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What Can I Do?
 Every year, the average American throws out 1,200 pounds of organic material that could have been composted instead of put into a landfill. Because landfills are being stretched to capacity, composting ---- a cost-effective, simple-to-make, nutrient-rich fertilizer for household and garden plants ---- is gaining public interest. Get started here!
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Bay Fact
 Historians are not sure of the true meaning of the name Chesapeake. It is usually cited as deriving from the Algonquin word chesepiooc, meaning "great shellfish bay." But records from the 1580s refer to the Bay as chesapiock or chesapiuck, meaning "people on the great river." Learn more.
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From the desk of...
Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland
 Restoring the Chesapeake Bay is a goal and a responsibility we all share as Marylanders. This is why we have committed to its full restoration by 2025 under our State's 16 strategic goals.
While your government ---- at the federal, State and local levels ---- works hard to reduce Bay pollution and has made great progress, we can't do it without you. And homeowners, business owners, developers, students and farmers, are playing a significant role in accelerating restoration. For instance, thanks to your feedback, content on critical emerging issues like climate change and environmental literacy was added to the new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which was signed last month.
There are many other ways you can continue to make a difference and influence decisions. One is by helping us spread the word about our Bay's problems and solutions among your friends, families and colleagues. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, forward this newsletter, and direct interested parties to Baystat, our online targeting and tracking tool for more detailed information.
Whether out on the water, in the lab or online, we can all have a positive impact on the health of our Bay, and engage and inspire others to do so as well.
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Eyes on the Bay Website
Results from DNR monitoring indicate Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay's dead zone increased in size from early to late June ---- revealing the 8th largest recorded in 30 years of monitoring for the late June time period. NOAA, USGS and university partners recently forecasted a larger-than-average dead zone due to higher spring flows and thus higher nitrogen loading. Read more.
BayStat Update
A Baystat meeting was not held in June. The next meeting takes place on July 29.
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Explore and Restore Program in Action
 Outdoor learning took Maryland by storm this past school year via the Explore and Restore Your SchoolShed program as students across the State took part and broke out of their classrooms and investigated conditions in and around their local streams. They then took action in their watersheds with the goal of improving water quality and stream health right in their own communities. Watch some of their experiences and discoveries in this video! More workshops will be offered this fall for teachers interested in engaging their students in stream studies. Grab your boots and join us!
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Your Government at Work
 Bay Pollution Reduction Targets Met
The Chesapeake Bay Program has announced that Maryland achieved its 2013 pollution reduction milestones for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment. Conservation practices such as record cover crops planted, wastewater treatment plant upgrades and implementation of the 2011 Fertilizer Use Act have played large roles. Read more.
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 Maryland to Host DataBay Innovative Challenge
Techies, programmers and scientists are invited to join the Maryland Departments of the Environment and Natural Resources, and other partners, to create data-driven applications that increase public engagement and aid in Bay restoration. Over the weekend of August 1, prominent environmental "futurists" will describe some of the Bay's challenges and needs. Participants will have access to a broad variety of robust data, including decades of water samples from hundreds of locations. Learn more and register here!
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State Parks Listed as Green Travel Destinations
Thirty-five Maryland State Parks have been approved as partners of Maryland Green Travel, a free and voluntary self-certification program that recognizes sustainable environmental practices by businesses in the tourism industry. In addition to service projects, outreach and education, the Maryland Park Service continuously works to improve day-use areas, campgrounds, nature centers, offices and other facilities. Read more.
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 Farm Bill Education Workshops Available
Dairy and grain farmers are encouraged to attend a series of workshops to be held across the State in August to prepare for decisions they will need to make under the 2014 Farm Bill. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the Bill's new programs and their potential effects on current operations. Read more.
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 IMET Wins $500,000 in Global Innovative Carbon Use Competition
Algae from the Chesapeake Bay could be the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) has been named a winner in the first round of the Change and Emissions Management Corporation's international challenge, Innovative Carbon Uses for its work in using algae to capture carbon dioxide. Read more.
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 Blue Crab Research May Improve Soft Shell Harvest
A research effort to prevent the introduction of viruses to blue crabs in a research hatchery could end up helping watermen improve their bottom line by reducing the number of soft shell crabs perishing before reaching the market. The findings, published in the Journal Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, shows that the transmission of a crab-specific virus in diseased and dying crabs likely occurs after the peeler (pre-molt) crabs are removed from the wild and placed in soft-shell production facilities. Read more.
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 Carroll County Students Claim Maryland Envirothon Victory
Venturing Crew 202 ---- a five-member team from Carroll County ---- has won the 24th annual Maryland Envirothon: an annual competition that challenges students to identify and categorize living resources, perform soil surveys and solve other complex natural resource issues. More than 100 challengers from 18 counties took part in this year's competition, held in June in Queen Anne's County. Read more.
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 Wanted: 2015 Sustainable Growth Awards Nominations
The Maryland Sustainable Growth Awards celebrate significant achievements by individuals, businesses, organizations and local governments that realize the 12 planning visions adopted by the General Assembly. The awards recognize exemplary work that represents or inspires collaboration, innovation, conservation, community impact and quality of life. Applications are due September 19, and a ceremony will take place in January as part of a larger smart growth forum. Read more.
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