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What Can I Do?
Recycle electronics properly. Each year, between 22 and 55 tons of electronics are thrown out. Most end up in an incinerator or a landfill, but you can help keep our air, land and water clean by recycling your mobile phone, personal computer and other devices rather than throwing them away.
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Bay Fact
What is an algae bloom and how does it form?Watch this video with Charlie Poukish from the Maryland Department of the Environment who explains what fuels these blooms and how they can spell trouble for underwater life.
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From the desk of...
Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland
Dear Friend,
Last month, the DataBay challenge showcased some of Maryland's brightest minds and best technologies that make it possible for every citizen to have a hand in reclaiming the Bay.
More than 80 scientists, programmers and other tech-savvy individuals competed to create data-driven applications that would strengthen public engagement and interest in restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Four teams were ultimately awarded cash prizes for their applications and presented their finished products at the Governor's Cup on August 28. The BayBucks team was named champion and I was honored to award them the Cup as well as $4,000 from DataBay sponsors.
Their application gives users incentives and discounts from Maryland businesses in exchange for actions they take to Reclaim the Bay. For instance, if a person were to plant a tree to protect our streams, they could earn a discount for a cup of coffee or a free magazine subscription.
Congratulations to the BayBucks application team and all of the participants for helping to make this event such a huge success.
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Eyes on the Bay
The Maryland Ocean Acidification Task Force was recently established through House Bill 118 to analyze acidification and its potential effects on the ecology of our waters and fisheries, using the best science available. Acidification is caused by increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and water, as well as other factors like low dissolved oxygen. The Task Force will make recommendations to the legislature regarding potential strategies to mitigate the effects on the State.
BayStat Update
The most recent BayStat meeting included a briefing on the DataBay Innovation Challenge, a review of next steps in developing management strategies to support the new Bay Watershed Agreement, and a discussion on tracking Maryland's numerous tree planting efforts.
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Explore and Restore Program in Action
Kids are back in school! The transition from the fun and simplicity of summer can be a challenge, but why not keep the outdoor learning going? Head outside to enjoy the beautiful fall weather by starting a stream study and investigating your school's watershed. The Explore and Restore your Schoolshed program has great resources for students of all ages interested in monitoring and improving local streams. Join the hundreds of teachers statewide who are wading into this great initiative!
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Your Government at Work
 Bay Program Invites Participation in Restoration Plans
Chesapeake Bay Program partners opened new online avenues for individuals, watershed organizations, community groups and other interested parties to become more engaged in the conservation, restoration and protection of their rivers, landscapes and the Bay. Over the next nine months, partners will be crafting the management strategies for meeting the goals of the recently-signed Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Those who sign up to participate can find information and offer their input on these plans.
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Mature Endangered Atlantic Sturgeon Discovered
DNR fisheries biologists have recently located, tagged and released eight adult Atlantic sturgeon in an Eastern Shore tributary of the Chesapeake, Marshyhope Creek. This is the first time in more than 40 years that mature female sturgeon have been documented in Maryland upstream habitats. Now that sturgeon have been tagged in this Creek, DNR can record information about their movements within this system and the Bay for years to come.
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 Blueprint Approved to Reduce Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved pollution limits set by Maryland to help improve water quality in our coastal bays. The limits are contained in Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs for the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways near Ocean City and Assateague Island. Worcester County, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, the town of Ocean City, EPA's mid-Atlantic Region, DNR and MDE will work together to implement the pollution limits.
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 Port Administration Receives Environmental Recognition
The Maryland Port Administration was recently recognized for two environmental accomplishments: receiving a successful recertification audit of its Environmental Management System from the International Organization for Standardization and taking first place for its Algal Turf Scrubber in the Innovative Best Management Practice award category by the Chesapeake Stormwater Network.
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 Underwater Grass Comeback Bodes Well for Chesapeake
The Susquehanna Flats, a large bed of underwater grasses near the mouth of the Susquehanna River, virtually disappeared from the upper Chesapeake Bay after Tropical Storm Agnes more than 40 years ago. However, the grasses mysteriously began to come back in the early 2000s. Today, the bed is one of the biggest and healthiest in the Bay. A new study by scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point Laboratory explores what's behind this major comeback.
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 Majority of Marylanders Want Government Action on Climate Change Preparedness
According to a recent survey, 73 percent of Marylanders want their state and local governments to take actions to protect their communities against the impacts of climate change, and more than half (55 percent) believe protecting coastal areas from sea-level rise should be a high or very high priority for the Governor and the General Assembly.
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 Funding Granted to Improve Maryland Waterways
The Board of Public Works approved $850,000 in funding for projects to clean-up Western Maryland rivers affected by drainage from abandoned mines and to replace pipes and equipment in an aging, leaking water system in Allegany County.
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 Horn Point Open House October 11
The Horn Point Laboratory invites the public to take part in its annual free Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 11. Located on the banks of the Choptank River on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the laboratory is renowned for its study of marine ecosystems. The theme for this year's event is "Travel the Bay with Science." It features exhibits by the laboratory's scientists of their investigations in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal areas along the Atlantic Coast.
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 AccessDNR App Hits 10,000 Downloads!
From a fish identifier to boat launch locations, the AccessDNR mobile app has something for every outdoor enthusiast! What are you waiting for? Join the 10,000 users (and counting!) and download it today by searching AccessDNR on your Android or Apple device. Click here to learn more.
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 St. Michaels Watermen Pleads Guilty to Poaching Striped Bass
A watermen from St. Michaels pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and to defraud the United States by trafficking in hundreds of thousands of pounds of illegally harvested striped bass.
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