What Can I Do?
Make Your Holidays GreenThe winter holiday season is a great time to try new ways of thinking green and adopt good habits that can carry over into the new year. Take advantage of green opportunities in all of your holiday activities including travel, cooking and eating, gift giving, and throwing a holiday gathering. Click here for some green holiday ideas. |
Bay Fact
The Chesapeake Bay formed in the shape we know today about 3,000 years ago. Glaciers had extended as far south as Pennsylvania and the water released as the ice melted carved rivers and streams towards the coast and the Bay as we know it today. More information... | |
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From the desk of...
Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland
Governor Martin O'Malley, Secretary John Griffin and DNR FIsheries Service Director Tom O'Connell announce a new plan to restore native oyster population in the Bay.
Dear Friends,
On December 3, DNR Secretary John Griffin and I announced a new plan to restore our native oyster population to the Chesapeake Bay. We were joined by scientists, aquaculture entrepreneurs, industry representatives, recreational anglers and environmental advocates, who all agree all that, with a population at 1 percent of historic levels and a struggling industry, we need a new course of action.
- Under our plan, we pursue a three-pronged approach to restore oysters for ecological purposes, jump-start a new aquaculture initiative and refocus our public fishery. We will:
Increase the number, size, and quality of our network of oyster sanctuaries, which will allow oysters to live longer, develop natural resistance to disease, and to spawn without harvest pressure;
- Open up additional areas available to lease for oyster aquaculture while streamlining the permitting process; and
- Continue to maintain substantial areas open to the public fishery, to ensure a more targeted, sustainable, and scientifically-managed public oyster fishery, while strengthening monitoring and enforcement against poaching.
 Historically, our oyster population filtered pollutants from our waterways and supported a thriving industry. By taking bold, decisive action to restore our native oyster, we can also restore those ecological services and create a new oyster industry. The connection between rebuilding our oyster population and creating jobs is clear; in Virginia, aquaculture is already producing $35 million in dockside value. Here in Maryland, we have that potential: By some estimates aquaculture could be contributing as much as $25 million annually (including more than 200 jobs) to our State's economy by 2015.
Earlier this year, we passed legislation to support Maryland aquaculture jobs and the health of our oyster population. In June, following a 6-year environmental impact study, we agreed with our partners - the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Army Corps of Engineers -- to pursue a native-only oyster restoration option for the Chesapeake Bay. Last week's announcement begins an extensive public process that will result in new regulations by mid-May.
Our native oyster is part of the public trust, and we have a clear and urgent responsibility to restore this iconic species to the Chesapeake Bay. On Thursday, looking out across the water from the deck of the Annapolis Maritime Museum - where a thriving oyster packing company once stood - we took we took a critical next step in our efforts to rebuild that population for ecological and economic benefits that will serve the Bay's health and Maryland working families for generations to come.
Sincerely,
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BayStat Team Meeting Update
At the November BayStat meeting the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) presented an overview of the multi-agency Smart, Green & Growing Initiative (www.green.maryland.gov). DNR also updated the BayStat Team on the status of restoring natural filters on public lands (stream buffers, wetlands, retirement of highly erodible land). The agency is using a data-driven process to identify and prioritize restoration opportunities. The Maryland Department of Agriculture presented preliminary data indicating Maryland's farmers will likely plant fewer early cover crops this year compared to previous years because of the wet weather. |
Maryland Government at Work for the Bay
Governor Joins Volunteers at Back River Clean Up
 On November 7, Governor O'Malley joined the Back River Restoration Committee volunteers for their second clean-up of the Back River Mudflats in Baltimore County. The group held their first clean-up of the mudflats, which is the area between the Eastern Boulevard bridge and the I-695 bridge, on Aug. 29. During that clean-up, volunteers removed 50 tons of trash and debris from the river, including 325 tires.
"The Bay is not going to get healthier without community support," said the Governor. "Every community that has the privilege to be near the water has the power to make a difference." View a video clip of the event. |
University of Maryland Wins Greenest Campus Award
The University of Maryland, College Park is "America's Greenest Campus," according to a pair of environmental organizations that ran a contest this year urging students to reduce their carbon footprints. Over 2,000 students participated, earning the College Park campus $5,000 to support green initiatives. Reducing carbon footprint saves energy and reduces pollution that would otherwise harm the Chesapeake Bay. Click here for more information. |
 Tips on Purchasing Firewood
Are you planning to purchase firewood to use this winter? DNR has tips online that can help you plan a satisfying transaction. Click here for more details. |
Forestry Resources Available for Small Landowners Forestry for the Bay is a free, voluntary membership program made up of small and medium sized landowners who are interested in actively conserving their woodland or want to restore woods to their property. Developed by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the US Forest Service and the Chesapeake Bay Program, with support from the three state forest departments, the website promotes sound forest management practices as a way to increase the vitality of the region's woodlands and improve the health of local streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Click here for more information. |
 Green Holiday Shopping:
Buy Wye Oak Descendants Online
Seedlings grown from a direct offspring of Maryland's historic Wye Oak are available for order now and shipment in Spring 2010. What better Holiday Gift to give than a Maryland Wye Oak. The two-year old seedlings (minimum 15" tall) are certified descendants of the Wye Oak and were raised at Maryland's John S. Ayton State Forest Tree Nursery from acorns collected from an original Wye Oak offspring. Click here to order. |
Researchers Honored for Lifetime Achievement
Drs. Walter Boynton and Michael Kemp of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have received the Odum Lifetime Achievement Award from the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation. The award recognizes both the individual accomplishments and the combined contributions the two scientists have made over the past 30 years.
"Drs. Kemp and Boyton have spent a lifetime seeking a greater understanding of coastal ecosystems like the Chesapeake Bay," said Governor O'Malley. "Their contributions have not only helped advance the work of other scientists internationally, but also helped provide the scientific foundation for the State of Maryland's efforts to restore our own Chesapeake Bay." Click here for more information. |
 Bay Game Available Online
The Bay Game for kids is distributed through libraries in the summer. Did you know a version of the Bay Game is also available online? The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has a web page just for kids with links to the online Bay Game, information about Chessie the (maybe) sea serpent, and other activities for a day when the weather keeps kids indoors. Click here for the kids page. | |
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