The Starbucks Foundation, whose mission is "to create opportunities for youth to learn, serve & grow their natural potential to reinvent the world," has made a generous $50,000 grant to support CBF's Student Leadership efforts, providing a huge funding boost for the program.
In addition, from now through June 3rd, bring your own travel mug when you buy a drink at Starbucks and they'll donate 10-cents to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Watch history in action as three boats, each a unique modern interpretation of the vessel Captain John Smith used to explore the Chesapeake Bay 400 years ago, race around Annapolis Harbor on Saturday, May 3 at high noon. Who got it right? The boat built by the Reedville Fishermen's Museum, Deltaville Maritime Museum, or Sultana Projects in Chestertown?
The race is part of the Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival and celebrates Bay sailing history and the creation of the new Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
Admission is free. For more information, visit the Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival website http://www.mdmhf.org/view.asp?id=526&page=32732
Photo by Raynell Smith, Deltaville Maritime Museum Director, last August when the Shallops met in Deltaville.
click on images to enlarge
Now that March has come and gone and we’re into April, there’s quite a bit of progress to report. The first three guitars are now finished, and work is well underway on the other three.
Ladies’ Night: inlayed onto the Peruvian Walnut backed guitar, depicts female crabs foraging through eelgrass.
Heron Sunset: inlayed onto the Brazilian Kingwood backed guitar, depicts a setting sun silhouetting a great blue heron, with a close-up on the neck of another heron among the cattails.
The Fisherman: inlayed onto the Quilted Sapele backed guitar, depicts an osprey coming in to capture a fish for its dinner.
Stars and Stripers: the fourth guitar underway, places the viewer within a school of striped bass and has a starfish sitting at the bottom. All this sits below the Francis Scott Key nun buoy on the headstock. This buoy is located in the Patapsco river mouth and commemorates the location of the British ship that held Francis Scott Key when he composed the Star Spangled Banner.
The Duke and Duchess: the fifth guitar underway, shows a pair of woodland ducks in marsh grass.
I should have the artwork for the sixth guitar shortly.
The first three guitars headed to the Newport Miami Guitar Festival to be displayed with many other custom guitars from April 11 to 13. They will be coming back after the show and all six will be displayed at Appalachian Bluegrass in Catonsville as completed until the Chesapeake Bay Guitar Project Festival there on May 17. This local festival will not only have the guitars on display for sale, but there will be staff from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation present, supporting the event, as well as live music (we’re hoping for some original works that speak to the Bay) and refreshments. More information can be obtained from Emory at Appalachian Bluegrass (410-744-1144) or on his website (www.appalachianbluegrass.com).
Dave MacCubbin
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.
Put a big red circle around the date March 5 on your calendar.
The Clean Water Network has declared March 5 as National Clean Water Phone Congress Day. The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to act this year on what could be the most important clean water legislation in 35 years: The Clean Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421).
This bipartisian bill is needed now to ensure that all of the nation's streams, headwater tributaries, wetlands and other waters remain protected from pollution by the federal Clean Water Act. It will reaffirm that the Clean Water Act was intended to protect all of the waters of the United States, from big rivers to small streams, and from the Great Lakes to remote wetlands.
So limber up those fingers and and call your U.S. Representative between 9am and 6pm EST. Tell him/herto support clean water by getting behind the Clean Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421). For more information about the bill and how to contact your representative, download this message from CWN.
If you live near Annapolis, you'll want to limber up those legs and walk or ride to Lawyer's Mall (across from the State House) to Rally with O'Malley for green jobs and a clean energy future. Join Governor O'Mally, the Alliance for Global Warming Solutions, CBF, and others at 10am on March 5 to thank the Gov. for his support of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 and to stand with him in asking the General Assembly to pass this bill!
As the Maryland General Assembly meets to debate new, stricter regulations on Chesapeake Bay waterfront development, Maryland Public Television (MPT) will air a new program that examines Maryland’s Critical Area Law.
