreement lays out 10 different goals scientists as a potential hindrance to that go beyond improving water qual- the Bay restoration. ity to seeking such things as sustain- Scientists with whom Sheer has able populations of fish, shellfish and consulted — and Sheer himself — are black ducks, increased conservation of quick to point out that his proposal Aeration has successfully treated low-oxygen conditions in Maryland’s Rock Creek, where land and enhanced public access to the relies on some unproven assumptions they causes a rotten egg odor and prompted complaints from local residents. Anne Arundel Bay and its tributaries. and could have unintended negative County is currently replacing the original aerators at a cost of approximately $1 million. A Sheer acknowledges that aeration consequences, what engineers and similar project in the Bay would cost much more and not address the underlying problem of is not a substitute for the nutrient and scientists call “revenge effects.” nutrient pollution. (Timothy B. Wheeler) sediment reductions states are having to “There’s a lot we don’t know,” Sheer make under the Baywide Total Maxi- said. “There’s a lot we think we know mum Daily Load set in 2010 by the that might be wrong.” EPA. But rather than sap public interest Ball, an environmental engineering in saving the Bay, he suggested that it professor at Johns Hopkins, said that could actually boost it. “If you have a from his experience with aeration in big success,” he said, “maybe you’ll wastewater treatment plants, he’s not increase momentum to finish the job.” sure how well bubblers will work at rais- Lewis Linker, acting associate ing oxygen levels in the Bay’s depths. director of the EPA’s Bay Program “He’s relying a lot on the sloshing office, said that model runs testing of the tides,” Ball said, adding that Sheer’s proposal are very preliminary “there’s a lot more work to do to figure and need much more study. But he said this out.” “no way, no how” would he see aera- Jeremy Testa, an assistant profes- tion replacing the restoration effort’s sor at the UMCES lab, called the Bay current multi-goal approach. Program model results “intriguing,” At best, Linker suggested, aeriation particularly in regard to limiting the might serve as an “add-on,” after all flux of nutrients back into the water needed pollution reductions have been from sediments. But there are poten- made, to help maintain healthy oxygen tially significant downsides, he said. levels in the Bay’s mainstem even One is that if the current rate of under extreme weather conditions. nutrient pollution isn’t reduced, he The only way to find out if aeration said, the phosphorus and nitrogen may can help, Sheer said, is to test the idea simply continue to build up in the sedi- someplace in the Bay, with a pilot ments, and then pour out into the water project costing around $2 million. in one huge algae-blooming pulse if “This is not ripe to go out and do,” the bubblers ever shut down, even for a Sheer said, “but it is ripe, really ripe to short spell. go out and do a pilot. … I really think That’s what Lora Harris said that what we need to do next is put a station she, Testa and other colleagues found out there and see what the hell happens.” at Rock Creek. They also found that Some of the scientists with whom the creek was emitting significantly Sheer has consulted agree that for all more nitrous oxide — a climate- of its potential pitfalls, it’s still worth warming greenhouse gas — than other further study. comparable water bodies. (Lucidity Information Design, LLC) “It’s not necessarily the complete There’s even a possibility, Harris solution,” Harris said, to the Bay’s noted, that pumping oxygen into fish consumption advisories in the Bay. “You never know what’s going to nutrient overenrichment. But, she said, nutrient-enriched waters could increase There’s also some concern that a happen when you start manipulating “It’s potentially nudging one of the the formation of toxic methylmercury, series of aerators would create “bubble the environment,” Testa said. symptoms that we do care about. … which can build up in fish and is curtains” in the water that would Others say that even if technically We have an obligation to think about already one of the top two causes for impede fish movement. feasible, aeration is just treating one of all sides.” 20 Bay Journal • June 2019

Fones from page 1 the south of the former Bowers as she watched storm clouds roll in tract is owned from far across the river. “Pictures and managed by don’t really do it justice. You have to Northern Neck be out here to really understand it.” Lumber Co., The property will eventually be which has not open to the public as other refuge sites expressed plans are, though officials will first have to to develop or deal with safety issues such as poor sell it. road conditions and the cliff’s 100-foot To the north is drop-off. another 1,000- The view that made this property acre parcel, prime real estate has long convinced bought in 2017 historians and contemporary by Virginia True Rappahannock Tribe members that Corp., which the region’s earliest inhabitants would plans to develop have lived along these cliffs, too. the land into a Last month, a group of archaeologists luxury golf resort from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with 205 single- scraped together the funds to do a little family homes, digging. 513 multi-family Scott Strickland, an archaeologist units, 18 cabins and GIS manager at St. Mary’s, said and a 116-room after just a few days of shallow, lodge, along with dispersed digs on the site that evidence retail facilities. indicates a man named Indian Peter Those plans likely lived as a tenant on the property could now be in the early 1700s. A native, likely on hold as the from the Rappahannock Tribe that company, facing still inhabits the region, Indian Peter’s lawsuits from the name shows up in the 1697 will of Cora Peirce, a cultural field specialist with the Narragansett Indian Tribe Historic Preservation Trust, and state and other landowner Angelo Jacobus. In the will, Rappahannock Tribe Chief Anne Richardson (center) talk to Scott Strickland, an archaeologist from St. Mary’s parties, filed for Jacobus gifts Peter clothing, a horse College of Maryland, about his findings during digs at a newly conserved site along Fones Cliffs. (Dave Harp) bankruptcy in and a saddle, along with a promise of early May. his freedom from indentured servitude European ceramics and part of a glass “situated high upon white clay cliffs” Virginia True owes the Diatomite two years later, Strickland said. At that wine bottle, all of which would have just downstream of Tappahannock, Corporation of America, the time, Garlands Creek, which runs near been commonplace in an early-1700s across from marshlands. property’s previous owner, $7 million, the property, went by the name “Indian home. The archaeologists also found “There’s only so many places along according to the company’s filing for Peter Creek.” some “lithic materials” — small quartz the river that that could be,” Strickland Chapter 11 reorganization in the U.S. “The dates of these artifacts flakes that could have been used to said. “When we had the opportunity Bankruptcy Court in New York, where correspond well with when he would make or sharpen stone tools such as to come out here and survey, we were Virginia True is based. The Virginia have gotten his freedom in 1699 projectile points and blades. Natives trying to look for places that might Department of Environmental Quality (according to the will), along with the would have used these tools long fit that [description]. We don’t think is its second-largest creditor, owed name of the creek,” Strickland said. before Europeans arrived in Virginia, we’ve found that village.” $250,000, with several contractors “The puzzle pieces seem to fit.” but Strickland said the fragments could The crews hope to look for owed about $150,000 in addition. During a mid-May visit along the not be positively dated. evidence of Rappahannock cliffside Virginia True’s plans to develop cliffs, Strickland shared his findings Strickland later came across a communities on properties on either the Fones Cliffs property got off to with the Rappahannock Tribe’s chief, piece of a projectile point lying on the side of the former Bowers property a rocky start in late 2017 when the Anne Richardson, and Cora Peirce, ground at his feet on the way to his car. that are still privately owned. Chief company cleared more than 13 acres of a cultural field specialist who helps It was a base of what he later identified Richardson said finding those villages trees near erosion-prone banks without identify ceremonial lands for the as a Vernon projectile point that dates is critical, “in case they can be acquiring the proper permits. A few Narragansett Indian Tribe Historic back 4,000–5,000 years. preserved,” too. months later, a portion of the cliff face Preservation Trust. The archaeologists have found points “It’s very important, not just for my near that clearing sloughed off into the Peirce was quick to identify the like these at almost all of the sites along people but for people in general,” she river after several days of rain. cliffs, with their lofty views and the Rappahannock, and “it does point said. “We’re very grateful for the work State environmental regulators high concentrations of eagles (the to the use of the site dating back at least that all of the conservation agencies levied a series of fines and orders tribe believes they carry ancestral that far,” Strickland later noted. have done to preserve this place.” to get the site back into compliance messages), as a ceremonial landscape. Strickland and his colleague, St. The 4-mile stretch of Fones Cliffs over the course of 2018. But, in While at the site, she burned an Mary’s archaeologist Julia King, have is still largely in private hands, though October, Attorney General Mark aromatic piece of cedar and sprinkled spent months surveying land along the Fund’s Richards said she hopes Herring sued Virginia True over the shells to acknowledge the site’s the Rappahannock River for Indian that preserving this 252-acre chunk violations, saying in a statement that spiritual value. And she said the Indian artifacts under a grant from the National in the middle will clear the way for he would seek the maximum allowable Peter story sounds likely, too. Endowment for the Humanities. But, surrounding properties to be at least penalties for “significant and repeated “Usually, we do have natives that until recently, this property was off- partially conserved. environmental violations.” That filing are overseeing ceremonial landscapes, limits. “This is the foothold. It’s not the stated that those penalties could run up even if they’re indentured servants, at The archaeologists have plans to biggest piece, but it is the central to $32,500 per day for each violation. that time,” she told Strickland as he continue looking for evidence of three piece,” Richards said. “We’re hoping Conservation groups were still showed her the artifacts. Indian villages that, based on explorer to say to the other owners that, ‘Hey, trying to make sense of the bankruptcy Among the Colonial era findings Capt. John Smith’s records, they we’re here and we’re willing to talk to filing in late May and how it would concentrated near the cliff were believe were located along these cliffs you about a conservation solution.’ ” fragments of tobacco pipes, imported in 1608. Smith described the villages A more than 1,000-acre property to Fones continues on page 21 Bay Journal • June 2019 21 MD oyster sanctuaries likely to boost crab, perch fisheries ≈ Restored reefs expected to and fishing are those three projects are expected to attract organisms that finfish still permitted. restore 964 acres of reefs at a total cost and shellfish prey on. Overall, the of $72 million. study concludes, The projects have drawn fire from By Tim Wheeler increased watermen, who contend that they are The restoration of reefs in Maryland harvests of ineffective and exorbitantly expensive. oyster sanctuaries may be unpopular all fish and They have pressed the state to let them with watermen, but a recent study shellfish could resume limited harvests in at least predicts the effort will eventually yield put extra money some sanctuaries. a bonanza for the commercial seafood in watermen’s It’s not clear how long watermen industry, with bigger harvests of blue pockets, should have to wait before they can crabs and white perch. including an realize the increased crab and perch Ecological modeling done by Morgan additional harvests. Tom Ihde, a Morgan research State University’s Patuxent Environmen- $4.5 million in assistant professor and the study’s co- tal and Aquatic Research Laboratory in dockside sales author, said it could be three to eight Calvert County projects an 80% increase just from a more years after all restoration is completed in blue crab harvests and a 110% jump in bountiful crab before the effects of an increased white perch catch in the Choptank and catch. That marine food web start to materialize. Little systems, where could boost One factor could undermine the large-scale oyster restoration projects the local study’s projections: Watermen have have been under way since 2011. economy as complained that reefs built of stone The Morgan study, underwritten While oyster harvesting is prohibited in the Maryland sanctuar- the additional in Harris Creek and the Tred Avon by the National Fish and Wildlife ies where restoration took place, crabbing and fishing are still income from interfere with their use of trotlines to Foundation and the National Oceanic permitted. (Dave Harp) seafood harvests harvest crabs. Trotlining — deploying and Atmospheric Administration, is spent on a heavy, baited line in the water — is assumed that the restored oyster reefs While another computer modeling goods and services in the region. the only allowable gear for commercial will attract and support a diverse study last year found that the restored Maryland and Virginia have crabbing in Maryland’s tributaries. community of marine organisms, such reefs in Harris Creek were helping to pledged to restore native oyster “There’s things that we’re not able as barnacles. Those, in turn, will draw rid the water there of nutrient pollution, habitat and populations in a total of to account for,” Knoche said. “One crabs and finfish, which feed on them. this is the first research into the poten- 10 Chesapeake Bay tributaries, five in of those challenges is the way fishers “There are potentially large benefits tial economic impacts of large-scale each state. In Maryland, restoration use their gear and how the different to commercially valuable species from oyster restoration. While oyster harvest- work is complete in Harris Creek and environment might affect the use of an enhanced food web in this area,” ing is prohibited in the sanctuaries partially done in the Tred Avon and that gear.” He suggested that would said Scott Knoche, the lab’s director. where restoration took place, crabbing Little Choptank rivers. When finished, warrant a further study.

