Across the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, below the water’s surface, ribbons of green sway in the current. They are stems of pondweed, eelgrass, widgeon grass, stargrass, and a number of other species. Together they make up the underwater grasses that form a crucial habitat for Bay life, help clean the water, and mitigate effects Read the Rest…
This summer’s dissolved oxygen levels in the Chesapeake Bay were much better than previous years Water monitoring data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Old Dominion University show that dissolved oxygen conditions in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia were much better than average for May-October 2023. The hypoxic Read the Rest…
Chesapeake Bay Dissolved Oxygen Conditions Better than Average Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Old Dominion University show that dissolved oxygen conditions in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia were better than average in June 2022. The hypoxic water volume — waters with less than 2 mg/l oxygen Read the Rest…
Annual Report Shows Overall Improvement in Chesapeake Bay The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that the 2021 underwater grass abundance in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay remained stable compared to the previous year, with a slight decrease of 1%, or 350 acres. Baywide, underwater grasses increased by 7%. Despite record high rainfall Read the Rest…
Divided Season Results in Near Average 2021 Hypoxia Monitoring of dissolved oxygen conditions in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia showed a tale of two different halves for the 2021 season. The Bay experienced below average hypoxia — areas with less than 2 mg/l of dissolved oxygen — from May through July, followed Read the Rest…
Department Accepting Grant Applications from Governments, Nonprofits The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the Grants Gateway application is open for local governments and organizations for Fiscal Year 2023, which begins July 1, 2022. Through this process, funding is available for projects that restore local waterways, increase communities’ resilience to climate change and storm impacts, Read the Rest…
Maryland Summer Oxygen Conditions Second-best on Record Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) monitoring data show that summer average dissolved oxygen conditions in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were the second best on record since 1985. The average hypoxic volume — areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen — of the eight Read the Rest…
Department Accepting FY22 Grant Applications from Governments, Nonprofits The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the Grants Gateway application is open for local governments and organizations for Fiscal Year 2022. Through this process, funding is available for projects that restore local waterways, increase communities’ resilience to climate and storm impacts, strengthen local economies, develop the Read the Rest…
Maryland Department of Natural Resources monitoring data show that dissolved oxygen conditions in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were average in early July 2020. The hypoxic water volume — waters with less than 2 mg/l oxygen — was 1.35 cubic miles compared to a historical early July average (1985-2019) of 1.38 cubic Read the Rest…
Department Awards $26.2 Million through Grants Gateway The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the awarding of $26.2 million to improve water quality, increase flood resiliency, and help grow the next generation of Maryland’s environmental stewards.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources monitoring data show that dissolved oxygen conditions in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem continued to be better than average in June 2020. The hypoxic water volume — waters with less than 2 mg/l oxygen — was 0.56 and 0.90 cubic miles, respectively, during early and late June Read the Rest…
Annual Report Shows Improvement in Several Areas and Tributaries The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports a second consecutive year of underwater grass loss in certain portions of the Chesapeake Bay in 2019 due to record high rainfall and stream flows into the bay. Some areas of Maryland’s portion of the bay, however, have shown Read the Rest…
Governor Larry Hogan, chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council, wrote to congressional leaders today calling for a reversal of proposed cuts to federal funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration. Maryland is urging an increase in funding to $90.5 million, while the Trump administration’s proposed FY21 budget cuts funding for these programs by more than 90 percent, Read the Rest…
Department Accepting Grant Applications from Governments, Nonprofits The Maryland Department of Natural Resources today announced that up to $30 million is available for local governments and organizations seeking to restore local waterways, increase their resilience to climate and storm impacts, strengthen local economies, and develop the next generation of environmental stewards. The department’s Grants Gateway Read the Rest…
Ten Sites Now Selected Toward Chesapeake Bay Program Goal The Chesapeake Bay Program and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are pleased to announce that the Manokin River has been approved as the 10th Chesapeake Bay tributary for large-scale oyster reef restoration. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement calls for the restoration of the native oyster Read the Rest…
Maryland Department of Natural Resources monitoring data show that dissolved oxygen conditions in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were larger than average in July, as the result of many factors. The hypoxic water volume (areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen) was 1.92 cubic miles in early July and 2.01 cubic miles Read the Rest…
2018 Saw Slight Decline, But Less Severe Than Expected The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports that Chesapeake Bay underwater grass abundance fared better than expected in 2018, despite extreme rainfall causing a spike in nutrients and sediments. An estimated 50,015 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Baywide, Read the Rest…
Maryland Department of Natural Resources monitoring shows that dissolved oxygen conditions in the state’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were better than expected in late June. The hypoxic water volume — areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen — was 0.69 cubic miles, which is well below the late June 1985-2018 average of 1.15 Read the Rest…
Dissolved oxygen conditions in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were slightly above the long-term average in early June. The hypoxic water volume — areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen — was 1.14 cubic miles, which is slightly above the early June 1985-2018 average of 0.93 cubic miles and similar to levels Read the Rest…
Department’s Grants Gateway Opens Door for 96 Projects The Maryland Department of Natural Resources today announced the awarding of $30.9 million in grants to local communities to implement projects that will restore local waterways, increase climate resilience, and develop the next generation of environmental stewards. “We are pleased to support these innovative projects that will Read the Rest…
Honor the Past by Investing in the Future This past month marked the passing of a friend and mentor — former Governor Harry Hughes. I feel privileged to have known Governor Hughes, a fellow Eastern Shore resident, who was a man of integrity. He was also a leader who greatly influenced the mission of the Read the Rest…
