Heralding Summer

erik@southriverfederation.net — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Driving up Muddy Creek Road this morning, stopped, waiting for the light at 214 to turn green, I noticed a healthy stand of trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) in bloom. Its bright orange flowers are showy are hard to miss, but looking a little more closely, I saw two hummingbirds (I think they were ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris)) flitting in and out of the blossoms, sipping their nectar.

It's rare enough to see one hummingbird, but to see two together is quite a treat. I [...]

It's Invasive....but Delicious

erik@southriverfederation.net — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0100

It's rare that you'll hear me touting the virtues of invasive plants. Very rare. But during this time of year, I'm willing to make one exception. In late June or early July, the wineberries (Rubus phoenicolasius) are out in full force, and if you can find them when they're ripe, they're an exquisite, locally-grown, organic (most likely) treat.

Whether popping them in your mouth by the handful, or putting them on top of an ice cream sundae, these deep red berries are sweet re [...]

Eyes Under the South River - 5/28/10

erik@southriverfederation.net — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

On this day the water column was vertically well-mixed. Notice that the temperature of the water column is becoming warmer and the salinity is increasing. Therefore, we should be seeing the wonderful sea nettles soon.---Diana

What's In a Name: Tarnans (Tarmans) Branch

erik@southriverfederation.net — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Anyone who has spent time doing historical or genealogical research recognizes that there's "low hanging fruit", information which is relatively easy to come by, "high hanging fruit", more difficult to discern elements, and pieces of information which, when compared against all the other facts, just don't make sense. For the most part, the "What's In a Name" entries presented here to date have been relatively low hanging fruit. The rest, by and large, [...]

Leviathan!

erik@southriverfederation.net — Fri, 21 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Earlier today, out taking photos for a grant application, I spied a monstrous snapping turtle paddling just below the surface. Its carapace was probably about 12-14" wide. Did you know that a female snapping turtle generally has to reach about 19 years of age before it starts nesting and laying eggs? That's one of the reason it's so important that we prevent the harvest of these creatures by commercial watermen.

Fun with Numbers

erik@southriverfederation.net — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Just today, it was released that the Bay's health improved from a C- in 2008 to a C in 2009 by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). Let's disregard for the moment that a "C" in this system represents between 40 and 59% attainment (whereas in most schools, a "C" represents between 70 and 79% attainment), and simply look at one portion of the score.

In 2008, the "Lower Western Shore" of the Chesapeake Bay, which is [...]

Hillsmere Bioretention Complete

erik@southriverfederation.net — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

This past Saturday, over 40 volunteers helped to plant the Hillsmere Bioretention and Sand Seepage Wetland project at the corner of Great Lake Dr and Phipps Ln in Hillsmere. It was a gorgeous day to get out and plant project that was several months in the making. Below are before and after photos of the portion of the project that was converted from a dry "detention" basin to a regenerative stormwater conveyance.

Hillsmere Bioretention Project Underway

erik@southriverfederation.net — Tue, 04 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Just last week the contractor broke ground for a sizable bioretention and sand seepage wetland project in the Hillsmere community that will help treat runoff before it gets into Lake Hillsmere. The project is funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Unity Gardens, the Anne Arundel Watershed Stewards Academy, and the South River Federation.

One of the first steps in constructing a bioretention project or rain garden is to over-excavate the site in preparation for a well-draining m [...]

Horned Pondweed Bursting Forth

erik@southriverfederation.net — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Just as the trees and shrubs in the watershed have exploded in green in the past couple of weeks, the river's ephemeral sub-aquatic vegetation (SAV) has begun to spring forth. The photo below from member John Koontz was taken on Flat Creek and shows the first sprouts of horned pondweed taking hold in the bottom of the creek. Unfortunately, because the horned pondweed gives way when the water warms up in June, it is not counted on annual surveys of SAV. Nevertheless, we [...]

