Progress in teaching environmental literacy improves around Chesapeake Bay area after COVID-19 learning loss
The program's Environmental Literacy Planning Outcome is based on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, a motion signed in 2014 that establishes goals for the restoration of the bay and the surrounding area.
The agreement lays out 10 goals to advance the restoration of the bay, including boosting environmental literacy to ensure students know how to protect their local watersheds.
A 2024 survey of 302 schools in the Chesapeake Bay region – including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia – documented the increased progress toward environmental education goals.
The survey gathers information about how prepared school districts are to support environmental literacy for students and tracks the availability of environmental education programs.
Survey shows increase in environmental literacy programs
The bi-annual survey asks school districts if they have environmental education programs, program leaders, methods for training teachers and other environmental literacy elements.
About 57% of school districts said they were "somewhat prepared" to launch an environmental education program, while 19% said they were "well prepared," according to the Chesapeake Bay Program.
Nearly 25% of respondents said they were not prepared.
The percentage of those who said they were well prepared in the 2024 survey increased by 2% from 2022, almost reaching pre-pandemic levels.
According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, some of the goals outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement will be updated in 2025.
Federal funding cuts could impact Chesapeake Bay restoration plans
The push to increase education about the environment comes as some in Maryland are concerned about the Trump administration's federal budget cuts and how it could impact Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.
In April, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) said the proposed funding cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could jeopardize restoration efforts.
The proposed cuts would decrease NOAA's budget from $6.1 billion to $4.5 billion, according to the CBF.
The cuts could reduce the financial support that NOAA provides for restoration programs.
Declining water quality in Baltimore waterways
A report from nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore found that water quality in the Inner Harbor and other Baltimore-area watersheds has declined over the past decade.
According to the report, water quality in 2024 was extremely poor in most of the region, and all the waterways have shown declining ecological health since 2023.
"The long-term data trends are telling us that these problems are getting worse over time," Blue Water Baltimore said.
The non-profit recommends increasing investments in environmentally friendly stormwater infrastructure and sewer infrastructure to improve water quality in the region.
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9 hours ago
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I Found A Kitten Glued To The Road. Saving Him Was The Start Of Something Bigger Than I'd Ever Imagined.
There once was a cat named Sticky. He was a kitten when I rescued him after someone had glued him to a road on a cold October morning. His story went viral almost overnight. One day we were just a guy and a cat, and the next we were on the news, in magazines, and all over the internet. People connected to him — to us — and that one moment became the start of something much bigger than I'd ever imagined. I wrote a children's book about him. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had a whole children's book series and several other side books. We began to visit schools and groups, where I spoke about kindness and not losing hope. We donated books to schools and children's hospitals all over the world. We got a school built for kids in Pakistan. For six years, we built a brand. A movement. I'm telling you that cat could get some things done. Sticky became more than a pet or a 'cat.' He was my business partner — my best friend. 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It was like he had been watching me for years and was sick of me not just taking the leap. So, he came into my life to push me. His voice told me when I was on the right path. He kept me going when I felt like no one believed in me. He did it all. And he... was me. That voice? It was mine. The whole time. People asked me what his voice sounded like in my head. I would tell them it sounded like mine but deeper and more sarcastic. That was me. It was the me that did believe I could catch those dreams. The one who the rest of me had stopped listening to long ago. That's probably why it's so sarcastic. It was sick of watching me do nothing with myself, too. That realization — that I had done all of this — didn't come in one day or with one event. It took a lot of people turning my head back to the truth that they all saw, but somehow I couldn't see. It was me. It had always been me. I had just been given a nudge by a cool little magic cat. Sticky may very well have been magic. 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10 hours ago
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Child Protective Services Investigated Her 4 Times Because She Let Her Kids Play Outside
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This letter is presented as a stark example of how little trust our country has in its parents and children anymore—and how misanthropic neighbors can weaponize the state at will. *** Myself, my husband, and our three children (currently aged 12, 11, and 9) moved to southwest Virginia in 2017 when the kids were 4, 3, and 7 months. When my youngest began walking, I would let the three of them play in the backyard in our small, rural community while I would garden or read outdoors. There are no forested areas, and four unfenced yards all meet together with ours. Our new neighbors said the kids were welcome to play in their yards as well. In spring 2018 (our kids then aged 5, 4, and 18 months), we received our first visit from child protective services (CPS). A neighbor called to report that my children were unsupervised and that I was allowing a baby to climb the front porch steps by himself. I laughed and gestured at my toddler and said, "Yes, he is allowed to walk up the steps, I admit it!" That one did not result in a formal investigation being opened, but they did investigate our home for food, bugs, toys, etc. In late 2019 (the kids now 6, 5, and 3), we had our second visit from CPS, again alleging that the children were inadequately supervised because they were allowed to play in our yard and in the yards of our neighbors. This one did result in a formal investigation, and I was told people would be driving by our house periodically to make sure I was supervising the kids as they played. During that visit, I was told that children could never be left alone, inside or outside the home—EVEN IN THEIR OWN BEDROOMS—until they were 13 years old. Social Services said specifically that I had to be in each room with them at all times until they were 13. That investigation ended without incident. Our third CPS visit happened in May 2021 (ages 8, 6, and 4). 