Cape Charles Yacht Center, Cape Charles Yacht Club and the town of Cape Charles are sponsoring Clean the Bay Day again this year.  Can you put something in the Mirror to promote this event and provide the registration link below?  I have attached some art work from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website.  Below is our Cape Charles Summary:

Cape Charles Yacht Center (Oasis Marinas), Cape Charles Yacht Club and the Town of Cape Charles are hosting the 2023 Clean the Bay Day event in Cape Charles, VA on 6/3/23.  The event includes cleaning beaches and waterways and a fun family barbeque lunch with beverages and music!

Schedule Saturday 6/3/23

9:00     Onsite Registration at Gathering Point – Cape Charles Yacht Center at fire pit facing the

  bay: (1011 Bayshore Rd, Cape Charles, VA 23310)

9:30     Brief Project Overview and discussion of need for Clean the Bay Day

9:45     Disperse to assigned Clean Up Zones and start cleaning!

11:45   Wrap up cleanup and return to Gathering Point

12:00   Lunch is served!  (hot dogs, hamburgers, water, beer and wine)

            Enjoy music

2:30     Event Wrap-up

Online registration is encouraged at:

https://www.cbf.org/events/clean-the-bay-day/oasis-marinas-cape-charles-yacht-center.html

New research by Virginia Tech scientists shows that sections of the Chesapeake Bay are sinking at rates of nearly a quarter an inch — or 7 millimeters — a year. Further, up-to-date knowledge of where the ground in the Chesapeake Bay area is sinking and by how much is not included in the official planning maps that authorities use to assess the local flooding risk from rising sea levels, the researchers said.

The region most at risk, the Naval Station Norfolk, home to the largest naval base in the world with a dense population of more than 1.7 million people.

Using radar imaging to measure elevation changes, Virginia Tech researchers have uncovered an important gap in planning for sea level rise in the Chesapeake Bay. In some areas, sea levels are rising at a faster rate than previously predicted because the land is sinking.

“By computing this radar measurement over a long time, we can measure the movement of the ground at a very high precision and accuracy,” explains Manoochehr Shirzaei, an associate professor of radar remote sensing engineering and environmental security in the Department of Geoscieces, part of the Virginia Tech College of Science, and a member of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute.

The Chesapeake Bay (CB) region of the United States is experiencing one of the fastest rates of relative sea-level rise on the Atlantic coast of the United States. However, future projections of sea-level rise (SLR) used to assess coastal flooding hazards and exposure throughout the 21st century often lack an accurate estimate of changes in land elevation. This poses a significant challenge to present and future management efforts because vertical land motion (VLM) can cause underestimation/overestimation of flooding risk to coastal communities. This work combines satellite data and in situ observations to measure VLM and assess 21st-century flooding hazards due to SLR, hurricane effect, and land elevation change in the CB. By the year 2100, the total inundated areas from SLR and subsidence are projected to be 454–600 kms  for very low to very high greenhouse gas scenarios. The effect of storm surges associated with Hurricane Isabel can increase the inundated area to 849–1,117 km  under different SLR scenarios and VLM. The results provided here inform policymakers when assessing hazards associated with global climate changes and local factors.

This poses a significant challenge to present and future management efforts as it could under or overestimate flooding risk to coastal communities along the stretch of Virginia shoreline, said Manoochehr Shirzaei, an associate professor of radar remote sensing engineering and environmental security in the Department of Geoscieces, part of the Virginia Tech College of Science, and a member of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute.

The new findings from the Virginia Tech Earth Observation and Innovation Lab appear in the Journal of Geophysical Research, with scientists having measured how much the land along the Chesapeake Bay’s shoreline has sunk using interferometric imaging with synthetic aperture radar from Earth orbit to detect elevation. The latter technique can measure year-to-year changes in local ground elevation as small as a millimeter, said Sonam Futi Sherpa, a doctoral student in the Department of Geosciences and lead author of the study.

DROUGHT WATCH ADVISORY DECLARATION
Drought watch advisory declared for 28 counties and 11 cities in Virginia

Richmond, Va. — In response to existing conditions and to increase public awareness of the potential for a significant drought, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued a drought watch advisory for five of the Drought Evaluation Regions within the Commonwealth.

Affected Drought Evaluation Regions and localities include:

• Chowan: Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Lunenburg, Nottoway, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex counties, and the cities of Emporia and Franklin.
• Eastern Shore: Accomack and Northampton counties.
• Northern Coastal Plain: Caroline, King George, King William, King and Queen, Essex, Richmond, Westmoreland, Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, Lancaster, and Northumberland counties.
• Southeast Virginia: Isle of Wight County, and the cities of Suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach.
  York-James: Charles City, James City, New Kent, and York counties, and the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg.

