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Make A Difference!
Optimize Your Water Heater. Heating water consumes 14 percent of the energy used in an average home. You can save money and energy by lowering your water heater's thermostat to 115 or 120 degrees and adding inexpensive insulation to exposed hot water pipes. Click here for more information. |
| Bay Fact
The Chesapeake Bay averages about 21 feet in depth, but most of the Bay is extremely shallow. Just a few deep channels that are over 100 feet deep provide passageways for ships to get into ports.
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Summer's Almost Over, and only a few Bay Games Remain
The 2008 edition of the Maryland Bay Game  Celebrating Children and Our Natural World is being distributed free while supplies last at libraries and visitor's centers. The popular natural resources activity book channels children's restless energy during long 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, Congressman John Sarbanes, Superintendent Dr. Nancy Grasmick and Secretary John R. Griffin kick off the Partnership for Children in Nature.
Last week, we kicked off the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature with a rally hosted by the No Child Left Inside Coalition that included more than 150 students, educators and business leaders. During the rally, we introduced the program's 21-member board, who we have tasked with finding creative ways to enable children throughout our State to get outside and learn about nature and make environmental literacy a part of every curriculum.
This important effort will be chaired by our Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy Grasmick, as well as our Department of Natural Resources Secretary John R. Griffin. At the federal level Congressman John Sarbanes, who sponsored No Child Left Inside, has also been a vital partner in this effort.
We are also pleased to take this opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of our young members of the Maryland Conservation Corps and the newly established Maryland Civic Justice Corps. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of congratulating 118 members of the Civic Justice Corps' inaugural graduating class. Our graduates completed several restoration and improvement projects in our parks -- learning through their experiences how to connect with nature, develop vital job skills, work as a team and appreciate that each of us can make a valuable contribution to our community. Thanks to the tremendous achievements of our first graduating class, we are looking forward to an equally successful group next year.
In August, we came together to protect hundreds of acres of valuable forest and farm lands and wildlife habitat through our nationally recognized land conservation programs. These lands include properties identified as high priority conservation acquisitions under our new Program Open Space Stateside Targeting System, which was developed last year under our BayStat Initiative.
Since 2007, the O'Malley-Brown Administration and the Board of Public Works have preserved more than 6,651 acres of natural areas for public recreation and watershed and wildlife protection across Maryland. The money comes from a percentage of the real estate transfer tax and is used for local and State parks throughout Maryland. Since most residents live within 15 minutes of an area funded through Program Open Space, this effort will make a lasting impact on families throughout our State.
Together, we are committed to improving the quality of life for our children and theirs by providing them with the tools, experiences and knowledge necessary to continue the proud legacy of environmental stewardship that we have in Maryland, just as we are working to continue that legacy today. Please accept my best wishes for a happy start to the school year.
Sincerely,
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BayStat Team Meeting Update
At Tuesday's meeting, the BayStat team discussed plans for speedy evaluation of proposals for activities to be funded from the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund. The BayStat team also discussed forest conservation and tree planting, oyster aquaculture, septic system upgrades to reduce the nutrients that reach the Bay, and cover crop signups.
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Maryland Government at Work for the Bay
 Children in Nature Partnership Started
The new Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature started its work to increase outdoor experiences and environmental literacy for the State's children. Click here for more information. |
Chesapeake and Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund
Local governments and watershed organizations will submit proposals by Friday, August 29 in search of funding from The Chesapeake and Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund. The proposals will be evaluated promptly, and 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. |
Advisory Committee Presents Water Supply Report
 The Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State's water resources submitted its report to Governor O'Malley in early August. The report concluded that inadequate investments in water resources management in the past have left the state without an accurate picture of the long-term viability of the State's water resources, that demands and stresses on our water resources will increase, and that the State needs more comprehensive data to plan for the future. Click here for more information. |
Maryland Recognizes 10 New Clean Marinas
 Ten recently certified Clean Marinas were recognized with Governor's Citations at a ceremony in early August. Clean Marinas work actively to prevent pollution from their businesses and their boating customers, and play an important role in efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay. Click here for more information. |
First Civic Justice Corps Participants Graduate
 One hundred and eighteen young people graduated from the first year of the Civic Justice Corps, Governor O'Malley's expansion of the successful Maryland Conservation Corps. Click here for more information. |
Land Preserved on Eastern Shore
The Maryland Board of Public Works approved Program Open Space funds to preserve 1,710 acres of ecologically important land in Dorchester and Charles Counties. Click here for more information. |
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Holds First Auction
 The first-in-the-nation auction of carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances will be held on September 25, 2008 by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a coalition of ten Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Maryland formally joined RGGI on April 20, 2007, when Governor Martin O'Malley signed the RGGI Memorandum of Understanding. Click here for more information. |
Cover Crop Signups
 Farmers interested in planting cover crops this fall to reduce nutrient runoff, control soil erosion and protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have signed up in record numbers to participate in the Maryland Department of Agriculture's 2008-2009 Winter Cover Crop Program. Under the program, Maryland farmers have been approved to plant a record 400,000 acres of cover crops this fall as a result of new funding provided by the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund. For more information on the cover crop program, click here. |
Raising Oysters for Bay Restoration
 The oyster hatchery at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Laboratory raises hundreds of millions of oyster spat each year for planting by partner organizations throughout the Bay region. The facility is located in Cambridge, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Click here for more information. | |
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