President’s Message - CBF

President’s Message

William C. Baker

2 Summer 2008 � cbf.org

The Best of Times,the Worst of Times

CBF President Will Baker

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First the bad news:In 1995, CBF led a campaign to reducemodestly the catch of female blue crabsbecause we and others foresaw a loomingcrisis on the Bay. Sadly, our recommenda-tions and lobbying efforts were not suc-cessful. In fact, we were pretty well brand-ed as “Chicken Littles.”

Emotions ran so high that some of our staffreceived death threats, and a CBF educa-tion center building was torched.

We pushed on, believing that early actioncould prevent a crisis situation from devel-oping. We forecast that only more extrememeasures would be able to reverse thedecline if the blue crab population beganto crash. That time may now be here.

In 2007 dollars, the dockside value of thefishery has plummeted from over $250million annually to $125 million annually.But more than the economic value, theabundance of the blue crab is a metaphorfor our rich environmental, cultural, andeven historic heritage.

The immediacy of the problem has caughtthe attention of Governors Kaine andO’Malley. The best scientific minds aretelling the governors that a minimum 34percent catch reduction of female crabs isnecessary to avert a further decline. CBFaccepts this reality, and many commercialwatermen now agree that something mustbe done.

The problem is, of course, far bigger thanthe blue crab, which is just the canary inthe coal mine. While harvest reductionswill result in more crabs in the Bay, a long-term sustainable fishery will require water

quality improvements through dramaticreductions in pollution (see page 14).

Just as CBF was dismissed as a fear mongerin 1995, so too are calls for fundamentalpollution reduction being largely ignoredtoday. Unless governments accelerate theirefforts, conditions may soon be far worse.Any water contact could be unhealthy. Allfish and shellfish consumption could bebanned for human health concerns.Drinking water from surface and ground-water sources could be contaminated. Thevalue of waterfront property could plum-met, with disastrous results to the propertytax base. One can only imagine what meas-ures might be forced upon citizens if suchconditions occurred.

We cannot afford to let the iconic blue crabgo the way of the oyster. The blue crab har-vest is the economic backbone of entire com-munities such as Smith and Tangier Islands,and watermen and their families will be thehardest hit by new catch limits. People in theseafood industry will suffer while the har-vests are curtailed, even with the disasterrelief that federal officials are pursuing.

Why we humans wait for a crisis before tak-ing action is a question for psychologists,but it has surely played itself out on theChesapeake Bay. Even with precise scienceand available technology, elected officialshave not flexed the political muscle toreduce pollution faster than populationgrowth has increased it.

We ignore warning signs at our peril. In1995 we were told the blue crab wouldnever crash in the (foreseeable) future.Sometimes, the (unforeseeable) future getshere quicker than we would like.

And now for the good news:Every once in a while, CBF scores a victo-ry that is more special than all others.Such is the case with our five-year effort tosecure federal funding for Bay restorationin the recently re-authorized federal FarmBill. Eighty million dollars each year ofnew funding will be available to the Baywatershed states. We believe that whenthe funds are matched by the states, asrequired, this will result in the reductionof some 40 million pounds of nitrogeneach year.

With reductions from other sources ofnitrogen (such as sewage) that will soon berealized, the goal to reduce nitrogen flowsby 110 million pounds is not nearly asremote as it once seemed. We can eventu-ally expect total annual reductions toapproach 70 million pounds.

We offer our most sincere thanks toRepresentative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD),who led the effort, and to all of the repre-sentatives and senators who partnered withhim on this initiative. We can think of noCongressional action that has been as sig-nificant for the Bay, ever.

History may record that with this vote, theChesapeake Bay began a new chapter oflong-term, systemic, improvement. Goodnews for blue crabs and all of us whovalue them.

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Contents

Summer 2008 Vol. 34 � No. 2

6 Destination Chesapeake: Anacostia RiverWith a brand-new baseball stadium on its banks, theAnacostia River has new visibility in the nation’s capital—and new hopes for reversing decades of neglect.

10 Moving On UpBrown pelicans, lured north by warming conditions,are settling on the Chesapeake, and the gawky fliers andtheir chicks are flourishing.

14 The Crab CrisisRecent actions to manage the blue crab fishery raise thequestion: Can we save the declining stock before it crashes?

22 Bringing Back GrassesUnderwater grasses provide essential habitat for Bay creatures.Here’s a guide to these important aquatic plants.

24 Buy Fresh, Buy LocalConsumers who want a closer connection to their food areturning to local farmers, and the trend could preserve rurallands and clean water.

5 MAILBOXStudents express their enthusiasmabout CBF’s field education experiences.

15 REFLECTIONSAs he contemplates his 21st annualPatuxent wade-in, former MarylandSenator Bernie Fowler assessesits impact.

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

13 PROFILETen years ago, farmer Ann Bowers tooksteps to preserve the land near her creek,and became a pioneer.

20 CAMPAIGNSNew federal legislation funnels millions ofdollars towards clean water practices; anew CBF campaign spotlights a familiarBay champion; federal legislators get a lookat the benefits promised by the No ChildLeft Inside Act.

26 OUR GIVING COMMUNITYCBF recognizes friends and supporters.

28 DRIFTWOODEvents, tips for greener living, and Baybits and pieces.

30 LAST LOOKThere's plenty of room in the environ-mentalists’ tent. Recent successes showthat reaching out to diverse groups canreap big dividends.

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PHOTOS THIS PAGE: UPPER RIGHT, IAN PLANT; LEFT TO RIGHT, NIKKI DAVIS: DAVE HARP; ANN SIEGAL; GETTY IMAGES

4 Summer 2008 l cbf.org

Environmental Awareness StatementThe Chesapeake Bay Foundation saved the followingresources 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

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

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

Summer 2008 Volume 34 • Number 2

Carol Denny, EditorLoren Barnett Appel, Director of Creative Services

Jennifer Cassou, Art DirectorTerry Coker Peterson, Graphic Designer

© Chesapeake Bay Foundation 2008E-mail: [email protected]

888/SAVEBAY • cbf.org

CBF EXPECTS 2008 TO BEA CRITICAL YEAR

for environmental progress in the Chesapeake watershed.With the support of nearly 200,000 members, we’ll let ourelected officials know that the time for “the politics of post-ponement” is over. The time for pollution reduction is now.

Please join us in the fight to restore the Bayand its rivers and streams.

Use the envelope enclosed in this issue to help us leave alegacy of clean water for our children.

A WatershedMoment

Editor’s NoteIn the nation’s capital, CBF has scored a home run for theBay. Driven by your e-mails, letters, and phone calls to legis-lators, a five-year CBF campaign has secured hundreds ofmillions in new federal funding for clean water programsthrough the 2008 Farm Bill. Learn more about this triumph—one that every CBF member can celebrate—on page 21.

On the water, the work goes on. Just a few miles from the U.S.Capitol, the restoration of a once-forgotten urban river, theAnacostia, gains momentum as the new Nationals Parkdebuts on its banks (page 6). It could be another capitalcomeback—and in the meantime, we’ll keep slugging.

—Carol Denny

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

2008 OFFICERSD. Keith Campbell

ChairmanJames E. Rogers

Vice ChairmanSusan S. Phillips

SecretaryArnold I. Richman

TreasurerWilliam C. Baker

President

EX OFFICIO TRUSTEESGovernor Martin O’MalleyGovernor Timothy M. Kaine Governor Edward G. RendellMayor Adrian M. FentyJoanne S. Berkley

Bay Care ChapterHal C. B. Clagett

Clagett TrusteePeter Gnoffo

York Chapter

HONORARY TRUSTEESLouisa C. DuemlingC. A. Porter HopkinsBurks B. LaphamT. Gaylon Layfield, IIIH.F. LenfestM. Lee MarstonCharles McC. MathiasH. Turney McKnightGodfrey A. RockefellerRussell C. ScottEdmund A. Stanley, Jr.Aileen Bowdoin Train

2008 TRUSTEESMyrtha L. AllenDonald F. Boesch, Ph.D.John T. Casteen, IIIRichard L. FranyoG. Waddy GarrettAlan R. GriffithCarolyn GroobeyMichael J. HanleyVirginia R. HoltonJennifer B. HortonRobert A. KinsleyHarry T. LesterWayne A. Mills

Charles W. Moorman, IVW. Tayloe Murphy, Jr.Donald H. Patterson, Jr.Marie W. RidderAlexis G. SantTruman T. Semans Simon Sidamon-EristoffJennifer StanleyThomas H. StonerMichael WatsonJohn R. Whitmore Anthony A. Williams Alan L. Wurtzel

CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION

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Each year, more than 40,000 students get intouch with the Bay and its rivers throughCBF’s field education experiences. Here’s whatthey said made their trips so special.

Students from Clarksville, Maryland, took tocanoes to learn about the Bay and its creatures.

� 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

Seventh grade, Clarksville Middle School in Clarksville,Maryland, at the Philip Merrill Center in Annapolis:

“I put my hands in the bottom. There were leaves. It didn’t smell good.It smelled like rotten eggs, but it had a neat texture.”

“It’s easier to learn if you can actually see it and do it.You get to actually apply what you learned in real life.”

“I like the fishing…It’s hands-on. You actually get to do it. You don’t read.”

Tenth grade biology class,SciTech School inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, atMemorial Lake State Park:

“I have a little sister, and Iwant her to be able to canoe

and have the same experienceI’ve had, so that she’ll havethe same appreciation forthings living in the water!”

“I’ve never canoed in my life. If not for today, I probably never would’vegotten in a canoe. I think that if they did this in all schools that people

would really learn something.”

“The insect identification was definitely the best thing. Normally (in class),we’d either be reading our textbooks or watching a movie. That’s boring.

This was really fun and it made you curious.”

Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, on theElizabeth River near Portsmouth:

“We had fun today,especially when thateel jumped out and

chased Keilin all overthe place.”

“When you learnabout it in books,it’s a lot different

than when you seeit up close and

personal.”

