|
|
Volume
5, Issue 2 |
January 2013 | |
|
|
IN THE
ZONE is a service from
the
Maryland Department
of Natural Resources'
Chesapeake & Coastal Service
(CCS)
that delivers timely
information, tools, and resources to those who live,
work, and play in
Maryland's coastal
zone. |
|
CCS
SPOTLIGHT: CLIMATE
CHANGE & COASTSMART CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVE
ORDER
Governor
O'Malley Signs Executive Order Helping State Prepare for
Climate Change and Extreme Weather
 |
|
Photo courtesy of DNR Office of
Communications. | Governor
Martin O'Malley has signed a landmark initiative to
increase the State's long term resiliency to storm
related flooding and sea level rise. He signed the
Climate
Change and Coast Smart Construction Executive Order,
directing that all new and reconstructed state
structures, as well as other infrastructure
improvements, be planned and constructed to avoid or
minimize future flood damage.
"As storms such as Hurricane Sandy have
shown, it is vital that we commit our resources and
expertise to create a ready and resilient Maryland, by
taking the necessary steps to adapt to the rising sea
and unpredictable weather," said Governor
O'Malley.
The
Executive Order enacts a number of policy directives,
including directing all State agencies to consider the
risk of coastal flooding and sea level rise when they
design capital budget projects and charging the
Department of General Services with updating its
architecture and engineering guidelines to require new
and rebuilt State structures to be elevated two or more
feet above the 100-year base flood level.
"Over
the past three decades, Maryland's climate has become
hotter and water levels within the Chesapeake Bay have
continued to rise," said Zoe Johnson, DNR's Program
Manager for Climate Change Policy. "The region's
recent extreme storms and weather have demonstrated just
how vulnerable our natural resources and infrastructure
can be to such events. The Executive Order will be
instrumental in reshaping how we build along Maryland's
coasts."
|
STREAM RESTORATION
CHALLENGE WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Grant program to
seek second round of
applicants
 |
|
Photo by Gabe
Cohee. |
In
December, Governor O'Malley's Stream Restoration
Challenge awarded 29 grants to local governments,
school systems, and non-governmental organizations to
establish and extend forested stream buffers while
actively engaging middle and high school
students.
Click
here to view the list of all 29 award
recipients.
"I
would like to thank the groups that submitted Stream
Restoration Challenge proposals to help restore our
streams, rivers and our prized Bay through on-the-ground
projects and educational programs," said Governor
O'Malley. "This initiative also raises awareness on
the importance of protecting our water quality by
teaching all of us that making smarter, greener, more
sustainable choices is vital to a better
future."
Beginning
this spring, these projects will plant 110,000 trees and
involve 13,400 students across Maryland. The projects
will not only improve water quality across the state,
but are tied to the Maryland Environmental Literacy Standards
and offer Service Learning opportunities towards
graduation.
The
students will be engaged in all phases of the
restoration - assessing riparian areas, developing a
plan, implementing a project, monitoring survival, and
reflecting on impact.
With
the success of the first RFP and additional funding
available, it is the intent of the state to re-release
the RFP in early February. For more information visit
our website or contact Gabe Cohee with DNR's
Chesapeake & Coastal Service at gcohee@dnr.state.md.us.
Click
here to view the December 2012 press
release. |
FUNDING PROVIDED FOR IN-SITU OYSTER SETTING
RESEARCH
The
Innovative Technology Fund Enters Into Its First
Partnership With St. Mary's College of
Maryland
 |
| Photo by Maryland
Technology Enterprise Institute
(Mtech). |
On
December 7, 2012, St. Mary's College of Maryland,
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland
Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) and Shore Thing
Shellfish, LLC together announced their partnership to
research in-situ oyster setting techniques. Dr. Robert
Paul with St. Mary's Department of Biology will test a
new method to streamline the process of planting
spat-on-shell on lease bottoms in a more cost-effective
and environmentally friendly manner than the traditional
method of remote setting. If successful, the improved
method will be less labor-intensive and costly
while decreasing mortality rates. Preliminary
trials will be conducted at St. Mary's College or at the
Piney Point Aquaculture facility located on St. George
Creek. After the experimental design Dr. Paul will test
the improved method at a lease site owned by Sheldon
Russell, a member of Shore Thing Shellfish, LLC. Field
trials will provide data on setting efficiency and an
economic analysis will be performed to calculate average
cost per spat and overall economic cost analysis.