Fones from page 20 edge instead of single-family homes. But his wife’s car broke down in South bode for the property’s future. Joel Carolina while escaping the predicted Dunn, president and CEO of the path of Hurricane Florence, and Chesapeake Conservancy, which has Bowers decided to forsake the county advocated for more of the cliffs to be meeting to help his wife and instead preserved, said the filing “comes as no take the Fund up on its offer. surprise” given the property’s history. The Conservation Fund paid “This project was ill-conceived him $3.96 million for the property, from the start, and all that has been which the Fish and Wildlife Service accomplished to date are a series of will reimburse this summer using environmental violations,” he said. money that was freed up with the “We will continue to advocate for a help of Virginia representatives like conservation outcome and will remain Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman vigilant to any and all issues that affect when another federal land deal fell this irreplaceable resource.” through, Richards said. This time last year, it seemed “It’s been a long time coming, that’s unlikely that any of the properties for sure,” McCauley said in mid-May, along Fones Cliffs would be preserved. standing on the edge of the cliffs during a Terrell Bowers had for years oscillated visit with Richards, tribe representatives between conserving his property and and the archaeologists. “We’re just really turning it into a 45-home development, grateful that the Fund was able to bring it saying he hoped to recoup the costs of across the finish line.” purchasing the land near the height of After years of bemoaning the latest the housing market in 2002. Joe McCauley, Chesapeake fellow at the Chesapeake Conservancy, and Heather developments at Fones Cliffs, Richard Joe McCauley, who worked at the Richards, The Conservation Fund’s Virginia director and program manager, Moncure, tidal river steward for the Fish and Wildlife Service for more than stand at the edge of a cliffside property that the Fund purchased late last year to Friends of the Rappahannock, said he 30 years before becoming a Chesapeake sell to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this summer. (Dave Harp) still finds it hard to believe a piece of it fellow at the Conservancy, said he first will now be preserved. talked to Bowers about conserving his Bowers said in a press release in development. That same week, he “The thing we wanted to happen property within a year of his buying it, October that “an incredible twist had planned to seek approval from for so long is finally happening,” he but that deal and others over the years of fate” led him to pivot toward Richmond County officials to build said. “Sometimes I just have to pinch had fallen through. conservation and away from 10-story condominiums on the river’s myself.” 22 Bay Journal • June 2019 Community works more than a little magic to preserve woodlot ≈ In Baltimore, Fairwood Forest began six or seven Forest’s neighbors turned years ago when neighbors neglected land into a natural noticed some little survey flags in the woods and area worth saving. learned of one property By Timothy B. Wheeler owner’s plans to build For years, Daisy Sudano-Pellegrini homes on a few of the and her neighbors in the Glenham- lots there. With help from Belhar community have tended to this Baltimore Green Space, once-neglected swath of woodland neighbors organized, surrounded by homes and apartments. began to clean up the As unofficial forest stewards, they’ve woods and spread the repeatedly removed trash and invasive word about its value to vines, blazed trails, documented its the community. flora and fauna and strove to persuade Then, a couple years its owners to spare it from being ago, the effort kicked into developed. “hair on fire” overdrive, “This entire area was nothing but as Argires put it, after kudzu, all the way out to the street,” she overheard two men Sudano-Pelligrini recalled recently as standing by the woods she stood just inside the copse of trees. discussing plans to cut It’s been a constant struggle, she said, down a big swath of the but with the vines cut back, they were trees. able to harvest enough fruit from a Katie Lautar, Bal- wild cherry there to make a pie. timore Green Space’s Now, the community’s labors have program director, recalled paid off in a more lasting way. Most how the land trust and of this nearly 4-acre forest patch has neighbors researched the been permanently preserved. Residents ownership of the various gathered there on May 4 to celebrate the Daisy Sudano-Pellegrini, right, leads a group stroll through Fairwood Forest. Following her are parcels that make up the donation of three-fourths of the woods neighbors Eugenia Argires and Michael Karasik, and Katie Lautar and Miriam Avins of Balti- forest and dug into the to Baltimore Green Space, a nonprofit more Green Space. Raven, Sudano-Pellegrini’s cat, tagged along. (Timothy B. Wheeler) regulatory and economic environmental land trust that worked hurdles any developer of with them to reclaim and protect it. covering 40 percent of the landscape gem supporting part of a hawk migra- the tract would face. They enlisted the Since its founding in 2007, the with tree canopy — it’s at just 28 tory flyway and a wildlife area where Glenham-Belhar community associa- land trust has succeeded in securing percent now. visitors can see foxes, raccoons, tion to help, as well as their local city 15 community gardens and unofficial Many of these patches, left undevel- opossums and salamanders. One birder council member. pocket parks across the city that were oped because of rough terrain or lack is said to have identified more than 200 They ultimately succeeded in get- vulnerable to being developed. of easy access to utilities and roads, species there since the 1990s. ting a pair of owners of three-fourths Fairwood Forest is the first wood- are choked with litter and invasive “The dogwoods are so beauti- of the woodlands to donate the land, land the trust has acquired, but there plants. But they can still offer the ful right now,” said Miriam Avins, but then had to raise about $15,000 to are plenty more in need of such help. same ecological benefits associated executive director of Baltimore Green cover property taxes, transfer fees and Twenty percent of Baltimore’s tree with larger forests, advocates say, Space, who is stepping down after other costs to complete the handover. canopy is in small privately owned and research tends to back them up. leading the group the last 12 years. As part of the deal, the community forest patches. If they aren’t protected The trees absorb climate-warming Through regular, twice-monthly signed a written long-term agreement and taken care of, the city will have a carbon dioxide and filter out other air cleanups, neighbors have been to maintain the woods. much harder time reaching its goal of pollutants, as well. Forest vegetation reclaiming the woods and nurturing “The only reason we protect it is and soils help to reduce sediment the comeback of native vegetation, because the community is caring for and nutrient pollution in streams and such as Solomon’s seal, which covers it,” Avins said. provide habitat and food for birds and the ground with long, arching stems The forest is not yet completely other animals. and clusters of bell-shaped flowers. free of development threats. Parcels They also benefit people, offering At another spot, Sudano-Pelligrini at either end remain in private hands. cooling shade that reduces the “heat pointed to a patch of mayapples in an But residents say they intend to remain island” effect in paved-over cities, as area she said was once overgrown with vigilant. well as supply food for those willing poison ivy. Lautar, who is slated to succeed to forage for wild cherries and the like. To try to make the forest even more Avins as executive director, said the Places like Fairwood Forest also offer fun for people to explore, Sudano- organizing and tactics employed in city children and their parents a chance Pelligrini tacked little fairy and gnome securing Fairwood Forest serve as a to experience nature. images to trees and set up a scavenger template for future campaigns to pre- “You know, there’s a social justice hunt, hiding coins in various places for serve other threatened forest patches. component to this,” said Eugenia children to seek out. Part of that, she She said she also hopes to persuade Argires, another neighbor. “It shouldn’t explained, is to overcome perceptions city officials to tighten Baltimore’s tree be that only families and children from built up over years of neglect that the ordinance to protect the many small affluent communities get to enjoy the woods are an unsavory place to be. woodland patches. The city now only Daisy Sudano-Pellegrini tacked little benefits of a forest walk. And I think “We want to do more community steps in when a landowner plans to gnome images to trees in Fairwood that’s really important, because, you events to show people this is not just remove at least 20,000 square feet of Forest as a way of giving the forest a know, our community is not affluent.” an eyesore. It is cared for; it’s not a trees — but elsewhere the city code bit of magic and encouraging others to Neighbors say Fairwood Forest, scary place,” she said. defines a forest as half that size or explore it. (Timothy B. Wheeler) with 24 species of trees, is a natural The campaign to preserve Fairwood smaller, Avins pointed out. Bay Journal • June 2019 23

Catfish from page 1 At the same time, the study — which examined 16,110 blue catfish stomachs stem of the Chesapeake, caught dozens — cast doubt on the notion that they are off the mouth of the Potomac last fall. voracious, ecosystem-altering predators. Virginia biologists were surprised Mostly, the study found, blue catfish when the fish turned up in small creeks on are omnivores, eating whatever is the lower Eastern Shore — an area they abundant in the river. All sorts of things thought might be safe from the invaders turned up in their stomachs, even musk- because of its normally high salinity. rats, snakes and birds. Overwhelmingly, “With all of the rain we’ve had, we are they eat vegetation and invertebrates, starting to see reports of blue catfish in but as they get larger, their diet turns a lot of areas that have never seen them toward fish. before,” said Patrick Geer, deputy chief The size at which that switch takes of the fishery management division of the place varied from river to river. In the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. James, it happened at around 20 inches. With the door open to new habitats, In the Mattaponi and Pamunkey, it didn’t biologists say that blue catfish numbers occur until the fish were almost 36 inches. will likely grow for the foreseeable future So, while there are vast numbers of and are uncertain that much can be blue catfish, those feeding primarily done about it. Virginia is poised to allow on other fish is only a fraction of the electrofishing by commercial harvesters population — about 20% on the James, to ramp up removals. But “whether or not 5% on the Rappahannock and 2% in the we can curb the population, I don’t know Mattaponi and Pamunkey. for sure,” Geer said. “The large catfish are not the common Most agree on one thing. Blue catfish fish in the population,” said Virginia are here to stay. What that means for the Tech’s Don Orth, who oversaw the study. Bay, no one knows. He said concerns that blue catfish are depleting populations of American Too much success? shad and river herring, species whose Depending on one’s perspective, the populations are near record lows, are blue catfish may or may not be a success likely overstated. Both were relatively story. A native of the Mississippi River uncommon in catfish guts. and the Texas Gulf Coast, it is the largest “The dominant prey that we’ve found catfish species in North America. in these big catfish were the most abun- It can live for more than two decades dant fish in the rivers, which are gizzard and reach monster sizes of more than 100 shad and other blue catfish,” Orth said. pounds, making it popular not only in Still, Orth and others say it’s hard its native range but for anglers and fish to state conclusively that blue catfish managers looking to import new species. predation is not impacting other species — That’s what happened in the 1970s, simply because they’re so plentiful. when the Virginia Department of Game “When you say perhaps this isn’t a and Inland Fisheries began placing Maryland DNR biologist Tim Groves nets a blue catfish caught using electro- large component of the diet, that may hundreds of thousands of them into Bay shocking gear in the Potomac River in 2014. (Dave Harp) be true,” Fabrizio said. “But the fact tributaries, primarily the Rappahan- that there are so many catfish has to be nock and James rivers, to build a new Mary Fabrizio, a Virginia Institute of around the Bay last year totaled more factored into that.” sport fishery. Marine Science fisheries professor, said than 5 million pounds, while striped bass A small portion of the overall catfish Though frowned on today, such she could find no precedent for an inva- harvests were less than 3 million. diet could still account for a significant introductions were once common. In this sive fish reaching such densities. Fabrizio Striped bass are considered to be over- chunk of the population of a depleted region, it led to the introduction of species led a recent study on the James and found fished, but the blue catfish harvest hasn’t species. such as channel catfish, smallmouth bass that 1.6 million blue catfish were living in dented its population. A recent study by and brown trout. a 12-kilometer stretch near the mouth of Virginia Tech biologists concluded that Hard to predict For nearly two decades, blue catfish the Chickahominy River. That equates to the “harvest will need to increase substan- Because blue catfish eat anything, persisted without much notice. But in the 544 per hectare (2.47 acres). tially over current levels to influence the with a diet that varies with age and mid-1990s, their numbers surged as the The lionfish, a Pacific Ocean species biomass of blue catfish.” location, it’s hard to predict what will species proved surprisingly adaptable to that has invaded coral reefs in the Baha- happen as they spread. the region’s tidal rivers. mas and devastated native fish popula- Everything is on the menu “They are going to end up impact- That created a world-class blue catfish tions, number 101 per hectare. Invasive Blue catfish can be significant preda- ing different species only because trophy fishery worth millions of dollars carp in South Dakota lakes are at 35–255 tors, especially when they reach larger that’s what’s available in these different a year. The James River has produced per hectare. The northern snakehead, the sizes. Some popular Bay species are systems,” said Mary Groves, a fisheries blue catfish of 102 pounds, while the feared “frankenfish” that snared headlines among their prey, including the blue crab. biologist with the Maryland Department record Potomac River fish weighed in at when it appeared in the Potomac River in The study by Virginia Tech biologists of Natural Resources. “We have such a 84 pounds. 2004, averages about 3 per hectare. estimated that the fish could be eating 1.12 variety of river systems that it makes it “All of us guides get people from all “Everything else pales in compari- million pounds of the crustaceans a year very hard to come up with any kind of across the United States and Canada son,” Fabrizio said. in the three rivers systems it examined — general statement.” coming here to the James River because The study, part of nearly $1 million the James, York and Rapahannock. Considered a big-river fish, they are it is such a great fishery,” said Hunter of blue catfish research funded by the That’s equivalent to 4.4 percent of nevertheless turning up in smaller and Tucker, who has been guiding anglers on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Virginia’s harvest. Fishery managers say shallower waterways, and in places with the river for more than a decade. Administration Chesapeake Bay Office, that estimate might be low, because the higher salinities. But the region’s large, nutrient- estimated that 19.8 million could be overlap between blue catfish and blue In Maryland, biologists are particu- enriched tidal waters are ideal food living between Richmond and Smith- crab habitat is in moderate salinity water, larly interested in learning how the catfish factories for blue catfish, allowing them to field, the bulk of its range in the James. where the electrofishing gear used to col- reach incredible abundance. The commercial blue catfish harvest lect fish for the diet study is less effective. Catfish continues on page 24 24 Bay Journal • June 2019

Catfish from page 23 pounds, he said. It’s a change that has hurt guides such behave in the Patuxent River, where they as Tucker, as rivers like the James become arrived several years ago. The river has choked with small fish, but produce fewer different habitats and food sources than of the trophy-size fish that lure anglers. “It the larger rivers where they have been was really good for a long time,” Tucker found for decades. said. “But we have seen a significant “We are looking for where they are change in the number of big fish in the spawning and where they are overwinter- past few years.” ing,” Groves said. “Right now, on some The trend toward huge numbers of of our river systems like the Patuxent, we small slow-growing fish hasn’t been don’t know where that would be because seen in places where the blue catfish are it doesn’t have the type of habitat you recent arrivals — such as the Potomac. would normally see in the Mississippi No one knows whether it will follow the drainage where they are from.” same trajectory. Also, scientists cannot always predict But there’s little consensus on whether how the blue catfish will interact with the management priority should be to native fish. On the Potomac River, build a commercial fishery, protect native DNR biologists became worried after species or maintain a recreational fishery they detected yellow perch eggs in the for monster-size fish. Each could require a stomachs of the catfish. different approach. Those eggs have a coating that makes This juvenile blue catfish was caught in a trawl net by Delaware Fish and Wildlife Many agree that getting more blue them distasteful to other native fish, biologists on the in March. (Dave Harp) catfish out of rivers like the James and protecting them from predation. It does Rappahannock would be beneficial and not appear to protect them from blue to change? Doubtful.” catfish strategy in the region. After an potentially help the recreational fishery, catfish, Groves said. Even if that issue was resolved, signifi- initial burst of interest and concern, as long as the catches were aimed at thin- “It doesn’t phase them,” she said. cant obstacles remain to building a market the state-federal Bay Program in 2012 ning out the smallest fish and allowing “For those river systems in Maryland that could absorb enough catfish to make launched an Invasive Catfish Task others to reach trophy size. where we’ve been trying to restore the a difference for the Bay, Shugrue said. Force to make recommendations. But differences spill over between population of yellow perch, that’s not Right now, Congressional Seafood Some, such as promoting a commer- agencies. The Virginia Marine Resources very good news to hear.” and others in the region employ workers cial fishery, have had a bit of success. Commission, after conducting a pilot Another problem is that the blue cat- who cut blue catfish by hand and produce Others, such as having a coordinated project for several years, is pushing a fish appear to be out-competing other high-value fillets that can snatch up to $9 Bayside monitoring effort, have lan- plan that would issue four permits to use fish for spawning habitat, including a pound in grocery stores. guished: No one can say with certainly electrofishing gear as part of an effort to the native white catfish and nonnative But catfish are harder to fillet and pro- exactly where blue catfish have taken sharply ramp up the harvests to protect channel catfish, which was introduced duce less meat than striped bass or tuna, up residence. priority species such as blue crabs. more than a century ago. Shugrue said. About 70% of a tuna can be It also recommended developing Low-frequency electrofishing can “We’ve seen evidence that a big blue turned into fillets, compared to about 25% a comprehensive management plan selectively stun catfish, sending them to catfish can go in and take over a nest of a blue catfish, he said. “It is three times for the species. Without it, the region the surface where they can be scooped site that is used by a white catfish,” as expensive to fillet a pound of cat as it would lack basic information about how from the water with dip nets. But the Orth said. “They are very aggressive, is to fillet a pound of tuna. You just don’t many blue catfish inhabit rivers and practice is controversial with some who and the male guards his nest site and have the labor to devote to it.” how many should be removed to protect fish commercially and recreationally chases anything else out.” Competing with catfish farming native species. But no plan was ever and also with the state’s Department of operations for a lower end market developed. Game and Inland Fisheries, which is Fishing for a solution would be difficult, he added. Shugrue Given the prospect of further expan- concerned that the technique may harm Citing concern about such conflicts, recounted a visit to a massive catfish sion, some say it’s time to take another other species, such as sturgeon. management agencies have encouraged farm in Alabama, where a seine net look at crafting that strategy. To promote more regional dialogue, a ramped-up commercial harvest. But no could quickly pull 25,000 pounds of “This is a significant ecological the Bay Program has transformed its one knows how many blue catfish would catfish out of a pond and into a truck, concern,” said Martin Gary of the Potomac task force into a permanent workgroup need to be caught to reduce potential which then unloaded the fish into a River Fisheries Commission, which last and expanded membership to include conflicts with other species — or whether mechanized processing machine. year reported a blue catfish harvest of more diverse views, including recre- a market exists for that large a catch. “From the time they open up the door nearly 2.3 million pounds from the river — ational interests and the U.S. Depart- Tim Shugrue is vice president of on that tank, to the time 25,000 pounds of a 44% increase from just two years earlier. ment of Agriculture. Congressional Seafood in Jessup, MD, fish is filleted and boxed at the other end “There is a strong need for additional “Representation beyond scientific and which is the largest processor of blue of the plant, it takes 53 minutes,” Shugrue research because they are loose. They management communities will be key to catfish around the Bay. He estimated the said. “For us to do 25,000 pounds, it are no longer confined to certain areas.” going forward,” stated a memo establish- catch would need to increase tenfold. would take at least five days.” The lack of clear management ing the new workgroup . Handling that many would be a hurdle. Expanding the market to encourage objectives seems to be producing a result On the Potomac, Groves of the DNR Part of the problem is a provision in the such investments would be difficult, no one wants, at least in the Virginia sees both sides. She is worried about the 2008 Farm Bill that requires processors especially because catfish are perceived to rivers where blue catfish were initially blue catfish’s potential impact on other to have a U.S. Department of Agriculture be a muddy tasting, bottom-dwelling fish. introduced. Those systems may now be species. “It’s not something you can inspector on site when handling catfish. Advocates say that doesn’t apply to wild approaching their carrying capacity, said ignore,” she said. “It can get to be 100 That change, which went into effect two caught catfish from around the Bay. Bob Greenlee, Eastern regional fisheries pounds. There’s quite a lot of fuel that is years ago, caused some to limit what “It cooks up great. There is no fishy manager with the Virginia Department of needed to get a fish of that size.” they handle, and it effectively makes blue taste to it,” Welsh said. “It is really a Game and Inland Fisheries. At the same time, she acknowledged, catfish off-limits to smaller processors fantastic fish to eat. But when somebody They are producing vast numbers of there’s value to the interest it generates that have to arrange for inspections for hears the word catfish, they think some- slow-growing small catfish, with signifi- among anglers. relatively small numbers of fish. thing that is exactly that — fishy.” cantly fewer reaching trophy sizes than a “You can’t beat having a little kid pull “It has become a choke point. It decade ago. In the James, it once took the on a fishing pole and have a 30–40 pound actually limits what we can produce,” Bay lacks a strategy fish 11 years to reach 20 pounds, Greenlee fish on the other side,” she said. “You said Pat Welsh, president of Reliant Fish Despite the threat — and said. Now it takes 15. In the Rappahan- are helping to build a future angler and Company, in Jessup, MD. “Is that going opportunities — there’s no overall blue nock, it takes about 15 years to reach 5 conservationist with that.” 25 Bay Journal l Tr avel l June 2019

