Chesapeake Bay Foundation Blog

Visit With a Smith Island Crabber

Ever wonder what it's like to be a Chesapeake Bay crabber? Join WYPR's Joel McCord as he heads out on the water with Mark Kitching, a waterman from Smith Island.

It's Official! A New Presidential Candidate* Throws His Hat Into the Fray

And you thought he was dead! Yes,it's true, the man who explored and mapped the Chesapeake Bay 400 years ago has announced his candidacy for President*.

   

   

Here's his campaign video to prove it:

He is running on a platform to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and waterways nationwide. Smith made his announcement yesterday from his campaign headquarters at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Phillip Merrill Center in Annapolis.

"My vision is for a clean and restored Chesapeake Bay, with abundant fish, crabs, and oysters, a region with healthy farms and a vibrant seafood economy, just like in the old days," the red-bearded explorer said.

"But I stand not just for a clean Chesapeake Bay; I stand for clean rivers and streams all across America. For if we can clean up the Chesapeake Bay—and working together we bloody well can—we can clean up every stream, river, and bay in this country. We can make the Chesapeake a model for restoration success, for the rest of the nation and for the rest of the world."

You can find out more -- and sign a petition -- at www.votethebay.org

More videos coming soon!

Now, a word from our attorneys:
* The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is an independent, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams. It does not endorse candidates. CBF is running a fictional candidate, Captain John Smith, to elevate the Bay and clean water in the presidential election.

Open Competition for Chesapeake Clean-Up Funds

One of the biggest questions surrounding Maryland's new 2010 Trust Fund, created this year to help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay, is how the $25 million allotment will be distributed. Yesterday, Gov. O'Malley announced a new competitive process that lets local governments, community groups, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and private enterprises to apply for grants from the fund.

What do you think? Is the new process an improvement over business-as-usual?

Farm Bill Funds Could Help the Bay -- But Action is Needed

Chesapeake Bay-area farmers who need help to incorporate methods of reducing nutrient pollution from their farms could get that help from the Federal Farm Bill. But it's not a done deal. Watch this story from WJZ-TV to see what's at stake, then join us in contacting your representatives in Congress to urge them to support the farm bill.

It Will Take Efforts on Many Fronts to Save the Bay

by Ann Jennings, Virginia Executive Director, CBF
following is an excerpt from Jennings' recent OpEd article. Read the full article on dailypress.com.

The Chesapeake's treasured blue crabs, having declined by 70 percent over the past two decades, are poised dangerously below a level of abundance beyond which the population is seriously threatened. These are scary times for the blue crab.

The governors of Maryland and Virginia recently called for a one-third reduction in harvests of female crabs. Science indicates that reducing crab harvests will result in a greater abundance of blue crabs, and that the population will respond very quickly to such actions. Unfortunately, the men and women who make their living by bringing those delicious blue crabs to our dinner tables will see their incomes drop. It's a gross oversimplification, but consider what you would do if you were told by your boss that your annual income would drop by 34 percent effective immediately. These are scary times for the crabber.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation applauds the governors for taking this bold action and committing to partner, as perhaps never before, on the regulations necessary to reduce crab harvests. However, we are concerned about the impact of these regulations on watermen communities, particularly those on Tangier and Smith Islands, where crabbing has been part of the culture for centuries and whose watermen have limited options for alternative incomes.

CBF therefore has offered both states alternative approaches to harvest reductions that attempt to spread the burden equally among various sectors of the crab industry. Furthermore, we share the frustrations expressed by the Virginia Waterman's Association in numerous newspaper articles. While Virginia takes bold action to reduce crab harvests, the underlying problem facing crabs remains unsolved with no complete solutions even in sight. Ultimately, we must restore the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay if we are to sustain a robust crab population and robust crab fishery.  Read the full article on dailypress.com.

Shallop Race this Weekend

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.

Chesapeake Bay Guitar Project - April 2008 Update

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

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.

CBFers Head to the City

Written by Alex MacLennan, CBF staff writer

On Wednesday, I and seven CBF staff members spent the day volunteering with the Chesapeake chapter of Habitat for Humanity in downtown Baltimore. It was an amazing opportunity—not only did we get to help a family become homeowners, but I also learned to frame up a wall.

