Eco Notes - Chestertown Spy

University of Maryland “The Woods in Your Backyard” online course

February 20, 2025 by University of Maryland Extension Leave a Comment

Registration is now open for the spring 2025 of “The Woods in Your Backyard” online course from the University of Maryland Extension’s Woodland Stewardship Education program. Our self-directed, non-credit course runs 10 weeks from March 24 to June 2, 2025. The course will help landowners convert lawn to natural areas, and enhance stewardship of existing natural areas. The course provides strategies to landowners of small parcels of land (1-10 acres) that improve the stewardship of their property for personal enjoyment and environmental quality. It uses a hands-on learning approach to help participants develop and implement a plan for their property. Activities include how to map habitat areas, understand basic ecological principles about woodland and wildlife, choose and implement a few habitat management projects, and how to set a timetable and record your progress. Online discussion groups will allow participants to interact with others taking the course. A certificate of completion is awarded when all assignments are completed.

The course costs $125.00 per person, which includes the 108-page “Woods in Your Backyard” guide, workbook, and a tree identification guide. The course is limited to 25 participants, so sign up now! Registration closes March 31st or when filled. Registration is through Eventbrite; go to https://go.umd.edu/WIYB_Spring25.

For more information, go to https://go.umd.edu/the_course, or contact course coordinator Andrew Kling, University of Maryland Extension, [email protected], 301-226-7564.

The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Bay Journal: Nonprofits, states scramble as Trump administration pauses funding for many Chesapeake restoration programs

February 18, 2025 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Efforts in recent years to accelerate the Chesapeake Bay restoration have run into a wall of Trump administration executive orders that halted payments for huge swaths of Bay-related work, raising doubt about the future of many projects.

Tens of millions of dollars for Bay-related work being carried out by nonprofits, farmers, churches, universities and states have been left in limbo. Some say the damage could take years to undo.

The uncertainty stems from a government-wide freeze on grant awards and contracts ordered by the Trump administration Jan. 27 intended to allow for reviews that ensure those expenditures “align federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through presidential priorities.”

Initially, that impacted about $3 trillion in funding nationwide.

The administration rescinded the “pause” less than two days later, unfreezing some but not all of the grants. A suit by 22 states and the District of Columbia followed swiftly, challenging the administration’s hold on federal funds.

Yet more than two weeks later, despite several court rulings ordering an end to the funding freeze, many organizations and states in the Chesapeake Bay region say that some funding is still on hold and are not sure whether it will be restored. Some were advised to halt work.

The action has alarmed some lawmakers, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, who said his office has received numerous reports that some organizations are still unable to access already-approved grant money.

“Holding these funds hostage jeopardizes countless jobs in Maryland and across the country and threatens our progress on improving the health of the Bay and our environment,” Van Hollen said.

While nongovernmental organizations were hard hit, states were not immune. On Feb. 12, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and several state agencies filed suit, contending that $2.1 billion in federal funding is in doubt for environmental work. Most of that funding is not directly related to Bay cleanup and restoration, but much of it is aimed at programs that more broadly address water pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Maryland officials reported that large amounts of climate funding are on hold.

Ripple effects

It’s a huge setback for Bay restoration. Federal agencies are the largest funders for Chesapeake-related work, but much of it is carried out through grants and contracts. (The Bay Journal also receives some support from a federal grant.)

In recent years, with many key Bay restoration and pollution reduction goals off-track, federal agencies dramatically ramped up funding to accelerate progress, fueled by legislation passed during the Biden administration that made hundreds of millions of dollars available for work within the watershed.

Those funds are used to plant streamside forest buffers, restore wetlands, improve trout streams, build oyster reefs, reduce runoff from farms and developed lands, promote environmental education and support other efforts aimed at improving the Bay and its 64,000-square-mile watershed. The work touches Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, New York and the District of Columbia.

While some funds have been restored since the Jan. 27 order, many grant recipients have found their funding halted. In many cases, they are not being reimbursed for expenses they’ve already incurred.

“We have funds for one more payroll. If the funds don’t start being deposited from the federal government, we will not be able to pay our staff nor our vendors,” one organization reported to the Choose Clean Water Coalition.

The coalition, which includes more than 300 mostly small nonprofits working throughout the Bay watershed, is surveying members to gauge the impact of the disruptions.

Of the first 38 responses in the on-going poll, 23 reported that grants had been paused for at least some period of time. Many of the groups receive half or more of their funding from federal sources, putting their future at risk. Many have paused work.

“It’s a very real example of what happens when this money doesn’t exist,” said Kristin Reilly, director of the coalition. “It really drives the point home about the importance of the federal partnership and the federal investment in this work. It really cannot move forward without that federal support.”

Organizations contacted by the Bay Journal reported that they get as much as 80% of their budgets from federal sources.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which is the largest nonprofit Bay advocacy group, gets about 12% of its funding from federal grants that support environmental education, conservation actions on farmland and other activities. The group expressed alarm about what a pullback in federal funding would mean for it and other organizations involved in restoration work around the Bay region.

“We can’t restore the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams without federal investment,” said Keisha Sedlacek, the foundation’s federal director. “These federal grants support farmers, state and local government programs, and community projects that benefit people, the economy and the environment.”

Uncertainty abounds

While some organizations have seen funding restored, at least for now, others remain in limbo. Many are frustrated by the lack of guidance about how or why decisions are made, or which programs are targeted.

