Latest news with #ChesapeakeBayProgram
CBS News
31-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Chesapeake Bay Program reaches public water access goal
The Chesapeake Bay Program has reached its long-term target of opening 300 new public water access sites across the watershed by 2025, fulfilling a key commitment of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Between 2010 and the end of 2024, 312 new sites were added, giving the program a narrow but timely finish ahead of its 2025 goal. The initiative was designed to expand opportunities for boating, fishing and swimming throughout the Bay Area. "In 2000, the idea of 300 new sites watershed-wide seemed daunting, so to see the goal achieved today is tremendously gratifying," said Lisa Gutierrez, director of Public Access, Water Trails and Recreation Planning. The majority of new access points are in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, which comprise the largest share of the watershed. In total, the watershed now features 1,451 public access sites: 652 in Maryland, 414 in Virginia, 230 in Pennsylvania, 77 in West Virginia, 40 in New York, 30 in the District of Columbia, and eight in Delaware, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program. Public access to waterways has been linked to both recreational and economic benefits. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, outdoor recreation and tourism generated $14.3 billion in annual income across the watershed in 2022, citing data from the U.S. Census Bureau. A Chesapeake Bay Foundation report also found that saltwater fishing alone contributed approximately $1.6 billion in sales, more than $800 million in additional economic activity, and supported about 13,000 jobs. Separately, the Chesapeake Bay Program said earlier this month that it is on track to meet another 2025 goal - restoring oyster reefs in 10 tributaries, including five in Maryland. Oysters play a vital role in improving bay health and bolstering Maryland's seafood industry, which generates about $600 million annually. According to data released Monday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the state's oyster population has more than tripled over the past two decades.
CBS News
25-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Maryland on track to meet 2025 oyster reef restoration goal, Chesapeake Bay Program says
The Chesapeake Bay Program is on track to meet its 2025 goal of restoring oyster reefs in 10 tributaries – a target set in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. According to the CBP, more than 2,294 acres of oyster reefs have been restored to date – an area larger than 1,340 football fields. Maryland's tributaries included in the oyster restoration effort are in Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, Tred Avon River, Upper St. Mary's River, and the Manokin River. Maryland is completing restoration work in its the Manokin River, while Virginia has completed restorations in its five tributaries, plus an additional tributary. Oysters play a vital ecological role in the Chesapeake Bay. "Oysters are ecologically valuable as filter feeders that help clean the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries by pumping water through their gills and trapping food particles, nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and chemical contaminants," the CBP said. An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, according to the CBP. In addition to improving water quality, oyster reefs provide a critical habitat for small fish, worms, and other organisms that serve as prey species. Fish and other marine animals rely on the complex environments oyster reefs create, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Restored reefs also benefit Maryland's seafood industry, which contributes about $600 million annually to the state's economy. Maryland's oyster population has more than tripled in the past 20 years, according to data released Monday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. The latest stock assessment estimates that more than 12 billion oysters now live in Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Chesapeake Bay health downgraded to a ‘C' in this year's report card
Heath Kelsey of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science speaks at the releas of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay report card, which gave the estuary a "C" grade. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters) Last year's weather didn't treat the Chesapeake Bay too kindly, if you ask Bill Dennison. 'It was too wet, and then it was too dry — and always too hot,' said Dennison, the vice president for science application at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Those conditions are part of the reason the bay got a 'C' on this year's UMCES report card, down from last year's all-time high grade of 'C+.' 'The crops didn't have enough water, so they were not soaking up nutrients,' Dennison said at Tuesday's release of the report card. 