A drought watch advisory is intended to increase awareness of conditions and facilitate preparation for a drought when indicators in the Drought Assessment and Response Plan have been met. The interagency Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force considered the following in establishing a drought watch advisory:

• Many of the affected areas have received less than half of normal precipitation within the last 60 days, with some areas receiving less than a quarter of normal precipitation over the past two weeks. Precipitation is predicted to remain below normal, with above normal temperatures over the next two weeks.
• Stream flows in these areas are below normal, and some monitoring locations are below the 10th percentile of historical normal values. High temperatures and low precipitation forecasted will continue to impact these regions in the near future. 
• Groundwater levels have declined, and parts of the York-James, Middle James, Northern Virginia, and Roanoke regions have dropped below the 10th percentile. 
• Very dry soil moisture conditions have been measured across the majority of the northern and eastern portions of the Commonwealth and have ranked in the lowest 5% of historic values across portions of these regions.

With this advisory, DEQ is working with local governments, public water works, and water users in the affected areas, and is requesting that they prepare for a drought by developing or reviewing existing water conservation and drought response plans. Virginians are requested to help protect current water supplies by minimizing water use, monitor drought conditions, and detect and repair leaks. 

If conditions persist and a drought is imminent, a drought warning will be issued. Water conservation and contingency plans that are already in place or have been prepared during a drought watch stage would then be implemented.

DEQ uses the indicators shown below to gauge the presence and severity of hydrologic drought across 13 Drought Evaluation Regions.  The Current Drought Conditions Map displays the status of each of these indicators for each region.

Drought Indicators and key to Drought Map:

• Precipitation (Prcp)
• Groundwater Levels (GW)
• Streamflow (Flow)
• Reservoir Levels (Res)

Give back to nature while building lifetime skills

Applications are open now for adults of any age to join the Virginia Service and Conservation Corps (VSCC) for service beginning on May 17. Applications for the 450 and 675 hour programs close on April 30.

The VSCC is an AmeriCorps program that operates in Virginia State Parks and participants serve in park locations throughout the Commonwealth developing and leading interpretive programs and maintaining and enhancing trail systems. The programs vary by hours of service and each program allows you to build new life skills while giving back to nature.

The 450-hour program focuses on the park trails and service opportunities in Virginia State Parks during the summer months. Depending on their site, members may also assist with trail maintenance and construction as well as with resource management projects. Members of the 675-hour program focuses on delivering interpretive programming to park visitors with the goal of expanding visitor knowledge of the natural world. Participants of both programs will work with park staff to recruit volunteers and lead volunteer service days in state parks and natural heritage areas.

“We’re looking for members that are willing to learn and are comfortable working outdoors in a variety of weather conditions,” said Dorie Stolley director of the office of community engagement and volunteerism for Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees state parks. “Members gain hands-on experience and leadership skills by coordinating volunteer projects, assisting in the management of programs, and leading interpretive programs. This program will help people build job skills that they can take into many different fields, especially in land conservation.”

Benefits of joining the VSCC include training in interpretive techniques, first aid, canoe/kayak trip leadership (depending on park), and professional mentorship from park staff. Members receive a bi-weekly living stipend, along with an education award of up to $2,474 upon successful completion of service. Members who are not provided with park housing receive a housing stipend.

“This program is ideal for nature enthusiasts of any age who want to help visitors get the most from their time in a park, from learning about wildlife or astronomy to hiking, nature journaling and canoeing,” said AmeriCorps Program Director Kellie Mattingly. “We’ve seen an increase in older adults applying to the program to add new skills to their resume or to give back to the parks they have cherished for years.”

Applications for the 450 and 675 hour programs close on April 30. More information is found on the Virginia State Parks website.

NOAA Fisheries requests public comments on the proposed incidental take regulations related to the Empire Wind Project. The project would be located offshore of New York and is within the New York Wind Energy Area. This regulatory action is part of NOAA’s ongoing work to ensure the nation’s deployment of offshore wind energy is done in a manner that avoids and minimizes impacts to protected resources, habitats, and managed fisheries. The deadline for comments is May 15, 2023.

Read the rule and comment here.

NOAA Fisheries has received the request from Empire Offshore Wind, LLC (Empire Wind), a 50/50 joint venture between Equinor and BP p.l.c., for Incidental Take Regulations and an associated Letter of Authorization. The requested regulations would govern the authorization of take, by Level A harassment and/or Level B harassment, of small numbers of marine mammals over the course of 5 years (2024-2029) incidental to construction of the Empire Wind Project offshore New York in a designated lease area on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS-A-512). Project activities likely to result in incidental take include impact pile driving, vibratory pile driving and removal, and site assessment surveys using high-resolution geophysical (HRG) equipment. NOAA Fisheries requests comments on its proposed rule. NOAA Fisheries will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the promulgation of the requested incidental take authorization and issuance of the Letter of Authorization. Agency responses to public comments will be summarized in the final notice of our decision. The proposed regulations, if issued, would be effective January 22, 2024 through January 21, 2029.