“We’ve been trying to grapple with the news as it unfolds every six hours, every 12 hours,” said Meenal Harankhedkar, executive director of Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, which helps congregations with environmental restoration projects. “I think we’re all in the stage of monitoring and processing.”

Her group is particularly concerned because diversity, equity, inclusion and environmental justice programs were specifically targeted for elimination in the executive orders from the White House.

Interfaith Partners has long prioritized efforts that promote equity, and last year it received a $1.8 million grant for “equity enhancement.” The project’s goal is to work with faith-based institutions to install green stormwater improvements and plant nearly 2,000 trees across 50 acres of urban and suburban properties.

Despite the “equity” label, Harankhedkar said “we’re trying to make a universal impact through all these programs.” She added that she feels confident, though, that her organization can ride out any rough waters because it receives funding from a variety of nonfederal sources.

Apart from diversity programs, much of the affected funding appeared connected to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. The latter was a major funding source for a variety of climate-related work.

Huge amounts of Inflation Reduction Act funding distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture —the largest financial source of conservation work in the Bay watershed — appeared stalled with no clear indication as to whether it would be restored.

The USDA did not respond to a request for comments about impacted programs. But the department had awarded roughly $1 billion for various “climate smart” agriculture projects in the Bay watershed that seek to improve soil health, store carbon, control methane emissions from farms and promote more efficient manure and fertilizer applications, among other projects.

Other USDA programs are affected as well. In some cases, it is not organizations but individual farmers who directly bear the brunt.

In December, work crews finished installing $100,000 worth of solar panels on Michael Protas’ farm in Montgomery County, MD, aimed at reducing costs for his subscription vegetable business by making it entirely solar-powered.

The project was approved under a USDA program for energy efficiency on small farms. But the grant that was to reimburse half of the cost now appears to be in jeopardy. If it doesn’t materialize, Protas said, “I’m on the hook for the whole $100,000.”

“Farmers are inherent risk takers,” he added. “There are variables you sign up for. But the one thing that was not on anybody’s bingo card was the government not paying on a contract that you already had.”

Even if the funding eventually comes through, Protas said the sudden unreliability of such grants makes it far less appealing to take that risk in the future.

Many who work on projects aimed at controlling farm runoff — the largest source of water-fouling nutrients to the Bay — worry that leaving farmers stuck with the tab will have a chilling effect on future participation that could take years to overcome.

“We work hard to build our relationships with farmers,” said Kristen Hughes Evans, executive director of Sustainable Chesapeake, which works with farmers on conservation initiatives but has seen some of its funding frozen. “Farmers can be skeptical of the government, so the ones that come in the door are often ones you’ve worked hard with to build that trust. It’s absolutely critical for our conservation programs that participating farmers have a good experience. When commitments are made to farmers, they have an expectation that those commitments are honored. When they are not, they remember.”

Reimbursements in jeopardy

A significant amount of money, especially the largest distributions, is sent directly from federal agencies to states, universities and larger organizations.

But funds for much of the Bay-specific work — especially for smaller organizations — are distributed through intermediaries such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Trust.

The Bay Trust awards $20 million–$30 million annually, about a third of which comes from federal agencies. Its president, Jana Davis, said the prospect that grants awarded in previous years may not be honored leaves the trust in a bind.

It awards grants based on the assurance that the federal government will follow through on promises. But it does not get reimbursed until grantees actually spend the money and report it back to the trust for payment. “We can’t invoice the federal government until we expend the funds,” she said. “So there’s this weird moment of risk.”

The trust’s access to federal funds was restored shortly after the “pause” for all but one of the federal grants it receives. The exception is a $17.5 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service over four years to increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities.

The trust committed the first $1 million of that last year to eight groups, but invoices submitted in January for $250,000 have not been paid, Davis said. In response to its queries about when it would be paid, the trust got an email saying that “these invoices have been placed on hold due to a presidential executive order. We are currently awaiting further directions.”

Even for those grants restored after the initial hold, doubt lingers about whether they will be frozen again or possibly withdrawn altogether.

Davis said the trust has advised grantees to go ahead with the work it has already authorized and that the trust will cover the costs on its own, even if the federal money never materializes.

That’s possible because the trust has its own dedicated streams of funding from the sale of Maryland Chesapeake Bay license plants and from the state’s voluntary income tax checkoff to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund. But using those funds to cover unpaid federal grants comes with a cost to other programs that the trust normally supports, such as environmental education.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Davis said of the disruption and uncertainty surrounding federal funding. “This is good work. This is like churches doing green things to their parking lots.”

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a congressionally created nonprofit, last year funneled more than $100 million in federal grants to dozens of organizations to support Bay-related work.

NFWF officials did not respond to a request for comments, but several grant recipients interviewed by the Bay Journal said the funding outlook for many projects was in flux. Two weeks after the Jan. 27 notice that initiated the federal freeze, NFWF emailed some grantees advising them to halt work.

“As we are unable to reimburse you for costs associated with projects that include funding from one or more frozen accounts, we are recommending you cease all activities on the relevant grant(s),” the email said.

Weighing risk amid uncertainty

Even if funding is fully restored, many grant recipients express frustration about the future. Grants often cover projects that span multiple years with money awarded one year at a time. So while the funds may be restored for now, the remainder can again be targeted in future years. That makes it difficult to decide whether to fill positions or award subcontracts for projects that may be abruptly ended.

ShoreRivers, an environmental group on Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore gets about a quarter of its $7.5 million annual budget from various federal grants that support work with farmers, environmental education and other initiatives.

