Chesapeake Baystories

[chesapeakebaystories]

Maryland governor: Pennsylvania, New York need to 'take responsibility' for surge of debris in bay

Gov. Larry Hogan and Comptroller Peter Franchot decried a surge of debris and sediment flowing into bay from upstream states after recent heavy rainstorms.

[chesapeakebaystories]

"...I can tell you, it takes zero skill to kill a cownose ray."

[chesapeakebaystories]

When Captain John Smith first surveyed the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, he marveled at the clarity of the water. In Smith's journal, he described the area as a paradise, saying it was fed by "innumerable sweet and pleasant springs." But ever since Smith's tales of a land of plenty, a door opened for European settlement along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, and the Bay, leading to changes in patterns of land use and degraded ecosystems. While the Bay still serves as critical habitat for fish, waterfowl, and many other species, and produces about 500 million pounds of seafood every year, the Bay is far less productive than it once was. Today, the Bay is home to more than 17 million people, with 150,000 new people moving to the Bay annually. Consequently, the Bay has lost more than 99 percent of its native oysters and continues to lose an estimated 2,600 acres of oyster habitat annually.

Getting Gritty: Local Partnerships Protect the Bay With Beer | Antonia Sohns

[chesapeakebaystories]

There are many organizations that play a part in Chesapeake Bay restoration. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Oyster Recovery Parternship did so Friday, July 18. A crew from the CBF set out on its oyster boat, Patricia Campbell, on a mission from its restoration center in Shady Side to dump 15 tons of oyster shell with spat set on them into an oyster sanctuary in Harris Creek. (via Spat planted in Harris Creek Friday - MyEasternShoreMD: Kent County News)

[chesapeakebaystories]

Residents argue over whether the sea is rising or the island is sinking, but one thing is inarguable: once-thriving areas of the island are now abandoned and uninhabitable. As the waters around Tangier Island slowly swallow up the shoreline, more than the land is being threatened: a way of life, a fascinating history, and a unique local dialect are all in danger of vanishing for good. (via An island in Chesapeake Bay is disappearing — and so is a British dialect and a piece of history | Public Radio International)

[chesapeakebaystories]

Sunrise glided over the harbor and from my bed I watched masts sway in the breeze below in the harbor. By the time I padded outside to my deck, the sun was scrubbing the last of the pink from the sky. When it comes to waterfront vacations, it's no cliché to say that location is everything. The Harbour Inn, Marina & Spa in St. Michaels puts you in the heart of a tranquil harbor right off the Chesapeake Bay. This is an unhurried spot, where fishing skiffs are as present as mega yachts. (via Summer in St. Michaels at the Harbour Inn | Andrea Poe)

[chesapeakebaystories]

There are three types of jellyfish found in Chesapeake Bay: sea nettle, moon jellyfish —also called common jellyfish — and lion's mane jellyfish. • Jellyfish are poor swimmers. They mostly move through the water by wind and currents. • "Wear a wetsuit or pantyhose when swimming to avoid receiving a painful jellyfish sting," the Chesapeake Bay Program cautions. • While sea nettles can have up to 24 tentacles, moon jellyfish have hundreds of short tentacles and are the Chesapeake Bay's largest jellyfish. (via CREATURES: Stingers of the sea)

[chesapeakebaystories]

Some have big, pointy teeth. Some let loose a celebration of purple, flowery spikes. Some live in large seashells that would fit nicely in any collector's stash. But they all have one thing in common: They don't belong in ­Chesapeake Bay. "Invasive species" take many forms. Here is a look at 10 that threaten the bay's fragile ecosystem in one way or another. (via http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/life/outdoors/2014/05/24/wanted/9558735/)

[chesapeakebaystories]

National Aquarium's dolphin question at center of animal welfare debate

The big question facing Baltimore's National Aquarium is whether to keep Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in the amphitheater pool or release them to an ocean-side sanctuary is the latest twist in the decades-long evolution of American zoos and aquatic attractions from circus-like menageries to portals into the natural environment.

[chesapeakebaystories]

ST. MICHAELS — Replicas of two of the ships of the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus are visiting the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum this week. The Nina and the Pinta will be open daily for visitors through Sunday May 18. The famous trio of ships that Columbus used when he embarked upon discovering America were the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Of those three, the largest vessel, the Santa Maria, did not make it back to Europe. She was reputed to be Columbus’ least favorite ship because she was large, slow and clumsy. Columbus made the return trip on the smallest ship of the three, the Nina. (via Nina and Pinta visit St. Michaels - The Star Democrat - Easton, Maryland: Local)

[chesapeakebaystories]

Chesapeake Bay, Md. — Gary Rasnake leaned against the starboard side of the boat, arms crossed, hoping for a bite. The retired Army sergeant first class had been on the Chesapeake Bay for about four hours, much of it in the same position, waiting for the telltale jerk of a fishing rod. Rasnake, whose nearly 25-year infantry career ended in 2009 after he suffered a back injury in Afghanistan, was one of 58 retired and active-duty military members who joined the Annapolis chapter of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association on April 27 for its annual Rock on Warriors: Operation Rockfish event. Dozens of former and current military personnel and family members boarded 20 boats captained by MSSA members and departed from the Annapolis Yacht Basin for six hours of trolling for rockfish on the bay.

