Bay waters are already rising due to climate change and land subsidence. This combination increases the relative rate of sea level rise in the region: during the last century, the relative sea level has risen approximately one foot in the Chesapeake, nearly twice the global average. Scientists predict that the bay’s relative sea level could rise anywhere from 1.3 feet (0.4 meters) to 5.2 feet (1.59 meters) by the end of this century. Of greater immediate concern is flooding from tropical storms, hurricanes and nor’easters. Storm surge associated with extreme weather events will threaten both natural and human infrastructure in the bay.
[Read more…]
Bernie Sanders: Think Locally, and Organically
During national election events, like the Iowa Caucus or the New Hampshire Primary, it’s hard see how any of this really relates to us at a local level, especially in rural areas like the Eastern Shore. At the national level, only Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has any kind of track record when it comes to advocating for family farming, and against large industrial farms and Biotech giants. Going back as far as 1994 Sanders criticized Monsanto for using chemicals that impact human and animal health. In the Senate, Sanders was also one of the only senators that introduced the Farm Bill that would require labeling of any genetically engineered ingredients in food.
Where Hilary Clinton fully supports GMOs, Sanders continues to rail against biotech companies that he says are “transforming our agricultural system in a bad way.” He says that he stands for the right of the people to know what is in our food (through mandatory GMO labeling that he helped pass in Vermont, an effort that the GMO giants are trying to block through the DARK Act) and supports family-owned and organic agriculture.
[Read more…]
Should we invest in wildlife crossings?
“ARC is about building bridges; it’s about reconciling conflict between roads and wildlife, people and animals, and getting us all where we need to go safely, at a lower cost. ARC is also about building bridges between science and design, and in the process, reconnecting our landscapes.” – Nina-Marie Lister Ecologist and Planner, Ryerson University
Each fall and winter, with our deer population rutting, drivers on our local roads face increased odds of colliding with wildlife, especially in early morning or dusk. And it is not just folks on the Eastern Shore that are experiencing this; collisions between wildlife and vehicles have gone up 50% in the past 15 years, with a price tag of $8 billion per year.
The modern reality is that we need to drive, and need to reach our destination as quickly and safely as possible. Animals need the same thing, having to cross roadways while searching for mates, food or even just normal migration. As our roadway system has been built out, it has the unintended consequence of interrupting and fragmenting natural habits, as well as the travel routes of wild animals. Most animals killed on the highway are hit conducting normal, routine parts of their lives. Road mortality is documented as one of the major threats to the survival of 21 federally listed threatened or endangered species in North America.
A U.S. Federal Highway Administration study reports that there are approximately one million to two million collisions between cars and large mammals every year in the U.S. This represents a significant danger to human safety and wildlife populations. Wildlife-vehicle collisions are also increasing as a proportion of the total accidents on the continent’s roads.
CBES Poultry Forum: Lots of data, lots of uncertainty
Despite a cold, breezy night, Eastern Shore residents came out to attend a panel forum discussing industrial poultry operations, and how they may affect Accomack and Northampton Counties. The event was sponsored by Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore (CBES), and was moderated by Marc Steiner. The event will be rebroadcast on Delmarva Public Radio’s Marc Steiner Show.
The Industrial Poultry Forum panel included Mark Brush, Associate Professor of Marine Science-Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Roger Everton, VA DEQ, Manager, Water Compliance and Monitoring, Jillian P. Fry, PhD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Adam James, Town of Onancock Fire Chief, Carole Morrison, former Industrial Poultry grower, now small-scale farm grower, Maria Payan, Consultant, Socially Responsible Agricultural Project, Margaret Sanner, VA Asst. Director and Senior Attorney, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Neil Zahradka, VA DEQ, Manager, Office of Land Applications Programs.
[Read more…]
VB Delegate sponsors bill to raise oyster leasing to $5000 per acre
Dave Mayfield of the Virginia Pilot reports that Bill DeSteph of Virginia Beach is sponsoring a bill that would raise the $1.50 an acre per year for the right to lease the bottoms of state-owned waterways for growing oysters and clams to $5,000. The fee increase would be for beds planted within 1000 feet of residential property. The specifics seem to indicate that this bill is mainly aimed at curbing the activities of Virginia Beach waterman that work in and around the Lynnhaven River. The legislation is one of several bills DeStaph has introduced which stem from pressure by Virginia Beach waterfront homeowners, who have complained that these oyster farms are encroaching on their properties. It is doubtful this legislation has much hope of gaining any traction in the General Assembly, given the increased profile of the state’s aquaculture industry.
Property owners along the Lynnhaven River and its tributaries in Virginia Beach listed protests to the oyster lease applications, siting problems while trying to navigate boats around oystermen and their cages. There have also been claims that oyster aquaculture close to shore, with the low lease rates, will hurt property values.
“We’re trying to put out a strong position and open a strong discussion on what can be done, “ said DeSteph. He also notes that shellfish growers, in the past have opposed any changes to the rate, but that it may be time them to meet in the middle with waterfront property owners.
The leasing program is managed by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. The VMRC has not taken a position on the bill, but has noted that up to 50% of the leased waterways could be affected.
Representatives of Shellfish Growers of Virginia referred questions to the group’s chairman, Doug McMinn, owner of Wake-based Chesapeake Bay Oyster Co. He hasn’t responded to phone and email messages.