"Weary Shoreline," a documentary about the failure to enforce Maryland's Critical Area law, airs at 9 p.m. Wednesday night. For a preview of the show, check out Tim Wheeler's post on the Baltimore Sun's News & Environment blog.
One prime example of the Critical Area law's "death by one thousand cuts" is back in the news. Just last week, David Clickner, owner of Dobbins Island, resurrected plans to build a 4,500-square-foot home, septic system, and road on the island--plans which violate Maryland's Critical Area law but which Clickner has received variance approvals for from the state.
Fervent discussion over HB 1253—set for General Assembly debate February 28 (the day after Weary Shoreline’s premiere)—is expected. Among several proposed changes to this controversial law, the bill mandates that new development (including houses, outbuildings, decks, patios, driveways, landscaping and swimming pools) be even farther away from the bay shoreline than the current 100 feet. Instead, the inner Critical Areas shoreline buffer would be expanded from 100 feet to 300 feet.
On December 8, CBF's president, Will Baker, will join hundreds of others across the country and take the Chesapeake Climate Action Network's third annual Polar Bear Plunge into the fridgid waters of Chesapeake Bay. Won't you join him?
CCAN's annual polar bear plunge draws prominent elected officials and journalists and allows us to dramatically communicate the dire threat to our planet’s environment – and to the Chesapeake Bay. We have one planet and it has a fever, and we need clean energy solutions now.
Join Will and other CBFers at this event and fundraiser. It all begins at 11 am on Saturday, Dec. 8th on the beach at CBF's Merrill Center headquarters in Annapolis. CCAN will have heated tents on the beach plus hot chocolate and donuts and even a trio of polar bears who sing rap songs for the Earth. It’s fun for the whole family for a cause that couldn’t be more vital.
Can't get to Annapolis? Check CCAN's Keep Winter Cold website for a plunge near you.
Register online at keepwintercold.org
And, again, keep in mind that this is also a fundraiser for CCAN and their work to fight global warming, such as the campaign to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act here in Maryland. Participants are simply asked to get their friends and family members to give pledges to sponsor their plunge. It’s easy, and CCAN will take care of all the details.
On Saturday, September 15, more than 300 Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) members gathered together for food, fun, and fabulous tunes on the beach at CBF’s headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland. The annual BayFest event was organized to thank CBF financial contributors and volunteers for furthering CBF’s mission to save the Bay.
The following individuals were then recognized for their tireless service and commitment to saving the Bay:
Today is BlogDay—the third annual, I might add. The point of BlogDay is to get to know other bloggers and help blog readers find new and interesting blogs. So, in the spirit of sharing the wealth, here are my five recommended blogs:
What are your favorite blogs? Please share them with us.
On October 15, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind - the environment. Sure, we do that every day here at CBF, but I encourage you to share information about Blog Action Day for the Environment with your friends, and if you have a blog, register now.
The aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.As an alternative to (or along with) blogging about the environment, bloggers can opt to participate by donating their blog's proceeds from Oct. 15 to one of several environmental organizations chosen for this purpose, including The Conservation Fund.
CBF and the Magothy River Association are sponsoring a boat parade and rendezvous to support the purchase of Dobbins Island and its consolidation as a port for the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
When: Saturday, September 1, 2007 @ 1pm
Where: Parade starts near Henderson Point in the Magothy River and will progress along the channel to Dobbins Island
Why: An opportunity now exists to purchase Dobbins Island and consolidate the Island, beach, sandbar and anchorage as a port for the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. Making this Historic Island an open space park is a better use of Critical Areas.
What: From 1 to 4 pm MRA volunteers will hand out petitions and educational materials to passing boaters.
RSVP: Contact Paul Spadaro, President Magothy River Association at president@magothyriver.org
(via the Sun's Bay & Environment blog)
Climate activist Mike Tidwell's first documentary, We Are All Smith Islanders, will be showing next month at the Montgomery County Public Library in Rockville.