Isabel Hardesty, executive director of the organization, said that while most of its federal funding has been freed up, “we are reluctant to advance funds or continue projects that might be impacted later this year.

“This is making us reevaluate our budget. We are also spending huge amounts of staff time trying to manage and plan for the impacts of funding uncertainty, instead of working toward our mission of thriving rivers and engaged communities.”

That uncertainty seems likely to continue as the administration has thrust other uncertainties into the process. In a directive issued Feb. 6, the White House said it intended to stop funding nongovernmental organizations “that undermine the national interest.”

The two-paragraph memo tells agencies to review all funding to those groups to ensure future decisions align “with the goals and priorities of my administration, as expressed in executive actions; as otherwise determined in the judgment of the heads of agencies; and on the basis of applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.”

Further, multiple reports suggest that many agencies have been told to expect budget cuts of 30%–40% when the administration’s budget comes out in March. While Congress may reject the proposed budget, it casts more uncertainty about the future of projects that often span multiple years.

While the administration has said it is trying to improve the efficiency of programs, many say the uncertainty has the opposite effect. It delays decisions and work, and it drives up costs. Subcontractors may charge more if they are not certain they will be paid by groups that are supposed to be receiving grants.

“When there are unknowns, there’s risk, and risk costs money,” said Jay Bernas, CEO of the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, which is using federal loans to implement advanced water treatment technologies on its wastewater plants.

State and climate funding hit

States have also been affected. While Bay-specific funding to states does not seem to be impacted, huge amounts of other environmental funding are on hold, many of which would benefit streams and help combat climate change — all issues that greatly affect the Chesapeake watershed.

The Pennsylvania suit said $2.1 billion was in jeopardy, including $1.2 billion in funding that is frozen and $900 million that is on hold pending federal review.

About $750 million of the frozen funds were for acid mine drainage remediation, which is a major source of stream degradation in the state. More than $400 million flagged for review is slated to fix abandoned oil and gas wells in the state, which discharge pollutants into streams and are major sources of methane, a greenhouse gas. All of that work is funded through the infrastructure act.

Also impacted were hundreds of millions of dollars in climate-related projects funded from the Inflation Reduction Act that aimed to improve energy efficiency and other initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Maryland likewise could be particularly hard hit. State officials are already struggling to close a projected $2.7 billion budget deficit for the coming year, and cuts in federal funding are sure to worsen the fiscal crunch.

A spokesman for the Maryland Department of the Environment said its access to $13.7 million in grants from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency has been “suspended.”

Those funds covered a variety of environmental regulatory activities, including monitoring air pollution and overseeing mine safety. Also shut down at least temporarily are two multi-state grants aimed at reducing climate pollution by expanding electric vehicle infrastructure, planting trees and restoring wetlands and coastal habitats. Maryland’s share of those grants was to total $80 million, said MDE spokesman Jay Apperson.

The holdup in already-awarded climate funding is having trickle-down effects for at least some recipients.

Edwin Luevanos, CEO of Citizen Energy, a small clean energy company based in the District of Columbia, said he already has had to lay off 3 of his 11 employees because he’s been unable to collect about $100,000 for work done last year to install electric vehicle chargers and solar panels in low-income communities nationwide.

Citizen Energy was awarded grants totaling about $10 million, one from the Department of Energy and another via the Maryland Clean Energy Center from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Half of that work was to be done in Maryland, Virginia and the District, he said, and he was planning to hire 40 or 50 people once all the approvals came in.

“I knew with the new administration there would be some changes,” Luevanos said, given Trump’s campaign attacks on renewable energy and diversity, equity and inclusion. “It’s unfortunate,” he added, “this administration took a hatchet approach versus a scalpel.”

A widespread halt in climate-related initiatives would have impacts that trickle down to Bay restoration as well.

Climate change is already impacting the Chesapeake Bay with rising water around the estuary and warmer temperatures in both the Bay and the rivers that feed it, and the changing conditions are predicted to make it even more difficult to meet pollution reduction goals.

But many of the actions aimed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions also aid Bay efforts. Projects that reduce emissions from farms can reduce nutrient-laden runoff. And programs that reduce the use of fossil fuels not only help control carbon dioxide emissions but also reduce the release of nitrogen oxides, a major source of nitrogen that feeds algal growth in the Bay and spurs creation of “dead zones.”

Recent computer modeling has shown that fully implementing the climate-related provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act would slash nitrogen deposition on the Bay and its watershed by more than 20%.

That would reduce the amount of the nutrient reaching the Bay by millions of pounds a year. It is a spiral that could ultimately put the region’s already-challenging Bay clean up goals out of reach.

By Chesapeake Bay Journal Staff

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

ShoreRivers shares 2025 legislative priorities

February 7, 2025 by ShoreRivers Leave a Comment

Now that the Maryland General Assembly has reconvened for the 447^th Legislative Session, ShoreRivers’ advocacy efforts are in full swing. The organization’s advocacy work, which is led by the Riverkeepers, is fundamental to creating system-wide change to protect local rivers against the major issues that impact water quality on the Eastern Shore.

This is a pivotal year for the State of Maryland and all Chesapeake watershed states, as government leaders work with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program to revise and strengthen a new Chesapeake Bay Agreement that will guide restoration work in years to come. ShoreRivers and fellow clean water advocates see 2025 as an opportunity to bolster Maryland’s efforts to implement this new agreement by advocating for strong policies that protect our natural resources and local rivers. Findings from the Chesapeake Bay Program’s CESR Report (A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response) continue to influence ShoreRivers’ priorities and complement the Bay Agreement’s vision for restoration goals for years to come.

