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lmost every day, I get asked how the Bayis doing. I’ve started to give an answerthat I’ve long wanted to give. There

are some very encouraging signs of improve-ment, and it is possible we are approaching atipping point.

This year, reports from theUniversity of Maryland and theChesapeake Bay Program bothrated the overall health of theChesapeake at its best since2002. Pollution from all butone source—urban/suburbanrunoff—is decreasing. The rebuilding ofnature’s natural filters such as forestedbuffers has removed millions of pounds ofpollution and saved taxpayers millions ofdollars.

Maryland and Virginia set science-based regulations to curtail female crabcatch, and now the crab population iscoming back. Oysters are becomingmore disease resistant (see page 18).And underwater grasses, once devastat-ed by pollution, are doing better. Someestimate they are as abundant as duringthe 1970s.

Improving conditions are the result ofactions for which CBF staff and mem-bers fought hard. They include: upgrad-ing municipal treatment facilities;enforcing environmental laws against

industrial polluters; and cost-sharefunding for agricultural best manage-ment practices.

The historic settlement of our lawsuitagainst the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) last spring will insure thatpollution reduction continues. That legallyenforceable agreement requires EPA toenforce a Bay-wide pollution reductionbudget and establish consequences forstates that fail to do so.

There is much to be grateful for, but theBay is still a system dangerously out of bal-

ance. As a result, EPA lists the Chesapeakeand its tidal tributaries as “impaired.”While this past summer’s dead zone wasdeemed “average,” that’s not good enough.Health departments still warn people to

stay out of the water for 48hours after a heavy rain. Fishconsumption warnings contin-ue. And tens of thousands ofjobs have been lost in fishingand related industries.

Furthermore, greater reduc-tions in pollution must be man-

dated to overcome the ongoing crush ofcontinued population growth, estimated tobe at least 130,000 new residents annually.

For all these reasons, CBF will continue towage The Biggest Fight For Clean Water ThisNation Has Ever Seen. We must not and willnot let up.

President’s Message

William C. BakerPresident, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

2 Fall 2010 ● cbf.org

An Answer thatI’ve Long Wanted to Give

ACBF President Will Baker

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Improving conditions are theresult of actions for which CBF staff

and members fought hard.”“

The Chesapeake Bay...Something to R.A.V.E About.A team of nationally and internationally known photographers from the International League ofConservation Photographers (iLCP) has donated its time to help the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.During August they traveled from the headwaters of the Susquehanna River in New York to theShenandoah Valley in Virginia to generate compelling visuals that will educate the public about theBay’s plight and support efforts to pass the Chesapeake Clean Water Act.

At left, pristine wetlands frame the mouth of the Nansemond River, a tributary of the James River inSuffolk, Virginia. Photo by Morgan Heim.

uMore information about the Chesapeake RAVE is available at cbf.org/rave.

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Contents

Fall 2010 Vol. 36 ● No. 3

2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEEncouraging signs of improvement.

5 MAILBOXBusinesses nationwide support cleanwater legislation.

17 REFLECTIONSRabbi Nina Beth Cardin’s covenantalethic promises a healthier, safer, andjust world.

21 PROFILESusquehanna fishing guide abandonsbusiness due to a lack of fish.

22 BAY BRIEFSCBF activities in the Bay states and theDistrict of Columbia.

26 OUR GIVING COMMUNITYCBF teams up with the Dave MatthewsBand to generate support for CCWA.

28 DRIFTWOODBay bits and pieces.

30 LAST LOOKLessons from a CBF education programremain fresh in students’ minds manyyears later.

Departments

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201812

PHOTO CREDITS THIS PAGE: JULIA ROBERTSON, LEFT TO RIGHT, TOM

PELTON/CBF STAFF, ISTOCK, TOM PELTON/CBF STAFF, JOHN

SURRICK/CBF STAFF

6 The Chesapeake & Delaware CanalA man-made wonder makes an ecological connection.

10 A Pollution Diet for the BayCBF applauds EPA’s progress on pollution reduction.

12 Winds of ChangeA shift in weather patterns may be good news for the Bay.

13 Clean Steps for Carbon ReductionPartners invest earnings in pollution reduction.

14 The Chesapeake’s Vanishing RoyaltyHabitat for royal terns in the Chesapeake is disappearing.

18 A Future for the Chesapeake OysterCBF report promotes specific actions to bring back ournative oyster.

20 CBF Fights for Hazardous Waste CleanupPollution poses a threat for residential neighbors of aBaltimore steel mill.

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Environmental Awareness StatementThe Chesapeake Bay Foundation saved the following

resources in the production of this publication:

11 tons Trees

233,086 gallons Wastewater

506 million BTUs Total Energy

29,329 pounds Solid Waste

75,763 pounds Greenhouse Gases

Environmental impact estimates were made using theEnvironmental Defense Paper Calculator. www.papercalculator.org

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

Editor’s NoteA picture is worth a thousand words and CBF uses pho-tographs, maps, and other graphics regularly to help tellthe story of the Chesapeake Bay. We use them in thismagazine, online, and in many other publications andcommunications.

I thank all the creative Bay-lovers that help us with thiseffort. In particular, I applaud the support from theInternational League of Conservation Photographers(iLCP) who donated their time to document the Bay thissummer (page 2) and our members who againimpressed us with their entries in our third annual Savethe Bay Photo Contest (page 29).

In addition, our appreciation goes out to our artisticallyinclined staff members and the professional photogra-phers, illustrators, and mapmakers whose work makesour message sing.


Save the Bay is published quarterly and provided free ofcharge to CBF members by the Chesapeake BayFoundation, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403.

Fall 2010 Volume 36 • Number 3

Loren Barnett Appel, Editor/Director of Creative ServicesJen Wallace, Managing Editor

© Chesapeake Bay Foundation 2010E-mail: [email protected]/SAVEBAY • cbf.org

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CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION

OFFICERSD. Keith Campbell

ChairmanJames E. Rogers

Vice ChairmanSusan S. Phillips

SecretaryAlan L. Wurtzel

TreasurerWilliam C. Baker

President

EX OFFICIO TRUSTEESGovernor Martin J. O'MalleyGovernor Edward G. RendellGovernor Robert F. McDonnellMayor Adrian M. FentyJoanne S. Berkley

Bay Care Chapter

TRUSTEESJane P. BattenDonald F. Boesch, Ph.D.W. Russell G. Byers, Jr.John T. Casteen IIIAmanda DeaverRichard L. FranyoG. Waddy GarrettAlan R. GriffithCarolyn GroobeyAnn Fritz HackettMichael J. HanleyRobert A. KinsleyMatthew J. Klein

Byron F. MarchantH. Turney McKnightCharles W. Moorman IVW. Tayloe Murphy, Jr.Marie W. RidderAlexis G. SantTruman T. SemansSimon Sidamon-EristoffJennifer StanleyRt. Rev. Bishop Eugene

Taylor SuttonAnthony A. WilliamsPeter L. Woicke

HONORARY TRUSTEESLouisa C. DuemlingC. A. Porter HopkinsBurks B. LaphamT. Gaylon Layfield IIIH.F. LenfestM. Lee MarstonWayne A. MillsRussell C. ScottThomas H. StonerAileen Bowdoin Train

This fall, thousands of workers will designatecontributions to CBF through employee payroll deductions. It’s easy, efficient, and a great way to support CBF’s programs throughout the year.

If CBF is not listed in your workplace campaignbrochure, find out if your campaign accepts“write-ins.” Someemployers matchemployees’ donations,which can multiply thevalue of your donation.

For more information about workplace giving, including havinga representative from CBF participate in your charity fair orkick-off event, contact us at [email protected] or 443/482-2108.

&GiveSave

AT THE OFFICE

THE BAY

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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation received overwhelming support for Senator Cardin’sChesapeake Clean Water Act from corporate and nonprofit allies in a letter, quoted below,sent to committee chairs Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressman James Oberstar.

Influential Support for Clean Water Legislation

California • Green Edventures • District of Columbia • American Rivers • Anacostia Riverkeeper • Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership • Anacostia Watershed Society • Audubon MD/DC• Bay Fly Fishing • Chesapeake Climate Action Network • Clean Water Action • Coalition for Smarter Growth • Earth Conservation Corps • Environment America • Environmental Defense Fund •Environmental Working Group • Evergreen Conservation Finance • National Estuarine Research Reserve Association • National Parks Conservation Association • National Wildlife Federation • NaturalResources Defense Council • Project Learning Tree • Restore America’s Estuaries • Trout Unlimited • YMCA of the USA • Delaware • Delaware Nature Society • Illinois • Cantigny/McCormickFoundation • Maryland • 1000 Friends of Maryland • Aarcher, Inc. • Adkins Arboretum • African American Environmentalists Association • Alliance for Sustainable Communities • Annapolis Opticians• Annapolis Yacht Sales • Anthony’s Downtown Deli • Arnold Professional Pharmacy • Association of Partners for Public Lands • Audubon Naturalist Society • Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper • BaltimoreJewish Environmental Network • Bambeco • Bay Hundred Foundation • Biophilia Foundation • Bohemian River Association • Bruce S. Hughes CPA • Calleva • Carroll County Outdoor School • Cecil

Land Use Alliance • Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church • Chapman ForestFoundation • Chesapeake Audubon • Chesapeake Bay Foundation • ChesapeakeBay Magazine • Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum • Chesapeake Bay RoastingCo. • Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council • Chesapeake CovenantCongregation • Chesapeake Dock Outfitters • Chesapeake East • Chesapeake EastCalendar Guide • Chesapeake Stormwater Network • Chesapeake WildlifeHeritage • Chester River Association • Choptank River Eastern Bay Conservancy •City of Greenbelt • Clean Currents • Coastal Properties Management •Conservation Partners LLC • Corsica River Conservancy • County Council of AnneArundel County • Delmarva Environmental Educators Network • Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism Experiences • DiCarlo Digital Copy Center • Dorchester Citizensfor Planned Growth • Earth River Geothermal • Eastern Shore Land Conservancy •Environment MD • Environmental Matters • Enza’s Organic Hair Salon • EricLudwig’s Downtown Barber Shop • Friends of Blackwater NWR • Friends ofHarford, Inc. • Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek • Friends of the Nanticoke •George, Miles & Buhr, LLC • Green Laurel • Growth Action Network of Anne ArundelCounty • Growth Adventures • Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway •

