Morning Reads

Posted on January 3, 2014

This morning I’ve been reading a few articles on climate change and how our nation will address environmental challenges in the year(s) ahead:

U.S. State Department and focus on environment: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/world/asia/kerry-shifts-state-department-focus-to-environment.html?ref=science

On Geoengineering : http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/02/one-problem-with-geoengineering-once-you-start-you-cant-ever-stop/

U.S. Climate Change goals: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/03/with-a-bit-of-luck-the-u-s-could-actually-hit-its-2020-climate-change-goals/

U.S. 2014 Climate Action Report from the State Department: http://www.state.gov/e/oes/rls/rpts/car6/index.htm

Today’s Finds

Posted on December 30, 2013

Erosion Takes Toll on Dameron Marsh, other areas, Post Local: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/erosion-takes-toll-on-dameron-marsh-other-areas/2013/12/26/d9bdddf6-6e31-11e3-a5d0-6f31cd74f760_story.html

Without Winter Freezes Mangroves are Marching North, NYT: (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/science/without-winter-freezes-mangroves-are-marching-north-scientists-say.html?ref=science&_r=0)

CBF’s tracking on-farm conservation: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog/post/tracking_conservation_can_credit_farmers_ensure_states_meet_water_quality_g

Chesapeake Quarterly’s “The Day Before Yesterday: when abrupt climate change came to the Chesapeake Bay” : http://www.chesapeakequarterly.net/V12N4/main1/

What I’m Reading in the New Year

Posted on December 30, 2013 Updated on December 30, 2013

I recently received a couple of books that I’ll be reading and posting more about what I learn from them. The first is Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy. The author writes about the benefits of native gardening and provides tips and suggestions on how to plant and maintain native plant species. The second book is William D. Nordhaus’s The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World. Nordhaus looks at climate change from an economic perspective.

The Environment in Focus

Posted on December 20, 2013 Updated on December 20, 2013

Baltimore’s NPR station, WYPR, broadcasts weekly reports on stories, often ecologically focused, on Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. The segments,’The Environment in Focus,’ air on Wednesday mornings and afternoons. The full archive can be found online at the link below. I’m going through some of the broadcasts now and they’re pretty interesting. Go listen!

http://programs.wypr.org/stationprogram/environment-focus-tom-pelton-2/episodes

Source of Pollution in Pennsylvania Streams

Posted on December 19, 2013 Updated on January 9, 2014

Plug for my alma mater today: Dickinson College chemistry professor Amy Witter and her associates found a new source of pollution in the South-Central PA stream Conodoguinet Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. The Susquehanna is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, and provides over half of the Bay’s freshwater. Pollution that enters the Susquehanna eventually finds its way to the Bay.

Witter’s research found that the coal-tar-based sealcoat commonly used in residential driveways is having an impact on stream health in South-Central PA. This type of sealcoat is found throughout the East Coast and could be having impacts on other streams in the watershed. The good news is that this sealcoat is already banned in Washington D.C. as well as several other townships in the region.

For those with journal access, the article was published in Environmental Pollution, Volume 185, pages 59-68. A summary of the findings can be found here: http://www.dickinson.edu/news-and-events/news/2013-14/Toxic-Driveways/.

Related findings:

An interesting source to track restoration efforts in the Bay through a variety of criteria, including runoff and sediment loads: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/trackprogress

And background information from the USGS on how urban runoff affects the Bay, and how it can be managed: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3101/HoganFS_Final_01-23-09.pdf

Current Events

Posted on December 17, 2013 Updated on December 17, 2013

At the end of each year, the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Council meets to discuss future goals for the protection and restoration of the Bay. The Executive Council is made up of the governors of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, the mayor of D.C., the EPA administrator and the chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. The meeting for 2013 took place last Thursday, December 12, in Washington, D.C. What occurred at the meeting? And what changes are in store for the Bay?

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley took over from D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray as head of the Council, a role O’Malley filled in 2007 and 2008. As chairman, he pledged to have a new watershed agreement signed by the council next year. The draft for this agreement will be available to the public in early 2014 (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/documents/21113/summary_new_chesapeake_bay_watershed_agreement_12_5_13_pdf.pdf), allowing for feedback and comment before its signing.

The 2014 agreement may be quite different from years past. For starters, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation states that the agreement seeks to involve headwater states not included in the Executive Council. (The states of Delaware, New York, and West Virginia). According to a report published in the Washington Post on December 12, O’Malley wants to focus on short-term goals, as opposed to 20-30 year goals. He believes that shorter term goals will be more effective in Bay restoration efforts. He calls for “measurable actions” with a “measurable impact.”

Perhaps short term goals will hold states more accountable for recovery efforts in the Bay. Including the other states in the watershed will be an important change. I’m looking forward to reviewing the 2014 draft when it is released and will be sure to post more about it early next year.

Introduction

Posted on December 13, 2013

Welcome to my new blog! I’m new to the blogging world but am very excited to get started.

I’ll start off with a quick bio:

I’m a recent graduate from Dickinson College in PA, where I studied environmental studies and history. Since taking an environmental course in high school, I became very interested in environmental issues. I was lucky to be able to continue to examine topics in this field in college. In many of my courses, we discussed the Chesapeake Bay watershed, from water quality issues to different problems facing the region’s species. My family owns property on the Northern Neck of Virginia, where I have been able to see many of these issues play out. From research projects to firsthand experience on the Bay, I have become very interested in the region. I created this blog to share environmental news for the greater Chesapeake area. Knowing that the Bay is a large watershed, I intend to look at environmental issues throughout the states that are included in the watershed, hence the ‘Beyond the Bay’ title. I will be sharing relevant articles and current events as well as reporting on any personal projects that I am involved in.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

-Kate