Hole lot of fun: Natural swimming pools in the Blue Ridge By Leslie Middleton the St. Marys River collects wa- Many strategies for dealing with ter flowing from mid-Atlantic summer heat involve the western side cool water: outdoor pools, ocean of the Blue Ridge waves or slow-flowing rivers. down through the But there’s nothing quite like St. Marys Wilder- plunging into a boulder-strewn, ness Area. From tree-lined swimming hole for that the wilderness special respite that only a mountain area parking area stream can provide — and the Blue off Virginia Route Ridge mountains in Virginia have 608, the trail plenty of offerings. weaves along the On the eastern flank of Shenan- river through lush doah National Park, west of Charlot- summer vegeta- tesville, the Moormans River gathers tion fed by peri- the springs and seeps from ancient odic overflows rocks into its north and south forks during summer above the Sugar Hollow reservoir at storms. Your des- the end of VA Route 614. tination is a 25- One of the swimming holes here foot waterfall, but is known locally as the “Snake Hole,” there are plenty but the name doesn’t deter visitors. of spots along the You’ll find it by taking a forested way to cool off. trail from the reservoir along the On a western north fork of the Moormans. The spur of Shenando- trail follows a 20-foot ledge carved ah National Park, out of sandy sediment during the south of Front high flows of hurricane rains in the Royal, Overall 1990s. Run flows toward A series of pools along Overall Run in Shenandoah National Park are among many spots in the Where the trail levels off, step- the valley between Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where visitors can cool off on a summer day. (Mon Zamora / ping stones across the river form a the Blue Ridge whatwedidlastweekend.com ) shallow pool just right for testing and Massanutten the waters. The swimming hole lies mountains. A quarter-mile hike from a short hike from the recreation area camping trip to Overall Run, a slip on about 500 yards ahead, deep enough the Thompson Hollow Trailhead leads campground. Walk a bit farther to an algae-covered rock sent Zamora to for full-body immersion and a pos- to a series of pools along the stream. reach Buzzard Rock Hole, just as the emergency room for stitches. sible water slide through smooth Farther up is Overall Falls. At 93-feet, satisfying and reported to be a tad less Consider, too, that water levels boulders from the pool just above. it’s the tallest waterfall in the park. busy in the summer. vary in the summer and with the Mila Zimmerman, a Charlottes- There are several options in Wash- There are a few things to consider weather. A small chute of flowing ville acupuncturist, spends at least ington National Forest along Passage when visiting any swimming hole. water sliding into a pool can become one day here with her children and Creek. You’ll find several in the heart Start by making sure that you won’t a dangerous torrent after a heavy their friends every summer. “We of the Elizabeth Furnace National be trespassing. While many swim- rain. Investigate the bottom of any Recreation Area, named for the iron beckoning pool before jumping in lest just lose our sense of time, playing ming holes are detailed online, keep with the elements at hand,” Zimmer- ore furnaces that once dotted the you collide with hidden rocks. Don’t to those on public lands. man said. landscape. The creek is a tributary of venture out alone, and always respect “The flowing water, the smells, the Shenandoah River’s North Fork Mon Zamora and Raisa Lea, avid the power of water. the creatures they encounter,” she and flows through the valley between hikers and authors of 20 Weekend Remember that these creeks are said, are more than enough to fill the two spine-like ridges of Massanut- Trips Near Washington D.C., remind sustenance for wild animals and home the day. ten Mountain. readers to watch their step whenever to fish and other aquatic species. Like many swimming holes, the One of the deepest spots on Pas- traversing the rocks and shallows of Protect yourself from the sun and Moormans River is no hidden gem. sage Creek is yet another “Blue Hole,” these kinds of swimming holes. On a insects, but sparingly, and practice On a summer day, the parking lot “leave no trace” ethics when in the can be filled by visitors headed here Ready for a dip? Know before you go: wild, no matter how many other or up a trail along the southern fork people are present. to the Blue Hole, less than a half l Shenandoah National Park Alerts: nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/ But do pack a snack and fresh mile from the parking area. alerts.htm water and linger awhile. Investigate But the popularity of these places what’s under that palm-sized rock on is no reason not to visit them — or l George Washington & Jefferson National Forest Alerts: the bottom — dragonfly or stonefly any others in the Blue Ridge Moun- fs.usda.gov/alerts/gwj/alerts-notices larvae? — before gently returning it tains, where the elevation change l Maps & Publications: fs.usda.gov/main/gwj/maps-pubs to the stream. Shiver in the shade of alone can provide 5 to 10 Fahrenheit overhanging trees, then soak up the degrees of cooling relief. Making l Elizabeth Furnace Swimming Holes: www.beyondthecapital.com/ heat of a sun-drenched rock. the swimming hole or waterfall a 2014/08/three-swimming-holes-just-over-hour.html And when you leave at the end of hiking destination adds a particular the day, you’re likely to feel, as Zim- satisfaction. l St. Marys Falls Trail: vawilderness.org/saint-marys-wilderness.html merman puts it, “tired and dirty and To the south in Augusta County, happy.” 26 Bay Journal l Tr avel l June 2019

Kayak tours serve up unique view of Baltimore harbor Then, we carried the kayaks and gear a short distance down to the water taxi landing. Getting in the kayak required a bit of finesse because the water was about a foot or two below the landing’s brick and concrete surface. But my escorts held the kayak steady as I climbed in and sat down. Once everyone was in, we set off, paddling along the promenade toward the pavilions of shops and restaurants. The fog had lifted a bit by then, but low clouds still obscured the skyline, shroud- ing the waterfront landscape. The firstew f strokes were through a noisome patch of water covered with swirls of yellow pollen and cluttered with chip bags, candy wrappers and other litter — all of it probably pushed into that corner of the harbor by prevail- ing winds and tides. It didn’t last long, but it was a remind- er of the harbor’s water quality challenges. The city and its suburban neighbor, Baltimore County, are working under federal and state orders to clean up the trash, repair sewage leaks and overflows, and reduce other pollutants in the harbor. And, they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to do it. In 2011, to give added im- petus to the effort, the nonprofit Waterfront Partnership launched a campaign to make the harbor swimmable and fishable by the end of next year. It doesn’t seem that dead- line will be met, but water sampling in 2017 found bacteria levels improved enough to meet safe swimming standards from 50 percent to 88 percent of the time, depending on the location. Inner Harbor kayak tour escorts Baltimore’s Inner Harbor might not make Kelsey Hincke, Kyle Sanders and Those water quality issues are no deterrent for wild- life. We saw mallards paddling around, while sea gulls Kirsten Perry (left to right) paddle anyone’s top 10 list of places they’ve dreamed swooped overhead. A handful of resident Canada geese past the USS Constellation, a sloop- of exploring by kayak. It can be a busy — and eyed us warily from piers, and one gave us a honking of-war that was the last sailing vessel at certain times, funky — body of water in the serenade. At one point, a big splash nearby punctuated the built by the U.S. Navy in 1854. The morning quiet, as some large fish broke the surface. Baltimore City Recreation and Parks heart of the second largest city in the Chesa- We got close looks at Baltimore’s maritime heritage, Department offers escorted Inner peake Bay watershed. paddling first around the USS Constellation, the last sail- Harbor kayak tours twice every In warmer weather, it’s bustling with pleasure craft, only warship designed and built by the U.S. Navy. Joining Sunday, weather permitting, from the Constellation at Pier 1 that morning was the Pride of April through October. tour boats and water taxis. It’s also a working harbor, with freighters, tour boats and other large vessels moving in Baltimore II, a reconstruction of an early 19th-century and out. And there’s trash and debris littering the water’s Baltimore clipper ship. Crewmembers could be seen per- surface in places, especially after a rainfall — not to men- forming chores on deck and in the rigging. Next up were other historic ships permanently moored Story and Photos tion unseen contaminants from street runoff and sewage overflows. in the Inner Harbor, including the submarine U.S.S. Torsk By Timothy B. Wheeler Even so, it’s a fascinating place to paddle, rewarding and lightship Chesapeake. intrepid kayakers with intriguing sights and sounds not easily obtained by walking or driving around the har- bor. It’s a great way to get a different perspective on this historic port city and to witness firsthand the progress Baltimore has made in its ambitious campaign to clean up the harbor. Members of the public who want a kayaking experience in Baltimore’s harbor have a variety of options. I tried one of the two guided tours offered every Sunday from April through October by the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks. That morning in early April, a thick fog blanketed the city. It turned out that I was the only paying customer waiting in front of the Maryland Science Center when the Rec & Parks kayak team showed up. Lucky me — it meant we could tarry at times to take photographs and talk without worrying about the group getting strung out or someone (like me) being left behind. Before setting out, my escorts and I spent a little time Kirsten Perry, a kayak tour guide with the Baltimore City on a grassy spot by the science center previewing the tour Recreation and Parks Department, checks out a small and setting me up with a comfortable life vest and kayak. floating wetland by the National Aquarium. 27 Bay Journal l Tr avel l June 2019

Left: Fog shrouded portions of the waterfront during an April morning kayak tour of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Above: A kayak enjoys a close encounter with Mr. Trash Wheel, which helps to reduce trash in the Baltmore Harbor. Powered by sun and water, the wheel lifts litter and other debris from the before it enters the harbor and deposits it into a floating dumpster.

We ducked in between Piers 3 city streets down the Jones Falls into in Baltimore’s maritime industry. The brunch. After paddling about 4 miles, and 4 by the National Aquarium the Inner Harbor. It spawned two site also is the campus and headquar- I had worked up an appetite. to check out its floating wetland, a other trash wheels around the harbor, ters of the Living Classrooms Foun- Since their start in 2013, the Inner small artificial island covered with and Adam Lindquist, coordinator of dation, which offers educational and Harbor kayak tours have proven in- marsh grasses. This and other floating the Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy workforce development programs for creasingly popular, leading the city to wetlands in the harbor have attracted Harbor initiative, said that funds are city youth. expand its offerings. Last year, about fish, including striped bass, spot, At- being raised to install a fourth. From there, we paddled across the 900 people picked up a paddle and lantic menhaden and white perch, as We proceeded past the built-up Northwest Branch of the Patapsco tried it out. well as blue crabs and grass shrimp. area of Harbor East, with its hotels, River toward the Domino sugar re- “It’s a great way to see what the On our visit, white shells — likely restaurants and offices. Then came finery on the other side of the harbor. city has to offer,” said Kirsten Perry, either barnacles or oysters — could be Harbor Point, the former site of a We peered up at a large freighter tied boating program coordinator for the seen just beneath the water’s surface, chromium ore-processing plant that up by the hulking brick factory, which city Department of Recreation and clinging to the sides of the wetland has since been cleaned up and is for more than 95 years has been pro- Parks, “especially if you’ve never been platform. undergoing redevelopment. cessing sugar from imported cane. to Baltimore city.” Next, we paddled around Pier 6 Just past that came Fells Point, As we paddled back up the harbor, For those who have toured Balti- to visit Mr. Trash Wheel, the google- one of the oldest neighborhoods in we passed the Baltimore Museum of more’s waterfront by land, Perry said, eyed floating janitor that’s become an Baltimore, now a dining and night- Industry, plus a stretch of marinas and “it’s just nice to be able to get out and international media sensation. Since life hotspot. Its past is recalled at waterfront condos before returning to see something different. … We have its installation in 2014, the wheel has the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers the science center. My escorts held my this awesome river that runs through scooped up 1,124 tons of trash and Maritime Park, which recognizes the kayak steady while I clambered onto [the city], and I would like to get more debris washed from suburban and contributions of African Americans the water taxi landing, in time for people out on it.”