Heritage Baptist Church • Herring Run Watershed Association • Hughes Financial • Joanne Shipley, Graphic Designer • Jones Falls Watershed Association • Long and Foster, Eastport • Lower ShoreLand Trust • Marsteller Realty • Maryland Coastal Bays Program • Maryland Conservation Council • Mattawoman Watershed Society • MD Bass Federation Nation • MD League of Conservation Voters• Monocacy Scenic River Board • Nanjemoy-Potomac Environmental Council • Nanticoke Watershed Preservation Group • National Aquarium Institute • North Point Yacht Sales • Ocean Equities LLC• Partners for Open Space • Phillips Wharf Environmental Center • Potomac Conservancy • Potomac Riverkeeper • PropTalk Magazine • Queen Anne’s Conservation Association • Rise Up Coffee •Sassafras River Association • Savage River Watershed Association • Severn Riverkeeper • Solar Energy Services • South River Federation • Southern Maryland Audubon Society • St. Mary’s RiverWatershed Association • Talbot Rivers Protection Association • TerraLogos Energy Group • The Wild Child, LLC • West/Rhode Riverkeeper • Whitmore Print and Imaging • Wicomico Environmental Trust• New York • CEA • Friends of the Chemung River Watershed • Global Sports Alliance, NY Team • Green Map System • Lake Group Media • NY League of Conservation Voters • Tucker Robins, Inc. •Pennsylvania • 10,000 Friends of PA • Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring • Briar Bush Nature Center • Citizens for PA’s Future (PennFuture) • Clean Air Council • ClearWater Conservancy •Conservation Voters of PA • Drogaris Companies • Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation • Juniata Valley Audubon • Lancaster Farmland Trust • Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper •Monarch Journey • Nature Abounds • PA Council of Churches • PA Farmers Union • PA Interfaith Climate Change Campaign • PA Organization for Watershed and Rivers • Peach Bottom ConcernedCitizens Group • PennEnvironment • Penns Valley Conservation Association • Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators • Presbyterian Citizens in Action • Spring Creek WatershedCommission • Taproot Native Design LLC • Upper Susquehanna Coalition • Western Clinton Sportsmen’s Association • Virginia • Adventure Links • Agriberry Farms (CSA) • All Creatures Animal Clinic• Amy’s Garden • Associated Custom Builders, LLC • Audubon Society of Northern VA • Bay Fly Fishing LLC • Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Charlottesville • Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Williamsburg• Blue Ridge Wildlife Consultants • Body Balance • Caretakers of God’s Creation • Carol Enters List Co. • Central Green • Chesapeake Marine Railway • Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park •Commonwealth H2O • Conservation Services, Inc. • Deltaville Yachting Center • Dozier Yachting Centers • Eastern Shore Nursery • Elizabeth River Project • Environment VA • Fellinis #9 • Float Fishermenof VA • Friends of Accotink Creek • Friends of Dyke Marsh • Friends of Powhatan Creek Watershed • Friends of Shenandoah Mountain • Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains • Friends of the NorthFork of the Shenandoah River • Friends of the Rappahannock • Friends of the Rivers of VA • Front Royal Canoe Company • Green Duck • HelioSage • Hoffler Creek Wildlife Foundation • HorizonConsulting Group, LLC • J & W Seafood • J4C • James River Association • James River Runners • Jinks Holton • LoudounWatershed Watch • Lynnhaven River NOW • Massanutten River Adventures • MEB General Contractors • New RiverOutdoor Company • Newton Marasco Foundation • Norton Yacht Sales • Partnership for Smarter Growth • PhillipsWharf Environmental Center • Piedmont Environmental Council • Pollak Vineyards • Portfolio Recovery Associates •Public Policy VA • Queens Creek Outfitters • Riverside Outfitters, Inc. • Riverworks • Rockbridge Area ConservationCouncil • Ruark Marinas Inc • Set-up Events • Shenandoah River Outfitters • Shenandoah Riverkeeper • ShenandoahValley Network • Southern Environmental Law Center • Southern Mercantile LLC • Starr Hill Brewery • Sustain, Inc. •Tankard Nurseries • Titan America • Two Rivers Outfitters • Urban Farmhouse • VA Conservation Network • VA Leagueof Conservation Voters • VA State Waterman’s Association • VA Wilderness Committee • Virginia Charter BoatAssociation • Virginia Living Museum • Virginia Outdoor Center • Wetlands Watch • Wilbanks, Smith, and Thomas •Wild VA • Wilderness Canoe Company • Williamsburg Winery • West Virginia • West Virginia Rivers Coalition •Wyoming • Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free

Get in touch with Save the Bay!Talk to us onlineE-mail the editor at [email protected].

Write us a letterSave the Bay Editor, Chesapeake Bay Foundation,6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403

Give us a call888/SAVE-BAY or 888/728-3229

The Chesapeake Clean Water Actwill improve water quality throughout

the watershed while providing necessarytechnical and financial assistance and

autonomy for state and local governmentsto decide how to best reduce pollution.

We urge you to support thisimportant legislation.”

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This view of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal from the north side of Chesapeake City shows residentialand farming land in the foreground and quaint shops and inns on the other side of the Chesapeake CityBridge. To the left of downtown is the Chesapeake Inn Restaurant and Marina, a popular tourist attractionfeaturing elegant indoor dining and casual deck fare with live music.

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DESTINATION:

by Loren Barnett Appel

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onnections. They shape our watershed. Streams to rivers to Bay. Sun-light to underwater grasses to habitat. Zooplankton to forage fish toshorebird. Some are good; some are bad. Fertlizer to algae to deadzones.Development to sediment to smothered oysters. We think often of those

man-made connections doing harm to the natural ones. And we spend a lot ofeffort trying to replace what man has taken away: trees, grasses, oysters.

About 350 years ago, Augustine Herman, a Dutch mapmaker, had a crazy idea:Dig a canal—a short cut—connecting the top of the Bay to the Delaware River. Itseemed impossible at the time, but human perserverence reigned. Today, the man-made Chesapeake and Delaware Canal reduces travel time for cargo ships, and inthe process, saves over 40 million gallons of fuel oil per year. Not a bad outcome.

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■ LENGTH: Approximately 14 miles.

■ WIDTH: Approximately 450 feet.

■ DEPTH: Minimum of 35 feet.

■ TIDAL FLOW: Chesapeake side is 1.5 feet higher. Tidal change isabout 3 feet.

■ TRAFFIC: The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is the busiest inthe world with about 15,000 crossings per year. Forty percentof traffic to the Port of Baltimore passes through the canal.

ChesapeakeChesapeakeBayBay

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The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal at a Glance

LUCIDITY INFORMATION DESIGN

LUCIDITY INFORMATION DESIGN

■ BRIDGES: Six bridges cross the Chesapeake and DelawareCanal. All but one are owned and maintained by the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers. The Norfolk Southern Bridge is owned by therailroad. Each bridge has a minimum height of 136 feet (whenrailroad bridge is raised). From west to east:

• Chesapeake City Bridge, Chesapeake City, MD (MD 213)

• Summit Bridge, Summit, DE (US 301)

• Norfolk Southern Bridge, Kirkwood, DE (railroad lift bridge)Because waterway traffic is more frequent, bridge is keptopen except during train crossings (about six times per day).It takes about six minutes to fully open the bridge.

• Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Bridge, St. Georges, DE (DE 1)

• Saint Georges Bridge, St. Georges, DE (US 13)

• Reedy Point Bridge, Delaware City, DE (DE 9)

■ HISTORY:

• 1600s: Augustine Herman, a Dutch mapmaker,proposes building a waterway to connect theDelaware River and Chesapeake Bay.

• 1788: Philadelphia businessmen, including BenjaminFranklin, push to explore the construction of a canal.

• 1802: The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company isincorporated by the legislators of Maryland,Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

• 1804: Ground is broken on original canal.

• 1806: Canal work stops due to lack of funds.

• 1824: Canal Company funded through $2 million in stockspurchased by the federal government, Pennsylvania,Maryland, Delaware, and private funds.

• 1829: Canal first opens, 10 feet deep, 13 miles long.

• 1919: U.S. purchases canal for $2.5 million and handsresponsibility to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

• 1927: Locks are eliminated to make canal sea level, 12feet deep, 90 feet wide.

• 1938: Canal dredged to 27 feet deep, 250 feet wide, at acost of $14,690,000.

• 1954: $100 million canal modernization (to 35 feet deepby 450 feet wide) authorized by Congress.

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It was not without years ofeffort, however.

Dutch envoy AugustineHerman, in the mid-1600s,was the first to suggest that acanal joining the upper Bayand Delaware River wouldreduce the length of watertravel from Philadelphia toBaltimore by almost 300miles. It was about a hun-dred years later before thefirst surveys were done—and decades more beforeany solid plans were made.

In 1802, after prodding byprominent PhiladelphiansBenjamin Franklin andBenjamin Rush, the legisla-tures of Pennsylvania, Maryland, andDelaware incorporated the Chesapeakeand Delaware Canal Company. More sur-veys were completed and ground was bro-ken in 1804. Work was halted just twoyears later due to lack of funds.

In 1822, the canal company was reorgan-ized. The cost to complete the canal wasestimated at $2 million dollars. Monieswere raised through the sale of stocks.Contributing were the federal government($150,000), Pennsylvania ($100,000),Maryland ($50,000), and Delaware ($25,000).Public contributions made up the balance.

Construction resumed in 1824. Labor wasintense. Thousands of men worked picksand shovels for an average daily wage of75¢. Five years later, the canal—then 10 feetdeep and 66 feet wide—was open for travel.

Several locks were used to compensate forwater-level changes. Mules and horsestowed barges and other vessels through thecanal carrying everyday supplies from lum-ber to grain.

Passengers also traveled the canal. TheEriccson Line (a cruise line servicingPhiladelphia and Baltimore) became hot com-petition for railroad travel until the 1940s.

When steam power became common inthe 19th century and boats became largerand unable to navigate the locks, canal traf-fic declined. President Theodore Roosevelttook notice and appointed a commission to

study the feasibility of converting the canalto a “free and open” waterway.

The canal became “sea level” after the elimina-tion of the locks in 1927. Today the 35-foot-deep, 450-foot-wide canal and non-railroadbridges are owned and maintained by the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers.

My daughter Helen and I traveled toChesapeake City, Maryland, (on the westend of the canal) earlier this year. The townis charming, hugging the canal with lots ofpretty Victorian “painted ladies,” bou-tiques, restaurants, and inns.

In the morning we wandered through thenearby Chesapeake and Delaware CanalMuseum. The self-guided tour includes plen-ty of old photographs, information on thehistory of the canal, a monitor showing real-time locations of the ships passing through,the original pump house waterwheel andengines, and a small working lock.

Next to the museum, a U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers office is home to the main con-trol center for the canal. We were wel-comed by Resident Engineer James Tomlin,Jr., who has served at this post for 25 years.He was pleased to talk about his canal, theyearly maintenance dredging, the tidalflow, the mildly brackish water, and wherewe should grab lunch.

Almost as an afterthought, he asked us if we’dlike to see the control room. Helen’s eyes litup. Neither of us was disappointed. On duty

as Marine Traffic Controllerwas ex-Navy submarinerJoseph Brennan (one of fivecontrollers who cover contin-uous shifts). Joseph wasperched in a long room ofwindows paralleling thecanal. In front of him was arow of live images from the29 monitoring cameras posi-tioned along the waterway.Another tower with GPS islocated on the Delaware side.Data, including real-timewater depth and bridgeheight, are transferred withfiber optics.

Helen, especially, had manyquestions for Joseph. Welearned that fog shuts down

the canal and that ice is “tricky,” requiringcutters to precede convoys of boats. Joseph’sfavorite ship, the “Proof Gallon,” a huge ves-sel filled with rum had not come throughsince 1997, but was still on his mind.

I asked Joseph what made a bad day on thecanal. “An accident,” was his answer.Luckily, they are few and far between.“Mostly,” he said, “I watch the seasonschange and the water go by.”

