Section: ENV

That turkey might be your neighbor

Wild bird sightings on increase in county

Anne Arundel County apparently has gone to the turkeys. Wild turkeys have been seen gobbling away in Severna Park and Eastport in recent weeks. There's a rumor one was spotted on the Baltimore-Annapolis Trail in Arnold, too.

"At first I thought it was a buzzard, then I looked at it again and said, 'That's not a buzzard, that's a turkey,'" said Daniel Snyder, who watched a turkey hen mosey around his Eastport yard f...

Published on 05/11/08

Planting for the future

Kent Island property gets massive, 'living' shoreline

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

Homeowners Tony and Christy Puglisi knew they had to do something to improve the shoreline along their Kent Island property. Year after year, the beach washed away bit by bit. Tropical Storm Isabel tore away a big chunk in 2003. The shoreline threatened to recede so far that it would reach a small pond.

The Puglisis are handy - they've done renovations on their home - but they had no idea what to do for their shoreline. Then a conversation...

Published on 05/10/08

This Weeks Take:The importance of healthy streams

By RONALD J. KLAUDA, DNR

Because water flows downhill, over and through the Earth's surface, protecting Maryland's rivers and the Chesapeake Bay requires that we also protect and restore the thousands of miles of headwater streams that drain our land. As people continue to flee the cities and crowded urban areas to seek refuge from the stresses of life, more and more development is occurring in upland areas (call it sprawl) - in places that are intimately connect...

Published on 05/10/08

Chesapeake Calendar

Want to help the Chesapeake Bay, learn about it or just plain enjoy it? Check out these upcoming bay-related events and meetings. Saturday

Go for a nature walk at the North Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge, all ages, 2 p.m. Info.: patuxent.fws.gov or 301-497-5887.

Sunday

Go for a wildflower wander at the North Tract of the Patuxent R...

Published on 05/10/08

Bay Digest

'Rock snot' algae appears in bay You can add another invader to the list.

A new nonnative, invasive form of algae has shown up in Gunpowder Falls, a Chesapeake Bay tributary in Baltimore County, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

The algae is Didymosphenia geminata, often called simply "didymo" or "rock snot."

Though it looks slimy, the didymo mats feel like wet cotton or wool and can be w...

Published on 05/10/08

Farmers offer lawn care tips

Practices can be good for bay, wallet

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

For decades, farmers have been testing their soil, carefully measuring their fertilizer and plotting which plants will grow best in which spots.

View related media at the end of this article.

Now they want their neighbors in the suburbs and cities to give those practices a try, as they are both good for the environment and the pocketbook.

That's the thrust of a new educational-marketing campaign from the Maryland...

Published on 05/07/08

Gypsy moth infestation widespread

On track for largest population in decade

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

State officials are in the midst of a vast and expensive program to combat an infestation of leaf-munching gypsy moths. According to the state Department of Agriculture, gypsy moths could be on track for one of the largest infestations in more than a decade. A survey last fall showed a high count of eggs for the gypsy moths, which ultimately can damage trees.

To prevent the eggs from turning into full-blown caterpillars and later moths, agricul...

Published on 05/07/08

Septic tank dispute stinking up Queen Anne's County

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Queen Anne's County on Maryland's Eastern Shore is leading the state in tackling potential water pollution from faulty septic tanks. But county officials also have raised a big stink among residents who use septic systems, with some complaining the county's crackdown has gone too far. The county commission recently passed Maryland's first law requiring regular septic pump-outs, every five years. Queen Anne's also is the first ...

Published on 05/07/08

'Fishery disaster' sought for bay crabs

Federal designation could funnel money to affected watermen

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

BALTIMORE - Maryland and Virginia officials are asking the federal government to declare a "fishery disaster" for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab - a move that could send millions of dollars to help affected watermen. "It's not only about saving crabs, it's about saving jobs and saving our way of life," U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said during a news conference along the Fells Point waterfront yesterday.

The request m...

Published on 05/03/08

Drought hurt bay grasses

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

Last summer's dry weather caused damage beyond turning lawns brown and wilting farm crops. It also boosted the salinity so high in the waters of the mid-Chesapeake Bay that some underwater grasses couldn't survive, according to a report released this morning by the Chesapeake Bay Program, the federal-state partnership charged with improving the bay's health.

And overall, bay grasses are falling far short of the goals for restoring ...

Published on 04/28/08

An island reborn

Dredged material used to create wildlife sanctuary at Poplar Island

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

POPLAR ISLAND - Once upon a time, Poplar Island was more than 1,100 acres and supported farms, homes and even a sawmill and a school. Later, it was a haven for hunters and Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S Truman used the island as a retreat. But over the years, the Chesapeake's winds and waves ate away at the island at a rate of 13 feet per year and it eroded into almost nothing. By the late 1990s, the once-vibrant island was just...