The movie, which Tidwell wrote and directed, uses the receding livelihoods of the watermen on the island to demonstrate the effects of glabal warming. It occasionally makes the rounds, but the press person for Tidwell's organization, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said no screenings are planned in Baltimore or Annapolis for the near future.
All is not lost, though. If you don't feel like driving to Rockville, you can order the film from the CCAN web site.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Tree-mendous Maryland program is offering its fall selection of native trees and shrubs for public land planting projects. These reasonably priced, mostly native trees and shrubs including oaks, river birch, serviceberry, sweetbay magnolia, itea, and many other species are available for purchase immediately for schools, parks, watershed organizations, local and county governments, homeowner's associations, environmental groups, etc.
Plants will be available for pick-up or delivery as early as the second week in September. For additional information contact Terry Galloway at tgalloway@dnr.state.md.us or 410-260-8510.
Download the Fall Trees and Shrubs List and Order Form (PDF)
Thanks to ShoreThings for this info: The 1st Annual Delmarva Blue Crab Festival is scheduled to take place August 10th-12th in Milton, DE. The sponsors of the event include local print, radio and television media companies along with beverage suppliers and several recognizable business names. The festival will designate a portion of its proceeds for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
What do the arts and culture have to do with environmental education?
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) believes there is a significant connection between the two. Now, their "Our World" photography contest is seeking amateur and professional photos that "will inspire people to achieve environmental excellence." Entries may reflect anything that connects to the environment. The winning photos will show how the visual arts can create a kinesthetic and emotional connection to the Earth. The photography contest is one element of a larger effort by NAAEE to re-invigorate the use of arts and culture in the EE field. More information about prizes, rules, and entry forms can be found on the NAAEE Web site at www.naaee.org.
Share your entries with us, too! Post your photos to Webshots, Picasa, or other online photo-sharing site and submit a comment with your link.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Hampton Roads office thanks everyone who turned out for the 19th annual Clean the Bay Day last Saturday. The preliminary (not complete!) results indicate that volunteers pulled over 82 tons of litter and debris from some 275 miles of streams, creeks, and rivers emptying into the Bay. Coordinated by CBF with assistance from local municipal partners and corporate sponsors, cleanup sites stretched across Hampton Roads to the Eastern Shore, Northern Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley.
Since CBF's first Clean the Bay Day in 1989, more than 81,350 volunteers have removed over four million pounds of debris from 3,913 miles of area shoreline.
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.
Sorry to be late with this.
3/29 -- Energy Film Festival and Lecture Series, Film: Kilowatt Ours, Salisbury, MD
3/31 -- Back Creek Nature Project, Annapolis, MD
If you have any relevant events in your neck of the woods that you'd like to share with your Chesapeake Bay neighbors, let us know.
3/22 -- Energy Film Festival and Lecture Series, Films: French Fries to Go, The Vineyard Energy Project, Wind Over Water, Salisbury, MD
3/24 -- REAP Town Hall Meeting, Lancaster, PA
3/24 -- New Date: Monocacy Volunteer Stream Buffer Restoration, Mt. Airy, MD
3/24 -- Volunteer Tree Planting, Tappahannock and Warsaw, VA
Other things we've heard about:
3/24 -- Water Chemistry & Nutrient Dynamics Training Workshop, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Lothian, MD
If you have any relevant events in your neck of the woods that you'd like to share with your Chesapeake Bay neighbors, let us know.
3/15 -- Energy Film Festival and Lecture Series, Films: Nobelity, Sundance Summit, Salisbury, MD
3/16 -- Think Globally, Design Locally: Green Buildings in the Chesapeak, Architect Janet Harrison (Harrison was the Green Consultant for CBF's Philip Merrill Environmental Center, the first building to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Platinum award), Howard Community College, Columbia, MD
3/17 -- VoiCes Adult Bay Education Program all-day field trip, Cambridge, MD
3/17 -- VoiCeS Adult Education Program, all-day field trip, Frederick, MD
3/17 -- Monocacy Farm Stewardship Project, Stream Buffer Restoration, Mt. Airy, MD
Other things we've heard about:
Sip a Green Drink at this happy hour with others who share your passion for the environment.