Baltimore Harbor kayak tours with the Department of Recreation & Parks l Inner Harbor Kayak Tours: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. or 1–4 p.m. Sundays, April through October. For experienced paddlers only, ages 13 & older. Fee: $20/city resident, $30/ nonresident. Preregistration required. Info: kayakbaltimore.com. l Sunday Afternoon Paddle Tours: 10 a.m–2 p.m. April through October. Groups of up to 20 paddlers can explore the Middle Branch of the Patapsco by kayak or canoe. Fee: $20/city resident, $30/nonresident. Preregistration required. Info: bcrp.baltimorecity.gov/outdoor-recreation-programs. l Sunset Paddles: 6–8 p.m. Fridays, April through May and September through October; and 7–9 p.m. June through July. All ages. 10 kayaks and 10 canoes are available for self-guided tours and tips or group lessons. Fee: $5/city resident, $20/nonresident. Preregistration required. Info: bcrp.baltimorecity.gov/outdoor-recreation-programs. l Canoe & Scoop: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Saturdays, April through October. Ages 12+ can paddle for free while helping to clean up litter and debris along the shoreline of Middle Kayakers on the Inner Harbor tours will pass modern and historic sites and share the waterfront with private boats, Branch Park. For info or to register a group, email [email protected]. tourist boats and cargo ships. 28 Bay Journal • June 2019 We can’t hide our appreciation for your extreme generosity There’s no greater David Dressel Patricia Ghingher sign of the Bay Journal’s Keedysville, MD Parkton, MD success than the compli- Raymond D. Dueser C. B. Gibson Charlottesville, VA Oakmont, PA ments and donations Ed Dunne Kemper Goffigon received from readers Washington, DC Cheriton, VA like you. Your gifts to Georgia L. Eacker W. R. Goodson the Bay Journal Fund Ellicott City, MD Lancaster, VA continue to make our Joseph Eline Edna Griffenhagen work possible, from cov- Reisterstown, MD Hampton, VA erage of the Bay restora- Nelson E. Elliott Beg Groenwold tion and the health of its Quantico, MD Heathsville, VA rivers, to the impacts of Jean Engelke Alan Grubb climate change, toxics, Baltimore, MD Baltimore, MD growth and invasive Edward Evangelidi The Guarinos species on the region’s Martinsburg, WV Washington, DC ecosystem. Our staff Isabelle Fair Dion & Dianna Guthrie works every day to bring Quantico, MD Joppa, MD you the best reporting on Arleen Fields James Hall environmental issues in Fayetteville, NC Wayne, ME the Bay region. We are Judith Floam Paulette Hammond grateful for your dona- Baltimore, MD Baltimore, MD tions. Please continue to Sharon Foley Jay Hanger Staunton, VA support our success! Mount Crawford, VA Marshall Folkes Ron Harbin Henrico, VA Hummelstown, PA Johnson Fortenbaugh Edgar Harman Booster A mayapple blooms along the bank of in Maryland. Tucked under the Oakland, MD Ted Carski & Janet Ruhl broad leaves of the plant, the bloom is often hidden from the casual hiker. (Dave Harp) Chestertown, MD Galena, MD Mary Beth Friedel Janet Hartka Rosedale, MD Advocate Keith Campbell Conner & Smith Wayne Davis Chestnut Hill Cove, MD Towson, MD , MD Springfield, VA Carl Fritz Thomas Hartman Mr. & Mrs. Frederick Marcell Irmo, SC Olney, MD Mr. & Mrs. John M. Carlock Helen Connon John Dean Camp Hill, PA Virginia Beach, VA Chesapeake City, MD Scotland, MD Kathleen A. Fulchiron Tim Harvey Anne Brooke Montgomery Village, MD Norfolk, VA Glenn Carlson Kitty Cox Lisa Deaton Lexington Park, MD Silver Spring, MD King William, VA Bohannon, VA Fred Hecklinger Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth B. Lewis B. Galloway Annapolis, MD Cockeysville, MD Sarah P. Carr Maurice Crawford Frank Dederbeck Bonita Springs, FL Tunkhannock, PA Salisbury, MD Denville, NJ Melvin Hess Dale Taylor Bill Garren Wrightsville, PA Hollywood, MD Rick Carrion Dean Crouch Trish Demarest Greenbelt, MD Earleville, MD Midlothian, VA Baltimore, MD Ronald & Jean Hill John R. & Martha L. Detweiler Mr. & Mrs. William J. 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Continued from 28 Carrie O’Reilly Derek Rhymes Street, MD Annapolis, MD Myron Jonsberg Wheaton, MD Bert Olmstead Dave Ritondo Grasonville, MD Selbyville, DE Scott Jordan Gaithersburg, MD David Ortman Jane Roache Mechanicsville, MD Marshall Kaiser Seattle, WA Deer Isle, ME Timothy & Andrea Ostermayer Mr. & Mrs. John Roberts, Jr. Irvington, VA Richard Kantor Grantville, PA Merry Point, VA Paul Overbeck Gina Robinson Freeland, MD Debra Karinch Philadelphia, PA Lebanon, PA Lee Anne Palmer Lynne Rockenbauch Severna Park, MD Elaine Kasmer Dayton, MD Cockeysville, MD Charlie Parrish Rudy Rohrbaugh Dover, PA Dale L. Keeny Cary, NC Spring Grove, PA Walter Parsons Terri Rosser Disputanta, VA David Kelsey St. Michaels, MD Hollywood, MD Kate Patton George & Rosaline Roussey Rehoboth Beach, DE Melba Kenney Snow Hill, MD Salisbury, MD Ben Payne William C. Rowen, Jr. Philadelphia, PA James Kepler Baltimore, MD York, PA LeMaine Payne John & Laura Jean Sadler Grasonville, MD Mohamed Khalequzzaman Chesapeake Beach, MD Lock Haven, PA Ralph E. Peachee Lori Sallet Jerome Klasmeier Richmond, VA Arlington, VA Crownsville, MD A. Peikin Duane Samuels Ronald J. Klauda Wayne, PA Stuarts Draft, VA Prince Frederick, MD Temple Peirce Annie Sanders Thomas Klein Chester, MD Wellsboro, PA Pasadena, MD Jay Penick Arthur & Geraldine Saunders Gretchen Knapp Hayes, VA Melfa, VA & James Sarley Marie Scannello Edward Phillips Glen Burnie, MD Chincoteague, VA Whaleyville, MD Brad Knopf Henry Schaffer Robert B. Pieper Perry Hall, MD Annapolis, MD Essex, MD Kopel’s Marina of Maryland Janice & James Scheler Coltons Point, MD Charles & Susan Planck Rosedale, MD Hillsboro, VA John Kraeuter Jim Schiro Kennebunkport, ME James Poles Hagerstown, MD Washington, DC Paul Kratchman Redheaded woodpeckers perch on a dead tree in the northern area of the Nature Charlie Schmidt North Beach, MD Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek Preserve in Wicomico County, MD. (Dave Harp) Kate Post Glen Burnie, MD Black Mountain, NC Patricia Krause Gretchen Schnef Fallston, MD Gary Lentz Joyce Masterson Frederick W. Morris Tom Powers Baltimore, MD White Marsh, MD Annapolis, MD Gainesville, FL Poquoson, VA Theodora Kreitz Andy Scott Duncansville, PA Theodore Levin Bill May Gary D. Moulton Michael & Carolyn Quinlan Chestertown, MD Baltimore, MD Catonsville, MD South Chesterfield, VA Bowie, MD Carol LaFon Margaret Scrahl New Windsor, MD Jesse S. Lockaby, Jr. Charles W. Megahan Norbert D. Myers Gene Rall Knoxville, MD Mathews, VA Elkton, MD Middle River, MD Newtown Square, PA Wade Lamb Asa Seay New Bern, NC Patricia Loefler Gary Miller Eric Nelson Mike Reck Essex, MD Manheim, PA East Greenville, PA Candida Lancaster Leesburg, VA Tyrone, PA Mary Seidel Monkton, MD Douglas Lute Ben Miller Jack Nichols James T. Redd Pasadena, MD Santa Fe, NM Rod Laukhuff McLean, VA Annapolis, MD Towson, MD Wendy Seifert Lancaster, PA W. Shellenberger Deni L. Miller Rachel Nowak Virginia Reed Mount Wolf, PA Edgewater, MD Lebanon County Federation Centreville, MD Baltimore, MD Suffolk, VA Ed Sendatch of Sportsmans’ Clubs Maurice P. Lynch Gerald Mingis Keith Nusbaum Tom Reed Halifax, PA Lebanon, PA Williamsburg, VA Portsmouth, VA Lovettsville, VA Annapolis, MD Douglas W. Shade Andrew Lefever Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Malone Linda Mitcham Anne C. O’Brien James Reed Reinholds, PA Lititz, PA Trappe, MD Gate City, VA Olney, MD Halifax, PA Shamokin Creek Restoration Donald Leisch Richard Mars Allen Moore A. J. O’Brien S. Davis Rhodes Alliance Arlington, VA Hampton, VA Edinburg, VA Baltimore, MD Chesapeake, VA Mount Carmel, PA Thank You To These Philanthropic Donors The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation 30 Bay Journal • June 2019

Commentary • Letters • Pers pectives PA programorum for inmates answers growing demand for green jobs By RFebecca Chillrud men upon release, as Clegg can attest. “I’m a success story,” Clegg said. “I “I don’t want to say like I’m a tree learned as much as I could in there and I lover because, you know, we do cut got out and I’m actually living a life off trees,” said Gregory Clegg, a profes- what I’ve learned and actually raising a sional tree climber in Hampton, VA. family with it, off my earnings from it. “It’s just something that I look at dif- I’m actually staying out of trouble.” ferently now, you know? And I think Clegg was one of the first men a lot of people would, if they learned who went through the program to be about how trees work and the science released from prison. He reached out behind them and plant life, and how to Zwerver, who helped him create important our environment is, then a resume and put him in touch with maybe it would open their eyes a little contacts in the industry. Within two bit more.” weeks, he had a job offer. Now, more Clegg didn’t learn about the science than a year later, Clegg is continuing of trees in a traditional classroom. He work in tree management. was part of an innovative program “My life before this, before the at the State Correctional Institution program, was basically either like at Rockview, in Bellefonte, PA, that death or prison,” Clegg said. “Prison prepares inmates for a career in tree actually turned out to be a blessing maintenance and management. for me because it changed my life in “I really think rehabilitation can so many ways, especially the forestry occur by getting out into nature,” said camp and having the opportunity to do Shea Zwerver, the community engage- that: Complete that program and learn ment coordinator for TreeVitalize, Inmates at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Rockview participate so much there. It opened the doors.” a partnership-based urban forestry in the Arborist Short Course on the institution’s 2,600 forest acres in Bellefonte. “Now I have a purpose,” he program under Pennsylvania’s Depart- (Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program) explained. “And I actually get up every ment of Conservation and Natural morning and like going to work.” Resources. Motivated by interests in potentially expand to other Pennsylva- Having steady employment that environmental conservation and social nia prisons, recruited volunteers from you enjoy can be crucial to success- justice, she reached out to the Penn- various industries and backgrounds to fully re-entering society. Before going sylvania Department of Corrections lead the classes, which range from tree through the program, Clegg said he in 2017 with the idea to provide job biology to knot tying. was in and out of prison. Now, he’s training in arboriculture—or tree culti- During the classroom training, been out and employed for more than vation and management—to inmates. the participants expressed interest in a year. “There’s no question that this SCI Rockview has about 2,600 getting hands-on experience. That got type of training does help to reduce the forested acres, a tree nursery and a them outdoors to learn how to identify recidivism rates,” Renninger said. In forestry camp where about 70 soon- different species, prune branches and Pennsylvania, 60 percent of released to-be-released inmates live and work. even safely climb trees. inmates are re-arrested or return to Inmates already cut trees for firewood with the District of Columbia, commit- The instructors and participants prison within three years. at the camp and care for the plants in ted to increasing urban tree canopy by agreed that the experience out in the Growing up, Clegg’s parents owned the nursery, so Zwerver saw it as the 2,400 acres in the most recent Chesa- field is vital. “No tree or situation is a landscaping business, so he’s had a perfect place to pilot the training. peake Bay Watershed Agreement. the same. The more hands-on experi- connection with the outdoors since his She wanted to offer a program Training also helps those released ence they have, the more they can youth. Despite that, he said he wouldn’t that would allow the men to pursue from prison find jobs, something that apply it,” said Wade Renninger, forest have considered pursuing a green job green jobs in tree management once can be a serious challenge. The Prison and nursery manager at Rockview. without the forestry camp. “I think I released—a sector in desperate need Policy Institute reports that the average Being 60 feet off the ground and was always interested in being outside, of a skilled workforce. According to unemployment rate for the formerly trusting your knots to keep you safe can but the program gave me a different the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, incarcerated is 27 percent, and is even be daunting, especially for inmates like outlook on the environment as a whole,” the tree care industry will need 30,000 higher for formerly incarcerated people Devin, who laughed when asked if he Clegg said. “As soon as I went to the new workers in the next five years. of color. had a fear of heights: “Very much so.” forestry camp, I made the decision that “There’s a demand for people with “[The program] is reassuring,” said But the participants agreed that get- this is what I want to do. The program these arboriculture and forestry skills,” Michael, an inmate who participated ting the experience is worth it. “Your just resparked that passion.” Zwerver said. “Trees have tons of in the program. “People coming out own life is in your own hands up in That passion is something he’s now benefits — environmental, economic of prison oftentimes have a very hard a tree. So, you’ve got to take it seri- able to pass on to his children. “We get and social, too.” Trees can help clean time finding employment and having ously,” said Anthony, another inmate outside a lot,” Clegg said. “It is kind air and water, reduce energy costs by a skill like this is just one more tool to at Rockview. “Being outside, working of neat because my middle daughter, providing shade, increase property being successful.” with our hands — just having that she’s always asking me, like, ‘Daddy, values and provide valuable habitat. In the fall of 2017, the first group of gives you a little bit of grit to be able to what kind of tree is that?’ And she For those benefits to be fully realized, 15 inmates at the forestry camp signed go out there and strive to do something wants to learn how to climb someday.” trees need to be properly managed. up to take the Arborist Short Course with yourself. It gives you courage, Rebecca Chillrud is a Chesapeake The demand for a tree management program, an 18-hour training offered gives you confidence.” Bay Program communications workforce has also increased as states by Penn State Extension. Zwerver, who Courage, confidence and employ- staffer with the Chesapeake Research in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, along hopes to run the program annually and able skills are all invaluable to these Consortium. Bay Journal • June 2019 31

