Chesapeake Bay Foundation

This ain't new.

I'm gonna go back 40 years, okay? Like almost before you were born, all right? And, and, um, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which was a kind of one of our Virginia's leading environmental organizations, um, there was a huge amount of, of, um, pollution going in the, into Chesapeake Bay.

So they got the General Assembly to, um, allocate I don't know how many millions it was, it was millions and millions of dollars, to transition farmers to, um, to, to, to stop what they called nonpoint source pollution into the Chesapeake Bay.

And, um, so [clears throat] long story short, I had-- I kind of started up, uh...

And, and, you know, hats off to Jacqueline and our staff, but also so many other people.

You know, we mentioned some of the other partners that we have, and that's really why, uh, you know, America's Sport Fishing Association, Coastal Conservation Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, um, Audubon, National Audubon Society.

I mean, these folks are very concerned about the very clear impacts that are happening to coastal birds, uh, and the loss of that forage base, uh, you know, the loss of menhaden in, in the Chesapeake Bay.

Um, you know, it takes a lot of people pushing in that direction to, to start to make the difference, and that's why we're, we're working with commercial fishermen, too.

The Deale Branch of the Anne Arundel County Public Library has become the first library in Maryland to host a oyster shell recycling bin.

The new site is part of a partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and gives residents, restaurants, watermen, and marinas a place to drop off empty oyster shells that can eventually be used in an oyster restoration project.

The effort comes ahead of the planned 2027 opening of the Truman T. Semans Center for Oyster Restoration and Innovation in Galesville.

Children attending an oyster-themed story time had the honor of adding the first shells to the bin, which is one way to make a story time considerably more Chesapeake Bay.

So bottom line, he lowered the goalposts so big you could just roll the ball through the goalposts.

So, you know, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said we still have problems in the estuaries and the rivers with pollution, which is a fact, but, you know, I'm just seeing this, I think we're getting a little bit ahead of the game here with this, get the data.

There's been executive orders put in.

I know the Department of Commerce is seeking better science and everything else.

The project uses sand, stone, woody debris, and native vegetation to protect the shoreline while creating habitat for fish, terrapins, horseshoe crabs, and other wildlife.

It also includes 250 oyster reef balls installed with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, some already seeded with young oysters.

The marina sits on a sand spit that has faced decades of erosion from wind and waves, and residents began pursuing a solution way back in 2018.

Funding did come from a mix of state, federal, county, and private sources, and the completed project is designed not only to protect Hillsmere's shoreline, but also improve habitat and water quality in the South River and Chesapeake Bay.

And they kind of helped the program come up with effective projects and determine whether they're working or not.

I've also asked Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which pointed me, for instance, to oyster restoration as an example of what coordinated federal planning would help achieve or accomplish.

And I guess the concern is that this narrow focus could weaken that kind of a broader holistic approach.

So I guess we can identify a risk factor.

City officials say it pays for flood mitigation, system repairs, and water quality work.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine warned the rollback could undo decades of progress.

In crime news, APD says restaurant employees near Potomac Yard fought off a knife-wielding robber on September 1st.

A newly released affidavit says the man jumped on the counter and demanded the register, and workers drove him off by throwing things and swinging a grill scraper.