In November 2017, I attended the 12th Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forum at the National Fish and Wildlife facility in Shepherdstown, WV. This year’s theme was “Healthy Lands, Healthy Waters, Healthy People”. There were over 400 registrants. The opening program included a welcome by Kate Fritz (new director of the Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay). Nick DiPasquale (EPA Bay Programs) informed us that the Bay health is improving, but the current administration is doing things that may destroy that. Jake Reilly (Nat’l Fish and Wildlife Foundation) said that more young strong women are getting involved, and that it is important that small local watershed groups get funding, as that is what people care about.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Sacoby Wilson (Assoc. Prof. of Applied Environmental Health at the Univ. of Md. School of Public Health). He said that most environmental problems are caused by humans, mainly overpopulation and pollution. Childhood asthma is increasing, especially in poor non-whites, as they live closer to areas with the most air pollution. They also have less health care access. Toxins get into the air and soil and are absorbed by our bodies, causing illness. Urban gardens may be grown in toxic soil and Brownfields. He spoke of additional issues: The Md. Clean Water Act has disparities. Large scale poultry operations are a problem and are increasing. Cities lack green space and trees for shading and cooling, and people are less connected to nature. There is a lack of diversity in the environmental movement and higher positions. The damage to Houston by Hurricane Harvey was heightened by so much impermeable surface.
Attendees could sign up for various workshops. The tracks included: Restoration Science and
Practice, Watershed Conservation, Planning and Regulation, Organizational Development and Fundraising, Chesapeake Forests, Communication/Advocacy, Citizen & Community Engagement.
I attended a tree ID workshop and one that stressed the value of trees: clean pollutants from the air, shade and save energy use, stabilize soil, greatly decrease runoff, have aesthetic value, increase property value. Our trees and forests are in danger due to pollution and acid rain, parcelization and fragmentation, deforestation, climate change, deer, disease, invasive pests.
At another workshop I learned of SouthWings-Conservation through Aviation, and their sister company Light Hawk. They are a non-profit company that flies, at no charge, people who are involved in environmental and conservation interests. They are also involved in education and litigation. Please learn more at their website.
I learned about stream restoration. Wetlands create habitat for mosquito predators rather than mosquitoes. Things to consider are: landowner cooperation, community meetings, ribbon-cuttings, change of property ownership and recorded easements, maintenance, cooperation with utilities, site access, prioritizing.
Another workshop was on Soil Health. Standard development practices compact the soil and the homeowner must constantly irrigate and fertilize. Raingardens don’t work in compacted soil. Long roots break up soil. Rototilling pulverizes the soil and is not a good practice. A soil spader is better than a rotodarion-it goes deeper and more uniformly. Suburban Subsoiling is a practice used to restore healthy soil. Deep steel shanks dig into and fracture the soil. Goal is not to bring subsoil to surface. Compost should be incorporated. This yields superior sustainable landscaping, more organic matter, and better water infiltration. The right contractor and equipment are needed. A talk was also given by a large scale dairy farmer who uses no-till, a variety of cover crops, manure management. His farmland and production have greatly improved.
At a workshop on legacy sediments, various views were shared on these sediments being a source of pollution, and their remediation. In one case study (Big Spring), young trees planted along a marsh died. After removing the legacy sediment, springs opened up, water temp. decreased, and a healthy non-tidal marsh developed with good biodiversity , increased flood water capacity, and less invasives.
A similar workshop by American Rivers talked about how dam removal improves ecology, safety, and recreation.
One issue that occurs is that there may be toxins in the sediment behind the dam, and decisions must be made whether to remove and dispose, or to isolate and cap the sediment. Many dams in MD, VA, PA waterways have been removed, but that is only 1% of the total in those states. A. R. is involved in policy, fundraising, and projects.
And, finally, there was a poster session with many posters presented by groups describing projects, programs, and activities of the Watershed.
I was glad to be able to attend this forum. I learned a lot, and was impressed by the large number of young people there–students, interns, and those having a good career connected to conservation, the environment, and teaching.