Commentary • Letters • Pers pectives Leaveorum it to beavers: Species’ ability to alter land should be revisited ByF Tom Horton the Chesapeake, from millions to Notes to myself on preparing to thousands is a fair teach my Chesapeake Bay course at estimate. Salisbury University for the 10th year: Through dam- Teach oysters? Always, but this time ming and ponding, I’m also going bigger, with beavers. beavers stanched the Both are “keystone” species, and shedding of water Castor canadensis, aka the North from the watershed, American beaver, is potentially the cleansed it, filtered more important, even if restoring it, held back floods, bivalves gets more press. let rain soak in to Sewage treatment? Can’t ever keep water tables ignore 17 million toilet flushers, but as high and streams with beavers over oysters, I’m moving running even in inland, traveling upslope, emphasizing drought. They the lands of the Bay’s watershed vs. the created luxurious Bay itself. habitats for a stun- And that word, “watershed,” let’s ning variety reimagine it — it only entered the of amphibians, language around 1800, by which time fish, waterfowl and we’d already eliminated most beavers mammals. and their dams and ponds throughout In recent decades, the Chesapeake region. And, that fun- beavers have come damentally altered and accelerated the back to the point way water moved off the landscape. where a solid So what’s a better word — water- A pair of young beavers perch atop their lodge in a Nanticoke River wetland. (Dave Harp) body of science keep? Waterseep? Waterooze? in Canada and the Waterhold? …Something to get us back where, particularly not in Pennsylva- United States confirms they were this conceptually to the way it was when the nia; and even where it is happening, continent’s most important keystone Bay was healthy, its lands more fiercely we still don’t have convincing species — a species whose functioning retentive of life (water equals life). evidence that we’ll get big enough underpins a whole ecosystem. You want to tell students everything pollution reductions from the intensive My class this year listened to a young you know. But when you have just row cropping and concentrations of man in the stream-restoration business 16 three-hour classes a semester, and animals that typify modern farming. say that in many cases, the work that his you’re trying to spend four or five of Add to this the real possibility company does might be done as well or those sessions outside with watermen that national policy may soon call for better by just releasing beavers. and farmers and scientists, or paddling greater use of corn-based ethanol in But it is illegal to do that, he said. through climate-changed landscapes, gasoline. It saves little or no energy and That’s a mindset that needs to you have to choose. would likely result in clearing more change. It will take education to Recently, my choices have moved acres around the Bay for more corn. overcome prevailing views of beavers upslope, come ashore, for a couple of Chesapeake Born There are promising programs to as tree-chewing, property-flooding reasons. counteract polluted runoff, such as nuisances. They can be, but there Land use is most of the ballgame Success by 2025 is going to depend planting thousands of miles of vegetated are technologies to help us coex- in our estuary, more so than almost more and more on how well we can buffers along rivers and streams. But ist — piping that keeps beaver ponds any other on Earth. The watershed/ halt pollution running from the land — those efforts are far behind schedule, deep enough for the animals without waterkeep is about 16 times the area specifically the land that our popula- and they don’t specifically call for the flooding, for example. of the tidal waters into which it drains. tion radically alters wherever it goes. vegetation to be forest, the best buffer. You will hear more about beavers in And the Bay is so shallow that there’s Stormwater controls from developed And while such greening of the my future columns — and in the news, astoundingly little volume of water landscapes are better designed than Bay’s lands is good, we know that far I hope. A good place to start: Should given its long, broad surface — clearly ever, but expensive. It’s uncertain they better would be green and wet; and the Chesapeake restoration effort too little to dilute the runoff from 48 will be deployed, maintained, inspected that’s where we need to reconsider and include a beaver goal? million acres. and enforced anywhere near 100 actively restore the beaver. In the meantime, we must emulate The other reason is that the advanced percent. Sediment control, for example, No creature on Earth, save for the animal any way we can, creating sewage treatment and air pollution con- decades after it became law in places modern humans, has more capacity to wetlands throughout the landscape trol technologies that have carried the like Maryland, remains inadequate. transform a landscape; and in design- wherever there is opportunity, moving Bay restoration to its current, modest Agriculture, a far larger pollution ing a landscape that produces excellent rapidly toward a “slower” watershed, success don’t have enough juice left to source, is moving in some good directions water quality, the beaver has no equal. one that sheds water only grudgingly. get us to our 2025 cleanup goals. with a new phosphorus-based manure Beavers ruled the hydrology of Tom Horton has written about This is especially so in light of a control mandate in Maryland and the North America for a million years or the Chesapeake Bay for more than growing population — and in light of increasing use of winter cover crops that more, until just the last few centuries, 40 years, including eight books. He no population-control policies at any suck up fertilizers from groundwater when fur trapping reduced popula- lives in Salisbury, where he is also a level of government, or even among before it carries them to the Bay. tions from an estimated 100 million professor of environmental studies at most environmental groups. But this is not happening every- or more to less than half a million. In Salisbury University. 32 Bay Journal • June 2019 orum Commentary • Letters • Pers pectives Money doesn’t grow on trees; luckily you don’t need money to grow them Letter to the Editor By NFick Carter Tim Wheeler’s CREP program Average striped bass interruptions hinder streamside tree planting efforts (April 2019) raises points numbers don’t add up not frequently recognized. Whereas Your recent article re-enforced the Conservation Reserve Enhance- my belief that our understanding of ment Program’s cost-sharing doubtless striped bass population dynamics hasn’t encourages landowners to put their advanced over the past half-century marginally productive lands into water and, perhaps, is regressing. quality protective uses, the reforestation Biologists before my time noted the of riparian or other lands need not depend absence of any spawning stock/ on government funding. Nick and recruiting correlation. Reforestation can be done for essen- Margaret Perplexingly, huge year-classes tially zero dollars. All that is necessary is Carter could occur when spawning stock was to stop tilling and/or mowing the area we turned low. More important than numbers want to become forest. their would be maintaining a female My wife, Margaret, and I have lived in 30-acre spawning stock, including all ages the same house on the same land for more property and sizes. Old females open the long than 50 years. into a — 2-month — spawning season that When we bought this approximately forest ends with young, first-time females. 30-acre place in 1966, the half of it near- filled with This scenario ensures the presence of est the house was in pathetic corn tillage. wildlife fertilized eggs whenever volatile spring “Pathetic” because the Galestown C Sand at almost conditions are favorable to fry survival: soil is acidic, droughty and relatively ster- no cost to water temperature and quality, prey ile by nature. It was only being cropped to them. vulnerability — zooplankton densities obtain a subsidy. There was one red maple (Dave vary greatly over time — and any other tree in a low place in the front 15 acres, a Harp) factors involved. couple of black walnuts and sassafras and The present young-of-year survey six silver maples in the old house yard. seeds are eaten by at least 18 species of discharge to the rivers and the Bay. that I designed in the early 1960s is We stopped the tillage agreement birds and mammals. Most of the precipitation is evapo- an indispensable management tool. immediately. The winds, the birds and the Blocking an old ditch has created transpired back into the atmosphere; Disturbingly, collected data are often squirrels took over the planting. We gath- vernal pools and a sphagnum bog with much of the rest infiltrates through the misinterpreted and misused. Any values ered hickory nuts and holly berries from skunk cabbage, cinnamon and royal fern, very pervious forest floor into ground- calculated by averaging or extrapolation roadside trees and threw them, along with and Virginia magnolia. water, emerging downhill as cool spring is generally meaningless and misleading. apple cores, randomly. We stuck in the As volunteers increased, as flow to maintain the streams through the A simple example: Obtaining a value free wildlife management “game food” habitat changed, as shading and humid- dry seasons. There is nearly no surface of “12” by averaging a 20-fish-per-haul shrub packets that the state gave away: ity increased, seedlings of southern red runoff, and what does is slowed and and a four-fish-per-haul is nonsensical crabapples, dogwoods, bush honeysuckle oak, willow oak and American beech filtered by the forest’s litter fall. There is math. A 20-per-haul doesn’t represent and autumn olive. appeared. These are small-seeded hard- zero sediment export. five times more fingerlings than four- In the first spring, the land produced woods, whose seeds can be moved, lost, So we have allowed nature to heal per-haul. Reality is much higher — 20, broom sedge, horse weed, camphor weed, planted and forgotten by meadow mice, itself. Except for the mostly native plant 30, 40 — who knows? trumpet vine, partridge pea, Japanese deer mice and blue jays. garden and yard Margaret has created Why? Sampling sites are shallow honeysuckle and sandburs. Those Squirrels plant the black walnuts. Per- around the house, our now 50-plus-year- with a firm, generally sandy bottom — herbaceous volunteers trapped moist air simmons are started by droppings from old forest — in fact, a young forest — has prime fingerling striped bass habitat. and raised the humidity down close to the foxes, coons and possums. Ground covers not cost us any financial outlay. When numbers are low, most of the soil. Box turtles found shelter under them that can tolerate shade have appeared: The rivers and the Bay need this — a population can occupy this preferred in the heat of the summer. ground pine/running cedar, partridge lot of it. From something like 95% habitat and find sufficient prey. Con- In three to four years, seedling loblolly berry, spotted wintergreen, fly orchis, forested 400 years ago, the watershed is versely, “dominant” year classes neces- and Virginia pines appeared, blown in by ebony spleenwort, greenbriar, poison now only about 58% forested, and that, sitate massive expansion into marginal, northwest winds from along that edge of ivy. Most of the ground remains covered very unequally distributed. Any satellite unmonitored waters. the old fields. Some are now 18 inches in year-around with organic debris — photo of the Eastern Shore reveals how Stress mortality of hooked striped butt diameter. mulch — fallen from the trees. little forest that very agricultural area bass, particularly of larger fish during Sassafras and wild cherry seeded out We have recorded more than 80 still has. The watershed of the Choptank, months of elevated temperatures, has from the margins, moved by birds that ate species of birds, 20-odd species of the seventh largest Bay tributary, is only been known for many decades. those fruits. An occasional tulip poplar mammals, and a similar number of about 26% forested. Restricting sports harvest through appeared, and an osage orange from we reptile and amphibians species. All of If landowners want free reforestation, higher and higher minimum size limits know not where. The single old red maple these animals and plants are cycling they need only quit tilling or mowing the is contrary to science and common in the low place produced thousands of mechanisms: harvesting the elements, location. Nature will take care of the rest. sense. Perhaps fish management would offspring. They have competed for light the fertility, the nutrients of the earth If anyone would like to see this first- benefit by more biology and less math. and moisture: Many have failed; the through their living, growing, reproduc- hand, we are glad to show it to visitors. Joseph Boone strongest survive. ing, defecating and dying. They keep We are at [email protected]. Nick The letter writer is a former Sweet gums, viewed as trash by many those elements of life here, uphill, up Carter is a retired Maryland Department fisheries biologist with the Maryland people, are now 50–60 feet tall. Their drainage — preventing their excess of Natural Resources biologist. Department of Natural Resources Bay Journal • June 2019 33

Commentary • Letters • Pers pectives Wallorum Street, government need to put more stock in Bay’s economic value ByF Joel Dunn I was lucky enough to grow up in the 1980s catching frogs, hooking sun- fish, and exploring the mossy banks of Waden Pond, which Henry Thoreau turned into a symbol of nature and the need to protect it. There, I found the inspiration that led me toward a career in conservation that eventually brought me to the Chesapeake. Today, I still find inspiration from Private Walden Pond, but now in the form of investment the book, From Walden to Wall Street, in conser- by James Levitt, which was published vation is back in 2005. Ahead of its time, the needed to book predicted that the future of the help the Bay planet depends on private capital for now and to conservation. help create Now in my 40s, local headlines a sustain- like New State Plans Reveal Tough able world Path to 2025 Cleanup Goals, and for future international headlines like “1 Million generations. Species Threatened with Extinction,” (Steve have led me to join our generation’s Droter / most notable conservationists, such Chesa- as E. O. Wilson’s work to conserve peake Bay Half Earth, to save our planet, and Program) Hansjörg Wyss’s Campaign for Nature to conserve 30% of the planet by the Fund or the federal Land and Water able energy, water, and transportation Ventures, GreenVest, Resource Envi- year 2030. (See: This ‘half measure’ Conservation Fund, but government systems and green infrastructure, ronmental Solutions, Lyme Timber, might be enough to save Bay for next funding alone will not protect our water which will necessarily include land ACRE Investment Management, LLC, generation, December 2018.) While quality, wildlife or way-of-life. This conservation. and others have successfully demon- there’s significant interest in these stark realization, and the necessity to According to the 2016 State of strated that restoration opportunities in conservation goals, there is always the move quickly, brings me to private Private Investment in Conservation the Chesapeake can deliver excellent daunting question of how we pay for it. investment in conservation. survey, there are several motivations conservation and restoration results as Specifically, here in the Chesapeake, Surveys by the Ecosystem Market for conservation investors other than well as provide necessary returns to a movement is growing to conserve Place have documented the continued profit, including fulfilling their own private investors. and restore 30% of the Chesapeake’s increase in private investment in organization’s conservation objectives, A recent conference convened in working lands and natural lands for conservation over the period of 2004 economic prosperity, corporate social April by the Chesapeake Conservation the future of our region by 2030, and through 2015 totaling $8.2 billion responsibility plans and diversification Partnership, Alliance for the Chesa- 50% by 2050. At the same time, we are worldwide. The U.S. portion of this of their investments. peake Bay, and Land Trust Alliance deploying advanced technology and total is $1.7 billion. Investors are finding We have officially entered the era presented several tools used to attract intense collaboration to move from that nature can indeed provide quantifi- of socially responsible and sustain- private return-seeking investments an effort-based initiative to a results- able economic benefits by preserving or able investments, where people to conservation projects. We also oriented community, making this land restoring clean water, protecting habitat expect to make the world a better explored the risks, drivers and barriers conservation goal and overarching and providing sustainable sources of place as well as make money. Take in the Chesapeake region. water quality goals feasible, measur- fiber and food. This funding source is Baltimore’s Brown Advisory and their When we face the prospect that able and intertwined. (See: Data the very real and growing. Sustainable Growth Fund. Or look at Pennsylvania’s pollution reduction new driver in conservation decisions In 2016, McKinsey and Company Goldman Sach’s 2018 Sustainability plan falls short of its 2025 goal, or that regarding Bay, June 2018.) found that from 2015 to 2030, global report, which indicates that they have New York has suggested that they may While the states in the Bay water- demand for new infrastructure — surpassed $80 billion in their goal to not even follow their stated plan, both shed have collectively appropriated transportation and energy networks finance or invest $150 billion in clean primarily due to funding limitations, more than $300 million in each of the and waste and water facilities — could energy by 2025. then we need to come up with another last two fiscal years to conserve impor- amount to more than $90 trillion, Given our region’s need to signifi- way. Government leaders and Wall tant lands, and have received some almost double the estimated $50 cantly increase the scale of land con- Street must hear this call to fund the complementary federal funding, these trillion value of the world’s existing servation and restoration, combined restoration of the Chesapeake and levels will be inadequate to conserve stock. (Enter into search engine: with population growth projections, we conservation for the planet by increas- another 3.1 million acres of land by Financing change: How to mobilize need to increase existing public fund- ing public funding and attracting 2030 to achieve the 30% goal. private sector financing for sustainable ing programs and create the conditions sources of private capital investment. Government funding will be impera- infrastructure.) Because of sustainable necessary to attract large amounts of The future of our Chesapeake Bay, and tive, such as Maryland’s Program Open economic development commitments private capital investment. For-profit indeed our planet, depends on it. Space, Virginia’s Land Preservation by governments, significant public and environmental firms like Ecosystem Joel Dunn is president and CEO of Tax Credit, Pennsylvania’s Keystone private capital will flow into sustain- Investment Partners, Quantified the Chesapeake Conservancy. 34 Bay Journal • June 2019