These efforts are no small challenge, as fiscal pressures loom large this session due to a 2+ billion-dollar deficit facing the state coupled with current financial instability at the federal level. This pressure, combined with Maryland’s focus and attention to meet renewable energy goals, means that ShoreRivers and our members will be working harder than ever to shine a spotlight on Eastern Shore water quality — and the policies we need to protect and restore our rivers.

Key efforts this year include the following, though additional bills and legislation are likely to be added to this list as they are introduced and prove to be in line with ShoreRivers’ mission of protecting Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

1.) The Nearshore Farming and Finance Act (SB898/HB1175), a bill that will increase nutrient application setbacks and improve incentive programs for nearshore habitat restoration on agricultural operations within the Critical Area. This bill will also establish the state’s first incentive payments for leased land agricultural operators.

2.) The Maryland PFAS & Sewage Sludge bill (SB732/HB909), which will establish testing requirements to identify PFAS concentrations in biosolids and set enforceable limits to prevent further contamination, protecting Maryland’s food and water sources and ensuring a healthier future for all.

3.) A bill to improve On–Site Sewage Disposal Systems in Climate Vulnerable Areas (HB671), which will limit septic siting within the 500 year floodplain, and ensure that low-income households have access to Bay Restoration Funding to make necessary improvements to failing or poor performing units in climate vulnerable areas.

Defending important funding sources through budget advocacy will be another important priority for ShoreRivers this session. With conflicting pressures from the Bay Program’s goals of accelerated restoration work and a budget deficit pressuring Maryland legislators and advocates to “do more with less,” ShoreRivers is committed to defending historically beneficial environmental funds such as the Bay Restoration Fund, the Coastal Trust Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, State Aided institutions, and Program Open Space, and funding appropriated through the Tree Solutions Now Act 2021.

At ShoreRivers, we engage in legislative advocacy because addressing non-point source pollution — or “runoff pollution,” the leading contributor of pollutants to our rivers — is often most effective by updating policies that address modern challenges and support restoration goals. By combining locally driven restoration efforts with river-friendly policies, we are encouraging the behavioral changes needed to improve land use practices and better manage the landscapes responsible for nutrient and sediment runoff. ShoreRivers looks forward to a productive legislative session with members of the General Assembly and fellow environmental advocates. Visit shorerivers.org to learn more about this important work.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Flock Together for the Great Backyard Bird Count: Find birds in your community and share the joy

February 3, 2025 by Pickering Creek Audubon Center Leave a Comment

Share in the joy of birds during the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) at Pickering Creek Audubon Center and help make your community stronger for you and the birds. Bird and nature lovers everywhere unite in the effort to tally as many of the world’s bird species as possible over these four days. Visitors are welcomed enjoy bird walks guided by experienced birders at the Center on Friday February 14 from 8-10am. Combined with other bird counts, GBBC results help create a clearer picture of how birds are faring —whether individual species are declining, increasing, or holding steady in the face of habitat loss, climate change, and other threats.

The 28th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is taking place February 14 through 17, 2025.

“The GBBC continues to bring together millions of people every year,” said David Bonter, co-director of the Center for Engagement in Science and Nature at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. More than a half-million people participated during the 2024 GBBC—double the number of participants in the past five years. They reported 7,920 species of birds from 200+ countries and subregions.

“Participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count is an easy and great opportunity to bird with your friends and neighbors,” said Brooke Bateman, senior director of Climate and Community Science at the National Audubon Society. “More and more we see how birds can bring communities closer all across the world. The more we enjoy birds together, the more likely it is that we take steps to protect them and the places they need.

“This free annual event also acts as a stepping stone for people looking to contribute to our understanding of bird populations around the world,” says Jody Allair, director of communications at Birds Canada.

“Joining your community to count birds means that we can track the long-term changes in bird populations,” says Bonter, “and we wouldn’t be able to do that without you. The world is changing fast, and birds often reflect the impact of environmental change first.”

Anyone can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. To take part in the 2025 GBBC, each participant or group counts birds for any length of time (but for at least 15 minutes) and enters the birds they can identify at each site they visit. That could be their backyard or neighborhood or locally at Pickering Creek Audubon Center. All are invited to participate in guided bird walks led by experienced birders at the Center on Friday, February 14 from 8-10am. Enjoy watching birds along our trails and contribute to the effort as extra eyes on the sky spotting birds. Sign up to participate at https://pickeringcreek.org/programs/upcoming-programs .

First-timers should make it a point to read complete instructions on the GBBC website where they will also find helpful birding tips and birding app downloads. The GBBC website also features a new map for marking local GBBC community events like the guided bird walks at Pickering Creek Audubon Center. https://www.birdcount.org/community-map/

You’re also invited to tune in to a special webinar about how to participate in the GBBC. Register for one of two free events happening on Thursday, February 6, at 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Eastern Time or Wednesday, February 12 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Register: https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/2025gbbcwebinar.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada and is made possible in part by founding sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

New report shows natural resources conservation on the Delmarva Peninsula generates $8 billion in annual economic activity

January 23, 2025 by Eastern Shore Land Conservancy Leave a Comment

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) and the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN) released an expansive report today showing the economic impact of natural resources conservation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the entire Delmarva Peninsula.