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KELLY DONALDSON/CBF STAFF


Destination Chesapeake

Anacostia:A Comeback Story

By Alex MacLennanPhotos by Nikki Davis

With the debut of Washington’s newNationals Park Stadium on its shores,however, the Anacostia is poised for acomeback. The stadium’s planned water-

f ron t pa rk , and many o the r “green” developments in the District, arebringing new attention to this Bay tribu-tary. Conservation groups are connecting

residents to the river, and providinghands-on opportunities to clean it up.On opening night at the new stadium,the story was not only about baseball,but also about the recovery of an urbanriver at the heart of Washington, D.C.

Doug Siglin, CBF’s Federal AffairsDirector, says, “The Anacostia was once acentral focus of life in Washington, D.C.,

ntil recently, the Anacostia was a forgottenriver—an odd status for a waterway that runsthrough the center of the nation’s capital. For

decades, it lay neglected, choked by pollution and trash.U

Anacostia River at a Glance� LENGTH: 6.8 miles within Washington, D.C.

� WATERSHED: 176 square miles

� POPULATION: Over 800,000

� TRIBUTARIES: Include Northwest Branch, Northeast Branch, Sligo Creek, Paint Branch, Little Paint Branch, Indian Creek, Beaverdam Creek,Brier Ditch, Lower Beaverdam Creek, and Watts Branch

� RESTORATION GROUPS: Include Anacostia Watershed Society, Earth Conservation Corps, Friends of Sligo Creek, Friends of Little Paint Branch

For more information, visit the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership at anacostia.net.

and should be again.” He believes thatrevival is beginning to happen, andpoints to CBF’s many successful efforts toimprove the health of the river. SaysSiglin, “Grants that CBF provided overthe past few years helped to start a greenroof movement here, and now the D.C.region is a national leader in the installa-tion of green roofs on public and privatebuildings.” Green roofs (rooftop basinswith several inches of soil and a layer ofplants) absorb rainfall, reducing theamount of stormwater runoff and aircontaminants. He notes, “They are animportant piece of the puzzle for clean-ing the Anacostia and the Bay.”

Two-thirds of the Anacostia’s watershed isin suburban Maryland, reaching intoPrince Georges and Montgomery coun-ties. A shallow river in a geographicallyflat area surrounded by dense urban com-munities, the river flushes slowly, so con-taminants from upstream are not natural-ly removed. When torrents of rainwatersluice off buildings and roads across thearea, they can overload D.C.’s antiquated

sewage and stormwater treatment sys-tems, causing—in the heaviest down-pours—overflows of raw sewage directlyinto the waterway.

Jim Connolly, Executive Director of theAnacostia Watershed Society (AWS),says, “D.C.’s sewage and stormwater sys-tem is severely overtaxed and out of date,and no one wants to fund the infrastruc-ture work needed to clean it up.”Encouraging green roofs is only one step:Costs to repair and upgrade D.C.’s stormand wastewater infrastructure are esti-mated at $3 billion. Connolly and otherswant the federal government to help D.C.residents to pay the bill.

Connolly and Siglin are also talking trash.Although trash “isn’t the biggest issue forwater quality, it is the one thing everyonein the watershed understands,” Connollypoints out. “Once you start picking uptrash, you also care about the other stuff.”

Several trash traps are already in place inPrince Georges County (near Chillum

and Lanham), and trash racks on sewerpumps screen debris from stormwaterbefore it reaches the river. MontgomeryCounty has also placed grates in stormsewers to trap and collect the trash fromthe road. “College Park, Greenbelt,Berwyn Heights, and New Carroltonpooled their money and bought a regen-erative air vacuum sweeper—a vacuumcleaner that sucks up trash, sediment,heavy metals, oil, and grease [fromroads],” Connolly adds. “AWS’s goal is tosee every street in the watershed swept byone of these machines.”

Still, the Anacostia remains heavily pol-luted. Addressing its condition is the mis-sion of Earth Conservation Corps (ECC),which provides hands-on environmentaleducation, job training, and communityservice projects for young people inWashington, D.C. The ECC focuses onrestoring the Anacostia and enriching thespirits of D.C. youth, and nearly 300ECC participants have dedicated hun-dreds of thousands of hours to clean up“their” Anacostia.

Certified as a “green” stadium, the new Nationals Park in southeast Washingtonis one of many positive developments along the Anacostia River. The Bay tributary

continues to suffer from pollution, but green roofs like the one at the new Departmentof Transportation headquarters, below, are reducing nitrogen runoff to the river.

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“Rivers don’t change very rapidly,” says Naturalist and Paddling InstructorByron Bradley, shown at Bladensburg Waterfront Park. He says his stretch

of the Anacostia is in better shape than it was ten years ago.

Though urbanized, theAnacostia still holds gems

of natural beauty.

Lower Beaver Dam Creek

Watts Branch

Northeast Branch

Paint Branch

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Nationals Stadium

National Arboretum

Sligo Creek Park

Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Bladensburg Waterfront Park

Anacostia River Park

Kingman Island

LakeArtemesia

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Northwest Branch

Sligo Creek 0

Northwest Branch StreamValley Parkwww.mcparkandplanning.org/parks/index.shtm301/495-2595 (MontgomeryCounty Department of Parks)

Sligo Creek NeighborhoodParkwww.mcparkandplanning.org/parks/index.shtm301/495-2595 (MontgomeryCounty Department of Parks)

Lake Artemesiawww.pgparks.com/places/nature/artemesia.html301/927-2163

Bladensburg Waterfront Parkwww.pgparks.com/places/nature/bladensburg.html301/779-0371

Anacostia River Parkwww.nps.gov/anac202/426-9365

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardenswww.nps.gov/keaq202/426-6905

National Arboretumwww.usna.usda.gov202/245-2726

Kingman Islandwww.anacostiawaterfront.net

Nationals Stadiumwww.washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/ballpark/index.jsp202/675-NATS (6287)

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Accessing the Anacostia

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Other local efforts are also bearing fruit. TheAnacostia is an EPA “Targeted Watershed,”and eligible for protection and restorationgrants. Mayors Anthony Williams andAdrian Fenty have both initiated importantprograms—the District’s proposed plan forthe Anacostia includes a public park onKingman Island (now being restored, andalready in use for the ECC’s educationalprograms), miles of waterfront trails, andenvironmentally sensitive construction.D.C. has also promised that all publicbuildings constructed or renovated by theDistrict’s Office of Property Managementwill be required, where feasible, to includegreen roofs.

Though the Anacostia is extremely urban-ized, it still holds many gems of naturalbeauty. In the upper watershed, 38-acreLake Artemesia connects people to milesof hiking trails and the expansiveAnacostia Tributary Trail System.Flowering azaleas and evergreens at theNational Arboretum make it easy to forgetthat the 446-acre oasis lies near the centerof Washington, D.C. Kenilworth AquaticGardens, a hidden park of ponds, frogs,and marshes, comes to life in the summermonths. The Kingfisher Canoe Trail along

Volunteers at the Anacostia Watershed Society’s14th Annual Earth Day Clean-Up, above right,collected dumpsters full of waterborne trash

from the river, much of it plastic containers likethose shown at left. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens,

below, is a hidden oasis in the District.

the Anacostia links paddlers to manyinspiring spots.

Newly revitalized Bladensburg WaterfrontPark also makes the most of its perch on ascenic stretch of the river, offering fishing, apicnic area, a boat ramp, and historical dis-plays. During the summer, free pontoonboat tours offer a glimpse of a lush riverhabitat that is mere seconds away from theBaltimore-Washington Parkway, rail corri-dors, and busy thoroughfares likeKenilworth Avenue/Route 201.

Byron Bradley, a paddling instructor and parknaturalist at Bladensburg, has worked on theAnacostia for more than ten years. He laugh-ingly calls himself a “river rat,” and says thattoday’s Anacostia is a beautiful place com-pared to 1995. “The water’s cleaner now,” hepoints out. “There’s more wildlife and morepeople are out paddling and fishing.”

Despite the promise of the recovering river,the Anacostia remains far from saved. But thegood work of volunteers, community groups,builders, and local governments has begun tomake a difference in the river’s health. Fromthe suburbs to where it rolls into the PotomacRiver, the Anacostia is “forgotten” no more.


Besides dodging defensive jabs by thechicks, Brinker and his banding team suf-fer through biting insects, boot-suckingmud, and stifling summer heat to reachnesting colonies. “It’s fun,” he says, “butyou have to really want to do it.”

Brinker began his banding study in 1987,when he found the first brown pelican

nests ever recorded in Maryland on TizzardIsland in Chincoteague Bay. That discoverymade national news, celebrated as evi-dence that the once-endangered bird wasrecovering from the egg-thinning effects ofDDT. “It was cool!” Brinker remembers.

Neither American Indian refuse heaps norearly explorers’ journals contain any evi-

dence of brown pelicans nesting on theChesapeake Bay. Many attribute thespecies’ recently expanded range to thewarming climate, which offers a longerseason for the young to become self-suffi-cient. It takes a long time to raise a peli-can chick, Brinker explains. Young birdsmust be nine weeks old to fly, then mustdevelop the skills and muscle strength to

Moving On UpPelicans areat Homeon the Bay

By Julie DunlapPhotos by Ian Plant

o most Bay residents, the brown pelican’s outsized beak is justanother comical trait of this popular but gawky bird. Twodecades of banding pelican chicks, however, have given Dave

Brinker, an ecologist for Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources,a different perspective. “They’re not dainty,” he says of the almost-Canada geese-sized young he handles. “That big bill has a long andeffective nail at the tip.”

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catch enough fish for survival. Until thelatter half of the twentieth century, hesays, the Bay’s frost-free period was tooshort to accomplish that.

Now, up to 2,500 pelican pairs nest onChesapeake islands. The fastest populationgrowth came in the 1990s, when stormsdestroyed nesting habitat in the Carolinas.Displaced birds ventured north, saysBrinker, where “they found the Bay. Theyfound the menhaden.”