Resources collect scientific data & younger w/adult) for its Habitat through the Volunteer Angler Survey. Restoration Team / Weed Warrior Anglers record basic information from WorkdayMake sure that when Wisdom you par- Days 10 a.m.–12 p.m. June 8, 19, their catch such as species, location ticipate in cleanup or invasive plant 22 & 26 and July 13, 17 & 27. and size directly to the survey on removal workdays to protect the Help to remove invasive species, their smartphone. Biologists use this Chesapeake Bay watershed and install native ones and maintain its resources that you also protect data to develop, plan and implement yourself. Organizers of almost every habitat. Service hours are available. management strategies. The artificial workday strongly urge their volun- Meet at Sherwood House parking Volunteer Opportunities reef initiative, blue crab, freshwater teers to wear long pants, long-sleeved lot. Registration required. Info: fisheries, muskie, shad and striped shirts, socks and closed-toe shoes [email protected]. Gunpowder Valley Conservancy bass programs have upgraded to (hiking or waterproof). This helps to The Gunpowder Valley Forest mobile-friendly methods. Participants minimize skin exposure to poison ivy Little Park Conservancy in Baltimore County are eligible to win quarterly prizes. and ticks, which might be found at Help the Maryland-National needs volunteers for these workdays: Info: dnr.maryland.gov/Fisheries/ the site. Light-colored clothing also Capital Park and Planning ≈ Forest Steward Workshop: 9:30 Pages/survey/index.aspx. makes it easier to spot ticks. Hats are Commission remove invasive species a.m.–2:30 p.m. June 29. Bee Tree strongly recommended. Although 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the last Saturday in some events provide work gloves, Preserve, Parkton. Ages 12+ Learn Association not all do; ask when registering. June, July and August at Little Paint invasive plant identification, removal The Severn River Association in Events near water require closed- Branch Park in Beltsville. Learn about techniques, native plant identification Annapolis is recruiting volunteers to toe shoes and clothing that can get native plants. Sign in for a safety & installation. Bring a water bottle, join their team of citizen scientists wet or muddy. Always bring water. orientation. Gloves and tools are bag lunch. Preregistration required. monitoring water quality on the Sunscreen and an insect repellent provided. Info: 301-442-5657, Info: gunpowdervalleyconservancy. Severn River and its creeks. The designed to repel both deer ticks and [email protected]. org/event/forest-steward-june-29. weekly tours take place Wednesday mosquitoes help. Lastly, most organizers ask that ≈ Tree Maintenance: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and Thursday mornings, and last Adopt-a-Stream program June 8, 15 & 22 and July 6, 13, 20 & roughly four hours. The season goes volunteers register ahead of time. The Prince William Soil & Water Knowing how many people are going 27. Loch Raven Skeet & Trap Center, to October. Volunteers can sign up to show up ensures that they will Conservation District in Manassas, Phoenix. Ages 13+ Remove invasive for as many tours as they’d like. Info: have enough tools and supervisors. VA, wants to ensure that stream plants, make sure newly planted trees [email protected], 443-569- They can also give directions to cleanup volunteers have all of are growing properly. Bring a water 3556, [email protected] the site or offer any suggestions for the support and supplies they bottle. Preregistration required. Info: apparel or gear not mentioned here. need for trash removal projects. gunpowdervalleyconservancy.org/ Anita Leight Estuary Center Participating groups receive an calendar. Anita C. Leight Estuary Center in Adopt-A-Stream sign in recognition Abingdon, MD, needs volunteers for water and nonrefrigerated snacks or of their stewardship. To learn more, CBMM Volunteer Fair these events: lunch. Meet at the main entrance. adopt a stream or get a proposed The Chesapeake Bay Maritime ≈ Juvenile Fish Survey: 6–8 p.m. Info, including hours: 443-738-9230, site, visit [email protected]. Museum in St. Michaels, MD, invites June 26 and July 12 & 27. Ages 16+ [email protected]. Groups can register their events at the public to its Volunteer Fair, 10 Help collect fish population data that trashnetwork.fergusonfoundation.org. a.m.–12 p.m. June 27. Mingle with will be used by the Otter Point Creek Volunteer at the CBEC current volunteers and staff to learn Alliance to determine the status of The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Magruder Woods about volunteer opportunities, tidal freshwater fish in the upper Bush Center in Grasonville, MD, has a Help Friends of Magruder Woods including education, exhibition River. No experience is required. All variety of volunteer openings for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the third Saturday in maintenance, gardening, boat building, training, equipment provided. those who only want to drop in a June, July and August remove invasive marina operations and administration. ≈ Invasinators Workday: 9 –11 a.m. few times a month to assist with a plants in the forested swamp in In addition to training and enrichment June 30. Ages 14+ Remove invasive project or event, or help out on a Hyattsville, MD. Meet at farthest end trips, volunteers receive invitations to species, install native plants. Learn more regular basis. Openings include: of parking lot. Info: 301-283-0808, special events, library privileges and why nonnative invasive plants threaten helping with educational programs, [email protected], (301-442- discounts in the museum store. Free. ecosystems, removal and restoration such as School’s Out or Summer 5657 the day of event); or Colleen Preregistration is encouraged. Info: strategies, how to identify problem Camp and Creepy Crawler; guided Aistis at 301-985-5057. cbmm.org/volunteerfair. plants. Wear sturdy shoes, long kayak trips or hikes; staffing the sleeves, work gloves for field work, visitor center front desk; maintaining Become a VA Master Naturalist Lynch Cove Run Cleanup weather permitting. trails; working on landscape projects; Virginia Master Naturalists are Clean Bread and Cheese Creek, Registration is required for both the Pollinator Garden; feeding or a corps of volunteers that help Inc. needs volunteers of all ages and workdays. Info: 410-612-1688, 410- handling captive birds of prey; to manage and protect natural abilities to help with its Lynch Cove 879-2000 x1688, otterpointcreek.org. maintaining birds’ living quarters; areas through activities such as Run Cleanup 9 a.m.–2 p.m. June 22 and participating in the CBEC’s plant and animal surveys, stream along Bear Creek in Dundalk, MD. Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse team of wood duck box monitors monitoring, trail rehabilitation and Trash bags, gloves, snacks, water and The National Historic Landmark, or other wildlife initiatives. Other teaching in nature centers. Basic lunch will be provided. A limited Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, opportunities include participating training covers include ecology, number of tools are available for loan; restored by the U.S. Lighthouse in fundraising events and behind- geology, soils, native flora and fauna, please bring your own if possible. Society, which operates tours in the-scenes operations, including and habitat management. Info: Meet at the North Point Government partnership with the Annapolis website development, writing for virginiamasternaturalist.org. Center parking lot. The event supports Maritime Museum, needs volunteers. newsletters and events, developing the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit, Info: [email protected]. photo archives and supporting office American Chestnut Land Trust Water/Ways, on display at the staff. Volunteers donating more The American Chestnut Land Historical Society of Baltimore County than 100 hours of service per year Trust in Prince Frederick, MD, needs through July 6. Contact: 410-285-1202, Irvine Nature Center in Owings receive a complimentary 1-year volunteers for invasive plant removal [email protected]. Mills, MD, needs Weekend Weed family membership to the CBEC. Info: workdays 9–11 a.m. Thursdays and 10 Warriors, ages 14 & older, to remove [email protected]. a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesdays. All ages MD Volunteer Angler Survey oriental bittersweet and multiflora (16 & younger w/adult) are welcome. Anglers of all ages can become rose June 15 & 29. Training and tools Cromwell Valley Park Training, tools and water are citizen scientists by helping the are provided. Wear sturdy shoes Cromwell Valley Park in Parkville, Maryland Department of Natural that can get wet/muddy and bring MD, needs volunteers of all ages (12 Bulletin continues on page 35 Bay Journal • June 2019 35

and knowledge checks in a user- friendly format, the center provides communities with tools to better New Submission Guidelines communicate about, build and The Bay Journal regrets it is not advance. See below. enhance local stormwater programs. always able to print every notice it ≈ Submissions to Bulletin Board receives because of space limitations. must be sent either as a Word or Pages Info: mostcenter.org. Priority is given to events or programs document, or as simple text in the body that most closely relate to the of an e-mail. PDFs, newsletters or other Wetlands Work website preservation and appreciation of the formats may be considered if there is Bulletin from page 34 The Chesapeake Bay Program Bay, its watershed and resources. Items space and if information can be easily has launched Wetlands Work published in Bulletin Board are posted extracted. provided. Preregistration is required. (wetlandswork.org). The site, on the online calendar; unpublished ≈ Programs must contain all of items are posted online if staffing the following information: a phone Info: 410-414-3400, acltweb.org, developed by the Wetlands permits. Guidelines: number (include the area code) or [email protected]. Workgroup, connects agricultural ≈ Send notices to e-mail address of a contact person; landowners with people and programs [email protected]. Items sent the title, time (online calendar Ruth Swann Park that can support wetland development to other addresses are not always requires an end time as well as a start Help the Maryland Native Plant and restoration on their land. forwarded before the deadline. time), date and place of the event or Society, Sierra Club and Chapman ≈ Bulletin Board contains events program. Submissions must state if the that take place (or have registration program is free, requires a fee, has Forest Foundation 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Turf / lawn programs deadlines) on or after the 11th of the age requirements, has a registration the second Saturday in June, July and For information on the Prince month in which the item is published deadline or welcomes drop-ins. August remove invasive plants at Ruth William (County, VA) Soil & Water through the 11th of the next month. ≈ July-August issue: June 11 Swann Park in Bryans Road. Meet at Conservation District’s 12 Steps to a Deadlines run at least two months in ≈ September issue: August 11 Ruth Swann Park-Potomac Branch Greener Lawn / Building Environmental Library parking lot. Bring lunch. Info: Sustainable Turf BEST Lawns programs, [email protected], 301-283-0808, (301- low-cost, research-based programs recreation and an appreciation of RiverSmart Homes 10 a.m.–12 p.m. 442-5657 day of event). Carpoolers for lawn education, contact: 703-792- nature. The libraries, which are close June 15 in DC’s Oxon Run watershed. meet at the Sierra Club MD Chapter 4037, [email protected]. to public fishing areas, have partnered The tour includes a Q&A with DOEE office at 9 a.m. and return at 5 p.m. with local fishing clubs to ensure auditors, an interactive storm drain- Carpool contact: 301-277-7111. Severn River video library inventory levels and maintenance of marking activity, a tree planting The Severn River Association the equipment. demonstration, on-site stormwater Creek Critters app invites the public to view videos audits and children’s activities. Info: Audubon Naturalist’s Creek Critters of its John Wright Speaker Series Forums / Workshops [email protected]. app empowers people to check their presentations to learn about activities local streams’ health through finding and challenges on the Severn River. Future Harvest CASA workshops Elizabeth RIVERFest and identifying small organisms The videos are available at Upcoming workshops offered The Elizabeth River Project invites that live in freshwater streams, then severnriver.org/category/speaker-series. by the Future Harvest Chesapeake the public to Elizabeth RIVERFest generating health reports based on Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 23 (rain date what they find. The free app can Stormwater management include: 6/30) at Back Bay’s Farmhouse be downloaded from the App Store Prince William County, VA, ≈ Water, Water Everywhere! Brewing in Virginia Beach. This free and Google Play. Info: anshome. businesses and nonprofits interested 12:30–4:30 p.m. June 17. Piedmont outdoor environmental festival, which org/creek-critters. To learn about in landscaping and turf management, Environmental Council Community celebrates the river’s restoration, partnerships or host a Creek Critters stormwater pond management, Farm in Aldie, VA. Learn about includes visiting the Science Dome event: [email protected]. wildlife concerns, recommendations agricultural water risk assessment and to learn what’s in your river; the for maintaining landscapes, protecting best practices. Fee: $20. Chesapeake Mermaid; earning a Floatable monitoring program water quality and pollution prevention ≈ Introduction to Permaculture: 11 free River Star Homes Garden Flag; The Prince William Soil & Water can call the county at 703-792-6285 a.m.–6 p.m. June 29–30. Bryan Park children’s activities; Scoop the Poop Conservation District in Manassas, to schedule a free site visit. Nature Center, Richmond. Learn the Cornhole; organic lawn & garden VA, needs volunteers to help assess basic principles of permaculture, an experts; organic produce sale; local and trace trash in streams as part Bay Backpack ecological design system modeled food trucks, beer & cider; eco- of an effort to reduce nonpoint Provided by the Chesapeake Bay after patterns found in nature. Fee: friendly vendors; and live music. source pollutants in urbanized and Program’s Education Workgroup, $75/one day; $135/both days. Those who come by bicycle receive a industrialized areas in relation to Bay Backpack is an online resource ≈ Introduction to Permaculture: free bike bell while supplies last. Info: the County’s Municipal Separate for educators with information about Site Analysis for Permaculture Design: [email protected], 757-399- Storm Sewers (MS4) permit. funding opportunities, field studies, 1–4 p.m. June 30. Pearlstone Center, 7487, Elizabethriverfest.org. Cleanup supplies are provided. Info: curriculum guides and lesson plans Reisterstown, MD. In collaboration [email protected]. related to the Chesapeake. Info: with Pearlstone Center, Patty Ceglia, Edna E. Lockwood heritage tour baybackpack.com. a permaculture design expert & Greg Edna E. Lockwood, the last Resources Strella, Pearlstone’s chief stewardship historic sailing bugeye in the world 5 MD libraries offer fishing gear officer, will demonstrate and guide and queen of the Chesapeake Bay Stormwater class The Maryland Department of participants through practice site Maritime Museum’s floating fleet, has The Alliance for the Chesapeake Natural Resources’ Aquatic Resources analysis, map sketching, zone embarked on a heritage tour, traveling Bay has released the online Municipal Education Program is providing planning. Fee: $25. to ports around the Bay through Online Stormwater Training Center’s rods and reels, tackle and fishing Preregistration is required for each September. Each stop features Dig Once Course. Developed by the books geared toward children to the workshop. Enter Future Harvest CASA free, experiential programming Local Government Programs staff Eastport-Annapolis Neck Community into your search engine. and interpretation of traditional and the University of Maryland’s and Mountain Road Community Chesapeake Bay boat-building Environmental Finance Center, the libraries in Anne Arundel County; Events / Programs techniques and the oystering industry. course offers local leaders ways Westminster Branch Library in Carroll Upcoming stops include the National to integrate green infrastructure County; Brunswick Branch Library in DC RiverSmart walking tour Harbor, MD, June 16; District Wharf into community capital projects Frederick County; and Joppa Branch The Alliance for the Chesapeake Marina, Washington, DC, June 17–23; such as road construction and Library in Harford County. The goal is Bay and the District of Columbia’s and Havre de Grace (MD) Maritime school and park improvements. to foster the next generation of anglers Department of Energy and Through interactive lessons, videos, by cultivating a passion for outdoor Environment invite the public to tour Bulletin continues on page 36 36 Bay Journal • June 2019