Governor Larry Hogan today issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Budget, which would drastically cut funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration: “As Governor of Maryland and Chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council, protecting the Chesapeake Bay remains one of my top priorities. The EPA Administrator himself called the Chesapeake Bay Program Read the Rest…
Innovative Projects Can Access Funding Through New ‘Grants Gateway’ The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that $24.75 million in funding is available for local governments and nonprofit organizations seeking to restore local waterways, increase climate resilience and develop the next generation of environmental stewards. To streamline the grant application and management process, the department Read the Rest…
Average Year for Chesapeake Bay Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved oxygen conditions for the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay for the summer of 2018 were average compared to the long-term average from 1985-2017, reports the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Low dissolved oxygen volume averaged 0.97 cubic miles from June through September. Crabs, fish, oysters and other Read the Rest…
Dissolved oxygen conditions for Maryland’s portion of Chesapeake Bay returned to near average for the month of August, reports the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The department tracks hypoxia throughout the summer during twice monthly monitoring cruises. Low dissolved oxygen volume was at a record low (0.26 cubic miles) in late July, due to sustained Read the Rest…
Heavy Rainfall and Sustained Winds Helped Produce Best Recorded Results Ever Due to extreme summer weather, dissolved oxygen conditions in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were the best ever observed in late July, reports the Maryland Department to Natural Resources. The department tracks hypoxia throughout the summer during twice monthly monitoring cruises. The Read the Rest…
Dissolved oxygen conditions in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem improved in early July, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The department tracks hypoxia throughout the summer during twice monthly monitoring cruises. The hypoxic water volume (areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen) was 1.05 cubic miles, nearly 0.6 cubic miles less Read the Rest…
As anticipated, dissolved oxygen conditions in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem worsened in late June. During its twice monthly monitoring cruises, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources found that hypoxic water volume (areas with less than 2 mg/L oxygen) was 1.63 cubic miles, which is 42 percent greater than the late June average Read the Rest…
18 Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund Grants Announced The Hogan Administration has awarded funding to 18 recipients through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund to improve the health of Maryland’s waterways. The “Trust Fund” allows Maryland to accelerate Chesapeake Bay restoration and improve water quality by focusing targeted financial investments and resources on the Read the Rest…
Maryland and Virginia scientists have begun regularly collecting oxygen data as they monitor the health of Chesapeake Bay waters, and track the states’ progress toward restoring the treasured Chesapeake. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will track bay oxygen levels throughout the summer during twice-monthly monitoring cruises.
2,592 candidate projects identified in Maryland U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore and Norfolk districts, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), released June 14 the draft Chesapeake Bay Comprehensive Water Resources and Restoration Plan and Restoration Roadmap that identifies 2,592 candidate aquatic ecosystem restoration, enhancement and conservation projects for implementation in Maryland. Candidate projects may Read the Rest…
Baywide Total Breaks 100,000 Acres The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports 2017 was the third consecutive record-breaking year for underwater grass abundance in Maryland’s portion of Chesapeake Bay. An annual baywide survey showed 62,356 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in Maryland’s tidal waters, a 5 percent increase from 2016. This is the fifth Read the Rest…
Progress. It’s a word with many definitions, including, “A forward or onward movement toward an objective or goal.” At the Chesapeake Bay Program, progress is measured in the 10 goals of our Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. When our partnership—consisting of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay Read the Rest…
Department Researcher among 14 Co-Authors in National Academy of Sciences Report A new research article published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzes the positive impact of long-term nutrient reductions on an important and valuable ecosystem in the Chesapeake Bay. The research indicates that a resurgence of underwater grasses is due to Read the Rest…
A Watershed Year for the Chesapeake Bay When this year began, I knew it held great promise for the future of our most precious natural resource and treasure, the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland is committed to protecting and restoring the nation’s largest estuary, and I’m pleased to say this year we’ve seen strong signs of progress.
Maryland’s Water Quality Monitoring Data Indicates Second Best Year on Record Dissolved oxygen conditions in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay mainstem were much better than average this summer, according to Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The results show that 2017 had the second-smallest Chesapeake Bay hypoxic volume (dissolved oxygen concentrations below two milligrams per liter) since 1985, for the regions and times Read the Rest…
Dissolved oxygen conditions in a portion of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay mainstem were better than average for late August, reports the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The hypoxic water volume (areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen) in the study area was 0.33 cubic miles, which is much smaller than the late August 1985-2016 average of 0.80 cubic miles for that reduced Read the Rest…
Dissolved oxygen conditions in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were much better than average for early August, reports the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The hypoxic water volume (areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen) was 0.91 cubic miles, which is much smaller than the early August 1985-2016 average of 1.31 cubic miles. Read the Rest…
Dissolved oxygen conditions in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem continued to be near average in late June, reports the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The hypoxic water volume (areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen) was 1.05 cubic miles, which is slightly below the late June 1985-2016 average of 1.09 cubic miles. No anoxic zones (areas Read the Rest…
Reducing Runoff at MedStar Harbor Hospital and Providing Green Space for Patient Rehabilitation From the Chesapeake Bay Trust: Today the Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust), Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Chesapeake Bay Program, MedStar Harbor Hospital, Blue Water Baltimore, and Plisko Sustainable Solutions announced plans to design nine green infrastructure facilities with funds Read the Rest…