Veterans Get Day On the Bay in Md. | Valley News

[chesapeakebaystories]

STEVENSVILLE — The Kent Island Federation of Arts has announced its fifth Gardens by the Sea tour to be held June 7 and 8. The tour will include eight gardens located on Kent Island by the Chesapeake Bay. The Cove Creek Club community has the most gardens on this year’s tour. Having most gardens in a central location will make touring the gardens very easy for the visitors. Each garden is staffed by a docent who will share the plantings and help identify the flowers, bushes and trees. The tour is self guided and the accompanying brochure and map is purchased at Kent Island Federation of Arts gallery and office on Main Street in Stevensville. (via Kent Island Gardens by the Sea tour planned - The Star Democrat - Easton, Maryland: Life)

[chesapeakebaystories]

ROCK HALL — America’s oldest racing yacht has turned 125 years old. Elf‘s birthday was commemorated Feb. 22 with an oyster roast and ceremony at the Rock Hall Yacht Club. The proceeds went to maintain the 1888 Lawley-built 30-footer. Capt. Rick Carrion was given a House of Delegates resolution by Del. Jay Jacobs, a Rock Hall resident. Carrion, of Earleville, founded the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild to restore the vintage wooden vessel. Graham Ero, of Graham Ero Wooden Boats in Still Pond, carried out years of restoration. The CYRG has had Elf listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Eastern Shore’s Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is now her home. (via Elf honored, race planned for May - MyEasternShoreMD: Kent County News)

[chesapeakebaystories]

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — One of the most populous regions of Virginia has long-suffered from an identity crisis that the area's tourism industry is hoping to finally end by embracing a new brand name with a better sense of place. For the past 30 years, an expansive region that includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton and Williamsburg has used the moniker "Hampton Roads" that's named after an obscure body of water. But an alliance of tourism officials wants to market a new name. "It just doesn't carry with it the identity that you need as a major metropolitan region," said Jim Ricketts, director of the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. "You end up having to explain it. You say Hampton Roads and there's this sort of blank stare." The group has started using the name "Coastal Virginia" as alliance members try to sell an even larger area that includes the Eastern Shore of Virginia to meeting planners and tour promoters...

'Coastal Va.' backers seek end to identity crisis - seattlepi.com

[chesapeakebaystories]

As you cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, somewhere around the middle of the bay, you enter Queen Anne’s County. Its entire northern border is the Chester River. If you stay on U.S. 301, you cross Queen Anne’s County and cross the Chester River into Kent County. That’s the most northern county entirely on the Eastern Shore. If you leave 301 and turn south on U.S. 50 you head into Talbot County going south to Easton. U.S. 50 ultimately leads to Ocean City. Many of the sport shops and others distribute a free map of Queen Anne’s County showing 18 county-maintained landings and ramps. For a trailered boater, kayaker or canoe enthusiast, this simple chart is a prize. It also gives folks who fish off piers and banks a leg up in finding places to access tidewater. All you need is a Queen Anne’s County sticker on your car or trailer. At $35 for the entire season, the sticker is a bargain. It gives you the right to launch and park your vehicles (trailer and tow vehicle) or just the vehicle bearing the car-top craft. (via Gateway to the Eastern Shore - Queen Anne's County - The Frederick News-Post : Natural Resource)

[chesapeakebaystories]

Dominion wants to send liquefied natural gas to India and Japan from the Chesapeake Bay's Cove Point facility, over 11,000 miles by ship. Leakage in India's distribution system will make the environmental impact of use and leakage alone comparable to that of typical coal. Factor in huge liquefaction and transport costs and you have a worse-than-worst-coal mess. (via Cove Point liquefied natural gas - baltimoresun.com)

[chesapeakebaystories]

In February, the great blue herons of the Chesapeake Bay region will begin their nest building or repair chores and their mating rituals—perhaps in a tree they've been sharing with bald eagles. On the ground, great blues can easily be identified by their blue and gray plumage, long legs, yellow bill, and graceful "S" shaped neck. In the air, these pterodactyl-like creatures with wingspans of up to seven feet are quite a sight to see. (via Blue herons are nesting among the bald eagles, but why?)