DNR
partnered with MIPS five years ago on the Innovative Technology Fund to connect
research and industry with the goal of accelerating
water quality restoration. This is the first Innovative
Technology Fund and Maryland Industrial Partnerships
collaboration with St. Mary's College. DNR, MIPS and
Shore Thing Shellfish provided funding to St. Mary's
College for their research. By improving survival rates
and decreasing cost, this in-situ oyster setting method
could accelerate oyster production in the Bay and
improve water quality.
For
more information on this project, please contact Sarah
Lane with DNR's Chesapeake & Coastal Service at
410-260-8788 or slane@dnr.state.md.us
|
|
COASTSMART
COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE PROPOSALS DUE FEB. 28th
Funding
Available to Help Coastal Communities Prepare for
Climate Change
 |
| Photo by Jim
Thompson. |
Maryland's
CoastSmart Communities Program wants to
remind citizens that there are grants available to help
coastal areas prepare, respond and adapt to the effects
of flooding, shoreline erosion, increased storm
intensity, accelerated sea level rise, and other
anticipated impacts of climate change. Hurricane
Sandy was a deadly reminder of the dangers and risks
associated with living on the coast. In response to
Sandy's impact, the State has announced its request for
proposals earlier this year to provide applicants with
more time for per-proposal consultation and
assistance.
Launched
by Governor O'Malley in April 2009, Maryland's
CoastSmart Communities program has awarded more than a
half-million dollars to coastal communities to help
prepare for the anticipated impacts of climate change.
In partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the State will provide grants ranging
from $10,000 to $75,000 to coastal communities to
support the planning and preparation. In addition to
competitive grants, the State will offer on-the-ground
expertise, planning guidance, training and tools to
support local planning efforts.
For
more information or to apply for a grant, citizens may
visit dnr.maryland.gov/CoastSmart/
or
email Kate Skaggs with DNR's Chesapeake & Coastal
Service at kskaggs@dnr.state.md.us.
Click
here to download the Request for
Proposals.
Again, the
deadline for project proposals is February 28,
2013. |
|
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO TEACH
STUDENTS ABOUT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND NATURAL
RESOURCES
TEAM will be hosting three
training workshops in coming
months
 |
| Photo from TEAM DNR
webpage. | Calling all
Marylanders interested in helping students understand
and care for their natural world! The Maryland
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting three
training workshops that will provide volunteers with the
tools necessary to teach children about the Chesapeake
Bay, coastal and Bay marine life and the
State's streams through TEAM (Teaching
Environmental Awareness in Maryland).
Established
by DNR in 1998, TEAM volunteers have delivered 1,200
classroom programs to more than 32,000 students in
public and private schools across the State since the
program began. TEAM currently offers schools free
classroom programs on the Chesapeake Bay watershed,
streams, oysters and oyster reefs, horseshoe crabs, and
Chesapeake watermen.
DNR
is seeking volunteers from all counties across Maryland.
Volunteers should have an outgoing personality and enjoy
working with children (grades 3 to 8). No prior teaching
experience is necessary. There are three workshops on
consecutive weeks this winter and TEAM members are asked
to attend all three for necessary training. Volunteers
must be at least 18 years old and have their own
transportation.
The
workshops will be held on:
- February 19 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at
the DNR Tawes Building located at 580 Taylor Ave.,
Annapolis, MD 21401; and
- March 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lathrop E.
Smith Environmental Education Center, 5110 Meadowside
Lane, Rockville, MD 20855 (Transportation is available
from Annapolis).
To
register for a workshop, volunteers should contact Chris
Hintz with DNR's Chesapeake & Coastal Service at
410-260-8809 or chintz@dnr.state.md.us.
Schools
can get more information on this free program and
request a TEAM teacher in their classroom at dnr.maryland.gov/education/teamdnr. |
INCREASING
RESILIENCE TO SEA LEVEL RISE IN COASTAL
MARYLAND
Research
on Deal Island Peninsula made possible through grant
from National Estuarine Research Reserve's Science
Collaborative
 |
Researchers
sampling marsh root production.