'So when it did rain, there were excess nutrients washing into the bay.' A number of factors contribute to the score, including measurements of aquatic grass growth, water clarity, and harmful nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, which run off from fertilizers and sewage treatment plants, among other sources. Excess nutrents spur the growth of algae, which suck oxygen from the water as they die, creating 'dead zones' that kill off underwater life. Though this year's score dropped, Dennison and others were quick to point out that the overall trajectory of the bay is more positive. Of 15 bay regions identified in the report only one has seen a declining trend dating back to the 1980s: the Upper Eastern Shore, which includes the Chester River. Six regions are improving, including Baltimore's Back and Patapsco rivers, and the rest are holding steady, said Heath Kelsey, director of the Integration and Application Network at UMCES. Kelsey said the bay has faced 'lots of development, lots of population moving in, lots more traffic and impervious surface — and climate change is adding to that, too. But nevertheless, over time, whatever we're doing is making a difference.' Yet bay states have fallen short of their 2014 pledges for nutrient reduction: By 2024, according to computer models, nitrogen reduction hit 59% of the goal and phosphorous reduction achieved 92% in the six states, plus Washington, D.C., in the bay watershed. They did meet other goals by that year, including reduced sediment runoff. Early gains came, in part, from outfitting wastewater treatment plants with enhanced technology so they discharge fewer nutrients. But slowing pollution from what are known as 'non-point' sources, such as stormwater runoff from cities and farm fields alike, has been more difficult. The bay has also responded to the estimated reductions more slowly than expected. From 1985 to 1987, 26.5% of the bay's tidal waters met water quality standards, according to ChesapeakeProgress, an online resource from the Chesapeake Bay Program. In the most recent assessment, between 2020 and 2022, 29.8% of the bay met those same standards. The numbers have declined steadily since a high point of 42.2% from 2015 to 2017. A 2023 report from the Bay Program's Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee laid out some reasons for the slow improvement. Computer modeling could be overestimating nutrient reductions, the report said. It also called for increased adoption of non-point pollution reduction measures, and urged governments to consider programs that reward farmers and other landowners based on the success of conservation practices, rather than awarding funds to implement a practice, regardless of the pollution-reduction outcome. Officials have been drafting a revised bay agreement, with new goals for the states, that could be released for public comment next month, pending a vote from a Chesapeake Bay Program committee. Meanwhile, cuts — some proposed and others realized — to federal agencies by the Trump administration are adding fresh uncertainty to bay restoration efforts. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), who appeared via video for Tuesday's event, said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin publicly assured him that cuts would not be proposed for the Chesapeake Bay Program, the EPA-led office that leads the bay cleanup effort. It's a change from Trump's first administration, when the president repeatedly proposed cutting the Bay Program's funding, or zeroing it out altogether, though he was denied by Congress. 'That's good news, but we know that that's not the only program important to the health of the bay, which is why we'll push back against the administration's efforts to cut other key environmental programs,' Van Hollen said. President Donald Trump's proposed budget would slash billions from the EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Agriculture, potentially hampering funding for improvements at sewage treatment plants, scientists that study bay wildlife and programs that assist farmers with conservation practices, according to a May news release from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. 'It's chaos on the hour,' Bay Foundation President and CEO Hilary Harp Falk said Tuesday. 'We have seen some slightly positive news in the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program getting full funding in the president's proposed budget, but what we're also seeing is major cuts to NOAA and major cuts to USGS, including bedrock scientific programs. 'You can't just pull half of those federal agencies out and expect to have results,' she said. To Dennison, some of the biggest changes so far have been departures of senior USGS scientists, who focused on monitoring conditions in the bay watershed. Some of them opted for the early retirement plan offered by the administration in order to thin the federal bureaucracy, Dennison said. At UMCES, officials are also concerned about Trump administration attempts to limit the amount of grant funding that universities can use for overhead, Dennison said. 'We're doing a lot of the doomsday list-making,' he said, but added that the institution is also trying to keep a level head. 'I think it's important not to freak out,' Dennison said. 'Let's keep our head down, doing good work. And then, when we're really confronted with the challenge, we'll deal with it. But for right now, what we hear is being proposed doesn't often end up being the reality.' Despite tough state budget conditions, Maryland officials are trying to plug holes left by the federal government, said Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz. In remarks on Tuesday, Kurtz cited the recently passed Chesapeake Legacy Act, which will, in part, let DNR incorporate water quality data collected by community groups such as riverkeepers — potentially filling in gaps caused by federal cuts. That bill may have been aided by its small price tag: It allocates about $500,000 for a new certification program for conservation-minded farmers. Kurtz also cited a 2024 law, the Whole Watershed Act, which funds targeted water quality assistance for five communities. 