CBF got involved with the North Washington Street project through the efforts and energy of Claire Ellwanger, a graduate of CBF’s Student Leadership Program and our 2007 Student Leader of the Year. Claire has fostered a partnership between The Park School and Habitat for Humanity—a partnership committed to building one house a year for ten years that includes the school raising $100,000 a year for H4H! And, since Wednesday’s “home raising” team was from CBF, Merrill Center staff donated a housewarming collection of green, sustainable home products. The new home will start of with a collection of long-lasting, low-energy fluorescent lightbulbs, organic cleaning products, and canvas shopping totes.

Eight of us went:  Seven educators, who are used to being physical and outdoors with the 40,000 students CBF educates each year, and me. My job at CBF is to sit at my desk and write about the issues facing the Bay—dead zones and climate change, agricultural runoff and sprawling development. It’s an amazing job, but rarely do I get to head out and make a difference with my own labor and sweat. It was important to me to work just as hard as my cohorts, so naturally, when a competition sprung up—“Who can drive in a nail with the fewest hammer whacks?”—I slammed a hammer straight into my thumb.  (Don’t worry, I only whined for a minute-and-a-half.)

We spent the day framing the upstairs walls—lining up and marking wood, cutting wood (my first circular saw! my first nail gun!), hammering wood, standing up huge frames of wood while real carpenters and builders shored them up. Honestly, I felt a bit like a geeky schoolkid, and a bit like Indiana Jones.

For me, what was so special was that I was helping someone in a direct, visceral way. Our foreman Rodney took us on a brief tour of the street we were working on and showed us five houses—two completed, and three underway. He knew the residents (current or future) of each house. He knew their stories, and how hard each person had worked to own their own home. That my job allowed me to contribute to that effort and that it ensured that at least one of these houses will get off to a green, sustainable start, makes my work even more worthwhile.

See more pictures on CBF's Flicker site

Mooooving Over to Grass

Here's a podcast about a great new group called the Maryland Grazer's Network, a mentoring program for farmers interested in selling locally-grown, grass-fed meat directly to consumers. Network leader Michael Heller, farm manager for CBF's Clagett Farm, has pulled together a "dream team" of farmers who will provide others with advice on Bay-friendly, rotational grazing practices and marketing. Listen and share it with your friends, and come on back to share your thoughts.

Other links you might find interesting:

• Clagett Farm
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Agriculture & Watershed Issues
• Amazing Grazing! Directory

President Proposes Almost $24 Million in Cuts for Bay Region

Once again, the Bush Administration is proposing to reduce federal funding for pollution reduction, species preservation, and habitat restoration in the Bay region. This year the proposed decrease is almost 24 million dollars.

With only three years to go to meet the 2010 goals for the Bay, this is a step backwards, just when the Bay states have been stepping forward with unprecedented programs and funding to reduce pollution. 

However, there is still opportunity to turn around the President’s proposed cuts. Congress frequently makes significant changes to the President’s proposal before it takes final action. This is where you can help. 

Right now and through the middle of this month, your locally elected U.S. Senators and Representative are developing their own list of priority requests for consideration by the all-important Appropriations Committees. These requests are often even more important than the President’s. 

You can encourage your elected officials to reverse the trend set by this President and fight for increasing, not decreasing, federal help for the restoration of the Bay and the streams that feed it. 

The Bay needs your help. Click here to write to your Senators and Representative to let them know you care.

Balancing the Climate Crisis Against Maryland's Need for Jobs

The following Letter to the Editor was published in the Baltimore Sun on February 29, 2008

It was disappointing to see The Sun encourage delay on fighting global climate change ("Striking a balance," editorial, Feb. 26).

One thing we've learned from Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts is that if we don't set specific, incremental goals, no one is held accountable and little progress is achieved.

The Chesapeake Bay region is at severe risk from pollution and climate change, and the time for action was yesterday. Today we are playing catch-up, and tomorrow will be too late.

The federal government has failed to produce meaningful climate change legislation, and just last week, Rep. Chris Van Hollen told a meeting of concerned citizens in Annapolis that the best way to hold federal feet to the fire was for the states to move forward with climate change legislation.

The Global Climate Change Solutions Act is just such a bill.

It is designed to make fundamental, incremental reductions in carbon dioxide levels that will help avert imminent damage to the state and to solidify Maryland's role as a national leader in carbon reduction.

The state's carbon reduction goals are not overly ambitious.

Six states have set goals in the 80 percent to 90 percent reduction range, and 26 states have adopted lesser limitations.

And there are economic upsides. "Green jobs" can provide an economic boost at the same time that pollution is reduced.