From as high as 70 feet up, brown peli-cans can spot menhaden and similarschooling fish below the surface. Naturephotographer Ian Plant describes theirfeeding dive as a full-speed, twistingplunge. Air sacs under the skin cushionthe impact, and the capacious throatpouch scoops up almost three gallons ofwater and fish. Contrary to myth, the bird

cannot carry away its catch in the pouch.Instead, it squeezes out the water andswallows its meal before taking off again.“They’re not the most elegant birds,” saysPlant, “but they get the job done.”

Plant photographed scores of pelicans onSouth Point Marsh Island for his new book,Chesapeake: Bay of Light (Mountain TrailPress, 2007). Traveling by sea kayak, he gotclose enough to their bustling colony tohear hundreds of nestlings hissing andclacking their bills. Pelican parents feedtheir chicks by coughing up partly digestedsilversides, and the growing birds need asmany as three to five menhaden a day.“They look prehistoric,” says Plant of thedowny white young.

All that effort seems to be paying off for theChesapeake’s pelicans. Bay pairs raise, onaverage, one and a half to two chicks per

nest—more than some Florida popula-tions, which average less than one chickper nest. Ecologist Paul Spitzer, who hasstudied the relationships between Bay birdsand menhaden, speculates that the SouthPoint Marsh colony’s success may stemfrom the surrounding waters, which arerich with menhaden and too shallow forpurse-seine fishing. Brinker, too, attributesreproductive success to a healthy food sup-ply, but cautions, “If the forage they feed onis to decline significantly, we’d see declinesin pelicans.”

The birds face other threats, especially inthe long term. Plant and Brinker fear thatrising sea levels could erode the beaches atSouth Point Marsh and other nestingareas. “Warming will expose more area tooccupy, but the associated sea level risewill take the small islands they need tobreed,” says Brinker.

Once stalked by plume hunters and poisoned by DDT and other pesticides, brown pelicans have recoveredand expanded beyond their historic range. They now nest on Maryland islands in the Bay,

and scientists predict colonies may soon appear in New Jersey.


A once-robust colony on Fisherman’s Island,where four of Virginia’s first nests were foundin 1987, is already shrinking. Pam Denmon,a biologist at the Eastern Shore of VirginiaNational Wildlife Refuge, says raccoons arethe likely culprits, but points to dangers fromcreatures that can be tougher to manage thanthe masked bandits: human sightseers.Prominent signs in the refuge warn that thearea is closed to visitors during nesting sea-son. “If people cause the pelican parents tofly,” explains Denmon, “gulls would go forthe eggs in a minute.” To protect island-nest-ing birds, she says, “One of the best thingsyou can do is keep your distance.”

Some view pelicans as an indicatorspecies, an animal that should be moni-

tored closely for changes in populationor movements. “Because of their positionon the food chain, they’re a good indica-tor of the health of the Bay,” Brinkerexplains. Photographer Plant sees anoth-er value. “I think people want to protectwildlife that they grow emotionallyattached to,” he says, and charismaticwildlife help people feel connected to thewhole ecosystem. With their ungainlybodies and dramatic dives, says Plant,“Pelicans fill the bill.”

A wonderful bird is the Pelican,His bill can hold more than his belican.He can take in his beakFood enough for a week;But I’m damned if I see how the helican.

—DIXON LANIER MERRITT

(often incorrectly attributed to Ogden Nash)

Julie Dunlap writes often about Bay wildlifeand is at work on a children’s book aboutgeese. Ian Plant photographs nature andwildlife throughout the mid-Atlantic.

Birds So GrandDescription: The brown pelican, orPelecanus occidentalis, is a large, dark,water bird with a long, heavy bill and sto-ried throat pouch. Mature adults have whiteheads with a brown streak at the back.

Size: The average brown pelican weighsabout eight pounds and has a six- toseven-foot wingspan. It is lighter andmore slender than North America’s otherpelican species, the white pelican, butstill impressively large.

Where to find them: Check piers, pilings,and sandbars on Bay shores and tidalrivers for perching birds. Flocks are easy tospot in the air, flying in lines close to thewater, or circling high on thermals. Bay-nesting pelicans migrate to Florida andthe Caribbean in winter.

Nests: Pelicans prefer to nest on predator-free islands in dense colonies, on theground or in low trees. Females typicallylay three chalky white eggs, beginning inApril. Both parents incubate and care foryoung until August or September.

Brown pelican chicks at South Point Marsh,above, await a meal from their parents. As they

mature, the birds acquire a darker color.

t Cunningham Acres, her farm inWashington County, Maryland, Ann

Bowers looks out over a small Bay tributarycalled Conococheague Creek. It’s a place she’sfished her entire life, and the water runsclear enough to see the bottom. A 300-year-old osage orange tree flowers nearby, asure sign that spring has come to the 150-acre farm that has been in her family forhalf a century.

The farm is a simple operation supportingsome cattle, a few sheep, and cropland forasparagus and strawberries. This keepslife pretty basic for Bowers, who alsoworks part-time as an x-ray technician.But this self-sufficient woman is also apioneer. Ten years ago, she and her hus-band were the first farmers to enroll in theConservation Reserve EnhancementProgram (CREP).

CREP is a voluntary land retirement pro-gram for farmers that protects environmen-tally sensitive areas. By reimbursing farmerswho take such land out of cultivation, itdecreases erosion and agricultural runoff—which means better water quality in rivers,streams, and the Bay. The Chesapeake BayFoundation (CBF) helped to launch the pro-gram in 1997, and has worked closely withCREP to help farmers across the regionbecome better environmental stewards. “It’sone of a number of environmental protec-tion programs that CBF is involved in that’sreally making an on-the-ground differencein water quality,” says Rob Schnabel, CBF’sMaryland Restoration Scientist.

Now a nationwide program, CREP recent-ly celebrated the enrollment of its mil-lionth acre. But when Ann Bowers firstheard about the program in 1997 fromColleen Cashell, the County ExecutiveDirector for the United States Departmentof Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, itwas unknown.

At the time, Bowers recalled, she was lookingfor a way to simplify farm operations. Herhusband was ill, and the farm’s wet andswampy conditions added to her challenges.

“Ann was the first to enroll in the pro-gram—the timing was perfect,” saysCashell. On December 1, 1997, theBowers signed with the Farm ServiceAgency, and their CREP contract began.They enrolled a 16.7-acre waterside par-cel so vulnerable that every heavy rainfallbrought flooding and ongoing fencerepair. Now this area is a small forest ofhardwood, walnut, oak, and ash, whichabsorbs and filters water before it entersConococheague Creek.

“It was the right time to do it. The programhas been very good to us,” says Bowers.

“The growth of trees, clean air, clearwater—you can’t beat it.”

The same year, the Bowers enrolled anadditional 12.7 acres of cropland under theConservation Reserve Program (CRP) ofwhich CREP is an offshoot. This area wasplanted with warm season grasses, creatinga playground for wildlife. “You should seethis place in the summer,” Bowersremarked. “There are so many birds, andlots of deer.”

Bowers now resides on CunninghamAcres by herself; her husband passedaway three years ago. “My farming opera-tion is a relatively small one compared tomany farms across this nation,” she saidrecently in a speech to an audience of leg-islators marking the tenth anniversary ofthe CREP program. But her recognition asa pioneer is well-deserved. Starting withthat one acre, CREP has brought thecountry one million acres closer to clean-er water, better air quality, and more greenspaces. It all started with Bowers—trulyone in a million.

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One in a Million:America’s First CREP FarmerBy Alice Christman

Maryland farm owner Ann Bowers was the firstto enroll in CREP, a national program designedto protect environmentally sensitive areas.Now ten years old, the program hasgrown to cover one million acres.

LOREN BARNETT APPEL/CBF STAFF

hrough all of the Bay’s problems of the past half-century, onegreat fishery has endured: the iconic blue crab. Even here,there have been danger signs for the past 20 years, while ourinsatiable appetite for crabs has grown and water quality and

underwater grass habitat have declined. Those danger signs have beenserious enough to draw management action by both Virginia andMaryland. New harvest restrictions raise a classic human question: Canwe learn to manage this invaluable natural resource before we crash it?

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spawning grounds, and complete closure ofVirginia’s winter dredge fishery, a criticalsource of cold-weather income for water-men’s communities like Tangier Island,Mathews, Gloucester, and Hampton, willhit bank accounts hard.

Scientists tell us that, in the short term, thetighter catch limits are essential. Duringthese tough times, we must find ways tohelp the watermen and their communitiesin both Maryland and Virginia survive eco-nomically. The culture of the waterman is,like the blue crab, a Chesapeake icon.

Reducing commercial and recreational har-vest pressure is only a short-term solution.While harvests must be kept at sustainablelevels, there is no question that the under-lying, fundamental problem is poor waterquality. Oxygen-depleted dead zones, fueledby nitrogen pollution, make nearly half ofthe Bay’s deeper waters unhealthy for crabs(and fish) for three to six months each year,depending on weather and rainfall.

Perhaps more troubling for crabs than poorwater quality is the loss of underwater eel-grass beds in the lower Bay. These bedsserve as essential nursery habitat for babycrabs, but they stand now at a tiny fractionof their former abundance. Declining waterclarity, resulting from algae blooms fueledby nitrogen pollution, is the primary cause.The eelgrass decline also appears to be par-tially driven by global climate change. Thisgrass is a cool water species, at the southernend of its range. Exceptionally warm weath-er in the summer of 2005 dealt the already-pollution-depleted lower Bay beds a crush-ing blow from which they are only nowbeginning to recover.

The long term answer is pollution reduc-tion. The time to accelerate efforts toimprove water quality is overdue and thecrab industry is paying for our delay. Itwon’t get any easier, or less expensive.Blue crabs represent the Chesapeake’s lastgreat fishery. With all of our 21st centurytechnology and all of our supposed intelli-gence, are we smart enough—and do wecare enough—to save them?

�To learn more about crab harvest regulations,visit www.mrc.virginia.gov (Virginia MarineResources Commission), and www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries (Maryland Department of NaturalResources)

can be a deadly combination; fishery scien-tists fear crab stocks will collapse withoutdrastic measures.

