Make Your Lawn More Bay-Friendly
Your lawn will be more lush and hold more rainwater if you keep it at a height of 3" or 4". Leaving grass clippings on the lawn after mowing recycles essential nutrients and water, reducing the need for added fertilizer. And converting unused lawn areas to wildflowers or other natural vegetation can save mowing time and expense. Click here for more information. |
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Bay Fact
Blue crabs migrate to different parts of the Bay at specific points in their life cycle. They go through several forms before they reach maturity at an age of 12-18 months, and live for a total of about 3 years. For more details... |
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From the desk of...
Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley announced good news regarding blue crab population and bay grasses. (Left to right: Jack Brooks, Chair of DNR Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission, Secretary John Griffin, Governor O'Malley and Lynn Fegley)
I am very pleased to be able to report two great pieces of news for Marylanders and Bay advocates across the watershed. The results of this year's winter dredge survey show a dramatic 60% increase in Maryland's blue crab population, and Chesapeake Bay underwater grasses are up for the third year in a row.
When we took office in early 2007, blue crabs were in serious decline. Working closely with our partners in Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, we made some tough decisions, taking strong coordinated actions to reduce harvest pressure on adult females so they could spawn successfully. The measures included shortening the crab harvest season and ending the winter dredge season, which scooped up hibernating pregnant females.
Thanks to this unprecedented partnership, the extraordinary work of our dedicated scientists, and assistance from Senator Barbara Mikulski and Maryland's Congressional delegation in obtaining federal disaster funding for the fishery, these measures are working. The highest population of blue crabs since 1997 also expanded opportunity for commercial and recreational crabbers, with more crabs harvested Baywide this past season than in 7 of the past 10 years.
In more good news we recently learned that Bay grasses  critical to the health of crabs, fish and wildlife expanded for the third year in a row. In fact, 21 percent of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay areas met or exceeded our bay grass restoration goals in 2009. This is an encouraging sign that our pollution control efforts are working a trend that we hope to sustain with our accelerated efforts to restore the Bay.
The tough decisions we made to restore the blue crab were clearly the right ones, and we remain committed to working with our partners to continue this progress. And at this writing we are working hard to make sure that the actions we are taking to restore our native oyster population and increase aquaculture in Maryland are the right ones as well.
Progress does not come without some sacrifice, but the rewards of real success are invaluable.
With hard work and strong partnerships, we can achieve our goals for self-sustaining crab population and oyster populations and a restored Chesapeake Bay resources that will support jobs, our ecosystem and our quality of life for the long term.
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BayStat Team Meeting Update
The April BayStat meeting was delayed until mid-May because of schedule conflicts. A summary report on that meeting will be included in the June BayStat newsletter. |
Maryland Government at Work for the Bay
Blue Crab Population Reaches Highest Level in 13 YearsThe annual winter dredge survey revealed a total population of 658 million crabs in the Chesapeake Bay, the highest total population estimate since 1997. The historic increase is widely believed to be the result of strong conservation measures put into place in 2008. Read more... |
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Secretary Griffin Discusses Oyster Recovery Strategy
Department of Natural Resources Secretary John R. Griffin recently discussed Maryland's oyster recovery strategy in a radio interview with Michael Buckley for his acclaimed series, Voices of the Bay. The strategy includes rehabilitating oyster bars in the Bay and boosting oyster aquaculture and sanctuaries, as well as involvement by local citizens. Click to hear the interview (audio: 7.5 minutes). |
Bay Grasses Increase by 12%
2009 was the third year in a row Maryland's bay grasses increased in abundance, reaching the highest level since 2002. These underwater grasses provide critical habitat for crabs and other fish and wildlife. The increase in bay grasses indicates that efforts to reduce polluted runoff are producing results. More info... |
Fertilizer Tips for Lawns and Gardens
Tips for using fertilizer on lawns and gardens are available online, courtesy of Maryland farmers and the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Farmers use soil tests to limit their fertilizer to just what is needed - and you can save money and the environment by doing that too. Additional tips include pesticide alternatives, composting, controlling soil erosion and rainwater runoff, and conserving water. Click here for details. |
 Canada Thistle & Other Noxious WeedsSix different aggressive weeds are covered under Maryland's noxious weeds law: Shattercane, Johnsongrass, and four kinds of thistle (Canada, bull, plumeless, and musk).
It's against state law to let these weeds go to seed. A primer to help you identify these bad plants is available online here.
Canada thistle usually starts blooming in mid or late May. Those little purple flowers may look pretty, but the plant is invasive and hard to eradicate. If you have Canada thistle, take action to kill it or mow to prevent seed production. For more info... |
More PlanMaryland Public Forums
Public forums in May are scheduled in Salisbury, Wye Mills, Frostburg, and North East. These forums, coordinated by the Department of Planning, will help shape a vision for Maryland's future. One subject being discussed is how to steer development toward areas that already have roads, schools and other public infrastructure. Click here for details. |
 New EPA Enforcement Database
Most enforcement of pollution laws that protect the Chesapeake Bay is done by the states, but some laws are enforced by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA has just published an online display of the federal enforcement actions. Click for more information... |
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