highlighting this National Geographic must register. Info: Calvin Yowell, Easton mini habitat. Learn how to attract, Explorer and award-winning Elks Lodge #1622, 410-820-8935. help wildlife. Hands-on activities, photojournalist’s lifelong commitment crafts. No registration. to the conservation of sharks and Cromwell Valley Park ≈ BSA Environmental Science Merit the oceans. His work is on display Upcoming programs at Cromwell Badge: 9 a.m.–1 p.m. June 15, 22 [C] until Aug. 4, when it will be replaced Valley Park’s Willow Grove Nature Ages 10–17. Some pre/post work is by Virginia shark photography. Center in Parkville, MD, include: needed. Companion programs include: ≈ Law of Claw & Fang: Drop in ≈ Owl & Kestrel: 12:15–12:45 p.m. Bulletin from page 35 ≈ Shark Guts: 12:30 & 1:30 p.m. program. 1–2 p.m. June 15. All ages. June 15, 22 & 29 [C] All ages. Meet daily June 15–Sept. 2 at the summer Learn about food chains, help to two of North America’s smallest birds Museum, July 6-8. All ports of call outdoor amphitheater. Get up-close feed the park’s animals. Free. No of prey: the American kestrel and are weather dependent. The full with a variety of shark meals, learn how registration. eastern screech owl. No registration. schedule is found at a shark’s teeth determine what it eats. ≈ Father’s Day Nature Quest Hike: ≈ Discovering Lichens: 10–10:45 cbmmshipyard.org/ednalockwood. ≈ Shark Secrets: 12, 1 & 2 p.m. daily Drop-in program. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. June a.m. June 23 [C] Ages 10+ Look for June 15–Sept. 2 on the museum’s main 16. All ages. Bring Dad and Wegmans this delicate group of fungi growing Plankton program at Ladew level. Learn how sharks survive in an Nature Quest booklet (or get booklet on trees, logs. Bring water bottle, Ladew Topiary Gardens in array of environments — and meet at park). Hike to find Quest Trail magnifying glass if possible. Walk is Jarrettsville, MD, is presenting Family some animals up-close. markers. Later, return to the center weather dependent. Nature Explorers / Playing With Museum admission is $20/adults; to pick up a CVP sticker. Free. No ≈ Bird Walk at Cash Lake: 8–10 Plankton 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. July 13. $15/ages 3-12. Info: thevlm.org, registration. a.m. June 29 [C] Ages 5+ (no strollers, Participants (ages 3+ w/adult) will 757-595-1900. ≈ Summer Solstice Campfire: parent participation & registration look at these tiny animals through 8–9:30 p.m. June 21. All ages. Bake required)) Take a leisurely 2-mile walk a microscope and hike along the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse s’mores around the fire. Fee: $5. searching for birds. Bring binoculars, Nature Walk trail to explore water The Annapolis Maritime Museum ≈ Wild Summer Salad on Your Own water bottle. Walk is weather features for microscopic aquatic life. is offering tours of the Thomas Point Pizza: 1–3 p.m. June 23. All ages. dependent. Fee: $18/ adult; $15/senior & $9/ Shoal Lighthouse 9–11 a.m. & 12–2 Collect wild edibles, bake a pizza in ≈ Bicycle Ride: 1–3:30 p.m. child. Preregistration required. Info: p.m. June 15 and July 6, 13 & 27. The the earth oven. Fee: $7. June 30. [T] Ages 10+ Learn the ladewgardens.com, 410-557-9570. tour include 30-minute boat rides ≈ Identifying Pollinators: 1–2 p.m. importance of reducing one’s to and from the lighthouse, with June 29. Ages 5+ Without pollination, footprint, leaving no trace on 12-mile Mount Harmon Plantation opportunities to photograph it from there would be no food, flowers, or guided ride. Discover local wildlife, Mount Harmon Historic Plantation many angles, and a one-hour interior trees. Discover which pollinators live plants, historical sites. Bring bike, and Nature Preserve in Earleville, tour, where visitors, who must be 12 in the park. Free. energy bar/snack, water bottle, MD, invites the public to a Sultana- & older, learn about the light’s history, ≈ Summer Adventure Trek: Drop helmet. Ride is weather dependent. Guided Kayak Paddle & House Tour, the life of a keeper and the role of the in program. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. June 30. All programs are free; donations 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. June 13. Launch U.S. Coast Guard. Tours require some All ages. Start at the nature center for are appreciated. Except where noted, from the plantation’s waterfront to physical exertion. Tickets are $80 and a self-guided journey, then return to programs are designed for individuals/ explore the pristine headwaters of help fund the lighthouse’s restoration. pick up a prize. Free. No registration. families and require preregistration. the Sassafras, which includes some Info: amaritime.org, uslhs.org. ≈ Poisonous Plants & Animals: 1–2:30 Contact: 301-497-5887. For disability- of the best blue heron habitat on the p.m. July 6. Ages 5+ Learn how to related accommodations, notify Bay. Later, tour the manor house. Fee: Boating safety classes identify, avoid poison ivy, cherry leaves, the refuge, giving as much notice $30. Preregistration required. Info: U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary nightshade, copperheads. Fee: $4. as possible. Info: fws.gov/refuge/ mountharmon.org, 410-275-8819, Flotilla 25-08 is offering Boating ≈ Wild Edibles: 1–3 p.m. July 7. Adults. Patuxent, fws.gov/refuge/Patuxent/ [email protected]. Safety classes 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. June Collect wild edibles, use the earth oven visit/PublicPrograms.html. 15 and July 20 at the Washington to cook what is found. Fee: $7. Sharks at VA Living Museum Farm United Methodist Church in ≈ Boy Scout Day: 1–3 p.m. July 13. Anita Leight Estuary Center The Virginia Living Museum in Alexandria, VA. Learn about boat Lion, Tiger & Wolf Cubs. Meet some Programs at the Anita C. Leight Newport News invites the public to handling and regulations, nautical of Maryland’s animals, go outside Estuary Center in Abingdon, MD, its summer exhibit, SHARK ZONE, “rules of the road,” trailering and to explore their habitat. Participants include: which run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily required gear. Virginia, Maryland and receive a Cromwell Valley Park patch. ≈ 3rd Annual Youth Fishing Derby: through Sept. 2. Guests can view the District of Columbia have varying No siblings. Fee: $5. 9–11 a.m. June 15. Meet at ACLEC life-size replicas of six shark species; requirements for boaters before Ages 12 & younger must be Pontoon Pier. Ages 6–13. Learn the touch live catsharks and skates; they may legally operate certain accompanied by an adult. Except basics of fishing. Participants may enter a shark cage to come face- motorized vessels on their respective where noted, preregistration bring their own rods & reels and to-face with a full-size great white waterways. Each jurisdiction has some is required for all programs. tackle; a limited number will be shark replica; use a computer kiosk requirement for a safe boating class. Info: cromwellvalleypark. available to borrow. Sponsored by to track more than 20 tagged great Preregistration is required. Info: campbrainregistration.com, 410-887- the Otter Point Creek Alliance and white shark locations in the world’s [email protected], 703-307-6482. 2503, [email protected], the Izaak Walton League of America, oceans; and explore websites with The auxiliary’s website, wow.uscgaux. cromwellvalleypark.org. For disability- Harford County Chapter. Fee: $5. shark-themed games & quizzes. info/content.php?unit=B-DEPT, also related accommodations, call 410-887- ≈ Hart Miller Island Adventure In the Shark Research Station play features boating safety tools, materials. 5370 or 410-887-5319 (TTY), giving as Kayak: 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. June 15. area, children can capture one of much notice as possible. Meet at Rocky Point Beach Park. five plush shark species and use MD youth fishing rodeos Adults / experienced kayakers. Paddle medical equipment to perform The MD DNR Fishing & Boating roughly 1.5 miles from Rocky Point to critical tests before releasing them Services are running a free Youth Upcoming programs at the north of Drum Point on Hart-Miller back into the ocean. Outside, at Fishing Rodeo for ages 3–15 at 8:30 Patuxent Research Refuge’s North Island. Bring a lunch to eat on the Fossil Beach, visitors can dig in a pit a.m. July 13 at the Bay 7 Street Ponds in Tract [T] and National Wildlife Visitor beach. Take a bird hike on island for real fossil shark teeth, identify Easton. Participants learn basic angling Center [C] in Laurel, MD, include: trails. Fee: $16 plus admission to the shark they came from, then take skills; develop an understanding of the ≈ Family Fun / Welcome Wildlife To Rocky Point Beach Park. home a souvenir fossil shark tooth. environment and natural resources; and Your Yard: Drop-in program. ≈ Children’s Garden Club: 10:30– In the photo gallery, SHARKS: On have an experience that fosters interest 10 a.m.–1 p.m. June 14 & 15 [C] All 11:30 a.m. June 15. Ages 5–8. Cook, Assignment with Brian Skerry features in conservation and fishing. Because of ages. One doesn’t need a big yard — 35 large-scale images and videos space limitations, would-be attendees even a small balcony can provide a Bulletin continues on page 37 Bay Journal • June 2019 37

provided during event. Fee: $50 per Kayak Instructors at a 5-to-1 ratio. rookery. Fee: $20. Preregistration pair per session. Course includes pre-paddling required; Info: cbmm.org/onthewater. ≈ Owl Prowl: 8–9:30 p.m. June preparation; equipment overview; ≈ Open Boat Shop: 5:30–8:30 14. Ages 8+ Learn about, look for stroke development; maneuvers; p.m. June 20, July 25 & Aug. 22. Maryland’s native owls in the woods. self-rescue; rules of the water. This Experienced and novice woodworkers, All minors must be accompanied by a is a skills-based course with an ages 16+ (unless accompanied registered parent/guardian. Fee: $7. optional assessment that provides by an adult) can work on a small ≈ Weeklong Adventure: 9 a.m. –3 the participant with an opportunity woodworking project, or bring ideas Bulletin from page 36 p.m. June 17–21 or July 15–19. Ages to receive documentation of having for a future project to receive guidance 6–11. Explore the trails, participate in achieved a certain level of paddling from an experienced shipwright and create, explore while discovering experiments, make crafts, play games, ability. Cost: $80, plus a kayak and woodworker, as well as help with a garden’s connection to the wild end the week paddling on Deer equipment rental fee of $20. Those CBMM’s machinery and tools while world. Fee: $5/child. Creek. Fee: $175 for each week. seeking the optional assessment pay working on their project. Fee: $35. ≈ Critter Dinner Time: 1:30 p.m. ≈ Eden Mill Summer Paint Night / an additional $15 and will need to Preregistration required: June 15. All ages. Learn about turtles, Dragonfly: 6–8 p.m. June 21. Adults. acquire an ACA membership prior to cbmm.org/shipyardprograms. fish, snakes while watching them eat. Complete a 14" x 18" acrylic painting class. Preregistration required. Info: ≈ Paddle with the President: Free. No registration. on canvas. Instruction provided during bayrestoration.org/kayaking. 5:30–7:30 p.m. June 25 (rain date ≈ Father’s Day Fishing Fun: 1–2:30 event. Fee: $40. 6/27). Join CBMM President Kristen p.m. June 16. Ages 5+ See how many ≈ Introduction to Tandem Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Greenaway for a relaxed paddle kinds of fish are caught with a 100- Canoeing: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. June 23. Upcoming events at the on the , demonstration foot seine net. Participants will get Ages 14+ Learn to launch, maneuver Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in of how to use a Greenland paddle. wet. Fee: $3. a 2-person canoe in flatwater St. Michaels, MD, include: Fee: $20/paddlers bringing their ≈ Kids-n-Canoes: 10–12 p.m. June conditions Basic information on ≈ Blacksmithing Workshops: own kayak; $35/paddlers renting a 22. Ages 5+ Young children will be canoes, equipment, safety and rescue 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. June 15 or 16. kayak/gear. Bring water, head lamp. taught paddling safety, basic strokes techniques included. Fee: $50. Learn the basics of blacksmithing, Preregistration required. Info: before venturing into Otter Point ≈ Wee Wonders Summer: techniques for forging small projects cbmm.org/Greenawaypaddle. Creek. Fee: $12. 9:30–11:30 a.m. July 15–19. Ages 2–5. such as nails, wall hooks, forks, ≈ Winnie Estelle Cruise / Log ≈ Summer Solstice Celebration Nature games, activities, story, craft, bottle openers. Bring home a hand- Canoe Races: 1:30–3:30 p.m. June Canoe: 1–3:30 p.m. June 22. Ages 8+ hike. Fee: $90. forged project. Materials, basic tools 29 & 9:30–11:30 June 30. Watch the Learn about solstice lore. Fee: $12. ≈ Sunrise/Sunset Canoe Trips: provided. Bring a lunch. Fee: $100. sailing log canoe races on the Miles ≈ Tails & Tots: 3:30 p.m. June 23. 5:45–8:15 p.m. Tuesdays & Thursdays Preregistration required. Info: River. With long masts and large Ages 6 & younger. Listen to stories, in June, September & October cbmm.org/shipyardprograms. sails, these boats keep upright as learn new songs, move like the through Oct. 13 and 9–11:30 a.m. ≈ Ecology Cruise / Winnie Estelle: they accelerate to speeds of 10 knots animals. Free. No registration. Saturdays in July & August. 5:45–8:15 10–11:30 a.m. June 20. Board or more, thanks to crew members ≈ Chesapeake Canoers Camp: p.m. Thursdays, in July & August. Fee the buyboat Winnie Estelle for climbing to the ends of 15-foot 9 a.m.–4 p.m. June 25–28. Ages of $8 includes all equipment. an exploration of the Miles River. boards that hang off the side of the 11–15 (parents do not attend). Paddle Preregistration is required for all Participants will learn how to monitor canoe. The cruises include photo Harford County’s waters learning programs and closes 24 hours in the water quality of the river, perform opportunities, commentary from about their plants, animals. Fee: $120. advance of each program. Weekend water testing, look for animals on an CBMM’s docents, crew. Cruises are ≈ Caught on Camera: 10 a.m.–1:30 program registration closes at noon on oyster reef. The route passes near dependent on marine conditions. Fee: p.m. June 29. All ages. Learn from the prior Friday. Info: 410-836-3050, Long Point Island, known for its eagle $35. Preregistration required. Info: wildlife cameras what animals have [email protected], and osprey populations and heron cbmm.org/onthewater. been lurking in the park’s woods. edenmill.org. Take a short hike to retrieve cameras, return to center for the reveal. Free. Kayaking at the CBEC ≈ Broad Creek Kayak: 1–3:30 The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Chesapeake Challenge p.m. June 29. Ages 8+ Meet at Broad Center in Grasonville, MD, is offering Answers to Eating on the Fly on page 38. Creek Public Landing. Explore this kayak tours and classes to increase tributary of the lower Susquehanna the appreciation, knowledge and 1. Chimney Swift 2. Eastern Phoebe 3. Chuck-will’s widow River. Fee: $12. stewardship of the Chesapeake 4. Acadian Flycatcher ≈ What’s the Buzz? 1–2:30 p.m. ecosystem: June 30. Ages 8+ Learn about ≈ Guided Kayak Tour: 10 a.m. Bay Buddies pollinators. Treat included. Fee: $3. June 23. Beginner to intermediate Except for camp, ages 12 & kayakers. Look for wildlife while Answers to Ruby Throated Hummingbird on page 38. younger must be accompanied by an exploring Marshy Creek with a self- adult for all programs. Events meet at provided snack break at the halfway 1. D 2. B 3. D 4. True, they can only shuffle along a perch. 5. C the center and require preregistration point. Instruction on equipment, 6. A 7. D 8. D 9. True 10. B unless otherwise noted. Payment paddling/safety techniques, loading is due at time of registration. Info: & unloading vessels included. Feeder Tips for Happy & Healthy Hummingbirds 410-612-1688, 410-879-2000 x1688, Fee of $20 includes kayaks, otterpointcreek.org. equipment. Preregistration required: Want to put out a hummingbird feeder? Here are rules to remember: bayrestoration.org/guided-kayak-tours. ≈ Place a feeder high enough so cats, which prey on birds, can’t reach it. ≈ ACA Level 1 – Introduction Upcoming programs at Eden Mill to Kayaking: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. July 7. ≈ Do not hang the feeder close to windows, otherwise a bird might Nature Center in Pylesville, MD, Beginner to intermediate kayakers accidentally fly into them. include: interested in traditional decked ≈ Table sugar is best. Do not dye the water. It isn’t necessary. ≈ Child & Adult Paint Evenings: kayaks, inflatables, and sit-on- ≈ Change the water before it grows cloudy or discolored, which are 6-8 p.m. June 14 (Turtle); June 28 tops (spray skirts not used in this signs of bacteria. (Fish); July 5 (Sea Turtle); July 12 course). Classes include two hours ≈ In hot weather, change the water frequently. Heat can quickly ferment (Gecko). Ages 5–10 w/adult. Child of dry land instruction and three & adult each complete a 14"x 18" hours of on-water instruction on the sugar into alcohol, which is toxic. acrylic painting on canvas. Instruction calm, flat water with certified ACA 38 Bay Journal • June 2019

