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Make A Difference!
Use less air conditioning
Set the temperature as high as is comfortable, and use a programmable thermostat to raise the setting by 10-15% while you are asleep or away at work. And don't forget to set it to the higher temperature before you leave on vacation. You will save both money and energy. |
| Bay Fact
The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most productive estuaries in the world. More than 3,700 species of plants and animals live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
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2008 Bay Game Now Available
The 2008 edition of the Maryland Bay Game  Celebrating Children and Our Natural World is now being distributed free at libraries and visitor's centers. The popular natural resources activity book channels children's restless energy during long summer car rides into an enjoyable learning experience about our natural environment. Click here for more information... | |
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From the desk of...
Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland
Governor O'Malley and young stewards unveil the 2008 Maryland Bay Game.
After decades of hard work to restore our Chesapeake and Coastal Bays, it is clear there is still much to do in order to protect our most precious resource. The future of our Bay is at a crossroads, and it will take partnership throughout our State and this entire region to protect it.
As part of that effort, we came together last year with the General Assembly to create the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund, so that our children and grandchildren can inherit a cleaner, healthier Bay. We also made the decision to open the competitive grant application process early to local governments, community leaders, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and private enterprises, so that they can get an early lead in taking advantage of the $25 million available for targeted Bay restoration efforts. Full details are available on our BayStat website.
We have an obligation to future generations to direct these special funds to the most cost-effective and meaningful restoration efforts, and BayStat, which we introduced in 2007, enables us to better understand the inter-connectedness of our public and private efforts so that we can better coordinate, track, target, and ultimately improve our Statewide efforts.
Also, in June we forged an exciting new partnership with the State of Delaware to protect the unique, rare ecological resources and agricultural economy of the Nanticoke River watershed. Through this partnership, and by moving forward to fund a planned greenbelt for the Town of Vienna, we are working to cultivate long-term natural resources stewardship that does not end where state lines begin. I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner for her tremendous leadership on this effort.
Only by coming together - from state to state, from local elected officials to non-profit conservation organizations, from federal agencies to local educators, and from landowners to local businesses - can we continue to make real and steady progress to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy the health of the land, the water, and the environment that we love.
Sincerely,
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BayStat Team Meeting Update
 At Friday's meeting, the BayStat team discussed progress of implementation of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund, which will add $25 million to Bay cleanup next fiscal year. Implementation details are posted on the BayStat website. The BayStat team also conducted progress reviews of Program Open Space targeting, poultry manure transport, horse pasture management, nutrient management Annual Implementation Report compliance, and forest conservation.
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Maryland Government at Work for the Bay
Chesapeake and Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund
The Chesapeake and Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund law goes into effect on July 1, and the request for proposals has already been issued. The goal is to put the first year's $25 million to work in the highest priority watersheds as quickly and effectively as possible. Click here for more information... |
Agricultural Cover Crop Signup Now Open
 Farmers can receive cost share to plant cover crops this fall to reduce nutrient runoff, control soil erosion and protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Signup is now open for the Maryland Department of Agriculture's 2008-2009 Winter Cover Crop Program. Funding from the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund nearly doubles the acres that can be planted in cover crops this year. Interested farmers should sign up at their local soil conservation district office by July 8. Click here for more information... |
| Maryland, Delaware Act Together to Protect Nanticoke River The States of Maryland and Delaware have joined in an agreement to protect and restore the Nanticoke River. Extending approximately 63 miles from its headwaters in Delaware to its mouth at Tangier Sound, the Nanticoke River is the largest Chesapeake Bay tributary on the Delmarva Peninsula. Residents and visitors revere and treasure the Nanticoke watershed for its rural, natural landscape, which has changed little since Captain Smith explored the river 400 years ago in June 1608. Click here for more information... |
Greenbelt Established around Town of Vienna
 The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved use of Program Open Space funds to buy land for a greenbelt to protect against over-development that could damage the qualities the Town of Vienna values - the Nanticoke River, farms, forests and natural wildlife habitat. The Vienna Greenbelt is one of the first projects rated under the state's new Land Conservation Targeting system. The new ecologically based targeting approach was developed last year under the direction of Governor O'Malley to ensure the state is protecting its most strategically important landscapes to provide a lasting legacy for future generations. Click here for more information... |
Draft Regulations Issued for Poultry Operations
The Maryland Department of Environment released a revised draft general permit that would for the first time require discharge permits for concentrated animal feeding operations for poultry operations. Additional public comments are welcome. Click here for more information... |
Maryland Sues Federal EPA for Adopting Lax Air Pollution Standards
 The Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General announced that Maryland has joined a coalition of 14 states, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York in suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for adopting weak ground-level ozone pollution standards that fail to protect the public and the environment. Click here for more information... |
Researchers Link Climate Change and Recreational Saltwater Fisheries
New research by a team of University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science graduate students highlights changes recreational saltwater fisherman will likely see along the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast as a result of climate change. The report outlines how several factors will have a significant impact on the current balance of our saltwater fisheries. For example, warming waters may encourage the prevalence of invasive species that compete for the prey and habitat of native saltwater game fish. Click here for more information... | |
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Businesses for the Bay
 DAP Products, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore, manufactures caulks and sealants, including a full line of products that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Low-VOC products cause less impact on the environment and global warming. The company changed its processes to use less solvents, and reduced its consumption of water by 50%. Recycling includes paper and cardboard, ink and toner cartridges, cell phone batteries, and computer parts ("e-waste"). DAP recently added a "Building Green, Living Green" section to its web site that contains advice for both homeowners and construction professionals. Click here for more information... |
Contact Info
For comments and suggestions regarding this newsletter, please send an email to baystat@dnr.state.md.us |
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