If you have any relevant events in your neck of the woods that you'd like to share with your Chesapeake Bay neighbors, let us know.
3/6 -- Hampton Roads Shell Bagging, Gloucester, VA
3/8 -- VoiCeS Adult Education Program, Frederick, MD
3/8 -- Energy Film Festival and Lecture Series, Film: Earth to America, Salisbury, MD
3/10 -- Hampton Roads Green Breakfast, Flowering Wetlands Plants, Norfolk, VA
3/10 -- VoiCes Adult Bay Education Program, Cambridge, MD
Other things we've heard about:
Sip a Green Drink at this happy hour with others who share your passion for the environment.
3/7 -- Speak out about Annapolis -- Share your two cents with City of Annapolis and the Comprehensive Plan Citizen Advisory Committee at this community forum on planning. 5 - 9 pm at Bates Middle School.
3/8 -- Trace John Smith's Route with Susan Schmidt as she recounts tales from her book, Landfall along the Chesapeake, Annapolis Maritime Museum, 7pm
If you have any relevant events in your neck of the woods that you'd like to share with your Chesapeake Bay neighbors, let us know.
Everyone knows that the region is changing because of human activity – people see it around them every day. But what kind of impact are these changes having on the animal and plant life of the area? How do they affect the families and people who live in and love the area? What is the region’s past and what is its future?
The Lewes Public Library explores these questions and others through a Delmarva Discussions reading series "The Chesapeake Bay: End of an Era." Books will include "Maryland's Eastern Shore" by John Wennersten, "Done Crabbin'" by Gilbert Byron, "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson, "Bay Country" by Tom Horton, and "Entailed Hat" by George Alfred Townsend. Find out more at www.leweslibrary.org or on the Delmarva Discussions webpage. (Cape Gazette)
Join Southern Maryland politicians, policymakers, and academics this Saturday (March 3) at St. Mary's College of Maryland for a public forum to discuss "Finding a Balance: Growth and the Environment in the Chesapeake Bay Region." The daylong symposium will begin at 9 a.m. in the Campus Center's Cole Cinema. (Southern Maryland Online)
2/28 -- 2007 CBF Lecture Series Saving the Bay in the General Assembly, Annapolis, MD
3/1 -- VoiCeS Adult Education Program, Frederick, MD
3/1 -- Energy Film Festival and Lecture Series, Film: Rising Waters, Salisbury, MD
3/3 -- Workshop Reducing Toxics in Your Home, Annapolis, MD
3/3 -- VoiCeS Adult Education Program, Cambridge, MD
Join MD Executive Director Kim Coble and MD Manager of Advocacy Terry Cummings on Wednesday, February 28, for a discussion of the critical legislation CBF is working on to move the Bay off the EPA's "dirty waters" list. Discussion will cover the Chesapeake Bay Green Fund, oyster legislation, the Clean Cars Act and more.
The event, part of CBF's 2007 Lecture Series, will be held at the Phillip Merrill Center, 7 - 8 pm, on Wednesday, February 28.
It's free to all. Please RSVP to Heather Tuckfield at htuckfield@cbf.org
CBF has opened registration for "Confluence 2007--Preparing for the Storm: Stormwater Solutions for Pennsylvania Communities," to be held April 5 & 6. If you're a PA engineer, consultant, developer, municipal official, conservation professional, or watershed stakeholder interested in finding out more about the benefits and challenges of good stormwater management, check out the details.
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.
If you're near Richmond, stop by the Science Museum of Virginia tomorrow (Jan. 24) at noon for Lunch Break Science. CBF Virginia Communications Coordinator Chuck Epes will be discussing the State of the Bay.
While you're there, don't miss the John Smith Discovery Barge exhibit.
Join CBF and regional scientists to learn what's known about major fish health issues in the watershed. A workshop on Fish Health in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed will be held Tuesday, January 23, in Shepherdstown, WV.