There is no doubt that climate change is here, affecting local rivers, streams and the bay.

There is no doubt that rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms threaten coastal populations.

There is no doubt that we need to reduce pollution, now.

We need the road map, specific goals and milestones provided by the Global Climate Change Solutions Act.

William C. Baker
President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

March 5 - Fight for Clean Water and Clean Energy

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!

A Very "MARI" Anniversary

The Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative (MARI) recently celebrated its one year anniversary. During MARI’s first year, the coalition of more than 50 conservation, businesses, and government partners successfully raised more than $1.4 million to support the creation and monitoring of artificial reefs for fish habitat throughout Maryland’s waters.

“Creating fish habitat not only helps to restore the Chesapeake Bay, but also benefits recreational opportunities and our local economy,” said Bill Goldsborough, Maryland Artificial Reef Committee Chairman and Chesapeake Bay Foundation Fisheries Program Director.

Individuals can help with reef projects across the State by “buying a ton” via a tax-deductible donation to the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative. The Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative was created in early 2007 to raise funds to facilitate development of marine habitat enhancement projects. For more information visit www.ccamd.org/MARI/MARI_home.htm.

Upcoming MPT Special Reveals Critical Area Flaws

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.

Donor of Island Education Left a Legacy

In December, CBF lost a friend, trustee, and one-of-a-kind donor. In 1988, G.R. “Randy” Klinefelter made an unusual gift to CBF: a 250-acre island. In doing so, he and his family established CBF’s largest residential education center, Port Isobel, and opened up a treasured and historic piece of the Chesapeake to thousands of students, teachers, and citizens.

Named after his wife, Isobel, the former family getaway is a stone’s throw away from its sister island Tangier, home to one of the Chesapeake’s last remaining watermen’s communities. Over the past 20 years, students, teachers, and decision makers have traveled by boat to Port Isobel to explore the island’s marshes, beach, and woodlands. Often, visiting Tangier to learn about the nearly lost way of life is part of the trip.

The Klinefelter family owned the property for 30 years before donating it to CBF, and during that time instituted soil conservation measures and other environmental improvements. Residents of Ephrata, PA, the Klinefelters recognized the connection between their home state in the northern watershed and the downstream Chesapeake Bay.

Mr. Klinefelter served on the CBF Board of Trustees from 1988 to 1999.

Memorial gifts in his honor will be accepted at:

Randy Klinefelter Memorials
CBF
6 Herndon Ave.
Annapolis, MD 21403

I visited Port Isobel for the first time last fall. It's a beautiful place and a wonderful place to learn about our Bay. To see photos, visit our Flickr page. To share your own Flickr photos, tag them "CBF Port Isobel."

We'd love to hear your stories about Randy Klinefelter and your experiences at Port Isobel. Feel free to post your own comments below.

Oysters Are In Our Blood

by guest blogger Tommy Leggett, oyster fisheries scientist in CBF's Virginia office.

The Maryland Oyster Advisory Commission recently supported the concept of boosting Maryland’s oyster fishery using aquaculture. The fact that the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster population and fishery is hitting rock bottom is old news. The good news is that aquaculture can produce oysters for market and keep watermen on the water, all while the oysters are in the Bay providing habitat and filtering the water.

I was a commercial fisherman in Virginia for nearly 20 years and every fishery I participated in seemed to be going south. I would switch from one fishery to the other in order to make a living. The final frontier for me was patent tonging for hard clams, and I wasn’t long figuring out that that fishery would not last. Sure enough, there are only about 25 clammers left in Virginia who are actively working full time in the fishery.

In the early 1990s, I had the opportunity to listen to several seminars sponsored by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on oyster aquaculture. The idea intrigued me, and before long I was investing a small amount of capital in oyster seed and grow-out gear. I also tried growing a few clams with my goal being to eventually get out of the wild fishery and direct all of my efforts in the shellfish aquaculture industry.

I was well on my way to becoming a successful full-time shellfish grower when I had the opportunity to go to work for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) doing environmental education and oyster restoration. For the last 8 years now, I have been operating an oyster farm for CBF and have produced nearly 6 million adult cultchless oysters (grown from spat independent of a substrate, as opposed to spat on shell, which we also grow at CBF) that were planted for restoration but could have been sold. We are now working with the oyster industry to demonstrate the feasibility of spat on shell production by watermen and large growers for the market production of oysters. Meanwhile, I still have my own small oyster farm (separate from my work with CBF) and grow approximately 100,000 oysters per year for sale to local and out-of-state restaurants.