What drastic measures? Start with animmediate 34 percent reduction in the har-vest of females, proposed by scientists andagreed to by the states of Virginia andMaryland. Reaching that target means plac-ing heavy burdens on already-hard-pressedwatermen and crab-picking houses. Severerestrictions on harvest by Maryland crabpotters during the fall “sook run,” whenmature females head down the Bay to their

This question came into sharp focus thisspring, when the 2007-08 winter surveyresults revealed both a Bay crab stock nearthe lowest point ever recorded, and espe-cially low numbers of sooks (maturefemales). Crabbers are harvesting 60 per-cent of all legal-sized crabs—well above theestablished target of 46 percent, and evenabove the “overfishing” threshold of 52percent set by fishery managers in the late‘80s. Recreational harvests, though smaller,are still significant, but neither Virginia norMaryland has a solid assessment tool tomeasure them. Overfishing on a small stock


The Crab Crisis:No Simple SolutionsBy John Page Williams, CBF Senior Naturalist

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ernie Fowler describes his life as a young man on BroomesIsland, along Maryland’s Patuxent River, as one filled with

unimaginable wealth—the wealth of clean water everywhere.

He fished and crabbed in a Bay so crystal-clear that hecould wade in to his chest and still see his toes. He laboredon the water with his uncles and neighbors to harvest abounty of seafood. “Dixie Buck, an extraordinary crabber,could catch 25 dozen soft shell crabs a day, going out onboth tides,” he recalls, his eyes alight. “Two oystermen anda culler could take 30 or 40 bushels hand-tonging in a day.The Warren Denton oyster house in town was one of themost productive in the Bay area.”

When you have those kinds of memories, the charismaticFowler explains, you act on them. And he did. Serving as aMaryland state senator from 1983 to 1994, Fowler was anearly and unabashed environmentalist, heralding the need tostop the degredation of his river. In the ’70s, he joined a suitby Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties that eventuallyforced the state and the EPA to live up to the standards set bythe Clean Water Act. He continues to serve as a member ofthe Chesapeake Bay Commission. And for the past 20 years,he’s conducted an annual ritual that repeats his call to arms.

Fowler’s tradition began on the second Sunday of June in1988, when he and Bay poet Tom Wisner decided to wadeinto the Patuxent in sneakers to show how the health of theriver had declined since their boyhood. Both rememberedhow they could once look through five feet of water and seedown to their feet. “We said, ‘By golly, we ought to do thatsometime.’ And so we did,” Fowler explains. “It was ourcall, a way to say, ‘We’re losing the river! Do something!’”

Their wade-in measured the clarity of the Patuxent in the simplestpossible way—how far one could see to the bottom—and it gotpeople’s attention, more each year. Sometimes their score was 40inches or more; lately, it’s been closer to 20 inches. The resultstracked with official reports on the health of the river, and soon,there were wade-ins on other Bay tributaries.

“It’s a simple, folksy way to explain the problems,” Fowler says. “Unlesswe did this wade-in, a lot of people wouldn’t know about the river.”

Fowler has waged a long battle against pollution that flows into theriver, particularly from point sources like wastewater treatmentplants. He speaks plainly of his dismay over the state’s failure to usethe Patuxent—the biggest river completely in the state ofMaryland—as a prototype for the eventual clean-up of the entire Bay.

“It was a labor of love for me, and a lot of time,” he says of hisyears of activism. “I would do the same again, but there’s no bonus

for that effort. Nobody kept their word. Had that happened, thestory would be more illuminating than it is.

“I’m as determined as ever to never lose my love for the river. It’sa part of me. But one thing I have lost, and that’s patience. Mypatience is beginning to wear thin. I don’t think the desire is greatenough, the concern deep enough. The magnitude of the problemhasn’t awakened those in charge. And voices like mine aren’tgonna be around to tell the stories.

“The longer we wait, the tougher it’ll be,” he says of the task fac-ing the region. “It’s doable, that’s what’s so frustrating.”

But Fowler will keep wading in. “We can’t allow the loss of hope,courage, or determination. We’ve talked long enough. Do some-thing. Don’t take maybe for an answer.

“Nobody has a right to quit.”

Reflections

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A Warrior Wades InBy Carol Denny

Bernie Fowler’s wade-in on the Patuxent River is in its twenty-first year. Of the river’sdecline, he says, “Shame on us for allowing this to happen.”

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Stream Monitoring ShowsRestoration Success

Nearly a decadeafter CBF identi-fied a troubledLancaster Countystream as ademonstration site for water qualityimprovement measures, evidence showsthat the project is working. According todata gathered by CBF field staff and ana-lyzed by the Stroud Water Research

Center, restoring trees and shrubs alongIndian Run and Valley Creek and fencinglivestock out of the streams has made thewater markedly cleaner.

Researchers measured the types and num-bers of small organisms in streams (aquat-ic insects and other invertebrates) todetermine the health of the water. Theyfound increased populations of insectsthat cannot survive in polluted water,indicating that streams are cleaner.

One Indian Creek monitoring site, inSpringville, is just downstream of threeadjoining buffer projects. Between 2000and 2007, the number of pollution-intol-

erant organisms there increased ten-fold,indicating a major improvement to streamhealth and water quality.

David Wise, CBF’s PennsylvaniaWatershed Restoration Manager, overseesthe monitoring project and has a personalconnection to the work being done. “Ispent many summer days slopping inIndian Run, catching minnows and cray-fish. I caught my first trout here, standingshoulder to shoulder on opening day withall the other kids. To come back now andwork with the local landowners to improvethe stream is a joy and a privilege.”

�Since 1997, CBF has helped more than 4,400landowners install forested buffers on 2,000miles of stream banks. Learn about buffer proj-ects at cbf.org/CREP.

CBF and Coalition PartnersPropose Plan for Water QualityImprovementsThe Chesapeake Bay Foundation and fourstate-wide groups have proposed a solu-tion for a problem that has occupied frontpages for months: how to allocatePennsylvania resources for clean waterfairly and effectively.

The “Pennsylvania Fair Share for CleanWater Plan,” created by CBF and thePennsylvania Municipal AuthoritiesAssociation, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau,Pennsylvania Builders Association, andPennsylvania Association of ConservationDistricts, would invest $890 million overseven years in wastewater treatment plantupgrades and agricultural conservation,and reduce the financial burden onratepayers and farms.

“Together, these five groups have puttogether a responsible funding plan that we

hope will help end the controversy,” saidMatthew Ehrhart, CBF PennsylvaniaExecutive Director. “It will enablePennsylvania to meet our Chesapeake2000 Agreement obligations, improvestatewide water quality, secure vital fundsfor all county conservation districts, andprovide for future economic development.”

In the first year of the seven-year plan,$100 million would go to help wastewaterplants finance required improvements; $50million to direct cost-share aid to farmersto install conservation practices (including$35 million for REAP farm tax credits and$15 million in cost-share grants); $10 mil-lion to county conservation districts toexpand technical assistance to farmers; and$10 million to restore cuts to theDepartment of Agriculture farm programs.The proposal would also reform the state’snutrient credit trading program.

“Pennsylvanians will be the first to benefitfrom making investments to meet ourChesapeake Bay obligations,” statedEhrhart, “because it will be our streamsand rivers that will be cleaner.”

�For more information on how CBF is workingto protect Pennsylvania rivers and streams, visitcbf.org/Pennsylvania or call 717/234-5550.


Bay Briefs

The Fair Share plan wouldallow the state to meet its

obligations under theClean Water Act.

PENNSYLVANIA

At the State Capitol Rotunda, CBF PennsylvaniaExecutive Director Matt Ehrhart and Fair Sharecoalition partners proposed a funding plan to

meet the state’s Chesapeake Bay TributaryStrategy requirements. Shown left to right are

Ehrhart, Robert Fisher of the PennsylvaniaBuilders Association, and John Brosious of the

Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association.

Indian Runand Valley

Creek✫

KELLY DONALDSON/CBF STAFF

CBF Buffer Specialist Ashley Spotts, at left, sam-ples the water in Indian Run. Ongoing monitoring

shows that water quality there improved afterthe addition of forest buffers and streambank

fencing upstream.

LANCASTER FARMING

emissions by an average 25 percent by 2020and 90 percent by 2050. The 90 percent tar-get was amended to a “goal,” but the bill wasopposed by labor unions and heavy indus-try, who said it would cost jobs and createeconomic hardships for employers.

“Our shorelines are better protected, theBay Trust Fund can now be put to workreducing nitrogen pollution, and we havenew tools to reduce energy use, and helpclean our air and waters,” said Coble. “Weapplaud the governor and our legislatorsfor recognizing that our precious naturalresources do not wait for budgets and pro-grams; they respond to action.”

�For details on the results of the 2008 ses-sion, go to cbf.org/Maryland

Environmental Education aPriority, O’Malley Says

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) istaking a leading role in a new statewideeffort to ensure that students graduatingfrom high school are environmentally liter-ate. The effort, dubbed the Maryland NoChild Left Inside Coalition, supportsGovernor Martin O’Malley’s recentlyannounced Maryland Partnership forChildren in Nature executive order.

O’Malley announced the Partnership forChildren on Earth Day, April 22. The coali-tion of state, local, private, and non-profitpartners aims to connect students tonature, and to develop a plan for environ-mental literacy. CBF will focus on thedevelopment of that literacy plan, said TomAckerman, CBF’s Director of TeacherEducation and Student Leadership.

Maryland’s state education standards cur-rently include learning about the environ-ment, but the requirements are sometimesuncoordinated and often neglected by class-room teachers under pressure to teach mathand reading skills, Ackerman said. There aremany excellent programs around the state,but they don’t reach every student, and thestudents that do get environmental experi-ences might not have more than one beforethey graduate.

CBF is simultaneously leading a nationaleffort for increased outdoor and environ-mental education called No Child LeftInside (see page 21).

“Our goal is to ensure that all kids to get acomprehensive environmental education,”Ackerman said.

�For more information on supporting envi-ronmental education in Maryland, go towww.MDNCLI.org.

�Formore information on howCBF is working toprotect Maryland waters, visit cbf.org/Marylandor call 410/268-8816.