Photo by
Patricia
Delgado.
|
Investigators
from the University of Maryland, the Smithsonian
Environmental Research Center, and the Coastal Bays
Program have partnered with the Maryland Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine
Research Reserve and other programs within the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources to increase the
resilience of coastal marsh and communities on
Maryland's Deal Island Peninsula in the face of sea
level rise. With a $598,645 grant from the National
Estuarine Research Reserve System' Science
Collaborative, the team is using the Collaborative
Learning methodology to identify which services provided
by marshlands are highly valued by local communities,
understand how current management practices impact the
marshes' ability to provide these services, and develop
a process for stakeholders to work together to conserve
and restore marshes for the future. In the process, the
team will conduct economic, anthropological, and
ecological research to better understand coastal
marsh systems and their surrounding communities, develop
a strong regional network for future collaboration, and
test a model for engaging a range of stakeholders in
ecosystem science and decision-making.
As
sea levels rise along Maryland's coast, marshlands are
degraded and lost; taking with them vital services-such
as protection from storm surges and inundation and
placing surrounding communities at risk. This
vulnerability is intensified by the impacts of historic
land use practices. For example, wetland ditching, used
from the 1930s to the 1950s to ostensibly control
mosquito-borne disease, may limit the ability of marshes
to grow vertically in response to sea-level rise. While
there is an urgent need to address this problem, key
stakeholders from different sectors and levels of
government lack the collaborative, problem-solving
partnerships needed to create cost effective, efficient
solutions that optimize the social and environmental
tradeoffs between different management choices. These
stakeholders also need science-based information about
how the marsh's ecological systems function in
relationship to the surrounding communities, and what
the outcomes of different approaches to marshland
management might be. This project will use restoration
of ditch drained marshes on the Deal Island Peninsula as
a case study for conducting the necessary science,
developing partnerships, and testing a
stakeholder-driven process for developing management
strategies that protect the resilience of marshlands and
the communities that depend on them.
For more information on this project, please email
Patricia Delgado with DNR's Chesapeake & Coastal
Service/Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research
Reserve at pdelgado@dnr.state.md.us. |
|
DORSEY
RUN FLOODPLAIN WETLAND RESTORATION
Project
serves as example of public/private partnerships
succeeding to restore our State's important coastal
ecosystems
 |
| Photo by Claudia
Donegan. |
Many
Marylanders know Jessup for its Maryland Food Warehouse
district or, maybe without as much enthusiasm, the State
Prison. Few, however, realize there has been a
significant watershed restoration project taking place
in the middle of this busy industrial area. This project
shines a spotlight on the importance of public private
partnership for ecosystem restoration. The project came
into existence following a suggestion by DNR to the
State Highway Administration (SHA) that a particular
section of Dorsey Run that flows through land owned by
the State Prison system was in dire need of floodplain
and stream restoration due to the nature of a this very
impervious watershed. The floodplain is bisected by the
railroad on the north side of Dorsey Run, which cuts off
about one third of the floodplain. In addition, a very
long and deep historic ditch was starving the floodplain
of water on the south side of the stream.
In
2009, SHA agreed to fund the design and construction of
a restoration plan out of their Transportation
Enhancement Program for $304,000. In 2010, CCS's Habitat
Restoration and Conservation group was assigned as
contractor for the project and began working with
BioHabitats, Inc. on the site design. The main goal of
the floodplain restoration design was to permanently
plug the entrenched ditch so that storm water, during
high flows, would remain on the floodplain - now making
it an integral part of the riparian system instead of
what it was; a ditch that shot water out of the
floodplain to the down stream area with no infiltration
possible.
In
spring 2011, DNR's Engineering and Construction crew
started working on the site. However, before they could
get in with their backhoes and construction trailers, a
temporary access road had to be built using mulch and
timber-mats. Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) and a
neighbor of Dorsey Run, Sysco Baltimore LLC, helped with
this phase of the project. Sysco allowed BGE to
stockpile the mulch needed on a designated area of their
busy parking area (lot). Working through the winter and
spring of 2012, the construction of the ditch plugs and
cobble weirs finally concluded with a large boulder
cascade at the confluence of the ditch with Dorsey Run.
The restoration technologies used to remediate the ditch
system and floodplain were: 9 earthen dams (for
infiltration of water), 3 cobble weirs (to control flow
and create macroinvertebrate habitat), 2 boulder
cascades (used at two confluence areas), and 2 seasonal
pools (to provide habitat and help hold storm flows).