A Crab "Boom"?

erik@southriverfederation.net — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I think it's important that before people get too wrapped up in the media hype about a crab population explosion that we have a good understanding of exactly how crab populations in the Chesapeake are measured. Each winter since 1988, MD DNR and other natural resource organizations have conducted a winter dredge survey where they sample 1500 sites bay-wide by dredging crabs up from the bottom and measuring their sex and the maturity of females.

In 2009, the density (number o [...]

Turtles on a Log

erik@southriverfederation.net — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Temperatures are rising, the osprey are back, and frogs, turtles, and snakes are out of hibernation. On a walk through a tributary to Church Creek yesterday, I spotted at least 10 eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta picta) basking on a log, soaking up the warmth of the sun. We also spotted a brown water snake, and more green frogs (Rana clamitans) than we could count.

Another Sewer Success

erik@southriverfederation.net — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0100

In late December, after having walked the site of the County's Riva 400 outfall restoration project several times, I became concerned about a possible sewage problem in the area based on a persistent foul odor.

In early January, Diana went to the site and took bacteria and nitrogen samples in the area of the suspicious smell and found very elevated levels of both (Total nitrogen, 0.93 mg/l; total coliform 2490 [...]

Environmental Law Clinic Under Attack

erik@southriverfederation.net — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Have you heard about the General Assembly's recent attempt to punish the University of Maryland's Law Clinic for working on behalf of enforcing the state's environmental laws? It's true. The Legislature is attempting to withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for the Clinic unless it produces cumbersome reports detailing its pa [...]

Flat Creek Finds

erik@southriverfederation.net — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

With the days warming up, it was time to get out in the woods one last time before everything greens up. This year, we're participating in the Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas (MARA) project and as part of that are keeping track of the amphibians and reptiles we see this spring.

Yesterday, exploring the streams that feed Flat Creek, we came across these two critters: a red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) & an eastern snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpen [...]

Another Great Auction

erik@southriverfederation.net — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Another year, another great South River on the Half Shell Auction. This year we had record attendance and record fundraising for the Federation's critical programs. Thanks so much to all the volunteers, sponsors, and attendees who made this great event possible.

Local waterman, John Orme, and volunteer, Bruce Holly, shuck oysters on the half shell for auction attendees seeking a locally grown winter snack.

Fishy Business

erik@southriverfederation.net — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Check out the links below to a Fox 5 expose on the efforts of Omega Protein to buy off Virginia politicians so that it can keep ravaging the menhaden populations in the Bay.
Part 1
Part 2

Let's Stop Swimming in Sewage

erik@southriverfederation.net — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Former West/Rhode Riverkeeper Bob Gallagher recently had a great letter to the editor published in the Capital. Several Waterkeeper groups, including the Federation, have signed on in support of the Attorney General's bills that he references below. Please contact your legislators and ask them to support the bills as well:
Federal regulations regarding vessels with installed toilets have been in effect since 1980. At that time, it became a crime to dump untreated sewage fro [...]

Legislative Update from Annapolis - Feb. 5

erik@southriverfederation.net — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100
The environmental community continues to work with legislators to prevent a weakening of the Maryland Department of the Environment's (MDE) stormwater regulations slated to go into effect in May 2010. The Federation, along with others, is working to arrange a meeting between the environmental community, the development community, and regulators to see if some of the concerns with the bill that have been raised can be handled administratively, rather than with new laws. We appreciate everyone w [...]

'Ignorance' as Advantage

erik@southriverfederation.net — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The idea that ignorance could be a strength sounds odd (unless you're an Orwell fan), but the acknowledgment that one has significant knowledge gaps, rather than a full or almost complete understanding of an incredibly complex system, can be empowering, particularly in an evolving discipline. That case is well made by Dr. Eugene Turner in the article linked here, "The value of 'ignorance' in restoration."
The central thesis is that the assumption that "restoration&q [...]

Stormwater Talk at the Legislative Summit

erik@southriverfederation.net — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100

On Tuesday evening, the environmental community gathered in Annapolis to discuss our legislative agenda. In the clip below, I discuss the reasons we need a state requirement for local stormwater utilities. Video courtesy West/Rhode Riverkeeper, Chris Trumbauer.

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