“This report underscores the profound financial benefits of conserving our natural resources,” said Steve Kline, president and CEO of ESLC, and chair of DRCN. “Decision makers prioritize economic development, and rightfully so. Here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and on the broader Delmarva, our natural resources are a powerful economic engine. Continuing to commit strong funding to the programs that conserve and restore those natural resources is not only a wise investment in the environment, but an investment in a healthy economy that will drive regional prosperity for generations to come.”

According to the report, natural resources drive approximately $8.1 billion in economic activity annually across the thirteen-county region. The report highlights that the resource-based economy of the Delmarva Peninsula supports more than 74,000 jobs region-wide, contributing more than $2.6 billion in annual labor income. Key findings include:

Natural resources on the Delmarva Peninsula generate over $8.1 billion in annual economic activity.
These activities support more than $2.6 billion in annual labor income and sustain over 74,000 jobs across key industries, including forestry, agriculture, fishing, restoration, and tourism.
This economic activity supports more than $700 million in annual tax revenues for State/Commonwealth governments in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

The report, titled, “Natural Resources Conservation on the Delmarva Peninsula,” draws on input data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, and state and local government financial documents to model critical impacts. The report was conducted by Sage Policy Group (SAGE), a renowned economic and policy consultancy that works alongside clients in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to produce a comprehensive quantitative report. The study includes data, several case studies, and community spotlights that highlight the voices of the Eastern Shore through the perspectives of local business owners and community members benefitting from ongoing environmental conservation.

“The findings of this report are deeply important and mark a pivotal moment for understanding the true value of our natural resources. The region’s wetlands, forests, and waterways are not only vital to our ecosystem and culture, but also clearly serve as key economic drivers,” said Michelle Koenig, DRCN Co-Chair and Director of Conservation and Watershed Planning with the Delaware Center for Inland Bays.

“As this report shows, protecting the Eastern Shore’s natural resources is not only critical to our environment – it’s also central tothe region’s economy, supporting more than 74,000 jobs and over $8 billion in economic activity. These findings demonstrate why our work to protect and preserve the Chesapeake Bay is so important, and I’ll continue working alongside partners like ESLC and the DRCN in these efforts,” said U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen.

“Conserving our state’s natural beauty doesn’t just make Delaware more resilient against the effects of climate change, it’s an economic driver that sparks tourism and recreation and creates good paying jobs,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “I’m proud to have secured the funding required to spur this report making clear we need to continue to protect our state’s natural heritage because when it does well, our whole state does well.”

The mission of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is to conserve, steward, and advocate for the unique rural landscape of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. ESLC is a nationally recognized nonprofit that has helped to protect more than 68,000 acres of land on more than 330 properties stretching across six counties: Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline, and Dorchester. Since 1990, ESLC’s work has provided access to nature and outdoor recreation; protected migratory hubs, wildlife corridors, and diverse habitats; safeguarded farms, forests, and wetlands; and promoted the rural heritage of the Eastern Shore.

Formed in 2017, the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN) is a collaborative of local, state, and federal government agencies and nongovernment organizations whose mission is to restore and conserve Delmarva’s landscapes, waterways, and shorelines that are special to its people, fundamental to its economy, and vital to its native fish, wildlife, and plants. They work with private and public landowners to identify the most important places to protect and restore land, while obtaining support and funding for voluntary restoration and conservation.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

How a Maryland county tried to sway a Delaware vote on offshore wind

January 14, 2025 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

In early December, a new website appeared online urging Sussex County, Delaware, residents to contact their council members and tell them to deny a permit for a proposed offshore wind farm.

The website – StopOffshoreWind.com – materialized days before the Sussex County Council’s vote on the permit, which would allow for construction of an electrical substation needed by US Wind Inc. to build its massive ocean-based power plant.

StopOffshoreWind.com included the names and contact information for council members, as well as an online message form under the phrase, “Write a Letter to your Sussex County Councilmembers.”

“Tell the Sussex County Council to DENY this permit,” it said.

What it did not show were the names of the people or companies that had created and funded it.

Spotlight Delaware has since learned that the website was the creation of a coalition of Maryland wind farm opponents, funded and led by the government of Worcester County, home to Ocean City, a summer beach hotspot that is the primary driver of the county’s tourism-centered economy.

And, many of the local business owners there believe the sight of windmills 15 miles offshore would make the beaches less attractive to tourists.

Zach Bankert, executive director of the Ocean City Development Corp., said his group had led local opposition to offshore wind development in past years. But, with a staff of just two employees, he said the operation was too small to be effective, which is why the county’s Office of Tourism and Economic Development recently took it over.

“When the county came in and said, ‘Hey, you know, we might have some funds for this, we’d like to kind of take this over’ … It was a no-brainer for us,” he said.

US Wind Inc. plans to build a wind farm with more than 100 turbines off the Delmarva coast – just south of the Delaware-Maryland state line. It would send electricity ashore in Delaware with cables buried near the mouth of the Indian River.

When announcing federal approval in September, the Biden administration said the wind farm could produce up to 2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power about 700,000 homes.

But opponents say that electricity comes at too high a price, claiming wind turbines will drive tourists away, damage coastal environments and devastate fisheries. StopOffshoreWind.com also claims that the wind farm will allow “foreign investors” to collect federal subsidies – references to U.S. government incentives provided to wind energy projects, and to US Wind’s ownership.