This work created 11.5 acres of wetland, 0.8 acres of
wetland enhancement, and 1.985 linear feet of steam
restoration.
To
wrap up the project and repair areas damaged by the
construction roads, the Maryland Conservation Corp and
CCS staff planted 260 native trees and shrubs
through-out the borrow area dug for the earthen dams,
and along 500' of the remediated ditch in November of
last year.
Although
too much storm water still flows into Dorsey Run from
its surrounding watershed, the floodplain function of
this site is extensively improved and the project has
been a great example of how public/private partnerships
can work to help restore our State's important riparian
areas and fluvial ecosystems.
For
more information on the Dorsey Run project, contact
Claudia Donegan with DNR's Chesapeake & Coastal
Service at cdonegan@dnr.state.md.us. |
MARYLANDERS
ASKED TO SNAP AND SHARE HIGH TIDE
PHOTOS
King
Tide Initiative aims to give researchers a look at what
future sea level rise may may look like in
Maryland
 |
| Photo by Chris
Becraft. |
As part
of the King Tides Photo Initiative, the CoastSmart Communities Program is asking
for citizens' help in documenting the tides by taking
pictures of high water and flooding around their
neighborhoods. These high tides give researchers a look
at what future sea level rise may potentially look
like.
Maryland
experienced higher than average tides January 9th-13th
and many tidally influenced neighborhoods noticed
flooding. Pictures from this event, from the actual King
Tide in December 2012, and pictures post-Hurricane
Sandy, are up at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/MarylandKingTides.
The
photographs will be used in educational and outreach
materials to build awareness around how coastal flooding
affects Maryland's shoreline and infrastructure, as part
of Maryland's King Tide Photo Initiative. CoastSmart
will then use this information to help communities
prepare for coastal hazards and increases in future
flood events .
King
Tides € extremely high tides that occur twice a year
when the sun, moon, and Earth align, like those
experienced in December € serve as a tremendous
resource, by providing a potential glimpse into the
future as seas continue to rise and today's flood
becomes tomorrow's high tide. The next King Tide will
occur May 24th-27th.
An
Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet on King Tides
is available here.
Participants
may find out more about the Maryland King Tides
Initiative, including times of tides, at http://dnr.maryland.gov/coastsmart/king_tide.asp.
For more
information citizens may contact Kate Skaggs with DNR's
Chesapeake & Coastal Service at 410-260-8743 or kskaggs@dnr.state.md.us. | |
CCS
WELCOMES NEW COASTAL RESOURCES
PLANNER
Kelly Collins joins Maryland's CZM
program to head up efforts related to coastal
hazard habitat planning and working
waterfronts
 The Chesapeake & Coastal
Service is pleased to welcome Kelly
Collins to our team as CCS's Coastal Resources Planner.
The duties of Kelly's position will support Departmental
efforts to reduce the vulnerability of coastal resources
and communities to the potential impacts of coastal
hazards; ensure the informed use of coastal resources;
enhance public access to coastal beaches and waters; and
preserve water-dependent uses. Kelly has been with the
Department of Natural Resources for the past six years,
working as a Natural Resource Planner in Land
Acquisition & Planning. She led the
interdisciplinary Stewardship Teams in the review and
recommendation of land acquisitions, and managed the
Land and Water Conservation Fund Program.
Prior
to DNR, Kelly spent two years in the Federated States of
Micronesia as a Peace Corps volunteer, where she worked
with the local community on natural resource management
and development of Kosrae island's first Marine Park and
Conservation Area. She'd like to plug
Micronesia as a beautiful eco-tourism vacation spot for
anyone who likes to surf and scuba-dive. Kelly has
experience in grant management, previously working with
the US Fulbright Program. She earned a B.S. in
Environmental Science and Policy from the University of
Maryland and is finishing an M.S. in Energy Policy &
Climate Change from Johns Hopkins University.
Kelly
currently lives in Washington DC, where she enjoys
road-biking through Rock Creek Park, window-box
gardening, rooting for the Redskins, and getting out on
the water every chance she can get.
| |
| |
|
Feel
free to contact us with any comments, questions or ideas for
future
IN
THE ZONE
e-mails. 
|
|
A
publication of the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program
pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Award No. NA12NOS4190169. This publication is funded (in part)
by a grant/cooperative agreement from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed herein
are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the
views of NOAA or any of its
sub-agencies. | | |