Bay Briefs

Session 2008:A Good Year for the Bay

Maryland’s 2008 General Assembly sessionapproved some of the most positive legisla-tion for the Chesapeake Bay in decades,with landmark environmental protectionand restoration measures voted into law.

The ambitious environmental agenda legis-lation proposed at the start of the sessionincluded revising the Critical Area Act, set-ting allocations for the Chesapeake andAtlantic Coastal Bay 2010 Trust Fund (for-merly known as the Green Fund), passingthree energy efficiency bills, and approvingthe Global Warming Solutions Act. CBF andits partners were successful in encouraginglegislators to pass five of those six bills, plusthree others that will directly improve thehealth of the Bay.

“We are very pleased with the results ofthis session,” said Kim Coble, CBF’sMaryland Executive Director. “Passing fivebig bills is a major accomplishment in ayear when the legislature was focused ontightening the budget.”

The state’s budget constraints dealt a blowto the 2010 Trust Fund, which was cut to$25 million for fiscal year 2008-09—half ofthe $50 million set aside for the fund dur-ing a special session in November. CBF suc-ceeded in fending off more severe cuts, andwill work for full restoration of funding.

The bill that failed to pass was the GlobalWarming Solutions Act, which called forMaryland to reduce annual green house gas

Despite budget-cuttingmeasures enacted by the2008 General Assembly,

major Bay-savingbills survived.

MARYLAND

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ALEX MACLENNAN/CBF STAFF

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State legislators completed an ambitiousenvironmental agenda in the 2008 session.

Governor Martin O’Malley recently announced anexecutive order to develop a plan to make statestudents environmentally literate. At left is Rep.

John Sarbanes (D-MD), who has championed thecause at the federal level.

Listen inMaryland’s naturalwonders, from the Bayto the mountains, arethe subjects of a newseries of podcasts fromWYPR 88.1 FM. CBF and the station are col-laborating on “Natural Maryland,” a monthlyaudio project featuring people and placesunique to the state. Go to www.wypr.org tosubscribe.

CBF Demands Deadlines forBlue Plains Upgrades

CBF continues to work all fronts to ensurean expedited upgrade of nitrogen removaltechnology for the largest single source ofnitrogen pollution in the Bay watershed,the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant inWashington, D.C.

The Blue Plains plant, operated by D.C.’sWater and Sewer Authority (WASA),dumps an average of 6.3 million pounds ofnitrogen pollution into the Potomac Rivereach year. In 2003, the EPA, Bay states, andthe District determined that WASA had tocut the 6.3 million pounds to 4.7 millionpounds to help remove the Bay from EPA's“dirty waters” list by 2010. EPA issued apermit that met this reduction goal, butlacked a schedule for achieving it.

WASA appealed the issuance of the permit.CBF did also, saying that the lack of aschedule violated D.C. and federal law.

CBF won its challenge in late March, andWASA lost. WASA appealed again, askingfor a reconsideration of the March decision,but lost that appeal in April.

In a hearing on Capitol Hill, CBF FederalAffairs Director Doug Siglin called onCongress to encourage the WASA man-agement to stop continuing legal chal-

lenges to the permit and pursue a morecooperative regional approach to reducingBlue Plains’ nitrogen pollution. Siglinargued that WASA should be a nationalleader and “voluntarily do better than theminimum required by law.” This, saidSiglin, would “create an example for thenation, appropriate for the world’s largestadvance wastewater treatment plant locat-ed in the capital city of the United States.”

�For more information, go to cbf.org/news.

Stronger Federal ProtectionSought for Upstream Waters

Recent Supreme Court decisions and subse-quent federal regulations have weakened theClean Water Act by limiting federal agencies’authority to regulate pollution discharges tosome wetlands and small streams. A neweffort by CBF and partners seeks to reversethese changes and restore the Act’s authorityto include these waterways.

CBF is working with a coalition of environ-mental advocacy groups including theNatural Resources Defense Council,

Earthjustice, and the National WildlifeFederation to pass the Clean WaterRestoration Act, which would protect thesenatural resources. Both the HouseTransportation and Infrastructure Com-mittee and the Senate Environment andPublic Works Committee have recentlyheld hearings on the legislation.

Restoring the scope of the Clean Water Actis especially important for the ChesapeakeBay watershed because the Bay receives allof its fresh water from a network of hun-dreds of thousands of streams and wetlands.Before they reach large tributaries like thePotomac, the Susquehanna, and the James,these headwater streams and wetlands playan important role in improving water quali-ty by filtering runoff of sediment, nitrogenand phosphorus pollution, and other con-taminants. Unless Congress reverses thecurrent situation, these resources could bethe targets of unregulated pollution.

�Urge your elected officials to support theClean Water Restoration Act. Send an e-mailto them via CBF’s Action Network at cbf.org.

�For more information on federal funding forthe Bay and other Washington issues, visitcbf.org/dc or call 202/544-2232.

Bay Briefs


Without a stated schedule forupgrades, a CBF brief states,

Blue Plains’ permit forpollution is invalid.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

The District’s Blue Plains sewage treatment plantis the largest source of nitrogen pollution in the

watershed.

Wetlands filter pollutants naturally before theyreach the Bay, but several Supreme Court deci-

sions have undermined their protection. TheClean Water Restoration Act would strengthen

federal safeguards on such areas.

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Philip Morris SettlementAnnounced

After four years of legal wrangling, theCommonwealth of Virginia and PhilipMorris USA (PM USA) have agreed toreduce and cap pollution permitted in theJames River. The action came as a result ofa lawsuit filed by the Chesapeake BayFoundation (CBF).

In a legal settlement agreed to by all partiesand approved in April by a ChesterfieldCounty Circuit Court judge, the state willamend PM USA’s pollution permit toreduce immediately the amount of nitro-gen and phosphorus pollution the compa-ny can release into the James from thecompany’s tobacco processing plant inChesterfield County.

“The settlement is protective of the JamesRiver and the Chesapeake Bay, which wasthe goal of our original legal challenge,”said Ann F. Jennings, CBF VirginiaExecutive Director. “The amended permitis now consistent with the reduced pollu-tion levels called for by the James Rivertributary strategy, the consensus plan torestore the river’s health. We congratulatePhilip Morris and the Department ofEnvironmental Quality (DEQ) for a timely,environmentally protective resolution ofthis matter.”

“This agreement is evidence of PM USA’songoing efforts to reduce its environmentalimpact in Virginia,” said Greg Cummings,Senior Vice President, Manufacturing, for PMUSA. “We are pleased that we will be able toreduce our phosphorus discharge into theJames River even earlier than expected.”

Farm Runoff Fund toReduce Pollution

The Virginia General Assembly has taken abig step toward cleaning up runoff pollutionplaguing Virginia rivers and the ChesapeakeBay. With limited resources in a tight budg-et year, the 2008 legislature created theVirginia Natural Resources CommitmentFund, a special fund aimed at helpingVirginia farmers pay for the conservation

practices that will help restore streams andrivers across the Commonwealth.

Although the Assembly did not establish anannual, dedicated source of moneyfor the fund, as CBF and a partner-ship of farm and conservationgroups had called for, legislatorsclearly recognized the importanceof the issue and appropriated $20million to the fund for fiscal year2009.

“To continue the progress theCommonwealth has made to cleanup our rivers and the Bay, Virginiamust engage in a genuine, mean-ingful partnership with farmers,”said CBF Virginia ExecutiveDirector Ann Jennings. “Given thestate’s limited resources this year,the establishment of the NaturalResources Commitment Fund is asignificant first step.

“CBF and our farm and conservation part-ners, however, will continue to work withthe General Assembly for dedicated fund-ing,” Jennings added. “All acknowledgethat dedicated funding is critical for farm-ers to plan and budget their resources, andfor Virginia’s agricultural cost-share pro-gram to be successful.”

�For more information on how CBF is work-ing to protect Virginia rivers and streams, visitcbf.org/Virginia or call 804/780-1392

Bay Briefs

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Governor Tim Kaine celebrated Earth Day 2008 by joiningstaff and students from CBF’s James River education

program aboard the Walter Ridder. In April, Kaine signedlegislation to reduce pollution in Virginia’s rivers and

streams by preventing farm runoff.

This spring, farmers from the Shenandoah Valley traveled to CBF’s Port Isobel Education Center, nearTangier Island, to learn about Bay issues and share information on conservation practices. CBF

Virginia Executive Director Ann Jennings, at left, talks with Tom Beyerly of Mt. Solon, Virginia.

A CBF victory reduces polluteddischarge into the James Riverfrom the Philip Morris tobacco

processing plant.

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Campaigns

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ongressional leaders got a lively look atthe benefits of environmental education

during an Earth Day hearing on the NoChild Left Inside Act, held at PatuxentResearch Refuge in Maryland on April 22.

Groups of schoolchildren crisscrossed therefuge learning about water conservation,waste treatment, and habitat and wildlifeidentification, and spoke with legislatorson hand for the hearing. RepresentativeJohn Sarbanes (D-MD), who introducedthe No Child Left Inside act last fall, wel-comed numerous leaders, including Rep.

Dale Kildee (D-MI), Chairman of the EarlyChildhood, Elementary and SecondaryEducation subcommittee. The proposedbill would amend the existing No ChildLeft Behind law to expand and strengthenenvironmental learning standards in thenation’s schools. It would fund new pro-grams to support environmental educa-tion, expanded teacher training, and stateenvironmental literacy plans.

CBF leads a coalition of more than 280organizations representing some 20 millionAmericans who back the bill.

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At Patuxent Research Refuge, schoolchildrenshared their discoveries with guests including

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (above). Membersof the Congressional panel included, from left,

lead committee staffer Lloyd Horwich, Rep. DaleKildee (D-MI), Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Rep.

John Sarbanes (D-MD).

A mock presidential bid by Captain John Smith is designed to encouragenational support for Bay restoration.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

he Chesapeake Bay Foundation has unveileda new public campaign to engage both the

public and the presidential candidates in thefight to save the Bay. That campaign intro-duces Captain John Smith as a “candidate”for presidential office.