DEQ renews water quality monitoring agreement
RICHMOND, VA. — The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will renew an agreement supporting citizen water quality monitoring and thank the hundreds of Virginians who dedicate their time to this effort at an event Wednesday, November 18, 2015.
For more than 15 years, DEQ has partnered with state and local conservation organizations to give citizens the tools and training needed to accurately assess water quality. The information these volunteers collect is used at the local, state and federal levels to identify potential water quality problems — and to find solutions.
DEQ Director David K. Paylor will join leaders from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Izaak Walton League of America, Virginia Citizens for Water Quality and Virginia Water Monitoring Council to sign a new partnership agreement supporting citizen water quality monitoring.
The November 18 event at Browns Island (directly across from Tredegar Iron Works on Tredegar Street in downtown Richmond) is open to the public. The signing event will begin at 1:30 p.m.
$50 Million Loan approved for Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project
$50 Million Loan from the Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank Approved for Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project
CAPE CHARLES, VA – On December 9, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a $50 million loan from the Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (“VTIB”) for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel’s (“CBBT”) Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project (the “Project”).
The construction of an additional two-lane tunnel under the Thimble Shoal Channel will expand capacity and improve safety for travelers who utilize the CBBT and protect the economic competitiveness and livability of the region through enhanced resiliency as the CBBT serves as the sole connection between the Delmarva Peninsula and the Hampton Roads area.
“The approval of this loan is an important step in financing the construction of this project,” said Jeff Holland, Executive Director of the CBBT. “The CBBT Commission appreciates the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s investment in this transportation network. The funds received via this loan will displace more expensive revenue bond sources, lowering our overall cost of borrowing and saving money for the customers of the CBBT.”
In addition to the VTIB loan, the new tunnel is expected to be funded through a variety of sources including toll revenue bonds, a federal TIFIA loan and the CBBT General Fund. The Project is currently being procured under a Design-Build methodology with final technical and price proposals due on April 29, 2016. Award of the Project is expected in May 2016 with design beginning thereafter.
The VTIB is a special, non-reverting, revolving loan fund designed to make low-interest loans and grants to localities, transportation authorities and private-sector partners for transportation projects.
$11 Million earmarked for Bay Conservation
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The massive federal tax and spending plan includes $11 million for land conservation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Joel Dunn of the Chesapeake Conservancy says an additional $2 million is aimed at improving access to the bay. The CEO and president of the conservancy says less than 2 percent of the bay’s 12,000 miles of shoreline is publicly accessibly.
The funding is from the $1.14 trillion federal spending plan for 2016 approved this month. The federal funding will be used for land conservation efforts in the George Washington and Jefferson national forests in Virginia and West Virginia, the Rappahannock River National Wildlife Refuge and the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic trail.
Dunn credited Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s lobbying for the funding in Washington.
Can Buckminster Fuller Winner teach us a new way to farm?
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller
Greenwave, a nonprofit that’s developing the world’s first ecologically sustainable ocean farms, has won this year’s Buckminster Fuller Challenge – the premiere award for socially responsible design.
GreenWave’s goal is to restore ocean ecosystems, while providing jobs by turning fisherman into “restorative ocean farmers.” GreenWave’s “vertical underwater garden” shifts the practice of monoculture aquaculture to multi-species 3D ocean farms – vibrant ecosystems that also produce higher yields. The infrastructure is simple: seaweed, scallops and mussels grow on floating ropes, stacked above oyster and clam cages below. From these crops, ocean farmers can produce food, fertilizers, animal feeds, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biofuels and much more. The farms filter pollutants out of water, sequester carbon, support biodiversity, and are thus designed to restore rather than deplete our ecosystems.
A single acre filters millions of gallons of ocean water every day, creates homes for hundreds of wild marine and bird species and absorbs the overabundance of nitrogen and carbon (with kelp sequestering 5x more carbon than land based-plants) that are killing billions of organisms. The design requires zero-inputs-there is no need for fresh water.
Greenwave describes the benefits:
- More Biodiversity, Higher Yields: By using the entire food column, the “farm” provides habitat for hundreds of marine and bird species, and create natural reef systems. It can grow 20 tons of sea vegetables and 500,000 shellfish on each acre per year.
- Zero Inputs: Since there is no need for fresh water, fertilizer, or pesticides, restorative ocean farming is the most sustainable form of food production on the planet.
Nitrogen pollution causes algae blooms that lower oxygen levels as they decompose, causing dead zones. Greenwave’s farms sequester nitrogen, preventing algae blooms.
- Food Security: As a food crop, seaweed is rich in nutrients such as protein, calcium, and vitamin-C. Studies demonstrate that a network of seaweed farms the size of Washington State could produce all of the dietary protein needs of the human population.
Kelp absorbs 5 times the carbon as land-based plants and the farms create storm barriers that mitigate the impacts of storms.
- Energy Security: a network of farms totaling an area half the size of Maine could grow enough biofuel to replace all the oil used in the US, according to the Department of Energy.
Greenwave’s approach gives us a scalable, integrated model that coastal fishing communities around the world can adopt with modest infrastructure costs and begin to build towards a long-term resilient future,” says Elizabeth Thom
Wine and Brine events set off Virginia Oyster Trail
![oysterandwine](http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/oysterandwine-300x150.jpg)
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- …
- 58
- Next Page »