His job didn’t appear so laid back to us. Josephwas constantly watching the comings andgoings of canal traffic on a monitor and stop-ping now and then to speak to ship captains.

After our visit, Helen and I traveled downthe canal maintenance road heading east.We stopped at the Summit Bridge whichcrosses the canal near the border of theChesapeake Bay watershed. Local legendsays that water sent over the east side of thebridge will flow to the Delaware River—and that water sent over the west side willtravel to the Chesapeake. We laughedaloud at the thought, giddy from the won-der of this man-made marvel and thewarmth of a special day together.

It was the perfect spot to end our adven-ture: in the middle of a great connection.

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Loren Barnett Appel—CBF’s Director of CreativeServices and Editor of Savethe Bay magazine—grew upon Maryland’s Severn River.

Downtown Chesapeake City, Maryland, on the shore of the western end of theChesapeake and Delaware Canal is a few square blocks lined with charming

boutiques, restaurants, and inns.

LOREN BARNETT APPEL/CBF STAFF

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Campaigns

great margin. On average, for example, nitro-gen pollution flowing from the Bay’s manyrivers and streams, though decreasing, isabout twice what scientists tell us theChesapeake can accommodate.

CBF applauds EPA for its unprecedentedactions and putting a priority on clean water.

Draft plans from each watershed state—dueto EPA on September 1, 2010—were to out-line both the numeric pollution reductionseach state would achieve and, also, how the

jurisdictions could assure EPA and the publicthat their reduction goals would be imple-mented through funding, regulation, or othermeans. None of the jurisdictions submittedcomplete plans. EPA singled out Marylandand the District of Columbia as having betterplans but described the other states’ plans,including Virginia’s and Pennsylvania’s, ashaving “significant deficiencies.”

Agency spokespeople characterized the states’draft watershed implementation plans asweak, for the most part because none of thejurisdictions spelled out what EPA hadrequested. In response, the Agency outlined“backstop” plans. Tailored to each jurisdictionand varying due to the relative deficiencies,the backstop plans focus on tightening con-trols on federally permitted sources of pollu-tion—such as wastewater treatment plants,municipal stormwater systems, and large ani-mal-feeding operations known as CAFOs—

and on redefining those animal operationsand those municipalities that might be gov-erned by a permit.

Each jurisdiction must revise and resubmittheir plans. Some jurisdictions are cryingfoul, accusing EPA of overstepping itsauthority and complaining the weak eco-nomic climate makes reducing pollutionfurther impossible. To that, a Baltimore Suneditorial responds, “Much of the criticismis based on the false premise that cleaningup the environment is harmful to the econ-

omy. History shows thatthis isn’t so. From the valueof waterfront property totourism, recreation, and theseafood industry, Marylandhas billions of dollars ineconomic activity tied tothe health of theChesapeake Bay that areput at risk by any failure toprotect it. Some correctiveactions (pollution credittrading, for instance) couldgenerate new industries,new jobs, and new opportu-

nities for farmers and others.” (September27, 2010)

By November 29, 2010, revised plans fromthe states are due. By the end of the year,EPA will finalize the TMDL and its pollu-tion-reduction levels. And then, if it doesits job right, EPA will hold the statesaccountable and impose consequences ifthe states fail to meet the goals.

The Clean Water Act requires EPA to exerciseits authority, especially for multi-state sys-tems like the Chesapeake Bay. This TMDL isa very encouraging sign. The ChesapeakeClean Water Act, now under consideration,will strengthen it and ensure that EPA’saction and the process it sets in motion cansurvive the period of time required to, final-ly, save the Bay. Congress must pass this crit-ical legislation.

he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) released its draft “pollution budget”

on September 24, 2010, citing Clean WaterAct authorities; consent decrees in Virginiaand Washington, D.C., dating back to the1990s; President Obama’s 2009 ExecutiveOrder; and EPA’s binding settlement of a law-suit brought by the Chesapeake BayFoundation (CBF) and its partners in 2009.EPA heralded the draft budget (known as aTotal Maximum Daily Load or TMDL) aslikely to “compel sweeping actions to restorethe Chesapeake Bay and its vast network ofstreams, creeks, and rivers.”

The press responded deci-sively. The Baltimore Sundescribed the action as“tough love,” and reportedthe draft as “the mostambitious developed bythe federal government.”(September 25) A LynchburgNews and Advance editorialconcluded, “It’s about time,because the Bay restorationefforts to date have been tooweak, too half-hearted andtoo limited in scope.” (September 26) Andon its front page, The Washington Post report-ed, “The move by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency is part of the biggestshakeup in the 27-year history of theChesapeake cleanup. Earlier, when statesfailed to meet deadlines to cut pollution by2000 and 2010, nothing happened. Now,the deadline has been moved to 2025—butthe EPA is already threatening states that lagbehind.” (September 25)

CBF President Will Baker said, “After 30 yearsof failed, voluntary programs to save the Bay,EPA appears ready to enforce the Clean WaterAct. If fully implemented, this TMDL willhold the states accountable to reduce pollu-tion to scientifically defensible levels.”

In 1972, the Clean Water Act promised thisnation “fishable” and “swimmable” watersby 1983. We have missed that goal by a

TTotal Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)POLLUTION LIMITS

By November 29, 2010,revised plans from the states are due.

By the end of the year,EPA will finalize the pollution-

reduction levels based on science.And then, EPA will hold the states

accountable and imposeconsequences if they fail.”

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pollution-reduction strategies. At the time ofpublication, CBF had been encouraged thatCongressional leadership is still committedto CCWA, despite the well-funded opposi-tion, and that it will be debated whenCongress returns for a lame-duck session.

We remain expectant that the bill can passthis year. Even if we have to bring the bill for-ward anew, however, we are optimistic. Ourvoices have been heard. CBF employees havespent countless hours working on CapitolHill. CBF members have made calls, paid vis-its, written letters, and sent e-mails inunprecedented numbers. Without CBF’smembers’ participation, we would not haveachieved what we have—an acknowledgedrecognition that the environment and theeconomy, just like the environment andhuman health, are inextricably linked. Today,the Chesapeake Bay system and this criticalpiece of legislation have risen to a newnational prominence that will endure.

uFor more information, please visit cbf.org/cwa.

Campaigns

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Progress on the Chesapeake Clean Water Act

Support forThe ChesapeakeClean Water Act (CCWA)With great forethought, Senator Ben Cardin, CCWA’ssenate sponsor, made changes to the bill’s originallanguage that prompted other committee members,including Senator Arlen Specter and Senator KirstenGillibrand to support it.Looking for more improvements, CBF has been work-ing with Senator Cardin and senators Thomas Carper,Kirsten Gillibrand, Ted Kauffman, Barbara Mikulski,Arlen Specter, and the other Bay delegation senatorswho support CCWA.We will continue to push senators to publically sup-port the bill.

uFor the latest information on Congressional sup-port for CCWA, visit cbf.org/cwa.

efore a packed, standing-room-only hear-ing room last June, the Senate

Environment and Public Works Committee(EPW) approved Senate Bill 1816, theChesapeake Clean Water and EcosystemRestoration Act (CCWA), sponsored by SenatorBen Cardin of Maryland. Several proposedamendments that would have significantlyweakened CCWA were defeated, and in theend, CCWA was one of 10 pieces of water-quality legislation considered that day. Eachpassed with broad bipartisan support.

Shortly after the legislation was voted favorablyout of committee, attorneys from CBF, theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),the Southern Environmental Law Center, theNatural Resources Defense Council,Environment America, and the ChesapeakeLegal Alliance studied the amended bill. Theconclusion is that CCWA might be thestrongest piece of legislation to protect a bodyof water like the Chesapeake Bay and its riversand streams in the history of our country.Together with last spring’s binding settlement

of our lawsuit against EPA and the more recentpollution budget announced in late Septemberby EPA (see page 10), these precedent-settingactions can put state and federal governmentsback on track after 30 years of failed, voluntaryprograms to save the Bay.

Together, they comprise a historic step in theright direction.

Despite broad bipartisan support at the com-mittee level, the legislation stalled over thesummer and was not heard before the fall,mid-term election recess. One reason for thedelay might be the vocal and unsubstantiat-ed opposing claims made by agricultural lob-byists that the legislation would hurt theeconomies of farming communities. Asreported earlier in Save the Bay, the oppositeis true. According to the independent WorldResources Institute, free-market provisions inthe legislation have the potential to bringhundreds of millions of non-tax payer dollarsto the region’s farmers annually and to con-tribute significantly to the most cost-effective

LEGISLATION

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Senator Ben Cardin (MD) Senator Thomas Carper (DE) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)

Senator Ted Kauffman (DE) Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD) Senator Arlen Specter (PA)

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rom the early days on the Chesapeake Bayto the yacht races held all along the Bay

today, the Chesapeake’s winds have playedan outsized role in the regio n’s economyand culture.

But some scientists have concluded thatthose wind patterns have undergone a his-toric shift. And this change in average winddirection has had an impact not only onsailing, but also on water quality in the Bay.

Until about 30 years ago, the prevailingwinds that blew up the Bay in the summer-time came mostly from the south, accordingto Dr. Michael Kemp, a professor at theUniversity of Maryland Center forEnvironmental Science.

These southerly winds would sweep the200-mile length of the Bay. Winds that run in this direction are unobstructed bytrees or land masses, which allows them tobuild up speed, make waves, and stir oxy-gen into the Bay’s waters. But then this mix-ing machine broke down.

“Starting probably in the mid 1980s to thepresent, we’ve seen the winds movingaround primarily from…the west,” Dr. Kempsaid. “We still get southerly winds. But we get

Winds of Change By Tom Pelton

F a much higher frequency of winds out of thewest, which has a very different impact.”

The Bay is narrow from west to east—about4 miles across near the Bay Bridge. Sowinds from the west do not have muchroom to make waves and stir the high-oxy-gen surface water into the oxygen poordepths. This reduced circulation of oxygenmakes it harder for oysters, clams, worms,and other critters on the bottom to survive.

Low-oxygen “dead zones” are caused bywater pollution—nitrogen and phosphorusfrom sewage plants, farms, lawns, and othersources. But the right kinds of winds andcurrents can help breathe life back into suf-focating waters.

The shifting wind patterns appear to becaused by a giant El Niño-like weather pattern over the Atlantic Ocean, called theNorth Atlantic Oscillation, which shiftsevery few decades, according to Dr. Malcolm Scully, an oceanographer atOld Dominion University, who wrote aboutthe subject in an article for the Journal ofPhysical Oceanography.

Recently, there have been signs that thispattern may be shifting back again, which

could mean a return of more powerfulsoutherly winds, better water circulation,and a reduction of the dead zones, Dr. Scully said.

“The extent and severity of these deadzones appears to be very sensitive towhat the wind climate is like,” said Dr. Scully. “And it could be that we’vejust now entered into a period in whichwe are going to have a different windclimate.”

This could mean good news for waterquality. But Dr. Scully said that the factthat winds affect water quality doesn’tmean that we shouldn’t care about pollu-tion. Just the opposite, in fact, it meanswe have to be even more diligent aboutreducing pollution, because that’s the onefactor we can control. Reduced nitrogenand phosphorus pollution, combinedwith better water circulation, could meana substantially healthier Bay.