Smith once wrote of the Chesapeake,“Heaven and earth never agreed better toframe a place for man’s habitation.” He’lltake that passion for the Bay to the votingpublic this year. At his campaign kick-offevent on June 16, and through press

releases, public appearances, and a webcampaign, the Captain will make the casethat voters must demand action to restoreabundant fish, crab, and oyster popula-tions, and to protect water quality forevery American.

Smith’s name will not appear on any bal-lot, of course, but CBF is asking every-one who cares about clean water and ahealthy Chesapeake Bay to “vote” forSmith by sending a message to the actu-al presidential candidates online atvotethebay.org.

As CBF President Will Baker puts it, “Inthis critical time for America’s future,there must be a voice speaking on behalfof the Bay—locally, in each Bay state,and nationally— something only thepresident is truly able to do.”

�For more information on CBF’s federal cam-paign, go to votethebay.org.

CBF does not endorse candidates. CBF is running afictional candidate, Captain John Smith, to elevatethe Bay and clean water in the presidential election.

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Campaigns

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Bay-area farmers will get help implementingclean water measures, thanks to CBF’s campaign

for conservation funding in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Federal Aid for Pollution Reduction n May, Congress voted to approve federalfunds for Bay restoration in the 2008 Farm

Bill. CBF and partner organizations made astrategic decision to invest in the bill,believing it was a vehicle with the potentialto provide adequate pollution reductiondollars for the Bay. It presented an opportu-nity to help farmers clean up the Bay’swaterways and, in doing so, create a nation-al model for conservation funding.

Our efforts succeeded. CBF estimates the2008 bill will provide an additional 88 mil-lion dollars annually for regional conservationfor each of the next five years. This will morethan double the amount of federal technicaland financial assistance for farmers currentlyavailable. The funding could yield a reductionof up to 40 million additional pounds ofnitrogen pollution annually, more than a thirdof the region’s overall goal, when the dollarsare matched by state funds and private cost-share. “This may well be the turning point forthe Bay that we have all been workingtowards,” said CBF President Will Baker.

The unprecedented federal commitment toclean water and a healthy Chesapeake Baycomes after a multi-year campaign. CBFworked diligently with members of Congress,the Chesapeake Bay Commission, farmers,home builders, federal and state officials, andmany other partners to rally support for theconservation funds contained in the bill.

The legislative process began last spring, whenRepresentative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and22 members of the House proposed a billknown as CHESSEA to protect water qualityin the Chesapeake region. Senator BarbaraMikulski (D-MD) and nine other senators pro-posed similar legislation in the Senate.

In the following months, thousands ofCBF supporters deluged their senators

and representatives with calls, e-mails,letters, postcards, and visits to emphasizethe need for more federal assistance forthe Bay. “Thanks to their involvement,CHESSEA’s momentum carried into theHouse and Senate Agriculture Committees,which had the responsibility to developprovisions of the new Farm Bill,” saidDoug Siglin, CBF Federal AffairsDirector, “and the House committeecrafted a measure that included a newprogram for the Chesapeake Bay water-shed—the only such provision inthe nation.” Congressmen Van Hollen,Holden, Hoyer, Scott, and Goodlatte, aswell as Senators Mikulski, Cardin, Casey,Webb, and Warner, were instrumental inensuring the inclusion of Chesapeake Bayspecifics in the bill. After a strong effort bothinside and outside Congress, the ChesapeakeBay elements stayed in the final language ofthe bill, and the legislation passed.

“Much of the funding will be released only iffarmers agree to use it for environmentallysound farming practices—i.e., to installbuffers that prevent chemical and manurerunoff, limit tilling, and minimize fertiliza-tion,” commented The Free Lance-Star in aMay 25 editorial.

“Unlike the handouts authorized by the bill,this is the sort of environmental program afarm bill should support. Today, in this water-shed, the dire need for this funding can berationalized. Proving that fund-ing for projects like the baycleanup is money wellspent may be bestargument for kick-ing rich agricultur-al interests offthe gravy trainthe next timearound.”

�For more information on CBF and the FarmBill go to cbf.org/farmbill.

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MAKING PROGRESSReaching the 2010 NitrogenPollution Reduction Goals

AGRICULTURALCONSERVATIONPRACTICESassumes state andindividual matches

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SEWAGE TREATMENTPLANT UPGRADES &OTHER WASTEWATER

ADDITIONALREDUCTIONSNECESSARY TOREACH GOAL

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ESTIMATES IN MILLIONS OF POUNDSOF ANNUAL NITROGEN POLLUTION REDUCTION

Federal funding, state funding, and private cost-share for agricultural conservation will go a long

way toward helping meet the 2010 nitrogenpollution reduction goals for the Chesapeake Bay

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owhere to run, nowhere to hide. That’s

the reality facing many of the Bay’s small-

est aquatic creatures, who crave the lushNBy Carol Denny

Bay Grasses Get a Boost from Students

Summer 2008 � cbf.orgSummer 2008 � cbf.org

UnderwaterRescue:

camouflage of the Chesapeake’s underwatergrasses. Fish, blue crabs, shrimp, turtles,and other wildlife need thickets of sub-merged vegetation to escape their predatorsand feed. As grass beds shrink, so do theirchances for survival.

Once, these grasses were considered littlemore than a nuisance for propellers. Now,their important ecological role (removingexcess nutrients from the water, while serv-ing as food and shelter for Bay wildlife) isappreciated, but perhaps too late. TheChesapeake’s underwater vegetation isquickly disappearing, reduced to a tenth ofits 1950 levels by water pollution, sedimentrunoff, and rising water temperatures.

But grasses tend to have a low profile. “It’sone of those habitats of the Bay that’s almostinvisible,” says Bill Portlock, CBF’s SeniorEducator for the Bay.

Over the past ten years, however, therestoration of underwater grasses has takenroot. Helping to replenish the beds are adultvolunteers and students who raise grassesfrom seed. Through a partnership withMaryland Department of Natural Resources,CBF’s Bay Grasses in Classes education pro-gram has recruited almost 41,000 studentgardeners to grow wild celery, redheadgrass, and water stargrass for planting. Todate, they’ve contributed hundreds of thou-sands of young shoots to 16 shoreline sites.

“We have a waiting list of teachers,” saysCBF’s Christy Urban, who coordinates theBay Grasses in Classes program (currentlyavailable only in Maryland). “It’s really pop-ular.” Instructors use a CBF-provided cur-

riculum to explore grasses and related Baytopics; classes range from elementary tohigh school level.

“This project begins in the classroom, buttakes [students] out of the classroom to getinvolved by planting what they grow,”explains Ada Stambaugh, who leads BayGrasses classes at Harford Christian School.“Our school has planted wild celery severalyears in a row along Back River in Essex,Maryland, and we’ve seen the grass beds slow-ly take hold in the area where students haveplanted.”

Linn Griffiths, a teacher at C. Milton WrightHigh School in Bel Air, Maryland, says BayGrasses in Classes is a lesson that lingers.“In AP Environmental Science, we continu-ally talk about the Bay and how almostevery environmental issue affects it. Thenwe have a chance to do something about it!Students often tell me, after they’ve gradu-ated and come back to visit, that it’s one les-son they will never forget.”

For the Bay, as well as for the studentsinvolved, the rewards of the program arelong-term. In Virginia, re-planting efforts inthe Potomac, Mattaponi, South Anna, andChickahominy rivers in recent years havebrought visible improvements. “The waterquality’s improved, and the plants havereproduced,” Portlock reports. And as thehabitat came back, so did the wildlife. “Insome places, we had to install mesh nettingto keep the grazers out,” he says. “It seemedlike every fish and turtle around was inthere. For them, it was like having icecream back on the menu when they hadn’thad it in 30 years. They loved it.”

A Guide to GrassesWhether they’re called seaweed, sea grass, weeds, or submerged vegetation, underwater grasses are essential to the health of the Bay and itsrivers and streams. Here are some of the most common varieties.

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yellow starlikeflower

long,narrowleaves

base of leafwrapsaround stem

no midveinon leaves

WATER STARGRASS/Heteranthera dubia

Found in: freshwater tributaries and upper BayLow salinity

WILD CELERY/Vallisneria Americana

Found in: freshwater tributaries, upper and mid-BayLow to moderate salinity

REDHEAD GRASS/Potamogeton perfoliatus

Found in: freshwater tributaries, upper and middle BayLow to moderate salinity

WIDGEON GRASS/Ruppia maritima

Found throughout the Bay

Moderate to high salinity

COONTAIL/Ceratophyllum demersum

Found in: freshwater tributaries and upper BayLow salinity

SPINY NAIAD/Najas minor

Found in: freshwater tributaries, upper and mid-BayLow salinity

flat, long, ribbon-like leaves

leaf at each node of creeping horizontal root (rhizomes)

EELGRASS/Zostera marina

Found in: middle and lower Bay

High salinity

HYDRILLA/Hydrilla verticillata

Found: throughout region (invasive)

Low salinity

leaves have visible teeth on edges

whorls of usuallyfive leaves fleshy tubers

at the base of roots

leaf tips mayfloat on watersurface

long, slender,ribbon-like leaves canbe over 3feet long

central lightgreen stripeon leaf, canbe seenwhen held tolight

all leaves growfrom base

white or reddish stem

broad, oval-to-lance-shapedleaves

fruits occur onseparate stalks

leavesalternate

thread-like leaves

PHOTOS AT TOP FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ANN SIEGAL, BILL PORTLOCK/CBF STAFF, CBF STAFF, CBF STAFF, BILL PORTLOCK/CBF STAFFGRASSES PHOTOS: LINDA M. HURLEY, U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE, EXCEPT REDHEAD GRASS AND WILD CELERY BY PETER BERGSTROM AND WIDGEON GRASS BY BOB STANKELISGRASSES ILLUSTRATIONS: KAREN TEMURA

whorls of9-10 leaves

leaves with teeth onedges (rough to thetouch)

forkedleaves

stems denselybranched

no true roots

leaves opposite orwhorled

slender leaves with visibleteeth

sheathingbase ofleaf endsabruptly


hen summer comes, consumers—foodies and non-foodies alike—delight in the prospect of fresh,

ripe, local produce: luscious berries,sweet corn, and tangy tomatoes, vastlysuperior to their mushy wintercousins. But shoppers who visittheir local chain supermarkets inhopes of finding them are oftendisappointed.