The return on investment isn’t too shabby, either. Consider the following two alternatives, each of which nets $1,250:

• Catching 15,000 wild oysters (50 bushels) with hand tongs
• Growing 5,000 oysters (16 bushels) in cages or floats

Virginia has long been practicing oyster aquaculture, first on private leases where leaseholders would purchase wild oyster seed, and later with the use of cages, bags and trays, using hatchery-produced seed to grow oysters for the half-shell trade. Historically, Virginia has produced more oysters from private leases than from its public oyster grounds, demonstrating that the private sector is better suited than state government to produce oysters for commercial harvest. (Oyster production on private grounds started in the mid-1800s.)

Could oyster farming one day be viable in Maryland? I think so. Of course, some major changes would have to occur. The laws and regulations governing leasing Bay bottom would have to be updated, and a more streamlined permitting process would have to be developed.  But I think what’s most important is that our watermen remain key players in the industry. Yes, they would have to adapt to a business that is more like farming than harvesting a wild resource. These changes may be significant, but they are not impossible to overcome.

For those of us who work the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, oysters are in our blood, and it would be a great thing to see more watermen once again be able to pass the fruits of their labor on to future generations. 

I believe the future is bright for oyster aquaculture. It requires some adjustments in the thinking of watermen, but the fact is, oyster farming will keep watermen on the water producing Chesapeake Bay oysters. Our Bay has changed over the centuries and it continues to change. Watermen should consider changing as well if they want to continue working on the Bay. Will it be easy? Of course not, but nothing worth having ever comes easy, whether it be 15,000 wild-caught oysters or 5000 oysters grown in cages.

Think about it!

This Guy Speaks for the Fish

Congratulations to CBF Director of Fisheries Bill Goldsborough. Bill, who has directed CBF's Fisheries Program for 24 years, has recently been appointed to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.

The ASMFC was founded in 1942 in recognition that fish don't abide by manmade state lines, so a fishery in the Chesapeake Bay may be impacted—and need protection—from Maine to Florida. This strategy was critical to the recovery of Chesapeake rockfish. It's a daunting task, but I think the fish are darn lucky to have a guy like Bill standing up for them.

The Times, Are They A Changin'?

Maryland’s newly-formed Oyster Advisory Commission (OAC) yesterday released its first report with initial recommendations about how the state should be managing its oyster resources.

You might not guess it, but this is exciting stuff. I know, I know… another commission, another report… and where are the oysters? What’s going to be different this time??

Well, for starters, the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and his team did a great job of naming new—but knowledgeable—faces to the commission. I'm not just saying this because CBF Maryland Executive Director, Kim Coble, is a member of the team. Everyone seems to be very committed to seeing the issues through fresh eyes and seeking new solutions.

The report's findings, recommendations, and even the vision statement are only preliminary, because the oyster Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)* isn't due out until this spring. That will provide more comprehensive information for the commission.

But—preliminarily—the OAC is recognizing some key things. One, that there is a difference between restoring oysters for their ecological value (that is, planting them onto sanctuaries where they can provide filtration and habitat value), and restoring the oyster industry (that is, keeping our watermen working). Both are laudable goals, but they are two very different things. 

Two, the OAC found that to date, federal and state oyster funding has primarily been used to support industry restoration, with less than a quarter of the funding supporting ecological restoration. This is clearly out of balance since one of the reasons we want to bring back the oyster population is to improve the health of the Bay. 

Moving forward, the Commission advocates ramping up the scale of ecological restoration, while helping the oyster industry transition into farming native oysters (aquaculture). Throughout the world aquaculture has proven to be more profitable and self-sustaining than harvesting wild oysters. In fact, we only have to look as far as Virginia to see that some of their watermen have transitioned to aquaculture and are doing nicely. And while creating a profitable industry, those oyster farms are providing some water filtration benefits to the Bay.

Let’s get in on that!

*The state/federal environmental impact statement regarding native and non-native oysters in the Chesapeake has been a long time coming, but it is considered the most comprehensive analysis to date of the oyster situation in the Chesapeake Bay.

Stephanie Reynolds is CBF's Maryland oyster restoration scientist.