In emailed responses to questions from Spotlight Delaware, Worcester County Tourism Director Melanie Pursel said the local government authorized up to $100,000 in public money to fund what she called a coalition of local offshore wind opponents. According to county records, the money specifically is for a contract with a Washington, D.C.-area public relations firm called Bedrock Advocacy Communications.

Pursel also noted in her early January email that Ocean City’s municipal government intended to match the county’s contribution. At its regular meeting last week, the Ocean City Council approved a measure to distribute up to $100,000 to an “offshore wind opposition public relations campaign.”

During the meeting, City Manager Terry McGean said the campaign would target state lawmakers in Maryland and “other issues” that may arise in Delaware.

Ocean City Mayor Richard Meehan said Bedrock Advocacy had already done a “really good job,” noting his belief that the group “played a significant role” in Sussex County’s denial of US Wind’s substation permit.

“We’re all in,” Meehan said about the $100,000 appropriation. “And I’d hate to miss an opportunity to really capitalize, which might be the right timing to really get our messaging out.”

Winding up the opposition

US Wind is a subsidiary of Renexia SpA, an Italian energy infrastructure company. The American investment giant, Apollo Global Management, also owns a stake in the company.

In response to critics, US Wind spokeswoman Nancy Sopko said in an emailed statement that the opposition’s campaign is filled with “blatant misinformation designed to frighten people.” Asked to support the claims, Sopko pointed to what she called doctored photos from a website called SaveOceanCity.org, which is run by Bankert’s Ocean City Development Corp.

“The complete disregard for facts, accuracy, and settled science is irresponsible and dangerous,” Sopko said.

She also asserted that state leaders in Maryland and Delaware have been “full-throated” in their support for the wind project in a region that “needs more electricity to keep the lights on, grow the economy, and support local jobs.”

The opposition to the US Wind project is nominally being led by a political nonprofit, called Stop Offshore Wind Inc. It was formed in Delaware on Dec. 5, around the time that StopOffshoreWind.com appeared. State business records show that Florida attorney Andrew L. Asher created the company.

Asher, a solo practitioner, previously served as general counsel for the BGR Group, a powerful lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. Its biggest clients in recent years include Qualcomm Inc. and the governments of Bahrain and India.

He continues to work for BGR Group in an “of counsel” capacity, according to his website. Asher did not respond to requests for comment. Pursel said Asher’s role in Stop Offshore Wind was limited to the creation of the entity, describing it as strictly administrative.

She said that while “several county staff members” are working with the nonprofit, the entity “is not controlled” by Worcester County.
“Stop Offshore Wind Inc. is a 501(c)4 organization formed by a coalition of concerned citizens, community-based organizations, business organizations and local governments to raise awareness about the potential negative impacts of the US Wind proposed project,” said Pursel, who also calls herself a spokeswoman for the Stop Offshore Wind Coalition.

As a 501(c)4, Stop Offshore Wind Inc. is not required to disclose its donors.
Pursel said it had raised $11,000 from private donors as of late December, with much of the money donated during a Dec. 4 fundraiser.

A flyer for the fundraiser, which charged $150 a head, said the money raised would pay for “a bold, multi-channel media blitz” opposing industrial wind farms in Ocean City.

Prior to the Sussex County vote, Stop Offshore Wind did not list any governmental funding ties. Following inquiries from Spotlight Delaware, the website now has an “about us” page that lists its affiliation with Ocean City and Worcester County.

What led to all of this?

On Dec. 17, days after StopOffshoreWind.com appeared, the Sussex County Council voted to reject the wind farm’s substation building permit application.

The 4-to-1 vote in opposition came after the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the county approve the permit. Three of the voting council members are leaving office in early 2025. Of those, two voted against the permit.

It is not clear if the StopOffshoreWind.com website influenced the council’s vote. Members of the county council would not comment on this story due to a pending appeal against the decision.

Still, the vote followed mounting public opposition in Sussex County to offshore wind. On the day of the vote, dozens of residents appeared at the county council meeting, with many asking to speak in opposition to the project.

The council did not allow comments, stating the public record had closed following a July meeting when they discussed, then tabled, the permit application.

Following the council vote, US Wind CEO Jeff Grybowski said his company’s plan to build the offshore wind farm is “unchanged.”

“We know that the law is on our side and are confident that today’s decision will not stand,” Grybowski said.

On Dec. 26, US Wind’s subsidiary, Renewable Development LLC, appealed Sussex County’s permit denial through a petition asking a Delaware Superior Court judge to review the matter. In the petition, the company’s attorneys called the council’s decision “irregular, arbitrary, capricious,” and “not supported by substantial evidence.”

On the heels of Sussex County’s rejection, Worcester County announced its own move to hinder US Wind’s plans: It would use eminent domain to buy two West Ocean City properties that US Wind had targeted for its operations and maintenance facilities.

“If there ever was a worthy use of eminent domain, this is it,” Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young said in a press release.

We’re all in. And I’d hate to miss an opportunity to really capitalize, which might be the right timing to really get our messaging out.

– Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan

Also in that release, Worcester County linked to two websites that it said provided more information “about efforts to protect Maryland’s Coast from ocean industrialization.” Those sites are StopOffshoreWind.com and SaveOceanCity.org. The latter represents the Ocean City Development Corporation’s opposition to offshore wind farms.

What’s on the horizon?

With a pending appeal and a Trump administration that opposes offshore wind, uncertainty looms over the US Wind project – as well as other wind farms proposed for the Delmarva peninsula.