Even during the height of the grow-ing season, the produce sections ofmany stores are likely to offer fruitsand vegetables grown thousandsof miles away. Those rock-hardCalifornia peaches and “Eurofresh”tomatoes leave a lot to be desired,both in terms of flavor and nutri-tional value. They’re also a primeexample of “food miles,” a conceptthat’s gaining more attention asAmericans start to examine theenvironmental costs of how gro-ceries reach our tables.

Recent studies estimate that the averagefresh-food item grown in the continentalUnited States travels 1,300 miles beforeit reaches its final destination. Chancesare it’s been genetically altered, or treat-ed with a variety of chemicals, to survivethe long journey to market. And thetractor trailer that carries it releases

plenty of carbon dioxide, a major causeof global warming.

One earth-friendly alternative is to pur-chase fresh produce and meats grown by

nearby farmers. It’s a choice that’s gainingpopularity, particularly in the Bay region,where a growing network of agriculturalproducers and established farmers’ marketsmakes it possible to “buy local.”

Consumers interested in eating close tohome have a host of new resources to satis-

fy their interest in local, often organicallyraised, products. The FoodRoutes Networkhas established a nationwide “Buy Fresh,Buy Local” campaign to help buyers sup-port small farmers in their areas. The net-

work aims to reintroduce Americansto their food—the seeds it growsfrom, the farmers who produce it,and the routes that carry it from thefields to their tables. It even provides“Farm to College” resources for uni-versity students who want toencourage their school's food serviceto purchase from local farmers.

FoodRoutes’ “Buy Fresh, Buy Local”campaign is growing local chaptersthroughout the Chesapeake region.In Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake BayFoundation’s (CBF’s) Lamonte Garbervolunteers with the Lancaster Countygroup. “In addition to traditionaloutlets for local food, like farmers’markets, we're working with restau-rants and institutional buyers toincrease the amount of local food

they offer their customers,” says Garber,CBF Agricultural Program Manager. “We seethe interest in locally-grown breaking out inplaces you wouldn't have imagined tenyears ago, and farmers are paying attention.”

CBF’s support for the local food movementis directly related to its effort to save the

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Eating Close to HomeAs the Local Food Movement Flowers, the Bay Benefits

By Carol Denny

—MARCY DAMON, CBF Maryland GrassrootsRestoration Coordinator

W

Keeping Bay-area farmersfarming is important, because

it preserves open spaces.

Bay. It’s part of the organization’s largereffort to preserve undeveloped lands thatare essential for good water quality.

“Keeping Bay-area farmers farming isimportant, because it preserves openspaces and rural areas around the water-shed,” says Marcy Damon, CBF MarylandGrassroots Restoration Coordinator. “Theselands are critical because they filter waternaturally. They’re better for the Bay and itsrivers and streams than a development ofMcMansions, which creates more pavedsurfaces and more runoff.”

Some shoppers go further than farmers’markets in their quest for fresh, local food.They purchase produce directly from thesource by subscribing to CommunitySupported Agriculture (CSA) programs.By paying in advance, which provides thefarmer with crucial seed money, sub-scribers receive weekly shipments of farm-fresh produce during the growing season.They also gain an additional dimension totheir consumer experience, one that has allbut disappeared: the chance to make apersonal connection between their foodand the people who produce it.

“That’s what’s so special about CSAs,” saysRita Calvert, a local food activist inMaryland. “By connecting to farmers, youget a real understanding and appreciationfor what they’re up against. And if you visitthe farm itself, it’s an amazing experience.”

CBF’s Clagett Farm, a 285-acre workingfarm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, hasoffered a CSA program for 16 years. Fully60 percent of its crop goes to sub-scribers—250 this season—and theremainder goes directly to agencies that

serve the poor. Like other CSAs in theregion, Clagett sells out quickly everyspring, but interested individuals cansample the experience by signing up for“work shares” (a week’s worth of producein return for a four-hour volunteer stint atthe farm).

CBF has taken the local food concept a stepfurther by sponsoring a weekly “locallunch” for staff at its Annapolis headquar-ters featuring ingredients from nearbysources, including Clagett Farm. The proj-ect, which debuted last year as part of acollaboration with the Johns HopkinsSchool of Public Health, offers the oppor-tunity to purchase a meal composed oflocal foods: not only produce, but alsobreads, cheeses, and meats. Now a much-

appreciated employee perk, the local lunchis in its second season. “We’re trying towalk the talk, and be a model for a newapproach to eating,” Damon says.“Enjoying these lunches together leads usto consider how our food choices can affectthe health of the Bay.”

�For a list of farmers’ markets and familyfarms in your area, visit www.localharvest.org,or go to www.buyfreshbuylocalcr.org and clickon “Information.”

�To inquire about work shares of the harvestat CBF’s Clagett Farm, call 301/627-4662.

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CBF’s Clagett Farm sells subscribers weeklyshares of its summer harvest. Volunteer laborers

can also earn fresh produce.

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Our Giving Community

utch Butt was a very likeable guy, withsome pretty fantastic friends. And when

he died in 2006, his friends wanted to besure his zest for life would live on. Now,through the formation of the Butch ButtMemorial Foundation, his enthusiasm andfellowship with friends will be celebratedannually, and the Bay that Butch worked on,lived on, and loved will be a better place.

Butt was an avid proponent of EasternShore oysters. When he was a waterman,he lived on the Shore, and later, when heswitched careers, he served up Bay delica-cies as co-owner of the Lucky StarRestaurant in Virginia Beach.

The September following Butt’s death, hisfriends threw a party as a tribute; the themewas a crab cake contest. Tickets were sold,sponsors pitched in, and $17,500 was

raised in Butt’s name.Because of his passionfor the outdoors andthe Bay, the Butch ButtMemorial Foundationdonated the proceedsto the Chesapeake BayFoundation for its oysterrestoration efforts, espe-cially on the EasternShore and LynnhavenRiver, where Butch spentmany hours. “Butch’slifelong passion for the Bay and its livingcreatures will be remembered wellthrough this generous gift,” said ChristyEverett, CBF Virginia Assistant Director forHampton Roads.

Because the first Butch Butt Crab CakeCook-off was so successful (and so much

fun), his friends plan to continue the pri-vate annual fund-raiser.

“Butch’s friends called him a ‘professionalfriend,’” said Butt’s long-time pal BobStanton. “If you can have friends who, onceyou’re gone, do something like this for you—there’s something to be said for that.”

Celebrating His Memory,Just the Way He’d Want It

oung people with a passionfor the outdoors

Starbucks Foundation, whose mission is“to create opportunities for youth to learn,serve, and grow their natural potential toreinvent the world,” recently invested inthis program by making a generous$50,000 grant to support CBF’s StudentLeadership efforts.

“For Starbucks, it’s a chance to invest in thefuture of the Bay watershed,” said JodiDarlage, marketing specialist for Starbucks

Northeast/Atlantic Division. “CBF’s StudentLeadership Program is an educationalexperience where youth have the opportu-nity to pair learning with action, whichsupports their local communities in ainspirational and meaningful way.”

Students attest that the CBF summerexperiences are life-changing. Manyalumni choose to pursue environmentalprograms and careers as a result of partic-ipating, and some return to work for CBFas interns and permanent staff. The tripsleave a lasting impression, inspiringaction and lifelong stewardship.

The Starbucks Foundation grant will supporttwo five-day Student Leadership experiencesin Maryland and Virginia. CBF and Starbucksare partnering on in-store promotions andvolunteer activities; however, the foundationgrant is the first for CBF.

�Visit cbf.org/SL to learn more aboutCBF’s Student Leadership Program, orcbf.org/starbucks for details on our partnership.

Friends of the late Butch Butt, including Eleanor Stanton, Bob Stanton,Bill Shepherd, and Lynne Shepherd, organized an event to commemo-

rate his love of the Bay and donated the proceeds to CBF.

Starbucks CoffeeSupports StudentLeaders

“We learn so much on CBF’s student leadershiptrips—about environmental science, about our

impact on the world around us, about our incred-ibly diverse watershed, about relationships and

working with people, about purpose and motiva-tion and appreciation for the simple things in

life, and most of all, about ourselves.”—Teresa Yeh (center), CBF student leader

Y

B

DAVE COLA/CBF STAFF

THELMA PETERSON

thrivewhen given the opportunity tospend an extended periodlearning about the Bay. That’s whatCBF’s Student Leadership Program, anexciting, interdisciplinary approach todeveloping environmental leaders, provides.

n May 8, CBF held the first annualAkridge Save the Bay Classic, presented

by The Brick Companies, at QueenstownHarbor, a certified “green” golf course.

“We wanted to find a way to talk withbusiness leaders anddecision makersabout protecting theBay and developingthe economy of ourregion in a sustain-able way,” explainsKim Coble, CBF’sMaryland Executive Director. “What bet-ter place than a golf course? But not justany golf course.”

CBF worked with title sponsor Akridge, aregional real estate developer known for itssustainable projects, and presenting spon-sor The Brick Companies, owner ofAtlantic Golf, to host the tournament atQueenstown Harbor golf course.

The course, located on the shores of theChester River, has been certified by theAudubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programfor Golf Courses, a program administeredby Audubon International (AI). This edu-cation and certification program helpsgolf course managers to enhance the nat-ural areas and wildlife habitats that golfcourses provide, improve efficiency, andminimize potentially harmful impacts ofgolf operations.

At Queenstown, the course captures 80percent of the rainfall and stores it inponds. This water is used to irrigate thecourse, conserving water and reducingrunoff. Wide buffers of no-mow zones sur-round ponds and streams and run along

the riverside. These buffers take up nutrientand chemical pollution that would other-wise run into the river or leach into shallowgroundwater. Course managers controlinsects and plant diseases by using integrat-ed pest management, which helps them

reduce their use ofpesticides. Thecourse uses locallymanufactured fertil-izer based on chick-en manure. Andbecause the coursehas large areas of

natural vegetation, fertilizer use is curtailed.

