Turning the tide on the Bay
As Maryland and neighboring states faced pockets of skepticism refining the most detailed plans yet to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, the president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science penned an impassioned warning. Describing the failure of prior restoration efforts that relied on voluntary measures and the deadlines in the “pollution diet” that has now been set for the Bay, Donald Boesch wrote in The Capital: “That’s why I think that this is not just a moment in time, but the only moment our society will ever have to restore the bay.”
Boesch, a professor of marine science, added: “There is just no evidence for concluding that we will have another chance after 2025 given the record of performance and additional mounting pressures that will result from population growth and climate change. … We have less than 14 years and we – and only we – can restore the Chesapeake Bay.”
The Baltimore Sun saw signs that the will is indeed there to restore the Bay. Writing after the conclusion of the 2012 General Assembly session, the newspaper noted that while other issues remained mired in the legislative process the environment emerged as a winner.
“In good times or bad, Marylanders are willing to rally around their beloved Chesapeake Bay,” the paper concluded.
Earlier, MDE Secretary Robert M. Summers participated in a broad discussion on Chesapeake Bay issues on WYPR-FM’s Midday with Dan Rodricks program.
On the air
The Capital’s newsroom took note of MDE’s Clean Air Progress in Maryland report and the gains made in air quality – and also how Maryland is looking for ways to address air pollution that comes from upwind states.
“Having clamped down on pollution from power plants, cars and boilers, Maryland environmental officials want other states to clean up their act,” the newspaper reported.
The Capital also reported on a project, made possible in part by hundreds of thousands of dollars in MDE grant money, to restore a stream in Severna Park’s commercial district and improve water quality there and beyond. North Cypress Branch is, because of the commercialization in the area, best described as a wide ditch, but “it will be transformed into a functioning stream that slows and treats stormwater and provides a habitable home for fish and critters,” the paper reported.
Water works
The Easton Star-Democrat was there when Robert M. Summers, Ph.D., returned to the classroom to educate students about the importance of groundwater. The paper noted that the MDE Secretary’s appearance at Colonel Richardson Middle School in Caroline County came during Maryland Groundwater Awareness Week, and quoted him telling the students: "It really is very important, particularly here on the Eastern Shore, to protect groundwater, since it's used for crops, drinking water and affects the Chesapeake Bay.”
Within weeks, the issue took on heightened meaning when a drought watch was declared for eastern Maryland. When the watch was expanded to western Maryland and parts of central Maryland, the Cecil Whig reported the news – and gave its readers ways that they could help by conserving water.
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