According to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Danish wind farm developer Ørsted intends to build up to 72 windmills 16 miles off the coast of Rehoboth Beach. In early June, the company submitted its plans to the federal government, and they currently are under review.

This month, then-Delaware Gov. John Carney and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced a 25-year agreement with US Wind. As part of the agreement, US Wind must give Delaware utilities $76 million worth of renewable energy credits throughout the life of the project to help the state meet its renewable energy goals.

Through the agreement, US Wind also commits to investing $200 million to upgrade Delaware’s electricity wires and other transmission infrastructure.

In a press statement touting the agreement, state officials claim that energy from the US Wind offshore site will produce enough power to lower electric rates in Delaware by $253 million over 20 years.

“We are ready to reap the environmental, health, workforce, energy cost and community benefits from this needed transition to renewable energy,” Carney said in the statement.

– This story originally appeared in Spotlight Delaware, a partner of States Newsroom. Spotlight Delaware is a nonprofit news outlet that seeks to engage, empower and connect Delawareans with local news and information.

By: Nick Stonesifer and Karl Baker – January 13, 2025 10:53 pm

Maryland Matters

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ShoreRivers now accepting summer internship applications

January 8, 2025 by ShoreRivers Leave a Comment

ShoreRivers’ 2024 summer interns gained hands-on experience in everything from soil sampling in farm fields to processing submerged aquatic vegetation using ShoreRivers’ turbulator. To learn more about what type of projects you’ll take on as a summer intern, visit shorerivers.org/jobs.

ShoreRivers is currently accepting applications from college students and recent graduates for two Easton-based summer internships: its Elizabeth Brown Memorial Internship and a Communications Internship.

The Elizabeth Brown Memorial intern will gain experience in a variety of activities including restoration, scientific water quality monitoring, outreach, and enforcement, while the communications intern will focus on organizational communication, public relations, and event promotion. By the end of these internships, each will have completed a Maryland boater safety certificate, gained experience and training in scientific water quality monitoring equipment and protocols, and developed a variety of other skills and experiences. Visit shorerivers.org/jobs for complete job descriptions.

“As an intern at ShoreRivers, I got to do a little bit of everything. I helped with tree plantings, spoke with and worked alongside community volunteers, assisted with bacteria and water quality monitoring, hosted education programs, and even testified at a county commissioners meeting. There are very few other internships out there that would allow so many different experiences in one summer,” said 2022 intern Maegan White, now ShoreRivers’ Senior Community Engagement Coordinator. “Interning at ShoreRivers gave me clarity and excitement to start my environmental career after graduation. I felt prepared and confident in the field, had hands-on experience, and found a new love for the area.”

The Elizabeth Brown Memorial Internship is supported by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund at ShoreRivers. Elizabeth Brown was ShoreRivers’ 2015–2016 Chesapeake Conservation Corps member. She was dedicated to clean water, engaging others with their rivers, and serving as an environmental steward in every way. She brought enthusiasm and joy to every task. Contributions in honor of Elizabeth go toward her legacy of caring for local rivers by supporting the next generation of environmental stewards through this internship program.

Both the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Internship and a Communications Summer Internship run for a minimum of 10 weeks between May and August, and provide a $6,000 stipend. Programmatic work for each will be conducted primarily in the Choptank, Miles, and Wye river watersheds, with some travel throughout the entire ShoreRivers region.

Applicants should be rising college juniors or seniors, or recent college graduates, with majors in appropriate fields. To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to Doug Mayorga, Deputy Director of HR and Culture, by January 31, at [email protected] and include in the subject line which internship you are interested in. Interviews will be conducted by Zoom in February and an intern will be selected and notified at the end of the month.

Applicants are encouraged to visit shorerivers.org prior to applying to learn more about the organization’s programs. Internships available specifically for Washington College and University of Delaware students are also available — please visit shorerivers.org/jobs for details on those positions.

ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

shorerivers.org

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Biden to ban future offshore drilling across more than 600 million acres

January 7, 2025 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

With just two weeks left in his presidency, Joe Biden will prohibit future oil and gas drilling off the entire East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the remaining portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea.

Biden will sign two memoranda Monday to permanently ban offshore drilling over more than 625 million acres of ocean to advance his commitment to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, a White House statement said.

The orders come at the request of bipartisan state and local leaders in coastal areas, Biden said, and reflect that the paltry fossil fuel resources in those areas would not be worth the risks of environmental, health and economic harms that could result from oil and gas exploration.

“In balancing the many uses and benefits of America’s ocean, it is clear to me that the relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas I am withdrawing do not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling,” Biden said in the statement.

President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office Jan. 20, criticized Biden throughout last year’s campaign for moves Trump said lowered the country’s energy production. A temporary freeze on oil and gas leases, rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline and other environmental measures taken by the Biden administration were part of what led to increased costs for consumers, Trump argued.

Economists have said that connection is dubious, but Trump is expected to pursue policies to expand oil and gas production.

In a statement Monday morning, Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt strongly criticized Biden’s move. “This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill,” she said.

‘We do not need to choose’

Biden, though, described offshore drilling in the vast areas he is protecting as detrimental to long-term U.S. economic health, in part by protecting fishing and tourism industries.

“We do not need to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy, or between keeping our ocean healthy, our coastlines resilient, and the food they produce secure and keeping energy prices low,” Biden said. “Those are false choices. Protecting America’s coasts and ocean is the right thing to do, and will help communities and the economy to flourish for generations to come.”