Coble noted that the Queenstown course,with its careful management, has loweredthe nitrates and nitrogen in its groundwa-ter compared to the farm that preceded it.“When we redevelop property, we canmake decisions that improve on the cur-rent conditions, and it’s our responsibilityto do that,” Coble said.

“Lessening the human impact on the envi-ronment is a ‘must,’ and our efforts shouldbe collective,” said John E. “Chip” Akridge,III, Chairman of Akridge. “In our business,we work with our investors, vendors, bro-kers, and building clients to share sustain-able practices. We are pleased to stand withCBF, nearly 200 tournament players, and

the other Save the Bay Classic sponsors whoshare these goals.”

Lex Birney, CEO of The Brick Companies,said, “As a CBF partner, it is our long-termcommitment to increase awareness of envi-ronmental issues and engage people at everylevel, including our employees, guests, ten-ants, members, and stakeholders.”

He said that golfers can use the same kindsof environmentally friendly techniques thatcertified golf courses use as they work ontheir yards, build new homes, or operatetheir businesses.

“In order to have healthier streams andrivers for our children, all of us—individ-uals, businesses, and governments equal-ly—must take action today,” Coble said.“CBF encourages land uses that improvewater quality and habitat, and that in thelong run better their communities and areeconomically sound. Both QueenstownHarbor and this tournament embodythese ideas.”

Our Giving Community

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CBF TournamentSheds Light on “Greener Golf”

CBF’s Akridge Save the Bay Classic broughttogether business leaders and decision makersfrom around the mid-Atlantic for a day of envi-ronmentally friendly golf and discussion at the

Queenstown, Maryland course. Golfers Tom Evans,Susan Phillips (Event Co-Chair), and Ann and

Doug Croker hit the links in support of the Bay.

COURTESY OF QUEENSTOWN HARBOR

ROSANNE HALL/CBF STAFF

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Events Around the Watershed

To get a rain barrel in place at hisAnnapolis home, CBF memberChuck Weikel had to jump over afew—well, barrels. His house, builtin 1859, is part of the capital’sHistoric District, and the refitted, 40-gallon whiskey keg that collects rain-water from his downspout requiredthe approval of the city’s HistoricPreservation Committee. “They votedunanimously for it,” Weikel reports.“They’re beginning to recognize theimportance of environmental actionin support of historic preservation.”

He and his neighbors use the contentsto water their planters and trees alongthe street, using an old milk jug. “It’smore convenient [than a hose],” hesays. “And it’s a good option becauseyou don’t have to look at a big white industri-al barrel. Everybody’s enthused about it, andthere’s better awareness about how importantrain barrels are for cleaning up the Bay. Usingrainwater as a source is a good thing.”

�To learn more about rain barrels andother “green” landscaping techniques, go tocbf.org/landscaping and click on Resources.

�Send your green ideas to [email protected].

Chuck Weikel shows off his “historic” rain barrel.

Bay Dads In June, we taketime to honorour fathers. Thissmall Bay dweller—who doesboth the mother’s and thefather’s job—also deservesa nod. The Chesapeakelined seahorse is a raritybecause the male of thespecies both fertilizes andcarries the young.

Lined seahorses have knobbyheads, equine snouts, and along, grasping tail, and can growto six inches in length. In theChesapeake, the species is listedas “vulnerable” because itshabitat—eelgrass—is dis-appearing. Those bedshave been devastated bypollution, and as a result, theBay’s seahorse population is struggling, too.

This Father’s Day, remember the seahors-es—and fight for clean water to help keepthem in the Bay!

CBF

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W A L K I N GT H E T A L K

from our members

Washington, D.C.June 9-10: Global Katoomba Meeting, National Museum ofNatural History, Washington, D.C., Monday 2PM-8PM, Tuesday8:30AM-6PM. Learn how ecosystem service payments and marketsin carbon, water, and biodiversity could help reduce humanimpact on the planet. CBF co-sponsors. Register:www.katoombagroup.org/chesapeake

VirginiaJuly 13: 2008 Watermen’s Heritage Celebration, Watermen'sMuseum, Yorktown, 10AM–6PM. Water-related exhibits, arts andcrafts, children’s activities, and more. 757/887-2641

July 31: Climate Change and the Chesapeake Bay, Nauticus,Norfolk, 7PM. This lecture by NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral ConradC. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) is the second presentation inCBF’s environmental lecture series, Blue Planet Forum: Exploring theBay and Beyond. Free. Limited seating. Register: 757/622-1964 [email protected]

September 5-7: Bay Days, downtown Hampton, Virginia. A festival offood, fun, Bay education, art, and music to celebrate theChesapeake Bay. 757/727-1641

MarylandJune 21: Bands in the Sand, Annapolis, 5–10:30PM. Boatyard Bar &Grill presents an evening of cool music, food, and drink on the beachat CBF’s Philip Merrill Environmental Center. Proceeds benefit theChesapeake Bay Foundation. Tickets: cbf.org/bandsinthesand

Enjoy good food and cool music at Bands in the Sand on June 21st.

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Newsworthy: This Virginian-Pilot story (3/14/08) saluted the upbeatspirit of young adults who spent their spring break helpingCBF rebuild oyster reefs in the Lynnhaven River. Studentsfrom Christopher Newport University in Newport News andVirginia Wesleyan College in Virginia Beach pitched in toplant oysters from CBF’s Gloucester aquaculture farm.“This is what I want to do—be a field biologist,” said TravisDeale of Richmond. “I can sleep in some other time.”

Dig It!Join CBF’s Gardeners for the Bayand demonstrate your supportfor clean water and a healthyenvironment. All that’s required

is your pledge to avoid toxicchemicals, reduce runoff, and care

for your garden and lawn naturally.

�Register now and receive a free pair of gardening gloves! Goto cbf.org/gardeners.

Last Look


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By Brad Heavner

nvironmentalists have held dozens ofpress conferences in the past year, but

perhaps the most successful was one inwhich business leaders did nearly all thetalking. They spoke on the economicbenefits of Maryland’s proposed GlobalWarming Solutions Act: their angle, theirvoices, their arguments in favor of thelegislation.

There were about 20 people behind thatpodium, most of them heads of small busi-nesses, many of them involved in planningthe campaign from the very start. And theywere extremely convincing.

A similar thing happened a couple of yearsago, when a key driving force behind oneof the biggest recent policy victories for theChesapeake Bay came from a group not tra-ditionally considered part of the environ-mental community. Maryland nurses werea big part of the successful passage of thestate’s Healthy Air Act, which will reducenitrogen emissions from power plants inthe state by 75 percent. In that campaign,the dead zone in the Bay wasn’t the nurses’primary motivator, but there was plenty forthem to like. In addition to limiting thenitrogen pollution that worsens the deadzone, the bill will reduce power plant emis-sions that cause smog and soot and con-

tribute dangerous mercury that makes fishunhealthy for pregnant women to eat.

Religious leaders have been anotherincreasingly important partner for environ-mental causes. When the rest of us run outof breath listing the scientific facts and fig-ures about pollution or global warming, it’sgreat to have a voice of faith remindingeveryone of our moral obligations: We are

the stewards of the natural world, and wemust accept responsibility for our actions.

Legislators are accustomed to having envi-ronmental leaders push them to protect ourresources—and that certainly means some-thing in itself—but when environmental-ists, nurses, business leaders, and pastorsare all singing the same song, the song res-onates more deeply.

Still, the work to expand our environmen-tal network to diverse constituencies is farfrom done.

The United Steelworkers effectively killedthis year’s global warming bill because theydidn’t trust us when we said it wouldn’taffect them. We need to spend more timewith them. We should be working togetherwith unions, not fighting them.

Too often, fishermen and environmentalistshave not been sitting on the same side ofthe table. We are natural allies. We need tofigure out how to come together for signif-icant joint initiatives.

This is not to say that everyone in theworld needs to get on board with everypolicy proposal. A guy like me doesn’t feelright unless I’m pushing someone’s but-tons; I want to propose bold solutionsthat some people are not going to like.But we should continually reach out tonew constituencies.

The health of the Chesapeake Bay is notjust an environmental issue. It’s an econom-ic, cultural, and moral issue.

Coalition development is the name of thegame. I encourage you to get further involved

with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation andshare your thoughts on bringing new part-ners into the fold.

Brad Heavner is StateDirector of EnvironmentMaryland, a statewide,citizen-based environ-mental advocacy or-ganization that worksto protect the Bay,improve energy poli-cies, and advanceenvironmental issues.

Brad Heavner, at podium, spoke at a 2007 rallythat delivered 6,000 petition signatures to Gov.O’Malley, urging him to support carbon dioxideemission caps.

When environmentalists, nurses, businessleaders, and pastors are all singing the same song,

the song resonates more deeply.”“

The Bay’s Big Tent

EENVIRONMENTAL MARYLAND

Recycling printed materials is a great way to reduce our consumption of naturalresources. And when you recycle Save the Bay magazine by passing it along to a friend,you’re doing something else that’s good for the environment. You’re helping to spreadthe word about vital issues that affect the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams.

Our national treasure is in critical condition. Raising awareness of the pressures fac-ing this fragile ecosystem, and working together to protect and restore it, will bring uscloser to our goal of a saved Bay.

Start today! Please share this magazine with family members, friends, neighbors, andco-workers. Bring your copy of Save the Bay along when you visit your doctor, dentist,auto mechanic, gym, or hair stylist, and add it to the publications in the waiting room.

Share your copy ofSave the Bay.

With your help, we’ll build our army of activists to demand pollution reduction and cleanwater for everyone. New members can join CBF by using the enclosed envelope, or byvisiting cbf.org/join.

�

What’s the best way to recycle this magazine?

GIVE IT TO A FRIEND!

Save the BayWill we tell our children that we cared about the Bay

—just not enough?

Do it for Elijah.

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: A candidate who's all about the Bay: Captain John Smith is running for president. Photo by Nikki Davis.

President’s Message - CBF

Documents

Transcript of President’s Message - CBF