It seems every week there is news of another whale being stranded and washing up on a beach somewhere. There are several reasons. First, there are just more whales out there.

The number of deaths corresponds with a growing population of whales in the mid-Atlantic Ocean.

According to the Endangered Species Coalition, there have been efforts from around the world to help save humpback whales from extinction. Because of this, close to 80,000 of these whales have been found in waters, which is a big increase from their former population of under 15,000.

Human interaction is the main cause of whale strandings. The necropsy report on the latest whale killed in Virginia Beach found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma, which indicates the whale was hit by a passing vessel.

NOAA performed necropsies on about half the whales and found that of those, 40% of the deaths were caused by human interaction, either being caught in fishing gear or struck by vessels.

Why so many ship strikes?

Whales and humans share the shipping lanes that run from Cape Cod down to the Virginia Cape. The whale’s habitat and migration routes are close to major ports and often overlap with shipping lanes. If you look at the average depth of the lanes, you will see they are around 50ft. That’s fairly shallow, and given that whales mainly travel underwater, the ships never see them. An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer has a 31ft draft and 9000 lbs of displacement. Even at reduced speed, a whale strike is not going to end well.

NOAA Fisheries has taken many actions to help reduce vessel strikes:

Whales

• Establishing vessel speed restrictions in parts of the U.S. eastern seaboard during certain times of the year to reduce the threat of vessel collisions to North Atlantic right whales.
• Working with the U.S. Coast Guard to establish recommended vessel routes and approaches to ports to reduce the overlap of whales and ships.
• Establishing temporary precautionary zones, called Dynamic Management Areas, around recently sighted right whale groups in which mariners are asked to reduce speed or steer clear of the area.
• Alerting vessel and watercraft operators to the dangers to whales of collisions.
• Developing and implementing “approach” regulations and guidance for operating vessels around whales in a number of regions.
• Developing and distributing written material, placards, brochures, interactive CDs, and posting signs in marinas to alert mariners to safe practices around whales.
• Developing and implementing Mandatory Ship Reporting Systems with the U.S. Coast Guard. Ships are required to report to a shore-based station when entering key right whale habitats, and in return they receive a message about whales, their vulnerability to ship strikes, precautionary measures ships can take to avoid hitting one, and locations of recent sightings. The systems were endorsed by the International Maritime Organization, a specialized organization of the United Nations.
• Working with partners to modify shipping routes at a number of heavily used ports in U.S. waters to minimize overlap and chances of ship collisions with blue, fin, humpback, and right whales and other species.
• Tracking of vessel strike occurrence through carcass examinations by the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
• Supporting apps and tools that provide information to mariners and ships about where whales are located:
  • WhaleWatch—alerts ship operators to areas where U.S. West Coast blue whales are aggregating.
  • Whale Alert—smartphone app for fishermen, recreational boaters, industry partners, and volunteer networks to share real-time whale sightings in Alaska.

Sea turtles

• Tracking of vessel strike occurrence through the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network.
  • Strandings of sea turtles with injuries caused by vessel strikes are tracked in coastal areas to understand the frequency of collisions and risk factors.
• Promoting awareness.

Here are some tips for everyone to avoid collisions:

• Keep a sharp lookout. Look for blows, dorsal fins, flukes, etc.
• Watch your speed in areas of known whale or turtle occurrence. Keeping speeds to 10 knots or less can reduce potential for injury.
• Keep your distance. If you see a whale or turtle, stay at least 100 yards away.
• Slow your boat immediately and put in it neutral if you see a whale or turtle. Resume at a slow, safe speed and distance your vessel from the animal.

Report marine life in distress

Immediately report an injured, entangled, stranded, or dead marine animal to your local stranding network. These networks are located around the country in all coastal states.

Report a violation

NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline, (800) 853-1964, provides live operator coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone in the United States to report a federal marine resource violation. During regular business hours, you also can contact your closest NOAA Office of Law Enforcement field office to report possible violations. 

NOAA has also developed guidelines for viewing marine life to ensure their safety. 

Senator Lynwood Lewis’ SB 1388, which directs the state to study the ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of menhaden populations, passed the Senate and is now on its way to the House. Other bills that sought to impose additional restrictions on menhaden harvests were defeated.

Bill Summary

Study; Virginia Institute of Marine Science; menhaden; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to study the ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of menhaden populations in the waters of the Commonwealth and to provide a report on its findings to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources no later than December 1, 2025. Study; Virginia Institute of Marine Science; menhaden; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to study the ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of menhaden populations in the waters of the Commonwealth and to provide a report on its findings to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources no later than December 1, 2025.