'Where there are things that we're going to lose, I think we are well-positioned as a state because of the strength of the partnership, to be able to keep that scientific understanding going,' Kurtz said. Dennison said scientists at UMCES have been zeroing in on the Upper Shore, the only region with a declining water quality trend in the center's report card. He said the problem is a bit of an 'enigma' in an area where a solid number of farmers are using cover crops to prevent erosion between growing seasons, and a significant amount of nutrient-laden poultry litter from area chicken houses is trucked to the Western Shore instead of being spread as fertilizer to Eastern Shore farm fields. Scientists have a few hypotheses, including that the Upper Shore's flat elevatio could cause the slow groundwater circulation in the area, which could be delaying observations of progress. 'We've put into practice some of these things that we're seeing positive responses to elsewhere, but they're slower on the Eastern Shore because it's such a flat [area with] poorly drained soils. It's just taken a while for that to happen,' Dennison said. He said the center will host a series of workshops on the Shore later this month, in collaboration with the Delmarva Land and Litter Collaborative, focused on environmental practices in chicken houses, bringing in farmers and poultry companies. 'We don't really understand why it's uniquely degraded, whereas everywhere else in the bay is holding steady or improving, so we're trying to get at that, but we're doing it in partnership with the farming community,' Dennison said.
Axios
23-05-2025
- General
- Axios
Chesapeake Bay blue crab population plunges near record low
The Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population has dropped to record, "distressing" lows, according to the annual Winter Dredge Survey. Why it matters: The yearly "crab count" measures the abundance and health of the population — and by virtue, the Bay — and this year's report is among the most dire in decades. The results can inform fishing regulations, such as catch limitations and shortened harvesting seasons, which can also impact market price and availability. State of play: After years of decline, the 2025 crab population hit an estimated 238 million — the second lowest count since the surveys began in 1990, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which jointly conduct the survey. The crab population hit an estimated all-time low in 2022, with 226 million crabs. That year, Maryland limited its commercial catch for the first time ever to address the decline, while harvests were also restricted in Virginia. Threat level: The survey shows declines in all segments of the crab population, from adult males (about 26 million) to females (108 million) and juveniles (103 million). The numbers in all groups are significantly lower than last year, when officials told Axios, "we have little reason for any type of alarm." A plethora of causes can contribute to decline, from overfishing to habitat loss (e.g. underwater grasses), predation — especially by invasive species like blue catfish — and run-off pollution. The big picture: The dire crab-cast comes at a critical time for the Chesapeake. Decades of cleanup efforts have brought the nation's largest estuary back from the brink in the '70s, when dead zones were rampant, species threatened, and "Save the Bay" became a regional mantra. Environmental groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) have been warning of the potentially disastrous impact of the Trump administration's cuts on the EPA and NOAA, and funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program, which Trump repeatedly threatened to slash in his first administration. Protection efforts are particularly tricky given the Bay's massive watershed, which spans six states and the District, and the tangle of local and federal regulatory bodies that can contradict. Just last year, Virginia officials voted to lift a prohibition on winter crab harvesting for the first time in nearly 15 years — which Maryland opposed. The decision was ultimately reversed. Zoom in: After years of negative dredge survey results, the CBF is urging Virginia and Maryland fisheries and state regulators to reduce crab harvests and strengthen protections for female crabs. They're also calling on the federal government to keep funding organizations that support Bay health and protections. "The red flags are flying for blue crabs," Allison Colden, CBF's Maryland director, says in a statement. "It is clear that changing conditions in the Bay are undermining the current management of this important species." Between the lines: The dredge survey is a "snapshot" taken annually, where scientists and commercial watermen dredge up crabs "hibernating" on the Bay's bottom in cold winter months, assess them, and return them safely.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Progress in teaching environmental literacy improves around Chesapeake Bay area after COVID-19 learning loss
Progress in teaching environmental education in Maryland has rebounded after a slight decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program. 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.