Tom Pelton is Senior Writer forthe Chesapeake Bay Foundation.His daily blog on current Bayissues can be found atcbf.org/baydaily.

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urn on your stove, and you’ll be plantinga tree.

Customers who receive natural gas fromWashington Gas Energy Services (WGES)will soon see a portion of their monthlybills flowing into the planting of trees,and the cleaning of streams and the air.This grows out of an innovative partner-ship announced during a September 13press conference.

Washington Gas Energy Services, theChesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), J.B.Hunt Transport Services, and clean energyfirm Sterling Planet have teamed up to cre-ate a program called Clean Steps CarbonOffsets that uses carbon offsets for pollu-tion-reduction projects. Carbon offsets arecredits that pay for tree plantings and otherinitiatives that absorb greenhouse gases andother pollutants.

“Clean Steps is all about taking steps inthe right direction to promote a cleanChesapeake Bay and a clean environment,”CBF President Will Baker said at theannouncement. “And it’s something thatmight have an impact around the globe.”

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Gas Customers Turn On Clean Air and WaterPrograms

A major new clean energy partnership was announced by (from left to right) Will Baker of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Mel Jones of Sterling Planet,Gary L. Whicker of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, and Harry Warren of Washington Gas Energy Services.

As part of the program, all of the residentialand small commercial WGES customers inthe District of Columbia, Maryland, andVirginia over the next two years will beginto have some of their payments invested inprojects to reduce truck traffic, burn offexcess methane gas from an Eastern Shorelandfill, and plant trees. The amount willaverage about 60 cents per month per resi-dential customer, or the equivalent of com-pensating for five percent of the natural gasthey use.

By purchasing natural gas from WGES,customers will support a variety of projectsto reduce air and water pollution. For everyton of carbon dioxide that is offset, WGESand Sterling Planet will donate six dollarsto a fund administered by CBF for projectssuch as shoreline buffers—planting treesand strips of plants along streams—toabsorb carbon dioxide air pollution andnitrogen water pollution.

In addition, some of the funds will go topay the J.B. Hunt Transport company totake some tractor trailers off the high-way, and instead ship cargo via rail.Moving from road transport to rail cuts

fuel consumption by 60 percent andgreenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent.Finally, a portion of the funds will flowto the Worcester County Landfill inMaryland to pay for an enclosed burningof gas that rises from old garbage. Thiswill eliminate methane, a greenhouse gasthat is 23 times worse for the climatethan carbon dioxide.

All residential and small commercial cus-tomers of WGES will automatically give tothese projects through their normal payingof monthly bills. In addition, customerswill have the option of offsetting up to 100percent of the emissions created by theirnatural gas consumption. For an averageresidential customer, this would costroughly $12 per month.

“Clean Steps Carbon Offsets brings a new,environmentally friendly product feature toour natural gas customers and is part of ourbroader corporate commitment to cleanand efficient energy solutions,” said HarryWarren, President of WGES.

uTo learn more about Clean Steps CarbonOffsets, go to www.cleansteps.com/offsets.

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t was a hot, windy morning andI was pounding through thechoppy waves of the ChesapeakeBay, on a quest to find the inhab-

itants of a sinking island.

I was in a motorboat driven by JohnRodenhausen, Discovery ProgramManager for the Chesapeake BayFoundation (CBF), who captainseducational expeditions on the Bay.

We cruised past a spit of land southof Crisfield, Maryland, where the col-lapsing brick ruins of a fish oil facto-ry rise up from sandy banks. Then wesliced left, across a marshland, downa narrow creek, and into the maze ofreeds and waterways that is the CedarIsland Wildlife Management Area.

“We’re heading south,” Rodenhausensaid, “in search of the elusive royaltern.”

The birds we were looking for areincreasingly hard to find in theChesapeake, because they nest onlyon isolated, sandy islands.

Royal terns—gull-sized fishing birdswith majestic black crowns andorange beaks—are hunters thathover over the water and then plungedown violently to catch their prey,earning the nicknames “face smash-ers.” They require isolation to sur-vive. Each female lays one egg onsandy beaches, right out in the open,making them vulnerable to raccoons,dogs, or other predators.

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Unfortunately, the sandy islands they need tolive are vanishing rapidly in the ChesapeakeBay. A combination of rising sea levels,caused by global warming, and naturally set-tling land has meant that more than 500 Bayislands have sunk beneath the waves overthe last three centuries, according to authorWilliam B. Cronin’s, The Disappearing Islandsof the Chesapeake.

Some of these submerged places, likeHolland and Barren islands, until the early20th century, held the Victorian homes,churches, and graveyards of oystermen.Others may have been hideouts for piratesand schemers—folks who wanted isolationso they could hunt illegally, gamble, andlaunch bizarre schemes like breeding blackcats for profit.

Now their low-lying haunts—and thehomes of royal terns—are being swept awayfaster than almost anywhere else on earth.

Under a bright blue sky streaked with clouds,we motored into the Fox Island chain, whereCBF runs educational programs out of aformer hunting lodge built on pilings.

Past the lodge, we saw a sandy flat withscruffy bushes rising up out of the waves.We anchored the boat and climbed ashoreonto Clump Island, a small fragment in theFox Island group.

Hundreds of royal terns crowded in thegrass, their brown speckled eggs layingeverywhere on the ground, like they hadbeen spread for an Easter egg hunt. Thecrowned birds stood guard, screaming andscolding us as we approached their treasures.

The birds acted like they were willing tofight to defend their last home. We hadheard that this corner of the Fox Islandchain was the last place in the ChesapeakeBay where royal terns nest. Rodenhausensaid he had watched the islands here dwin-dle to almost nothing as he visited on edu-cational trips over the years.

“Fox Island was hundreds of acres, andnow we’re reduced to less than 100,”Rodenhausen said. “The islands haveshrunk dramatically due to erosion. Thereisn’t a physical barrier to stop the waves

from eroding the shores. So the sand andthe mud give way to the power of the pass-ing storms and everyday wave action.”

As the island habitat has sunk, so has theroyal tern populations in the Bay. Theydeclined by about a third between the1970s and last decade, falling from 4,734breeding pairs in 1977 to 3,332 pairs in2003, according to a 2007 study called“Colonial-nesting Seabirds in theChesapeake Bay Region,” published in thejournal Waterbirds.

Rodenhausen said he doesn’t know whatwill happen to these birds when erosionfinally swallows this sandy sliver wherethey breed. “I’m concerned about wherethey are going to go, because they are goingto run out of islands, soon,” he said.

When we returned to land, I called DavidBrinker, an ecologist with the MarylandDepartment of Natural Resources, whosaid it is likely that terns will continue tovanish from the Bay as their islands areconsumed.

“They’ll go looking for another sandy littleisland,” Brinker said. “Maybe they’ll find it,and maybe they won’t.”

However, Brinker noted that some ternsare adapting to the loss of their naturalhabitat by trying to nest elsewhere.

A second colony recently made a home atthe southern end of the Chesapeake Bayatop the gravelly roof of a cement structurethat is part of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, according to Ruth Boettcher, awildlife biologist at the VirginiaDepartment of Game and Inland Fisheries.

It’s not exactly a natural home for their

royal highnesses. But it is an island, ofsorts. And it is isolated from most preda-tors—except one.

Boetticher explained that, beyond the dis-appearance of islands, royal terns also faceanother danger—increasing attacks fromthe rising population of herring gulls.Often called “seagulls,” herring gulls, withtheir white heads and black wingtips, didnot historically nest in the Chesapeake Bayregion, but rather in the northeastern statesand Canada.

But herring gulls have been multiplyingand moving south as development hasbrought in more trash, which gulls love toeat, said John S. Weske, a former staff biol-ogist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.In that sense, he said, herring gulls are likerats or squirrels—animals that thrive amidhuman development (unlike royal terns,which need isolation).

“Herring gulls have come down from thenorth and they are predatory toward theyoung royal terns,” Weske said. “We havebuilt all these wonderful feeding stationsfor gulls. They are called dumps.”

So in my quest to find a sinking island, Ifound a truth that made my heart sink.Our pollution is pushing this royalty outof the Chesapeake, both in our carbondioxide that is driving up water levels,and in our garbage, which is drawing inmore gulls. We need to make a U-turn inhow we live for the sake of the royalterns.



ROYAL TERN FactsDESCRIPTION: Beach-dwelling fishing bird withorange beak, short forked tail, white and grayfeathers, and black crown. After courtship, thecrown thins and lightens, looking like a bald spot.

SIZE: 18 to 20 inches in length, with a wingspanof 49 to 53 inches.

RANGE: Coasts of North and South America

DIET: Fish and shrimp

NESTS: In large colonies on sandy, isolated islands

SOURCE: THE CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY

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here is a brook near my home—a fresh,cool, babbling brook that I visit every now

and then. It runs along a private road at thebase of a densely wooded, steeply rising hillthat was dismissed by builders as tooinhospitable to develop. You can standwhere the brook slips northward under theroad and comes out the other side, andhear it fall and tumble and gurgle along.

Amazingly, about 1,000 feet away from thisnatural watercourse runs the manmade riverof asphalt called I-695. But you would neverknow it by just standing there. The thickwoods and undulating land buffer the brookfrom the sounds and vitality of the interstate.This stunning juxtaposition of nature and civ-ilization continually awes, and worries, me.

For while the interstate is well protected,with rights that prevent it from beingdegraded, built upon or otherwise man-handled by private concerns, I can’t say thesame for the brook. I began to wonder,then, about the rights claimed by civiliza-tion and the rights due this brook.

Until recently, humankind hasoperated under the ethic of mini-mal restraint, believing we havethe right to do with the world’sresources as we wish. “A personhas as his substantive end the rightof putting his will into any andevery thing and thereby making it his,because it … derives its destiny and soulfrom his will.”* Land, trees, water, air, allare at our disposal to pave, cut, divert, andtrash as we desire.

But we now know that such an ethic is bothunwise and wrong. Unwise because with itwe are destroying the very matter that keepsus alive; and wrong because we have noright to swallow up 4.5 billion years ofhard-won evolutionary wisdom in one blaz-ing display of gluttony, ignorance, or indif-ference. The earth is not ours to keep; it isours to use and pass on, no worse for thewear. And where possible, even improved.

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Nina Beth Cardin is ProgramChair of the ChesapeakeCovenant Community andExecutive Director of theBaltimore Tree Trust.

We know now that we need a new ethic toprotect both the well being of the earth andour human occupancy upon it. This new

ethic calls for nature to be afforded rights ofits own. Just as corporations have beengranted the legal rights of persons, so nowshould nature.

While this may seem like an extraordinaryleap in the historical expansion of rights,in fact such a “land ethic” is rooted in oneof our most ancient cultures. For 2,500years, the Bible has spoken of the rights ofthe land and the obligation of people totreat it well. The land must: be given restevery seven years (Leviticus 25); be treat-ed well so that it in turn will treat its peo-ple well (Leviticus 26); be seen as belong-ing to no one generation or no one owner

but rather as a temporary trust that even-tually reverts back to the tribal commons.In short, the land must be seen as a part-

ner alongside humanity in thisgrand covenantal experiencecalled Creation.