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They came up with a written action plan and required all adults in the house to sign it (which included my sister at the time), saying that the children would be supervised. My husband and sister were very frightened that the situation would escalate due to small-town politics (the person who reported us had previously been a law enforcement officer and was well known in the community), so we all signed. This investigation was again closed. That last visit was when I knew I had to get involved with Let Grow to change the laws in Virginia. I was already familiar with their work, which is partly why we had these run-ins with CPS. I was practicing "masterly inactivity"—watching from a distance and letting my kids make decisions and learn how the world works, intervening only when necessary to keep them safe. I believe my children have a right to independence. They have never been seriously hurt and have never hurt anyone (or anything) in their practice of independence. But their right to practice it was challenged over and over again. One afternoon shortly after getting in touch with Let Grow, my children were playing outdoors on our neighbors' hill, a place they are allowed to play. Another neighbor (who does not own the hill) stopped in the street and called them over to her. She told them they couldn't play there and that they had to go home. The children told her they did not have to go home and that they had their parents' and the property owner's express permission to play there. She was immediately upset that they were talking back to her and asked if she was going to have to "call the police and get your parents in trouble." This obviously scared the children, and they began to walk home, in tears. Meanwhile, I was standing at the kitchen window watching the kids talk to a neighbor, not understanding what was happening until I saw one child visibly upset. I immediately walked out of the house, and the neighbor (who, coincidentally, is a social worker) drove off without speaking to me about her concerns. Since that time, even with the legislation we helped to pass, my kids are hesitant to exercise their independence. Few people know that parents have the right to decide what their children are capable of handling. I have equipped my kids with a "license" that they keep on them when they roam our small, rural neighborhood. It says across the top in big, bold letters "MY PARENTS KNOW I'M HERE" and includes information about SB1367 (Virginia's Reasonable Childhood Independence law) as well as my name and phone number. My children have been stopped by neighbors, produced their license, and thankfully were then left unbothered. As they age, their confidence and understanding grow, and they venture further and further out with the assurance that they have the right to walk and bike the streets of our neighborhood just as much as the adults they see exercising every day. My children and their friends benefit greatly from being allowed independence and from organizations that fight to protect that right. The post Child Protective Services Investigated Her 4 Times Because She Let Her Kids Play Outside appeared first on Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Thinking about buying in a community with an HOA? Find out about homeowners associations
Homeowners associations are part of the lives of more Delawareans nowadays, especially in southern Delaware, where planned communities have sprung up by the dozens in recent years. Some of them get a bad name, Greenville attorney Robert Valihura said. "Those are the ones not being advised by a lawyer. I wouldn't stand for HOAs that are overbearing or condescending to homeowners," he said. "My clients are treating their homeowners with respect." If you're thinking about buying in a community with a homeowners association, Valihura's is advice you should take. He's a partner at Morton, Valihura & Zerbato, the motto of which is: "If it's housing, we can handle it." He's also a former member of the Delaware House of Representatives, where he was chair of the Housing and Community Affairs Committee. Homeowners associations are "the most basic form of government in Delaware," Valihura said, and it's important to understand that government before purchasing a home in a community with a homeowners association. What is a homeowners association? A homeowners association falls under the broader definition of a community association (also known as a common interest community), according to the Community Associations Institute guide "An Introduction to Community Association Living." Community associations are "a communal basis for preserving, maintaining and enhancing homes and property," the guide says. They have three defining characteristics: Membership is required and automatic for all home- or unit-owners. Agreements bind all home- or unit-owners to be governed by the community association and to certain obligations. Each home- or unit-owner pays fees that are used to operate and maintain the community. "It's a contractual obligation. Money has to come in and you can't fight that, it's like taxes," Valihura said. Most community associations are formed for either planned communities or condominiums, the guide says. Each association is managed by a volunteer board, the authority of which is defined by governing documents. Board members are elected by the home- or unit-owners, hold regular meetings that community members can attend and are typically led by a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, the guide says. What are governing documents and why are they important? When you purchase a home or unit in a community association, you are agreeing to follow the community's preestablished guidelines, according to the guide. They're detailed in governing documents. Reviewing governing documents are the best way to learn about a specific homeowners association. Those documents can be called declarations, master deeds, or declarations of covenants, conditions and restrictions, the guide says, and an HOA may have other documents that detail guidelines, such as bylaws, articles of incorporation and resolutions. If you purchase a home in a community with an HOA, governing documents are typically provided prior to settlement and most are available online on a community's website. If not, you may be able to view them on your county's recorder of deeds website. Delaware real estate: How homebuyers can research HOA deed restrictions and bylaws before they buy "If I had a message to everybody, it would be to read your documents and behave accordingly," Valihura said. "If you don't like it, run for the board." For people considering a home in a community with a homeowners association, the guide advises carefully considering the rules before purchase. "Most rules are merely expressions of unit owners being courteous and considerate of their neighbors, and respectful of their rights and investment in the community," the guide says. "For a purchaser, the rules establish the standards of lifestyle of that particular community. He or she should look elsewhere if this is not the standard that he or she wants and is willing to support, maintain and enhance as an owner-member." Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@ or on Facebook. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What is a homeowners association? What to know in Delaware Solve the daily Crossword