The protections “have no expiration date, and prohibit all future oil and natural gas leasing in the areas withdrawn,” according to a fact sheet from the White House.

The orders protect 334 million acres of coast along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, stretching from the Maine-Canada border to the tip of Florida.

Nearly 250 million acres of Pacific coastline that is the habitat for “seals, sea lions, whales, fish, and countless seabirds” off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington will be protected. Governors of the three states had asked for the protections, according to the fact sheet. The last federal lease sale off the mainland West Coast was in 1984.

And 44 million acres of the Northern Bering Sea will be protected. The protections were sought by many Alaska Native communities, the White House said.

“This is an area where oil and gas development would pose severe dangers to coastal communities, and where the health of these waters is critically important to food security and to the culture of more than 70 coastal Tribes, including the Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Inupiaq people who have relied on these resources for millennia,” the White House said.

Last updated 7:47 a.m., Jan. 6, 2025

by Jacob Fischler, Maryland Matters
January 6, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

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Turn your Christmas tree into a home for local wildlife

December 16, 2024 by Washington College News Service Leave a Comment

Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society (CES) is offering an alternative way to recycle your holiday tree. Instead of sending them to the landfill, the staff at CES is asking for donations of your old holiday trees to build extra bird habitat. As part of the Natural Lands Project, the trees will be arranged in brushy hedgerows and provide extra cover for overwintering wildlife. Thanks to community support, 94 trees were donated last year and were just time to offer some cover to bobwhite quails and other birds in snowy January.

Donated trees can be brought to Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall at 485 S. Cross Street in Chestertown and placed at the end of the driveway to the right of the building. Signage will mark the spot. Donated trees should have all decorations including ribbon, wire, and tinsel removed prior to drop off. Trees can be donated through Monday, January 20.

The habitat build is just a small part of the work the Natural Lands Project conducts restoring buffers and native habitat along the Chester River to help re-establish bobwhite quail and improve water quality. The land they manage encompasses nearly 5,000 acres of diverse ecological communities just minutes from Washington’s main campus in Chestertown. It includes 2.5 miles of Chester River shoreline, a 90-acre freshwater lake, multiple streams and seasonal wetlands, 1,200 acres of forest, 3,000 acres of agricultural fields, and 228 acres of restored native prairie with natural grasses that have allowed northern bobwhite quail to flourish. The property also features 50 acres of managed, successional habitat for one of the most active bird-banding stations on the East Coast, handling approximately 14,000 birds a year. It serves as an important stopover habitat for shorebirds and is home to thousands of migrating and wintering ducks and geese each year.

More information on the Natural Land Project’s work, and that of the Center for Environment and Society, can be found at https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/ces/index.php.

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ShoreRivers welcomes new Board members, Executive Committee

December 11, 2024 by ShoreRivers Leave a Comment

ShoreRivers is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its Governing Board: Jack Broderick, Ann Swanson, and Loribeth Weinstein. As a grassroots nonprofit organization, the hard work and support of board members is imperative to the organization’s efforts for thriving rivers on the Eastern Shore. ShoreRivers extends deep gratitude for the wise counsel, encouragement, and vision of these exceptional community members. See the full list of Board members at ShoreRivers.org/leadership.

These new voices will bring a wealth of expertise to ShoreRivers, including equal opportunity and civil rights, social and economic justice, grantmaking and local governance, and environmental policy and conservation. Paired with a deep commitment to clean water and healthy Eastern Shore communities, these new members will strengthen the organization’s robust science-based advocacy, restoration, and education efforts.

Jack Broderick is a retired federal manager and long-time community activist and leader on Kent Island who serves on numerous local and state boards and committees, including the Maryland 250 Commission and the Bay Bridge Reconstruction Advisory Group. A former Captain in the U.S. Army, he retired in 2021 as the Director of Equal Opportunity for the National Guard Bureau, U.S. Department of Defense, after 34 years of combined Federal military and civilian service. Broderick lives on Cox Creek and enjoys crabbing, fishing, hunting, and generally spending time on the water.

The former Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, Ann Swanson, has spent four decades as a leader in Chesapeake Bay restoration and been recognized for her work on a regional, national, and international scale. Swanson was the catalyst for the early formation of the Chester River Association and the Sassafras River Association — two of ShoreRivers’ legacy organizations. In recognition of that, and her tireless efforts on behalf of the Bay, and its landscapes and communities, she was the winner of ShoreRivers’ inaugural Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2019.

Loribeth Weinstein spent her career at the helm of non-profit and philanthropic organizations addressing issues of gender parity and social and economic justice. Now retired, she served for two decades as the CEO of Jewish Women International, an organization committed to protecting the rights of women and girls, and is a founder of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, a philanthropic organization that has provided more than $16 million in grants to organizations in the Washington D.C. region since 1999. She has a love of Eastern Shore waterways that inspired her to deepen her commitment to environmental stewardship, and is also a Master Gardener.

In addition to its new members, the Board also recently elected its Executive Committee for 2025, which consists of Marian Fry, Chair; Barbara Boyd, Vice Chair; Frank Lewis, Treasurer; Maura Bollinger, Secretary, and Gene Lopez, At-Large.

ShoreRivers also celebrates several long-time Board members whose terms end this year: Meta Boyd, Bruce Abel, Ron Rothman, and Philp Webster. The organization is incredibly grateful to each of them for their years of dedicated service and invaluable contributions.

ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

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Winding up the opposition

What led to all of this?

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‘We do not need to choose’