The entitlement ethic has failed us.This covenantal ethic promises usa healthier, safer, and just world. Itis time.

uFor more information on Rabbi Cardin and the Chesapeake Covenant Community, aninterfaith organization helping to restore the Bay watershed, visit www.chesapeakecovenant.org.

*Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, as quoted inShould Trees Have Standing: Toward Legal Rightsfor Natural Objects. Christopher D. Stone. LosAltos, California: William Kaufmann, Inc. 1974.

A Covenantal EthicBy Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin

Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin reminds us to honor the rights of our natural surroundings, like this brook near her Baltimore home.

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The earth is not ours to keep; it is ours to use and pass

on, no worse for the wear.“

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Today, however, there are important newreasons for hope for the Chesapeake Bay’skeystone species. On July 6, theChesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) re-leased its newest report, On the Brink:Chesapeake’s Native Oysters—What it WillTake to Bring Them Back. Covered by morethan two dozen TV stations and newspa-pers, reaching more than a half-millionpeople, the report detailed reasons for hopeand laid out the next steps needed torestore oyster populations.

• A bold new oyster sanctuary program isbeing proposed in Maryland that providesthe essential next step to oyster recovery.

• Recent research shows that oysters aredeveloping resistance to once-devastat-ing diseases, especially in the southernBay.

• Oyster aquaculture is booming, provid-ing new avenues to bring shellfish backand stimulate the Bay region’s economy.

• And, finally, the federal government isconsidering the ambitious goal ofrestoring self-sustaining oyster popula-tions in 20 Chesapeake tributaries by2025.

Oysters are of paramount importancebecause they are a vital organ necessaryfor the Bay’s ecological and economichealth. Each adult oyster filters andcleans up to 50 gallons of water per day.Over the last three decades, Marylandand Virginia have suffered more than $4billion in cumulative annual lossesbecause of the decline of oyster-relatedindustries.

To research the report, CBF interviewedmore than a dozen leading oyster scien-tists, reviewed numerous scientific journalarticles and reports, and reached theseconclusions about the state of oysters inthe Bay:

Building a Future for the Chesapeake’s Oysters


A new report by the Chesapeake BayFoundation concludes that aquaculture (as

shown above, in Maryland’s Choptank River),sanctuaries, and restoration are critical to the

future of the Bay’s depleted native oysters.

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By Tom Pelton and Bill Goldsborough

or centuries, a vast network of oyster reefs fed theChesapeake Bay’s people, cleaned its waters, and pro-tected its fish and crabs. But by the 1920s, dredging

had removed three-quarters of the Bay’s life-giving reefs.The survivors were nearly eradicated in the second half ofthe 20th century by disease, pollution, and overharvesting.

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Oyster farming already is booming in Virginia, as shown in the photo above of CameronChalmers of the Lynnhaven Oyster Company. Other signs of hope include the growing

resistance of oysters to disease and increased enforcement of anti-poaching laws (bot-tom left). CBF scientist Stephanie Westby (bottom right) explains the report’s findingsto news media during a July 6 press conference on the Severn River near Annapolis.

Growing Disease Resistance: Researchsuggests the increased prevalence of oysterdiseases in recent decades is driving a natu-ral selection process that is breeding tougheroysters, especially in the southern Bay wherethe diseases are more common. In Virginia’sYork River fewer than five percent of oystersare dying from MSX today, while more thanhalf were dying of the disease a decade ago.

Sanctuaries: Maryland is proposing tomore than double its oyster sanctuaries, toprotect 9,000 acres (or 25 percent) of theBay’s remaining reefs. A committee ofexperts in Virginia also has recommendedan expansion of no-harvest zones. Thesesanctuaries are critical because they guardreefs that act as breeding grounds not onlyfor oysters but also fish, crabs, and other lifeforms. Sanctuaries allow maximum repro-duction of oysters, which helps the bivalvesadapt to disease and other challenges andrepopulates nearby harvest bars.

Poaching: A problem that crippled small-er and more scattered sanctuaries createdearlier in Maryland was “rampant theft ofoysters in all areas of the state’s waters,”according to a state report. To protect itsnew sanctuaries, Maryland plans toincrease electronic surveillance and pur-sue heavier penalties. A blue ribbon panelin Virginia also recommends strongerenforcement.

Habitat Reconstruction: A major obsta-cle to the return of oysters—even if theyevade harvest and disease—is a lack ofhard Bay bottom for the bivalves to growon. Building elevated reefs with old shellsappears to be succeeding. For example, inVirginia’s Great Wicomico River, morethan 180 million oysters are reported tobe growing and thriving on reconstructedreefs. Key lessons learned from this proj-ect include the necessity of building upthe bottom with old shells so that oysters

are elevated out of the silt, and creatingenough reef acreage to make reefs self-sustaining through reproduction.

Water Pollution: Yet another hurdle for oys-ters is pollution. Silt and sediment washedoff the land by rain can bury oyster beds.And even moderately low oxygen zones thatdo not kill oysters outright increase the sus-ceptibility of oysters to Dermo disease. Forthese reasons, federal and state governmentefforts to control nitrogen, phosphorus, andsediment pollution are important for therecovery of oysters.

Aquaculture: In Virginia, aquaculture isgrowing fast, with the number of oystersproduced multiplying 10-fold over the lastfive years. To encourage underwaterfarms, Maryland recently rewrote its lawsand will now allow leasing on 95,524acres of oyster bars.

To bring back a healthy network of reefs,CBF has concluded the Bay states and fed-eral government must take the followingadditional steps.

• Approximately 40 percent of the Bay’shistorical reef acreage should be protect-ed with sanctuaries and rebuilt withshells or other hard material.

• The states should transition from a wild-harvest oyster fishery to aquaculture bycontinuing to encourage oyster farming,which has tremendous potential forreviving the region’s shellfish industry.

• Both Maryland and Virginia should boostlaw enforcement to keep poachers awayfrom no-harvest areas and oyster farms.

• Most importantly for all life in the Bay,Congress must approve the ChesapeakeClean Water Act, which would providefinancial incentives to states to followplans to reduce water pollution andauthorize more than $2 billion forcleanup projects.

There is still hope for the Chesapeake’soysters. But without these steps, we riskthe permanent loss of not only the Bay’sshellfish, but also its health, identity, econ-omy, and greatness.

u To read CBF’s 2010 report on rebuildingoysters in the Chesapeake Bay, visitcbf.org/oysterreport.

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ear Creek. It branches off the industrial-ized Patapsco River and into the work-

ing-class neighborhoods of Dundalk inBaltimore County. The name of the creekharkens back to a far different time. Thescariest thing in the area these days cer-tainly isn’t black bears. It might be thecreek itself.

That’s because Bear Creek shares its bankswith the 2,300-acre Sparrows Point steelmill. On July 9, the Chesapeake Bay Foun-dation (CBF), the Baltimore Harbor Water-keeper, and seven local residents filed alawsuit in federal court against the currentand previous owners of the Sparrows Pointmill. CBF and its co-plaintifs believe haz-ardous wastes thathave been, and contin-ue to be, dischargedfrom the plant maypresent an imminentdanger to the residentsand the environmentof Bear Creek. The complaint petitions thecourt to require the owners to conduct athorough analysis of pollution in the waterand sediment beyond the plant site, and toassess the possible impact to humanhealth.

High levels of contamination in the ground-water and sediment have been recorded insome areas of the plant and the nearby creek.The wastes include benzene, chromium,lead, naphthalene, benzo(a)pyrene, and zinc.But no comprehensive analysis of the creekwater and sediment has ever been conduct-ed, nor a health assessment. Little cleanuphas occurred, on or off the plant site.

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Tom Zolper works in CBF’sAnnapolis, Maryland, office as the Communications Coordinator. He is a formerteacher and reporter.

The Sparrows Point steel mill sits directly across Bear Creek from Dundalk neighborhoods. Toxicpollution has been found in the creek’s sediment. CBF and others want owners of the plant tofully investigate the extent of the pollution, and its risk to human health and the environment.

Unlike many industrial sites that are sur-rounded by other industry, the SparrowsPoint mill sits near modest waterfronthomes and parks where people fish and

crab. Swimming ladders can be seen on thepiers of some of those homes, althoughsome residents say you are as likely to seeswimmers these days as black bears.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seenanyone swimming,” said Will Strong, 79,who has lived on Bear Creek for more than50 years. “Years ago the people would goswimming.”

Strong said residents just don’t know what’sin the water. He told the story of anacquaintance who fell into the creek whiletrying to fix an outboard motor, and afteremerging, stripped off all his clothes and

asked his wife to wash them immediately.That might have been a bit of an overreac-tion, Strong notes, but it highlights that peo-ple fear what they don’t know, he said.

This suit follows lastMay’s Notice of Intent to sue current ownerSeverstal North Amer-ica, previous ownerArcelorMittal, theU.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency,

and the Maryland Department of the Envi-ronment. Since then, the federal and stateagencies pushed the owners to take sever-al positive steps, but Severstal and Arcelor-Mittal resisted a full off-site assessmentand cleanup.

uFor more information on CBF’s fight againstpollution at Sparrows Point, visit cbf.org/sparrowspoint.

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At one location, benzene, a human carcinogen, has been found in groundwater

at concentrations 100,000 times the government’s Maximum Contaminant Levels.”“

Maryland’s Bear Creek:Where ResidentsFish. And Worry.By Tom Zolper

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Profile

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ob Clouser works intently under a brightlight at his desk, using thread to carefully

tie black eyeballs, chartreuse-dyed deer hair,and a golden tail to a hook gripped in a vice.

The 71-year-old is the Leonardo da Vinci offishing flies. Inside the tiny shop attached tohis home in Middletown, Pennsylvania, hecompletes his masterpiece. Clouser createsthe famous Clouser minnow flies which aresnapped up by anglers around the world.

A legendary fishing guideon the SusquehannaRiver, Clouser alwaysdreamed of passing onhis bustling business tohis son, Bob Jr. But about five years ago, thefather-and-son team abandoned their fishing guide work after a massive die-off of smallmouth bass in theSusquehanna River, the Chesapeake Bay’slargest tributary.

The elder Clouser still sells thousands offlies over the Internet. But he said it is trag-ic that water pollution has forced him toleave the Susquehanna and his home stateto enjoy fishing—which he now does most-ly in Michigan, North Carolina, WestVirginia, and Tennessee.

His tone grows wistful and occasionallyangry as he describes the transformation ofhis beloved river and the decline of its basspopulations over the last decade.

“When I was a kid, the water sparkledclear. There were layers and layers of bluedamselflies across that river, dancing all daylong,” Clouser recalled, surrounded in hisworkshop by spools of colorful thread,

B boxes of deer and fox tails, hooks, weights,and walls plastered with photos of grin-ning customers holding fish.

“Back then, you could look down in 10 feetof water and see all colors of rocks,”Clouser said. “Today, it looks like an Armyblanket down there, because the bottom ispolluted with so much algae. There arehardly any damselflies. And the water has astill, dead look.”