Saint Clements Bay: A Novel of Remembrance and a gift for the Chesapeake

written by B. L. Lang, author of the novel "Saint Clements Bay"

As a young girl in the 1950’s, I spent most summers at my grandmother’s cottage in southern Maryland. The place, primitive in a charming sort of way with an ivy-covered outhouse tucked away at the edge of the pines, was perched on a bluff overlooking Saint Clements Bay down at the mouth of the Potomac River. That bay and the river are important bodies of water flowing into the treasure that is the Chesapeake. Through the years, I’ve been pestered by vivid memories of the water, murky and brackish as the salt mixed with the fresh, but supporting plentiful blue crabs, beds of rich sea grasses, oysters, and adventure. Inspired by my own history, an inescapable love of the Chesapeake and the Saint Mary’s County area, I wrote Saint Clements Bay: A Novel of Remembrance. It’s a sweet story of a time gone by, a little history, some rather quirky characters, and a “near as can be remembered” account of my grandmother’s remarkable life and family, many of whom are native to the County.

The Chesapeake needs all of us to pitch in however we can to bring it back to health and bounty—that’s why I have pledged one third of profits from the sale of the book to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  When it comes to working hard to ensure the improved status of the Chesapeake, no organization does more and is more effective than CBF. They provide education, activism, expertise, and more, to get the job done.  We’ve made an initial donation to CBF and, with the help of new readers we hope to keep contributing for a long time to come.  The book can be purchased at the publisher’s website, www.plangentpress.com  where you can also read reviews and more, or on Amazon. Watch for author signings in the area later this spring.

If you have a question or comments on the book, you can email me through the publisher’s site.  I’d love to hear your own stories about the Bay—send me a note!

B. L. Lang, Author

We can't thank Ms. Lang enough for her generousity. The magic of it is that she is just one of thousands of others who have similar memories of the bountiful Bay in earlier days. We would like to hear your stories, too. Won't you please share them in our Comments section?

We're Going to Miss You, Jane

written by Kim Coble, CBF Maryland Executive Director

The environment and the Bay lost a good friend last week.

Delegate Jane Lawton (MD - District 18) died on Thursday, November 29.  Jane was a member of the Environmental Matters Committee, which is where I had the distinct pleasure of working with her on a number of important environmental bills. Jane was passionate about protecting the environment and truly made a difference.  She was the lead sponsor of the Stormwater Bill in 2006--a bill that will help reduce polluted stormwater runoff from new development. There is no doubt, Maryland's waters will be better because of Jane's efforts.

Jane was always someone we could count on to give us honest feedback and valuable input. She was the type of bill sponsor you dream of. She learned the issue, worked hard and was politically savvy.

It is difficult to think of Jane as gone. She was always full of energy and smiles.

I was very touched when I heard that Jane's family asked that contributions be made in her memory to CBF and to the Montgomery County Abused Persons Program. This is an honor that is hard to describe. Jane committed a lifetime to public service, working at various levels of government and on a variety of issues. The decision to support these two organizations is a tribute to her commitment to her constituents and their quality of life. All you need to do is read the condolences and memories that have been posted to her website and to the Maryland Politics Watch blog to understand what a wonderful woman we have lost. It's fitting that someone who cared so deeply during her life will continue to help those she served even after her death.

I will miss Jane personally and professionally. She was a friend to me and to the Bay. Her family is in our thoughts and prayers.

Contributions in memory of Jane can be made to:

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
To the Jane Lawton Memorial Fund
Online at www.cbf.org
or by mail to
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
6 Herndon Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21403

Montgomery County Abused Persons Program
(Emergency assistance for domestic violence victims)
1301 Piccard Drive
Suite 1400
Rockville, MD 20850
Write on memo line "Jane Lawton Memorial Fund"

Take the Polar Bear Plunge and Fight Global Warming

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.

House Passes Bay Funding; Next Stop--Senate

Yesterday, the Maryland House of Delegate passed the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund (House Bill 23), with a vote of 102-31. We're getting so close!

But hold on, more challenges are ahead. The Senate must also vote on the bill. So now is the time: If you haven't contacted your Senator, please call them now and urge them to support the Bay cleanup fund passed by the House (mention House Bill 23). If you have contacted your Senator—THANK YOU—and remember, it doesn't hurt to remind them of how important the Bay is to each and every one of us!

Green Fund Passes First Hurdle!

Today, the House Environmental Matters Committee passed HB 23, the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund, formerly known as the "Green Fund."