places that protect their young from Eating on the Fly weather and most predators. It is a weather-hardy bird — one of the Ever been in such a rush that you said, last migrants to leave in the fall and among “After I eat, I have to fly?” These birds have the first to return come spring. While most you beat. They capture and eat their prey on the fly. Here are the descriptions of an birds learn to sing from others in its flock, Acadian flycatcher, chimney swift, chuck- this bird, even when raised in isolation, will’s widow and eastern phoebe. Can you perfectly sings its song, which also hap- match them up? Answers are on page 37. pens to be its name. 1. This bird eats about a third of its 3. This, the largest nightjar in North weight every day in insects, and it is esti- America at 11–13 inches, says its name in mated that a pair of adults tending to three a repetitive, usually nocturnal, song. nestlings eat the weight equivalent of at This bird hunts at dawn and dusk, and Acadian Flycatcher (Tnolley) least 5,000–6,000 housefly-size bugs per Chimney Swift occasionally on overcast afternoons. It day. Flying (Jim McCulloch / CC by 2.0) is not unusual to see dozens of this bird the ground. When the nest is disturbed, insects — together chasing insects — especially large the parents will move the eggs or small wasps, bees, landing at its nest (almost always attached moths and beetles. The long bristle-like nestlings to another spot. whiteflies, to a manmade structure) or to roost for the feathers on its bill help to funnel insects It hates snakes! If the bird spots one, it stoneflies, night. It drinks and bathes midair by skim- into its mouth and prevent them from lands nearby, hissing and opening its large mayflies, and ming water surfaces, shaking the water off escaping. Its bill is only 0.5 inches, but it mouth to try to scare the snake away. even airborne in flight. It even breaks twigs off trees for can open its mouth up to 2 inches wide, 4. This bird is an excellent flier, so spiders drift- its nest midflight. allowing it to swallow warblers, wrens and maneuverable that it can hover and even ing on their When not flying, this species doesn’t hummingbirds when insects are scarce. fly backward. It has yet to be seen walking threads — make up 95% of its diet. perch like most birds. It clings to vertical When it is molting, and not as adept at or hopping. It perches in the middle of a This bird frequently hunts in a group. It surfaces, a feat made possible by its very flying, this bird will eat small frogs. tree, then darts out to snag flies, mosqui- is aided by its wide, gaping mouth and short legs and small feet with 4 long claws This bird is found near swamps, dry toes, moths and flying ants. It also gleans speed: It averages 18 –30 miles per hour, that resemble grappling hooks. woodlands and pine barrens. Its eggs spiders, caterpillars (and the occasional but can reach bursts of 100 mph. 2. Twitching only its tail (a clue to its ID), are laid on a cushion of dead leaves on berry or seed) while hovering over plants. This bird flies constantly, usually only this bird perches on a low branch, ready This bird bathes midflight by diving into to swoop and capture any passing water, then perching on a branch to prey. Prey includes wasps, beetles, shake off the water and preen. It breeds dragonflies, butterflies, moths, flies, in beech-maple hemlock forests, usually cicadas, spiders, ticks, millipedes, near water or wet, wooded ravines in the ants, bees and grasshoppers, as eastern United States and southwestern well as small fish and crustaceans Ontario. Both parents take care of the in shallow water. Occasionally, young, which fledge about 15 days after it hovers near foliage, picking off hatching. Mom usually starts to incubate insects, fruit or seeds. another clutch at that point, while dad This bird is found in open wood- continues to tend to the fledglings. Hear land and farms, often near water. an explosive tee-chup/peet-sa in the It is increasingly found in suburbs woods around twilight? Keep an eye out where it builds its nest under eaves, Eastern Phoebe for this bird. Chuck-will’s Widow (Dick Daniels / CC by-SA 3.0) overhanging decks and bridges, (John Benson / CC by 2.0) — Kathleen A. Gaskell

The ruby-throated hum- rates been recorded? What include flying up, down, D. Peas mingbird, which eats in is the breathing rate of a backward and sideways. 9. True or false? Accord- midflight, is the most wide- hummer, even at rest? D. It can stop flying in ing to the North American spread of all hummingbird A. Heart rate up to 855 an instant and change Breeding Bird Survey, ruby- species. How widespread Bay Buddies beats per minute; breathing directions. throat populations steadily is your knowledge about rate of about 175 breaths 7. Ruby-throats mostly increased every year from this incredible bird? See Ruby-throated per minute build their tiny, thimble- 1966 to 2014. page 37 for the answers Hummingbird B. Heart: 950; breathing: shaped nests on slender and how to best and safely 200 breaths 10. Ruby-throats, in just branches of deciduous one flight, travel from the attract hummingbirds to a C. Heart: 1,045; breathing: trees, 10–40 feet in the air. A. Aerial ballet Eastern United States to the feeder. 222 breaths What materials are used to B. Aerial dogfight D. Heart: 1,260; breathing: The ruby-throated hum- edge of the Gulf of Mexico 1. What do ruby- make a nest? (about 1,865 miles). There, throated hummingbirds C. Aerial huddle 250 breaths mingbird is the only hummer A. Down from thistles & D. Aerial jumping beans to breed in the Eastern United they refuel before continu- eat? 4. True or false? Ruby- dandelions ing to their winter homes A. Nectar from flowers, 3. Hummingbirds’ meta- throats’ leg are so short States. (Bill Buchanan / U.S. B. Pine resin Fish and Wildlife Service) in Central America. That’s usually red or orange and bolic rates are among the they cannot hop or walk? C. Lichen, moss & spider a lot of wing flaps! On tubular highest of any animal. The 5. Ruby-throats have the size, ruby-throats can silk average, how often do B. Mosquitoes, gnats, average normal heart rate least number of feathers fall prey to insect-eating D. All of the above hummingbirds flap their fruit flies, small bees & for adult humans ranges of any bird. How many animals. Which of these 8. Ruby-throats lay 1–3 wings per second? spiders from 60-100 beats per do they have, on average? abilities is not a defense eggs per brood, which A. 30–70 times per C. Tree sap minutes. Normal breathing A. 540 against predators? hatch in 12–14 days. They second D. All of the above rates for adult humans B. 780 A. It emits a foul smell are about the size of… ? B. 40–80 times 2. Which best describes a range from 12–16 breaths C. 940 when being chased. A. BBs C. 50–90 times group of male ruby-throats per minute. How high D. 1,180 B. It can fly 25 mph. B. Cherries D. 60–100 times at a feeder? have hummingbirds’ heart 6. Because of their tiny C. Its dodging maneuvers C. Marbles — Kathleen A. Gaskell Bay Journal • June 2019 39 Fed-ag partnership helps dickcissel to keep to cropping up in fields By Mike Burke Dickcissels eat both insects and seeds during our summer. We were driving slowly west along But during the nonbreeding Powder Mill Road when my wife, Pat, months their diet is almost spotted a blue bird perched on a post. exclusively seeds. And that, as I pulled over and carefully backed you will see, is a problem. up a bit, just in time to see the indigo In the fall, dickcissels gather bunting fly off. But with no road noise, into ever-larger flocks before we could hear a different bird singing heading south. They range down away nearby. It only took a minute to through Mexico before settling find the songster sitting atop a fence. in Central America and northern He made a couple of soft buzzy South America. notes followed by a brief pause and Just as its breeding range is then, “DIK-DIK-ciss-ciss-cissa.” He sharply focused, so, too, is its repeated the song over-and-over again. winter habitat geographically This was a dickcissel (Spiza Ameri- centered. The seasonally flooded cana ) singing out his name. grasslands of Venezuela teem Powder Mill Road bisects the Belts- with dickcissels in January and ville Agricultural Research Center, February. Millions inhabit this the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s area, called the llanos. flagship research facility. Buildings, Today, biologists worry more barns and fields are spread out over about the bird’s fate on its winter 6,500 acres. The dickcissel was near habitat in Venezuela than its one of the dairy barns and its pasture. breeding areas in the United Dickcissels are grassland special- States. ists. Their core breeding area covers The llanos have been con- the continent’s great prairie stretching verted to cropland where farmers from South Dakota to Oklahoma. So, grow rice and sorghum. The what was it doing in Maryland? Dick- growth of a perfect food source cissels are great wanderers, spreading (seeds) in the region supports in small numbers from here to the enormous flocks of dickcissels. Colorado foothills every summer. But farmers view the birds Looking like a miniature meadow- as highly destructive. Among lark, the male dickcissel has a yellow the lethal countermeasures they breast with a large black V bordering have employed is heavy pesticide its white chin. He has a bright yellow spraying at night where the birds eyebrow and narrow vertical yellow roost. One farmer told research- stripes on his throat. The belly, vent ers that he killed more than a and underwings are pale gray. On top, million birds by spraying. he’s a mixture of browns and blacks Today, it is unlawful to kill with rich chestnut shoulders. these birds using pesticides, but The female lacks the central black the conflict between farmer and chest marking, and her colors are paler bird continues. Adherence to the versions of her mate’s. Both sexes have Dickcissels are among the most numerous breeding birds in North America. Partners in Flight law is uneven, especially since large, seed-crunching bills. estimates there are 27 million of them. (RebelAt @ English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0) the country’s political turmoil Dickcissels are among the most began. numerous breeding birds in North populations began with the advent of Back in Beltsville, the dickcissel America. Partners in Flight estimates annual breeding bird surveys in 1966. seemed content to sit and sing. The there are 27 million of them. Most By then, the number of dickcissels bird’s patience gave me a moment to migrate from South America, and they had already declined because of con- consider the different treatments of arrive in the United States in May and stricting habitat. The decline continued the species between its breeding and generally depart by September. for another decade before the popula- winter habitats. Nests are usually built in dense tion finally stabilized. (In a wonder- Here, the government works in a grasses, a bit off the ground. The ful serendipity, the U.S. Geological coordinated, albeit imperfect, way to female dickcissel constructs a small Survey’s office that administers the help the species recover. cup nest shortly after arriving in the authoritative Breeding Bird Survey, is In Venezuela, near-anarchy pre- breeding area. located at the Beltsville Agricultural vails. Basic government services are She lays three to six eggs and will Research Center.) faltering and programs to aid birds are incubate them 12–13 days. Although In the last dozen years or so, the an afterthought at best. they are born helpless and blind, USDA’s Conservation Reserve Pro- It is a stark reminder that govern- chicks grow rapidly and fledge just gram has been effective in reclaiming ment, when properly funded and eight to 10 days after hatching. grasslands in the mid United States. efficiently run, can be both a partner Male dickcissels are extremely The program pays farmers a modest with farmers and an effective agent for protective of their territory. Vigilance fee to voluntarily take some land out ecological good. is needed because males often stray younger and less experienced broth- of production to foster conservation That powerful message is brought into nearby territories to mate with ers, which is why so many birds in objectives. Tens of thousands of acres to us by a wandering dickcissel. We other females. Most nests end up with peripheral breeding areas are male. The are now returning to native grasslands would do well to heed it. eggs fertilized by more than one father. dickcissel we saw fit that description. where dickcissels and other grassland Mike Burke, an amateur naturalist, Successful males drive out their Systematic recordkeeping of bird species can thrive. lives in Chevrely, MD. June / 2019 Volume 29 Number 4 The Bay Journal NONPROFIT ORG. P.O. Box 222 U.S. POSTAGE Jacobus, PA 17407-0222 PAID DULLES VA PERMIT # 234

The Bay Journal is printed on 100% recyclable/recycled paper using vegetable-based inks. www.bayjournal.com Plants & pollinators: Can’t have one without the other By Kathy Reshetiloff

Plants, like animals, must create offspring for the next generation. One way they do this is by producing seeds that con- tain the genetic information ture varies by the type of to grow a new plant. Seeds pollinators that visit them. develop when pollen is Pollinators provide ser- transferred between flowers vices to more than 180,000 of the same plant species. different plant species and Pollination is the act of more than 1,200 crops. That transferring pollen grains means that one out of every from the male part of a three bites of food you eat flower, the anther, to the is there because of pollina- female part, the stigma. tors. In addition to the food About 80% of all plants are that we eat, pollinators are pollinated by pollinators, needed for a majority of the such as bats, birds and native plants that provide insects. The remaining 20% food and habitat for other A hummingbird moth visits wild bergamot. (Chelsi Hornbaker / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) are pollinated by wildlife and are wind and water. the foundation Plants and Plants and for healthy Flora to attract your favorite fauna pollinators have pollinators have ecosystems. Here are a few common Shape: Large funnel-like or Butterflies co-evolved Many characteristics of flowers cups Color: Bright, including physical char- co-evolved physical pollinators are and the pollinators they Bees red, purple acteristics that declining due attract. Note: This is not Scent: Faint but fresh make them more characteristics that to the loss of Color: Bright white, yellow, likely to interact make them more feeding and an all-inclusive list. blue Shape: Narrow tube with spur, wide landing pad successfully. The nesting habitat. Birds Scent: Fresh, mild, pleasant plants benefit likely to interact Pollution, misuse Shape: Shallow, with Color: Orange, red, white Moths from attracting successfully. of chemicals, landing platform, tubular a particular type disease and Scent: None Color: Pale, white, and dull of pollinator to changes in climate A zebra red, purple, pink its flower, ensuring that its are contributing to shrinking swallow- Scent: Strong sweet; pollen will be carried to pollinator populations. tail emitted at night another flower of the same What can you do? Create butterfly Shape: Regular, tubular species and result in success- pollinator-friendly habitat visits a without a lip ful reproduction. with native flowering plants butterfly Different plants have that supply pollinators with weed. Beetles evolved to flower at different nectar, pollen and homes. To (Kathy Color: Dull white, green times throughout the grow- find out what native plants Reshetiloff / Scent: None to strongly ing season. This decreases are best for your area, visit U.S. competition for pollinators Pollinator Planting Guides Fish and fruity or fetid and provides pollinators with (pollinator.org/guides) and Wildlife Shape: Large, bowl-like a constant supply of food. type in your zip code. Or, Service) The pollinator benefits download The Bee Smart™ Flies from its adaptation to a Pollinator Gardener app Color: Pale, dull to dark particular flower type by (pollinator.org/beesmartapp. brown or purple flecked ensuring that it will be htm) on your smart phone. with translucent patches able to find important food Kathy Reshetiloff is with Scent: Putrid resources — nectar and the U.S. Fish and Wildife Shape: Shallow, funnel-like pollen. The flower’s shape, Service’s Chesapeake Bay or complex & trap-like color, odor, nectar and struc- Field Office in Annapolis.