The cause of the decline in smallmouth bassis as murky as the Susquehanna River. HarryCampbell, a senior scientist with theChesapeake Bay Foundation, said thatresearchers have determined that bass aredying more often from infections with a nat-urally occurring bacteria called Columnarus.This might be happening because theirimmune systems have been weakened byexcessive nutrient and chemical pollution,which cause low-oxgen levels and otherproblems in key locations in the river. “Folkslike Bob and his fellow fishing guides arereally the people on the front lines, soundingthe alarms on water-quality issues like this,”Campbell said. “They are like the PaulReveres of the river. And it is our job to get tothe bottom of their observations and thenaddress them.”

Researchers are also investigating whatmixture of chemicals—from weed killers toprescription drugs that are flushed downtoilets—might be disrupting the immune

systems of bass on the Susquehanna River,as well as the Shenandoah, Potomac, andother regional rivers.

But Clouser, an outspoken clean-water advo-cate, has never been one to sit still and wait for

others to solve a problem.Back in the 1980s, he andallies successfully pushedPennsylvania to changethe size limit on catchingsmallmouth bass, so theywould be better protected.

These days, Clouser is writing to hisCongressional representatives and urgingthem to pass a new federal law, theChesapeake Clean Water Act (see page 11).The bill would create new financial incen-tives for states to create strong pollution-reduction plans, and hold them accountablefor meeting their goals.

“We need to get the Susquehanna Rivercleaned up and the Chesapeake Bay cleanedup,” Clouser said. “Every one of my kidsloved fishing. But today, I have no grand-children who like to fish, because they arebored—they can catch no fish. They playcomputer games, because things outdoorsdon’t interest them. And that’s because ofthe pollution.”

Bob Clouser, fly fishing guru, shows off hisClouser minnow fly in his workshop located in

Middletown, Pennsylvania.

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Legendary Fishing Guide is Driven off His River and into a FightBy Tom Pelton

They are like the Paul Reveres of the river.And it is our job to get to the bottom of their

observations and then address them.—HARRY CAMPBELL, CBF SENIOR SCIENTIST

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Stimulus Funds Aid Ag Conservationand Water Quality

Forty-four farms in Pennsylvania are benefit-ing from federal stimulus funds made available through the PennsylvaniaInfrastructure Investment Authority (PEN-NVEST). These funds are helping farmersinstall conservation measures that will aidtheir farms’ profitability, while improvinglocal water quality.

Terry Inch of Adams County says, “My wifeand I started our 250-acre dairy farm in2000. We have invested our time andmoney in conservation efforts, but this pro-gram allows us to do even more to protectwater quality. Without it we would not beable to afford these improvements.”

Program participants receive support toinstall conservation practices through a$14.2 million PENNVEST grant. CBF estimates the farm practices will eliminatemore than 838,000 pounds of nitrogenpollution, 286,000 pounds of phosphoruspollution, and 678 tons of sediment pollution. To participate, landowners were required to restore or protect a 35foot wide forested buffer on all farmstreams.

“These changes will help Pennsylvania meetits commitments for improving water qualitywhile boosting local economies,” said BrionJohnson, PENNVEST’s Deputy ExecutiveDirector for Project Management.

Additional partners include the ConservationReserve Enhancement Program (CREP),Pennsylvania Department of Conservationand Natural Resources, county conservationdistricts, Red Barn Consulting Inc., andTeamAg Inc.

uFor more information, visit cbf.org/Pennsylvania.

Budget Cuts and Furloughs Threatenthe Environment

Last June, Governor Ed Rendell announced a$28 billion state budget that disproportion-ately cut funding for the environment.

PENNVEST grant will helpreduce nitrogen pollution

by 838,000 pounds.

PENNSYLVANIA

Compounding on cuts from fiscal year2009-10 of 26 percent, this new budgetcuts an additional nine percent from theDepartment of Environmental Protection(DEP). The cut to the general budget willpotentially mean additional layoffs and aneven greater challenge to meet Bay restora-tion efforts.

“The cut to the 2010-11 DEP budgetreflects eight years of continual cuts to envi-ronmental protection in Pennsylvania bythe Rendell administration,” said MattEhrhart, CBF’s Pennsylvania ExecutiveDirector. “At a time when Pennsylvanianeeds to ramp up its pollution reductionefforts, this makes no sense. We hope thatthe incoming governor will consider ourfederal obligations to clean water and air,and put Pennsylvania back on track.”

DEP is the state department charged withoverseeing several federal laws including theClean Water and Clean Air Acts. Without anadequate budget and the staff, Pennsylvania isfalling short and losing ground.

Members Matter

Over 16,000 Pennsylvanians support CBF asmembers. This past summer many of them“got in touch” with our Pennsylvania staffthrough outreach gatherings, at regional fes-tivals, and on the water.

In July, and again in August, members weretaken on a personal tour of the lowerSusquehanna River to explore the uniqueenvironment that exists below the Holtwooddam.

Also in July, staff participated in the WXPNmusic festival near Philadelphia. Many of ourmembers live in the southeast region and thefestival turned out to be a fun new way to

reach out and educate others about ourrivers and the Chesapeake Bay.

uFor more information on other events, visitcbf.org/events or cbf.org/volunteer.

CBF Letter to State Officials ProvidesClear Actions for RestorationIn a letter to Pennsylvania’s DEP SecretaryJohn Hanger, Department of AgricultureSecretary Russell Redding, and members ofthe state Watershed Implementation Plan(WIP) teams, CBF detailed legislative, regula-tory, and funding needs for Pennsylvania toimplement its responsibilities under the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency’s TotalMaximum Daily Load (TMDL).

Necessary actions for Pennsylvania toimplement include: assuring compliance ofexisting state laws by the agricultural anddevelopment community; increasing statesupport for technical assistance to farmers;expanding Pennsylvania’s Farm Conser-vation Tax Credit Program (REAP); andupdating state stormwater managementplanning and permitting requirements tobe consistent, coordinated, and compre-hensive.

uFor more information about watershed imple-mentation plans (WIPs), see page 10.

Bay Briefs

Lindsay Delp, a CBF volunteer, helps create fish-print t-shirts while sharing the message of clean

water to attendees of a three-day WXPN music fes-tival held along the shore of the Delaware River.

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and the Maryland No Child Left InsideCoalition have pledged to help clear up thismisunderstanding, and to work for passage ofthe stronger language.

uVisit www.mdncli.org for updates.

New Oyster Plan Goes into Action

On September 6, Maryland put into action anew plan to restore the Chesapeake oysterpopulation and to help Maryland watermenincrease their income from oyster farming.

The plan will significantly increase the area ofproductive oyster beds to be reserved assanctuaries, allow job opportunities in oysterfarming through leased Bay bottom, andretain some reefs from which watermen mayharvest wild oysters.

Planting oyster beds specifically for fisher-men to harvest not only slowed the restora-tion of once-thriving oyster numbers in theBay, but also failed to revive the previouslyprofitable oyster industry.

In recent years science has concluded thatlarger, interconnected oyster sanctuaries,rather than flat beds, are better able to thrivedespite disease and other stresses.

uSee page 18 for more information on bringingback the Chesapeake’s native oyster.

State Study: Planned Developmentwill Kill Fish Spawning in Creek

Jim Uphoff, a fisheries ecologist with theMaryland Department of Natural Resources,released “A Tale of Two Creeks” earlier this year.The report warns that Mattawoman Creek inCharles County, perhaps the best fish nurseryin Maryland, is following the same pattern of

CBF and Waterkeeper File Lawsuitagainst Steel Mill

Concerned for the health of neighbors and theecology adjacent to the Sparrows Point steelmill in Baltimore County, the Chesapeake BayFoundation (CBF), the Baltimore HarborWaterkeeper, and seven local residents filed alawsuit July 9 against the plant’s owner andformer owner in federal court.

uSee page 20 for the full story.

Maryland Pursuing EnvironmentalLiteracy for All Students

The Maryland State Department of Education(MSDE) voted unanimously September 21 torequire that all Maryland public school studentsmust now have access to environmental educa-tion and graduate environmentally literate.

The action was noteworthy. Every local publicschool system must now provide a compre-hensive, multi-disciplinary environmentaleducation program aligned with the MarylandEnvironmental Literacy Curriculum. Eachlocal school system can design its own pro-gram which will be reviewed by MSDE everyfive years.

However, the state school board rejected lan-guage to strengthen and clarify the regulationas an explicit high school graduation require-ment. Several board members expressed con-cern that a graduation requirement would putmore burdens on schools and students. CBF

Planned highway may end spawning in one of the

state’s most productive migratory fish nurseries.

MARYLAND

decline as Piscataway Creek, another tributaryto the Potomac River just a little upstream inPrince George’s County.

“If planned development proceeds inMattawoman Creek’s watershed, anadro-mous fish stream spawning is expected tocease,” Uphoff wrote in the report.

CBF and local activists have been aggressive-ly fighting a planned highway that wouldbisect the Mattawoman and stimulate sub-stantially more development in the area.County commissioners want to build the so-called Cross County Connector at county tax-payer expense. Studies, including Uphoff’s,show that even limited amounts of paving ina watershed can cause the health of streamsand fish to decline markedly.

New Clean-up Strategies Needed

CBF has applauded Maryland for developingnew strategies for cleaning up the ChesapeakeBay, presented in the state’s WatershedImplementation Plan. However, what’s miss-ing from the plan are details of exactly how thestate will pay for and implement the strategies.

CBF has suggested the state take “FiveCritical Actions” over the next four years tohelp the plan succeed: 1) double the month-ly “flush fee” to upgrade sewerage treatmentplants 2) require local governments to devel-op and implement local stormwater fees 3)require cover crops on targeted fields 4) pro-hibit septic systems in large subdivisions and5) require buffers on all streams statewide.


Students and teachers examine Baylife upclose while on CBF field experiences. Research

has shown that environmental education devel-ops awareness; boosts student achievement in

math, science, reading, writing, and socialstudies; engages higher level thinking skills;and encourages environmental stewardship.

Jim Uphoff, the same state biologist who oncecalled the Mattawoman Creek in Charles County the

most productive nursery for migratory fish in thestate, now predicts declining health for the creek if

planned development in the area goes forward.

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Seasoned Advocate Joins CBF Staff

Matthew Niemerski, an environmentalattorney and experienced Congressionaladvocate, has recently joined theChesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) federalaffairs staff.

Niemerski will manageCBF’s Congressionaladvocacy activities. Hecomes to CBF fromOceana, the world’slargest internationalorganization devotedsolely to ocean conser-vation. Much of hiswork at Oceana in-

volved the issues surrounding offshoredrilling. He previously worked forDefenders of Wildlife and Save our WildSalmon in various high-profile environmen-tal lobbying campaigns, including thepreservation of the Arctic National WildlifeRefuge (ANWR).

At the time of publication, CBF was work-ing hard to help pass the ChesapeakeClean Water Act (see page 11). Niemerskiwill play a pivotal role in this federaleffort.

New legislation calls for better runoff controls on

federal highways.

D.C. & FEDERAL AFFAIRS

Maryland and D.C. Agree to ReduceAnacostia River Trash

The Anacostia River, a polluted eyesore divid-ing the Nation’s Capitol, may look better soon.