The bill sets policy for the state to give $50 million per year toward measures that will clean up the Bay and its rivers and streams. The new version of the bill strips the "hardened surface" fee, and the House is currently looking for a new funding measure.

The full House must also vote on the measure, and then the bill will cross over to the Senate. So it's good news, but the fight isn't over yet. Contact your legislators if you haven't -- time is running out! Stay tuned for the latest developments!

Green Fund Update

The Maryland House of Delegates heard testimony on the Green Fund Bill (HB 23) on Nov. 2 in the Environmental Matters Committee. The hearing went well with many proponents, including groups as diverse as the Maryland Homebuilders Association to other environmental groups. Governor O’Malley's  administration testified, saying it “strongly” supports the Green Fund.

The Maryland Farm Bureau and Delmarva Poultry Industry along with the Marine Trades Association of Maryland, Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Sportsmen Foundation, and the Partnership for Sustainable Forestry are also among those who showed support for the Green Fund bill, which would reduce pollution to Maryland's rivers, streams, and the Bay.

Chair Del. Maggie McIntosh convened a work group after the hearing to work on the legislation. The discussion revolved around the administration’s suggested amendment to have the state's BayStat group manage the resources; the bill's original proposal outlined how much of the funds would go to the three agencies primarily responsible for Bay cleanup. The administration said it prefers the flexibility of the BayStat approach to allow for spending flexibility from year to year, depending on the needs.

On Friday, Senate President Mike Miller dropped his own bill to create a Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund (SB 28). The bill does not provide a funding source for the Trust Fund, but President Miller has said he is looking for a  source to bring in $30 million to $50 million per year.

After the hearing, The Baltimore Sun reported that the Green Fund was "dead" in the Special Session because of Senate opposition to the Green Fund bill, but many pundits and people close to the process say this is not the case. What may be the case is that the Senate will not pass the House version of the Green Fund because it doesn’t like the funding mechanism, but will instead create its own funding source during the Special Session. If the House passes a bill that includes directives on where the money goes, the two bills would go to conference committee. In conference, the bills might be melded into one bill with a Senate funding source and House policy measures. Keep your fingers crossed.

Two weeks ago, we had no idea where we were headed on the Green Fund, but with the help of thousands of Marylanders and partner groups concerned about the Bay, we now have the Senate President dropping his own bill to create a dedicated fund to cleanup the Bay. And it is the only bill he is sponsoring. The debate has shifted from “should we do this?” to “how are we going to do this?”  Thanks to all of those who have contacted their legislators and asked them to support the Green Fund!

The session may run another 5 to 10 days with the Senate voting first on the revenue package. As much is still in flux especially slots, and new service taxes, anything could happen. But we are very hopeful we will eventually come away with a new funding source for the Chesapeake Bay.

If you want to help, call your State Senator today and ask them to support dedicated funding for Bay conservation programs. To learn who your Senators are and to get a phone number, visit http://mdelect.net/.

I'll Get You My Pretty, And Your Little Fish, Too!

Gary Brookins at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has another winner!

With the Green Fund coming up in the Maryland General Assembly special session next week it could just as easily be Maryland afloat.

Right now, legislators have an opportunity to support the Green Fund for clean streams and a healthy Bay. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of support for it: from environmentalists and watermen to homebuilders, community leaders, and health-care professionals; in fact, 63 percent of Marylanders are willing to pay a $20 annual fee to fund Bay clean-up programs.

It’s a rare moment when opportunity, consensus, and a solution all align at the same time. And we must take advantage of this moment.

As for Virginia, the Commonwealth has made great strides in recent years in funding upgrades to sewage treatment plants. Now the big challenge is reducing runoff pollution, especially from farms. CBF and a coalition of agricultural and conservation groups are calling upon Governor Tim Kaine and the Virginia General Assembly to include $100 million annually for 10 years in the state budget to fund programs that help Virginia farmers reduce runoff. The funding would come from 1/10th of one cent of the current sales tax. If fully funded, the programs could cut 60% of the nitrogen runoff—nearly 12 million pounds a year—needed to meet Bay cleanup goals. This is a huge opportunity to fix one of the biggest pollution problems plaguing Virginia rivers and the Bay.

What do you think? Should cleaning up the Bay be a funding priority?

BayFest Thanks Members & Volunteers

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:

• Jerry Crawford, Member of the Year
• Larry Valcovic, BaySaver of the Year
• Jackie Geer, Maryland Educator of the Year
• Claire Ellwanger, Student Leader of the Year