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Volume 1, Issue
8
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June
2009 | |
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You
Are Now... IN THE
ZONE
IN THE
ZONE is a service from the Maryland Department
of Natural Resources' (MD DNR) Chesapeake & Coastal Program (CCP) that delivers timely information, tools
and resources to those living and working in Maryland's
coastal
zone. |
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2009
CHESAPEAKE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Governor Martin
O'Malley Announces Plans to Accelerate Bay Restoration
Through
2-Year Milestones
The Chesapeake Executive
Council held its
annual
meeting on May 12 at Historic
Mount Vernon, Virginia. Outcomes of the
meeting include 2-year milestones, a timeline for
restoration and a Presidential Executive
Order.
Click
here to
see Governor O'Malley's press release.
 Over the next 11 years,
with an implementation deadline of 2020, Maryland has
committed to implement biennial goals, known as 2-year
milestones, which will help accelerate the reduction of
nitrogen and phosphorous in the Bay. For this
first 2-year milestone, Maryland has committed to reduce
3.75 million pounds of nitrogen and 193,000 pounds of
phosphorous by the end of 2011, representing a 138%
increase of nitrogen reduction and a 502% increase for
phosphorous reduction over historic
levels of implementation. This accelerated
rate will be achieved, in part, by doubling the cover
crop program on agricultural land; expanding efforts to
establish forested buffers and wetlands on both public
and private lands; retrofitting stormwater on over
90,000 acres; upgrading over 3,000 septic systems;
upgrading several sewage treatments plants to Enhanced
Nutrient Removal (ENR); and reducing nitrogen deposition
from power plants through measures required through the
State's Healthy Air Act. Click
here to view all of the
2-year milestones.In
preparation for the accelerated levels of implementation
necessary to achieve restoration goals, Maryland's
Chesapeake & Coastal Program has already begun
implementing programs to assist local
communities. Click here to learn more about
implementation assistance available to Maryland's local
communities.
For more
information about the Chesapeake Executive Council
visit: http://www.chesapeakebay.net.
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 PRESIDENT ESTABLISHES OCEAN POLICY
TASK FORCE
President Declares June to be National Oceans
Month
On June 12,
President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum
establishing a new interagency Ocean Policy Task
Force to ensure the best possible management of our
nation's treasured oceans and coasts.
The Memorandum calls for the Interagency Ocean
Policy Task Force to deliver recommendations for a
National Policy for the Oceans, Coasts, and Great
Lakes. The Task Force is also charged with
developing a recommended framework for coastal and
marine spatial planning.
On the same day,
President Obama issued a Presidential
Proclamation naming June
2009 National Oceans Month.
"During National
Oceans Month, we celebrate these vast spaces and the
myriad ways they sustain life. We also pledge to
preserve them and commend all those who are engaged in
efforts to meet this end." -- President
Barrack Obama |
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MARYLAND
JOINS MID-ATLANTIC STATES TO PROTECT THE OCEAN
On
June 4th, at an Ocean Summit in New York City, the State
of Maryland joined with the states of New York, New
Jersey, Delaware and Virginia to announce a new
Mid-Atlantic ocean partnership designed to address the
region's priority ocean issues including offshore
energy, climate change, water quality, and habitat
protection. The states' governors, through the newly
formed Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the
Ocean, will advocate in one voice to leverage
greater state influence on the management of offshore
areas and help guide federal and interstate actions and
resources.
 "This new regional
partnership with New York, New Jersey, Delaware
and Virginia is an exceptional opportunity to create a
more effective and efficient path to our shared
environmental and economic goals," said Maryland
Governor Martin O'Malley. "Working together with our
sister States -- pooling our resources and our expertise
-- we can and will ensure that our ocean is healthy,
resilient and productive for our children and
theirs."
For more
information about Maryland's role in MARCO and efforts
already underway to protect our ocean, e-mail Gwynne
Schultz with the Department of Natural
Resources, or visit: www.dnr.maryland.gov/ocean.
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 VISIT CHESAPEAKE &
COASTAL PROGRAM'S OCEAN WEBPAGE
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/ocean
The Chesapeake &
Coastal Program has launched a new webpage dedicated to
sharing information about its newly announced
involvement with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the
Ocean and to highlight some of the
ocean-related activities already being conducted by the
State of
Maryland. |
 MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY'S URBAN COAST
INSTITUTE RELEASES MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL COASTAL
COMMUNITIES
POLL
On June 4th, the Monmouth University Urban Coast
Institute released the results
of their second Mid-Atlantic Regional Coastal
Communities Poll focusing on Mid-Atlantic coastal
issues. The poll found that "nearly 9-in-10
Mid-Atlantic coastal residents say that the condition of
the ocean and beaches is very important to their area's
economy. For coastal Maryland residents, shore
pollution is the top
concern."
To view the Urban Coast Institute's poll, visit:
http://www.monmouth.edu/polling/admin/polls/MidAtlanticCoastSurvey2009.pdf |
 GOVERNOR
O'MALLEY SIGNS LANDMARK BILL TO REVITALIZE SHELLFISH
AQUACULTURE
New law will streamline permit processing
and create jobs
On May 7, 2009, Governor
Martin O'Malley signed into law a new Aquaculture
Shellfish Leasing bill (Senate Bill 271/House Bill 312)
that revamps leasing laws to make it easier for watermen
and others to grow shellfish in the Bay.
The bill, developed out of
recommendations from the Oyster Advisory Commission, is
another one of Governor O'Malley's Smart, Green and Growing
initiatives from the 2009 Legislative Assembly.
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 FIRST-EVER REPORT CARD ISSUED FOR
MARYLAND'S COASTAL BAYS
A
first-ever report card issued Monday by the Maryland
Coastal Bays Program and the University of Maryland
Center for Environmental Science gives the string of
lagoons in Worcester County a C-plus overall, indicating
moderate health. Conditions range from good in the
southern bays bordering Assateague National Seashore to
poor in the northern bays surrounded by resort
development.
Click here to see the report
card. To learn
more about the coastal bays visit: http://www.mdcoastalbays.org.
_______________________________________________________________________________
COASTAL BAYS BOOK SHIFTING SANDS NOW
AVAILABLE
New book on environmental and
cultural change in Maryland's Coastal
Bays
 Referring to both the dynamic
nature of the barrier islands forming the coastal
lagoons of Maryland's Atlantic Ocean coastline and also
the changing cultural landscape, Shifting Sands
is a richly illustrated, multi-authored introduction to
Assawoman Bay, Isle of Wight Bay, St. Martin River,
Sinepuxent Bay, Newport Bay, and Chincoteague Bay. This
book leads the reader on a voyage of discovery,
providing a user-friendly guide to the history, setting,
context, and ecology of these waterways nestled behind
Assateague, Fenwick, and Chincoteague Islands.
Photographs, conceptual diagrams, maps, and graphs are
used to showcase the key features of and major threats
to these magnificent bays, watersheds, and islands, with
recommendations for how to preserve them for future
generations.
Click here for information
on how to order a
copy. |
 Please feel free to
contact us with any comments, questions or ideas for
future IN THE ZONE
e-mails. Sincerely,
Your Chesapeake & Coastal Program
Team
Maryland Department
of Natural
Resources | |
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A publication of the
Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program pursuant to
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award
No.NA08NOS4190469. 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.
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