The State of Maryland and the District ofColumbia have agreed on a Total MaximumDaily Load (TMDL) for trash in the AnacostiaRiver. The new TMDL, which is one of the firstof its kind in the nation, establishes a “pollutiondiet” for trash in the Anacostia similar to thosethat have been established for bacteria, toxics,and other pollutants across the Bay watershed.However, unlike other TMDLs that only seek toreduce the pollution, the new TMDL envisionsthe complete elimination of trash in the river.

The densely populated Anacostia watershed isa relatively small portion of the ChesapeakeBay watershed. According to surveys, morethan three-quarters of the trash originates inthe urban and suburban areas of Montgomery

and Prince George’s Counties. Plastic bottles,styrofoam containers, and paper products area common sight near the mouth of theAnacostia and further down the Potomac.

Once a TMDL is approved by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),jurisdictions are required to adopt manage-ment measures to achieve the necessaryreductions. Better residential and commer-cial enforcement, more frequent storm draincleaning, and effective street sweeping aretypical trash reduction tools.

Senator Cardin IntroducesStormwater LegislationU.S. Senator Ben Cardin (MD) has intro-duced new legislation to reduce nitrogen,sediment, and toxic pollution running offfederal highways. His bill, called the SafeTreatment of Polluted Stormwater Runoff Act(the STOPS Runoff Act), follows nearly twoyears of advocacy on the part of CBF staffand members.

The STOPS Runoff Act (S. 3602) wouldrequire that all significant federal highwayprojects be planned and designed “to main-tain or restore, to the maximum extent tech-nically feasible, the predevelopment hydrolo-gy of the project site with regard to the tem-perature, rate, chemical composition, vol-ume, and duration of flow” of stormwater.

CBF made reduction of highway stormwaterpollution a federal priority in its 2008“Restoring Clean Water and the ChesapeakeBay: Plan for America’s Next President.” CBFcontinues to work on this as a priority issue.Thousands of CBF members have sent post-cards to Congress saying “I don’t want my fed-eral tax dollars spent on roads that pollute ourrivers, streams, and the Bay.” In March, FederalAffairs Director Doug Siglin was invited to tes-tify to the Senate Environment and PublicWorks Committee on the issue.

Senator Cardin plans to integrate the STOPSRunoff Act into the next federal transporta-tion authorization.

uFor more information, cbf.org/blueprint.

Maryland and D.C. have set an ambitious goal of zero trash to the Anacostia River. The WashingtonMetropolitan Council of Governments estimates that more than 1.2 million pounds of trash enter the

river annually, mostly through street drains and underground pipes.

Fall 2010 ● cbf.org

Matthew Niermerski

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Commonwealth May Miss First Bay Milestones

A Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) analysisof Virginia’s efforts to speed Bay cleanup indi-cates that absent changes the Commonwealthwill fall short in achieving restoration mile-stones established just last year. Little new hasbeen done. Making matters worse, Virginiahas cut back on some restoration programsbecause of budget concerns.

CBF Virginia Executive Director Ann Jenningswrote state Secretary of Natural ResourcesDoug Domenech in July saying, “While Virginiahad outlined preliminary plans to acceleraterates of pollution reduction, the practices cur-rently under way are not capable of achievingthe clean-up goals outlined in the first mile-stones. Should this continue, critical milestonetargets will not be met by the end of 2011.”

“We remain hopeful that the limited progresstoward the first milestones is not a signal of afaltering commitment to restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries.”


Clean the Bay Day Continues to Grow

The 22nd annual Clean the Bay Day wasanother huge success. More than 7,500volunteers endured hot, humid weatherJune 5th, scouring 418 miles to removemore than 217,741 pounds of trash anddebris from Chesapeake Bay tributaries aspart of CBF’s annual shoreline and streamcleanup.

This CBF event has grown over the past decadefrom seven partner groups cleaning 115 sitesto 32 partner groups at 242 locations. The geo-graphic reach of Clean the Bay Day hasexpanded from Virginia’s Hampton Roadsregion across the Bay to the Eastern Shore,Northern Virginia, Richmond, Charlottesville,and into the Shenandoah Valley.

Key to this success has been the talent anddedication of Clean the Bay Day CoordinatorSharon Smith, who announced her retire-

ment after 10 years in the post. Sharon’sexpertise and dedication were key to theevent’s success.

uFor more information on Clean the Bay Day,visit cbf.org/cleanthebayday.

Dancing for a Brand New Bay

Hundreds of Richmond-area school studentscombined their best dance moves with a“Save the Bay” message in May for four per-formances of “Dancing for a Brand New Bay”at Richmond’s Arthur Ashe Center.

The performances, culminating with a show-stopping finale involving more than 700 stu-dents on stage at once, were the result of ayear-long partnership between CBF andMinds In Motion, an education and schooloutreach program of the Richmond Ballet.

Partnering with CBF, Minds In Motioninstructors and students spent the schoolyear learning about the Bay, going on CBF

field trips, and creating ways to express inmovement and dance the Bay’s many crea-tures, wonders, and woes.

Minds In Motion will take “Dancing for aBrand New Bay” on the road during the2010-11 school year with similar instruc-tional programs in Charlottesville, Roanoke,and Martinsville schools.

uSee the rousing finale at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJsol1nZ8gg&feature=related.

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Bay Briefs

Current clean-up plan will not achieve end-of-2011 goals.

VIRGINIA

Volunteers remove fiberglass molds from newlypoured concrete reef balls at CBF’s Gloucester

Point Oyster Restoration Center.

A few weeks later, the reef balls were placedin Norfolk’s Lafayette River to create homes

for oysters, fish, and other Bay creatures.

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Dancers from Minds in Motion channel theirinner turtle during a performance of “Dancing

for a Brand New Bay.”

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This year, three of the Chesapeake BayFoundation’s (CBF) signature events—

Akridge Save the Bay Classic and Bands inthe Sand—drew record numbers of Baysupporters and furthered the call to“Save the Bay.” And despite soakingrain, diehard volunteers and membersattended Bayfest presented by CarmaxLaurel Toyota.

The third annual Akridge Save the BayClassic, presented by the Brick Companies,hosted almost 200 golfers at Maryland’sQueenstown Harbor on May 18 and raisedover $150,000 for CBF. This tournamentreaches out to the golfing and businesscommunities to raise awareness about thechallenges facing the Bay.

Bands in the Sand, presented by theBoatyard Bar and Grill and held on thebeach at the Philip Merrill EnvironmentalCenter on June 19, hosted more than 900attendees and raised almost $110,000 forCBF’s Bay-saving programs. This year repre-sented the fifth annual beach concert eventand featured live music, grilled fare, and anart auction.

On September 12, CBF’s fifth annualBayfest presented by CarMax Laurel Toyotaentertained a crowd of nearly 300 guests.“The Chesapeake Bay Foundation pro-vides great services to our community,”said Ted Neale, location general managerof CarMax Laurel Toyota. “We are proudto be among their supporters as they workto save our beautiful Bay area.” Held eachyear at the Philip Merrill EnvironmentalCenter, Bayfest features music, buildingtours, boat trips, and children’s activities.

This event is CBF’s way of saying thankyou for the support provided by our mem-bers and volunteers.

Thank you to all of the members, volun-teers, and participants in these signatureChesapeake Bay Foundation events. Weappreciate your support and commitmentto our efforts.

uVisit cbf.org/events for a calendar of upcom-ing events.


Our Giving Community

CBF EventsContinue to GrowBy Pam McClanahan

More than 900 Bay supporters enjoyed the beach at the Philip Merrill Environmental Center duringCBF’s fifth annual Bands in the Sand event.

On July 20, 2010, the Dave Matthews Band (DMB), radio station 93.7WNOB, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) teamed up to promotethe Chesapeake Clean Water Act (CCWA) at the Virginia BeachAmphitheatre. The partnership was a smashing success and the concertwas fantastic! The Amphitheatre was packed with over 20,000 DMB andCBF fans. CBF employees and interns were present at the concert promot-ing CCWA and registering fans to win a grand prize—a back stage meet andgreet with DMB. Thanks to DMB and their interest in supporting CCWA andCBF, this partnership generated over 4,000 letters of support for CCWA,over 1,000 new CBF members, and hundreds of DMB-CBF co-brandedradio spots on WNOB, all in two weeks time. Ann Kingston of Red LightManagement, DMB’s management group, said, “The band feels stronglyabout doing their part to promote environmental protection. Being based inCharlottesville they fully understand that the Chesapeake Bay is a nationaltreasure and are happy to lend a hand to CBF.”

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Bovis Lend LeaseHelps Build aBetter Bay

Remembering the Past,Investing in the Future

Eight employees from the D.C. office andMulti-Site Group of the project manage-

ment and construction company, Bovis LendLease (BLL), volunteered at CBF’s MarylandOyster Restoration Center in Shadyside. BLLvolunteers built 30 concrete reef balls andprocessed about 3.5 tons of oyster shells tohelp restore the Bay’s native oyster and pro-vide habitat for other Bay species. In April2010, the BLL Foundation awarded CBF acommunity grant of $1,500, after a nomina-tion by BLL employee Josh Bazis. Josh alsovolunteered 15 hours of community serviceto CBF by making phone calls and writingletters in support of the Chesapeake CleanWater Act. A big thank you goes out to Josh,BLL volunteers, and the BLL Foundation.

Even at the age of 91, Harriet Quandt isoften asked by friends, “You are not one of

those green environmentalists are you?” Herresponse is an emphatic, “Oh yes, I am!”

Mrs. Quandt has been a member of theChesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) since1974. She is from a fourth-generationBaltimore family with deep ties to the watersof the Chesapeake Bay.

Influenced by her father and grandfathers,Mrs. Quandt has made a personal and impor-tant priority in her life, restoring and protect-ing the Chesapeake Bay. “I think environ-mentalism was around, even 100 years ago. Iwas practicing conservation in the 1950s,before we had such awareness. But today it ismore visible for people, especially for youngpeople in our schools. Unfortunately, oftenbusiness concerns take priority over protect-ing clean air and clean water.”

Despite her frustration with increased develop-ment within the Chesapeake Bay watershed,Mrs. Quandt is optimistic about the future ofthe Bay and the role of CBF. “CBF does a verygood job of publicizing the condition of theBay and what we need to do to improve it. Isupport CBF’s diverse efforts—informing thepublic, educating our young people, as well asadvocating for government to do its job.”

Harriet Quandt is a member of CBF’sChesapeake Legacy Circle, a society of mem-bers who have included CBF in their estateplans. In 2007 she funded a Charitable GiftAnnuity with CBF. “This really was self-serv-ing because the investment and payout is sogood. But it also will eventually help CBF,and that is important too.”

If asked, Mrs. Quandt is quick to say “Idon’t feel that I have done much” to pro-tect the Bay. But her actions and leadershipover many decades strongly suggest other-wise. “I feel I owe much of what I have tothe Bay and my father and grandfathers. Itis so much of my life.”

uTo learn more about making a planned gift tothe Chesapeake Bay Foundation, including acharitable gift annuity, please contact ReidRago, Manager of Individual and PlannedGiving at [email protected] or 443/482-2102, orconsult your own financial advisor.