Published on 04/26/08

What is the Critical Area Protection Act?

The Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Protection Act was enacted in 1984 by the General Assembly to help reverse the deterioration of the Chesapeake Bay. The act designated all land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters or wetlands as a "Critical Area" - areas with the greatest potential to affect water quality, wildlife habitats and overall ecological health. The act addresses three primary goals: minimization of runoff; conservation of fish, w...

Published on 04/26/08

O'Malley wants state to explore possibility of publicly owned power generation sources

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gov. Martin O'Malley is confident Maryland has put in place "the strands" of an energy policy. But with much more work to be done to ward off a looming energy crunch, the governor said he would like to explore the possibility of publicly owned power generation. Supply and demand problems have been neglected for too long, Mr. O'Malley said, and debate about energy policy is bound to carry on for years.

"Those debates will no doubt involve a ...

Published on 04/26/08

The last yellow perch in the Severn River

It is a chilly, wet Monday afternoon in late March, as Allison Buckalew and Pierre Henkart pull in the fine mesh net trailing behind the boat. They have begun the annual Severn Riverkeeper Monitoring Program. Pierre and Allison are hoping to find at least one small yellow perch fry, one small survivor, from the once-prolific spring spawn in the Severn. Allison and Pierre are using my personal boat, since I am the Severn Riverkeeper, and the Sever...

Published on 04/26/08

Envirothon: South River team wins

Students test their environmental knowledge

By PAMELA WOOD Staff Writers

They peered closely into the dirt to identify soil types. They examined trees to see how much lumber they'd yield. They racked their brains to remember the definition of "eutrophication."

For several hours yesterday morning, teenagers scattered about the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center to test their knowledge of environmental science. Huddled in small teams, they kept their answers hush-hush.

This was a competition...

Published on 04/25/08

Crabbers consider legal actions

Va. blocks entire winter dredge

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

Frustrated watermen in both Maryland and Virginia have hired lawyers to explore their legal options, as both states move to sharply restrict the Chesapeake Bay crab harvest. In Maryland, watermen have hired William "Sandy" McAllister Jr. from the Cambridge office of the powerful law firm Miles & Stockbridge. In Virginia, watermen are working with Lee Anne Washington, a waterman's daughter who practices on the Northern Neck.

Wh...

Published on 04/23/08

An illuminating way to mark Earth Day

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

The path to going greener at St. Anne's Parish in downtown Annapolis was steep, narrow and rather dusty. Two church employees and one member scaled steep flights of stairs and ladders to replace the light bulbs that illuminate the four clocks in the steeple of the iconic church on Church Circle.

Gone are the old, 100-watt incandescent bulbs. In their place are the corkscrew-shaped compact fluorescent light bulbs that are all th...

Published on 04/23/08

Virginia clamps down on harvest of blue crabs

By Scott Harper, The Virginian-Pilot

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - With watermen howling in protest and threatening to sue, Virginia officials passed sweeping limits Tuesday on harvesting blue crabs from coastal waters and the Chesapeake Bay - moves intended to avert a population crash of the famed seafood species.

Most notable among the changes was the end, at least for this year, of the controversial practice of capturing females as they hibernate in the muddy bottom of the Bay each ...

Published on 04/23/08

Bad grades for Patuxent on report card

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

Yet another report is out about the health of an area river - and, as usual, the news is not good. View Report Card.

This time, the attention is turned to the Patuxent River, which suffers from cloudy water, not enough underwater grasses and too much pollution. In a report card released yesterday by the University of Maryland, the Patuxent Riverkeeper Program and othe...

Published on 04/22/08

County's churches joining environmental movement

A matter of faith

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

At St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Annapolis this morning, members will spruce up their rain garden. And at St. Martin's-in-the-Field Episcopal Church and School in Severna Park, there will be a community festival today to highlight environmentally-friendly practices - complete with Chessie, a 30-foot creature made from recycled cans and bottles.

The activities are among those that churches are holding to coincide with the 38th annual ...

Published on 04/19/08

Earth Day festivities

Earth Day technically isn't until Tuesday, but there are scores of ways to celebrate the day in Anne Arundel County over the next several days. SATURDAY

Scenic Rivers Land Trust holds its annual Walk for the Woods at a wooded site formerly part of the Crownsville Hospital Center. Bird walk at 8 a.m., nature walk at 9 a.m. $25 fee includes T-shirt. Info.: www.srlt.org or 443...

Published on 04/19/08