Chesapeake Bay Foundation Blog

Update on WAMU Interview

You can catch Will Baker's interview with Kojo Nnamdi here. Note: The Chesapeake Bay segment is the last one of the hour, so when you open your audio player, advance to the 39:58 mark (click on image for larger view).

Will Baker on NPR Today

Will Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, will join host Kojo Nnamdi at noon today on "The Politics Hour with Kojo and Jonetta" on WAMU 88.5FM in Washington D.C.

From Kojo's website -- "Politicians love to talk about cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. But every political season, it seems that bold talk rarely translates into bold actions. (On today's show) we consider the politics of pollution in our region."

If you can't listen on the radio, the podcast should be available about an hour after the show ends.

Report Bad Water Quality

1.866.666.9260
Write that number down.

The news this summer has been dismal. Three-hundred-thousand fish dead in Mattox Creek off the Potomac River in July. Twenty thousand in Weems Creek in June. A six-mile-long algal bloom in the Potomac.

We want to know more about what's going on in our rivers and Bay, and we need your help to do it.

If you see or hear about something troubling on the water —like an algal bloom, fish kill, or "crab jubilee"—inform the proper authorities and call CBF'S Bad Water Strike Force Hotline at 1.866.666.9260.

When you call, you'll be asked for some basic information, including:

• Where and when did the event happen?
• What did the water look like?
• Were there dead fish? If so, how many, what kind, big or small?
• What were the weather conditions?
• Have you or can you take a picture of the event?
• Have you contacted the appropriate state agency?

At the end of the summer, CBF will use your data to develop a report on bad water events in the region.  We will share the report with government officials and urge them to support funding for Bay restoration. We'll also share the report with you.

Calling all Chesapeake Bay Anglers: Reward -- Striped bass wearing green tags

Biologists want to study the striped bass they tagged earlier to see whether the striped bass have gotten sicker, healthier or stayed the same. The results could guide Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) officials in responding to mycobacteriosis, a mysterious wasting disease that now infects more than half the Chesapeake Bay's striped bass. The tags include a toll-free number to call.

Anglers get $5 for calling in a catch, or $20 if they keep the fish on ice for scientists to retrieve.  (from WMDT- 45)

Starbucks teams up with CBF

Bring a Cup. Save the Bay.

CBF and Starbucks Coffee Company have joined forces to bring awareness to what people can do to protect the Chesapeake Bay, its rivers, and streams. All you have to do is come to one of the 400 Starbucks company-owned stores in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington, D.C. and buy your favorite drink. If you bring your own tumbler, Starbucks will fill up your cup AND donate 10 cents from the purchase price to CBF. The offer runs from April 3 to May 14, 2007.

If you don't have a tumbler, get a free one (while supplies last) from 6 to 9:30 a.m. April 3 outside select Washington, D.C.-area Metro stations, including Bethesda, Metro Center, and Farragut North.

Play with your food

Experience Crab Kwon Do

QuickTime (3.81MB)  Windows Media (3.09MB)

The Chesapeake Club's homeowner-oriented "Save The Crabs. Then Eat 'Em." ad campaign has got to be one of the most creative we've seen in a long time. An initiative of the Chesapeake Bay Program, these delectable radio, tv, print, and billboard ads are making their way to Hampton Roads and Richmond after a two-year run in Washington, D.C.

If you haven't seen them yet, or don't want to wait, check them out at http://www.chesapeakeclub.org/media.htm

Check out their list of crab-friendly lawn and landscaping services, too.

Wetlands' future depends on education

If you're looking for a good article about the importance of wetlands and the challenges they are facing in the Chesapeake Bay watershed this article from The Daily Times is a must-read.

What have we been doing for 19 years?

An article in today's Washington Post includes the following quote from J. Charles Fox, a former head of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources about efforts over the past 19 years to clean up the Chesapeake Bay:

"We have done a truly tremendous job of defining the problem, and we have done a truly tremendous job of defining the solution. But we have not yet succeeded in actually implementing the solution."

National and local legislators throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed will be tackling tough questions during this session. Keep David Fahrenthold's article in mind when the time comes to decide what efforts need your support.

More from the Washington Post:

• A picture is worth a thousand words. What will you do to protect the beauty of the Bay?
• Staggering amounts of work and funding are still needed.

National River Cleanup Week

American Rivers and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters have set National River Cleanup Week for June 2-10, 2007. Organize a cleanup or find a cleanup near you.

What's next for Blue Plains?

In December, EPA issued a draft pollution discharge permit for the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant that mandated an annual load limit of 4.689 million pounds, the cap needed to meet Chesapeake Bay restoration goals – the new limit would require a reduction of more than 1 million pounds from their existing annual loads. Blue Plains will need to upgrade its plant in order to comply with the new, more stringent limits.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that EPA did not include a compliance schedule -- timelines and milestones for the plant upgrade -- in the draft permit that has been out for public review (the comment period ends today). Instead they have indicated they will put the schedule into "another legally enforceable document," likely by modifying the existing consent decree between EPA and the DC Water & Sewer Authority. A consent decree cannot be challenged the way a permit can. Therefore, EPA has cut the public out of the opportunity to review and comment on either Blue Plains' schedule for upgrading or on the interim limits to be set (if any) until the upgrade is complete.

Did you know… The Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant, located in Washington, DC is, by far, the largest point source of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  In fact, according to EPA, it is the largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the world. The plant has a design capacity to treat 370 million gallons of sewage per day and on average, it discharges more than 6 million pounds of nitrogen per year into the Potomac River.

New Reef Initiative Launched

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in partnership with Coastal Conservation Association Maryland (CCA MD) and over 30 conservation organizations, corporations, foundations and outdoor recreational groups launched the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative (MARI) to raise funds to facilitate development of marine habitat enhancement projects.

The catalyst for the program is the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which is available to be used for marine and fish habitat, but for which the cost of transportation and deployment is required. The Wilson Bridge offers the opportunity to build out up to a dozen separate reefs in Maryland's portion of Chesapeake Bay. The initial focus of MARI will be to acquire the Wilson Bridge for reef habitat, but ultimately other projects in the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coast will be initiated.

In conjunction with the launch announcement of MARI, DNR is releasing for public comment the first ever Maryland Artificial Reef Plan. The plan is both a historical reference document of past artificial reef work in Maryland waters, and a planning and management tool for future reef development. The Maryland Artificial Reef Plan will be the blueprint for future artificial reef projects. It is modeled after the National Artificial Reef Plan, and was written with the feedback of major fisheries stakeholder groups in Maryland. The public comment period will run through January 31. To view the entire plan (1.3 MB) go to http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/reefs/MDReefPlanFinalDraft.pdf. Send comments to Martin Gary (mlgary@dnr.state.md.us).