Lifelong environmentalist and ChesapeakeLegacy Circle member Harriet Quandt cred-

its her father and grandfathers for herappreciation of the Bay.

Become aBayRaiser!

Looking for a creative way to help save theBay? It’s easy with our new BayRaiser pro-

gram. Through this online program, you cancreate your own personalized BayRaiser web-page where you can describe a special eventand upload photos. Invite your friends andfamily to donate and watch your fundraisingthermometer rise. A BayRaiser page is a funidea for birthdays, weddings, team events,

house warmings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, andother special events. The BayRaiser programcan also be a great way to honor a loved one.

Through this online tool, you can let yourfriends and family know why clean water and arestored Chesapeake Bay are important to you.

uCheck out some of the current BayRaiser pages:cbf.org/Kimberly, cbf.org/mirrorimage, and cbf.org/musicforthebay.

uIf you’d like to learn more about becoming aBayRaiser, please visit our website at cbf.org/bayraiser. If you have questions, you can sendthem to [email protected] or call us at888/SAVEBAY.

Team Mirror Image from Plaza Middle Schoolin Virginia Beach held karaoke parties to raise

awareness and funds for CBF with theBayRaiser program.

Bovis Lend Lease employees help build 30 reef balls.

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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) hasbecome the coordinating organization forthe Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) Chesapeakechapter. The 76 local chapters throughoutthe country promote and educate the publicabout locally grown food.

When you buy food from local sources, you:

• Help “keep farmers farming” so theland is kept in agriculture, not sold forsprawling development.

• Keep dollars in local economies by sup-porting community businesses.

• Enjoy picked-ripe local food that tastesbetter and is higher in nutrition since itdoesn’t travel long distances to yourtable.

CBF has been making the connectionbetween local, sustainable agriculture andthe Bay’s water quality for a long time so itseemed natural that CBF would take on the

BFBL chapter as a new project. Plans areunderway to create an online food guide tolink consumers with farmers’ markets; CSAs(community supported agriculture pro-grams); farm stands; and local producers ofgrass-fed meats, cheeses, wines, fruits,and vegetables. Initially, the food guide willcover Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, andBaltimore counties in Maryland.

uTo learn more, visit cbf.org/eatlocal or e-mail Marcy at [email protected].

Eat Local—Save the Bay

On June 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcedthree showcase watersheds that have demonstrated water-qualityproblems for which the use of innovative conservation practices andintensive agricultural conservation planning, implementation, andmonitoring will occur. The three showcase watersheds are the23,000-acre Upper Chester River Watershed on Maryland’s EasternShore, the 34,000-acre Conewago Creek Watershed in CentralPennsylvania, and the 67,000-acre Smith Creek Watershed inVirginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

The showcase watershed concept was included in the ObamaAdministration’s federal strategy for restoration of the ChesapeakeBay, released on May 12, 2010. The strategy details the federal gov-ernment’s commitment to restoring critical components of theChesapeake Bay watershed over the next 15 years.

USDA’s work in the Chesapeake Bay is funded, in large part, by the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI), one of thelargest single federal investments in the clean-up effort. CBWI,established in the 2008 Farm Bill, provided an unprecedented$188 million from 2009-2012 to support restoration of theChesapeake Bay and its watershed.

Three Showcase Watersheds Named

Smith Creek, VA

Conewago Creek, PA

Upper Chester River, MD

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Wild Delmarva: throughthe Lens of Kevin Fleming

Although you may not recognizehis name, you’ve probably seenhis work. Award-winning pho-tographer Kevin Fleming’snewest book, Wild Delmarva,captures the wildlife and wildplaces of the Chesapeake Bayregion. Kevin spent the pastyear and a half in the fieldpainstakingly discoveringand photographing thenatural world found inand around the beautifulDelmarva Peninsula. The

book, showcasing nearly 200 glorious pho-tos, will be released on November 1st and will be available onKevin’s website. Fleming personally signs every copy. Fleminghas covered the world as a photographer for NationalGeographic and has recently been recognized America’s BestObserver by Readers Digest.

uYou can follow his travels and order Wild Delmarva atwww.wilddelmarva.com.

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We all want to make our communities a betterplace to live, work, and raise our families. CBFvolunteers have been donating their time andenergy in doing just that. From July 1, 2009to June 31, 2010, our volunteers gave74,598 hours representing almost $1.5million of investment in their communi-ties and improved local water quality.

Thanks to the thousands of youwho got involved. You madeyour voices heard loudand clear in supportof legislative actions.You joined togetheralong the banks ofVirginia waterwayson Clean the BayDay to remove morethan 100 tons of trashfrom the Bay and itstributaries. You joinedCBF staff at fairs and fes-tivals, giving out impor-tant information aboutour fight for clean water.In Pennsylvania, Maryland, andVirginia, you planted thousands oftrees. You spoke to audiencesabout the health of the Bay and

its waters and let others know how they couldhelp through Speakers Bureau. At Clagett Farmin Upper Marlboro, Maryland, you tended

crops, and harvested and prepared pro-duce for delivery. In Maryland andVirginia’s Oyster Restoration Centers,you made oyster reef balls to createhabitat for fish and oysters, and grew

native oysters and transplanted themto sanctuary reefs. You also grew

oysters on your piers and atyour marinas throughour oyster gardeners

program and plant-ed the mature oys-ters on sanctuaryreefs. In CBF’s six

area offices, youhelped with admin-istrative tasks.

Help us save theBay. Fall volunteeropportunities are

plentiful.

uFor more information, checkour online calendar of events atcbf.org/calendar or visit ourVolunteer section at cbf.org/act.

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First-place Winner Third-place Winner

CBF’s 2010 Save the Bay Photo Contest exceeded expectations. CBF members and other Bay supporters submitted almost 800 pho-tos. And our Viewers’ Choice Gallery generated over 6,000 votes! The best part? All the fabulous photos we received.

uFor more information on CBF’s annual photo contest, please go to cbf.org/photocontest.

Thank You to All of Our Volunteers

“Mr. Reliable”Tom Straehle of Westminster,Maryland, was named CBF’s MarylandVolunteer of the Year at the annualBayFest event held in Annapolis. Tomhas been dubbed “Mr. Reliable” byMaryland’s Restoration Team. He is aCBF VoiCeS (Volunteers as ChesapeakeStewards) program graduate and anactive advocate for clean water.

MARCY DAMON/CBF STAFF

Susquehanna Barn by Kevin Moore Sunset over Blackwater National WildlifeRefuge by Graham Slaughter

Great Horned Owlet by Paul Bramble

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Second-place & Viewer’s Choice Winner

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2nd 3rd

2010 Save the Bay Photo Contest Results are in!

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n my thirty-year tenure with the ChesapeakeBay Foundation’s (CBF) environmental educa-

tion program, I have often encountered formerparticipants who share with me their vivid mem-ories of CBF field experiences and the impactthose experiences have had on personal andprofessional choices. But I rarely have thechance to relive a field experience alongsidemy former students in such a powerful wayas I did one recent summer evening.

The opportunity came about through anon-going conversation with Anne ArundelCounty Public Schools SuperintendentKevin Maxwell, who is considering how tocost-effectively increase opportunities forstudents throughout the county to haveage-appropriate, hands-on envi-ronmental education at everygrade level. I offered to showhim one example of an elemen-tary school—like many in hisdistrict—located within blocksof a Chesapeake Bay tributary,and the kind of learning that canhappen there. I even proposed to bringalong four of the school’s former students.

We traveled by boat into Weem’s Creek,where the neighborhood boat ramp, just two blocks from West AnnapolisElementary School, provides easy access tothe water. I explained that for forty yearsCBF has been bringing students from theschool to this exact spot to learn watershedconcepts, test water quality, and seine forfish. The four former students—now intheir twenties—took turns sharing memo-ries: writing their names on ping pong ballsand dropping them in the storm drain tosee where they entered the creek, catchingfish and grass shrimp, being excited and

amazed by what they could find in theirown backyard.

In our efforts to work with Bay-area schoolsystems to provide students with the kindof experiences and knowledge that will pre-pare them to become lifelong stewards forthe Bay, we often ran into policy obstaclesthat prevented eager teachers and adminis-

trators from fully implementing environ-mental and outdoor education programs.

In 2006, CBF—realizing that systemic,long-term change for the Bay wouldrequire systemic change in federal educa-tion policy—formed the No Child LeftInside Coalition. As a result, we’ve amassedcritical Congressional and grassroots sup-port towards amending federal public edu-cation policy to include expanded environ-mental and outdoor opportunities. Perhapsmore remarkable are the tremendous localbenefits that we are already experiencing.

In Maryland, for example, CBF workedwith the governor and other officials as

they created a state-wide environmentalliteracy plan, which outlines programs andinfrastructure that will facilitate outdoorplay and learning for all children and theircommunities. While much of the plan willtake several years to implement, the statedepartment of education and local schoolsystems are acting now on two key recom-mendations. First, the state school board

voted unanimously to integrateenvironmental education through-out the cirriculum in everyMaryland high school. Second,Dr. Maxwell is partnering withCBF to develop strategies toensure that every student in thecounty participates in a meaning-

ful outdoor environmental educationexperience annually.

In this way, CBF is directly helping to gen-erate a systemic, annual approach to envi-ronmental education that provides a richcontext for learning that will stay withthose children for a lifetime, and preparethem to be actively involved in addressingthe complex environmental and economicchallenges of the 21st century.


Don Baugh is the ChesapeakeBay Foundation’s Vice Presidentfor Education and founder of the No Child Left InsideCoalition.

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Lasting ImpactBy Don Baugh

Last Look

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The four former students—now in their twenties—

took turns sharing memories.“

”

CBF’s education department, the largest of its kind in the nation, brings students to localwaterways to learn watershed concepts, test water quality, and seine for fish.

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a gift to CBF that would provide

Quarterly Income

A Fixed Rate of Return

Contact:

Reid RagoManager of Annual and Planned Giving

443/[email protected]

A charitable gift annuity can benefit you while it supports CBF’s initiatives throughoutthe region. For more information on this exceptional opportunity, we invite you to contactour planned giving director or consult with your financial advisor.

Your charitable gift annuity to the the Chesapeake Bay Foundation can offer:

❑ The security of quarterly income payments for the rest of your life

❑ A fixed rate of return between 5.7 and 9.5 percent annually

❑ Tax savings you can take advantage of now

❑ An investment in the future of the Bay and its rivers and streams

JOE

WA

LTO

N

Imagine...Immediate Tax Savings

A Legacy of a Saved Bay

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Chesapeake Bay FoundationPhilip Merrill Environmental Center

6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403410/268-8816

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDSouthern, MD

Permit No. 305

On the cover: The warm light of sunset washes over a Smith Island, Maryland, marsh creek, or “gut.” The island’s 8,000 acres of tidal salt marsh—a mecca for kayakers, photographers, and shorebirds—are threatened by rising sea levels, eroding shorelines, and subsiding land. Photo by Ian Plant

We won’t stop until the job is done.

A Saved Bay isWorth the Fight

JESS

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/CBF

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