BayBlog Question of the Week: Balloons and the Bay
We're starting a new feature here on the BayBlog called the BayBlog Question of the Week. Each week we'll take a question submitted through the Chesapeake Bay Program website and answer it here for all to read.
This week's question comes from Elaine. She asked:
I would like to use balloons as promotional give-aways, but I am concerned for the environment. What is your position on balloons and the environment?
The Chesapeake Bay Program does not have an official position on balloons and the environment. I did some research on this topic and found that releasing balloons into the air is the issue that can have environmental consequences. When balloons are released into the air and eventually deflate, they can fall back to earth and become litter on our ground and in our waterways. In this 2004 Baltimore Sun article, a staff member with the National Aquarium in Baltimore noted that animals such as fish, gulls, dolphins and sea turtles can confuse deflated balloons with food.
If you decide to use balloons as promotional giveaways, perhaps you could include a note that encourages users to dispose of the balloons properly and not intentionally release them into the air. Because we all love balloons -- we just don't want them to become litter, or worse, food for wildlife and aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways.
And remember, if you're outside and you see a deflated balloon lying on the ground or in a tree, pick it up! We all need to do our part to help keep litter out of our parks, beaches and waterways.
Do you have a question about the Chesapeake Bay? Please send it to us through our web comment form. Your question might be chosen for our next BayBlog Question of the Week!
Find Bay events and trip ideas in Chesapeake Trips and Tips
If you're looking for Chesapeake Bay-related day trips for you and your family, check out Chesapeake Trips and Tips, a new weekly e-mail from the Friends of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network with events taking place throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed during the upcoming weekend. This week's edition of Chesapeake Trips and Tips includes a festival in Baltimore, an Eastern Shore bull and oyster roast, and a reenactment of the 1774 Yorktown Tea Party.
And remember,you can always visit baygateways.net for ideas for day trips and weekend getaways around the Chesapeake Bay region. The Gateways Network includes 160 parks, museums, water trails, historic sites and other spots that show the local area's connection to the Chesapeake's culture, history and environment. So get out there and explore the Bay!
What are you doing to help the Bay?
Are you doing your part to help the Bay or your local river? Have you installed a rain garden at your home? Do you volunteer for a wateshed organization?We're looking for great examples of people making a difference in the Bay cleanup effort, one small step at a time. If you'd like to tell us your story, send me an e-mail at apimenta@chesapeakebay.net. Or you can add your photo or video to our new Flickr group. If you're chosen to be featured on our website, you'll get a Bay-friendly freebie, such as a reusable mug or shopping bag.
South River gets a 33 on latest report card
The South River Federation released its 2009 annual scorecard last night. The river received a score of 33, one point lower than last year. The federation scores the river on 10 key indicators, including nutrients, dissolved oxygen and the abundance of underwater life. Some of the individual scores include a dismal 1 for water clarity and zero for underwater grasses, and a more encouraging 7 for bacteria levels.
In the scorecard, South River Federation Executive Director Erik Michelsen gives people a few quick tips on how they can help improve the health of the South River:
"Everyone living in the South River Watershed can do their own part by trying to keep the rain that falls on their property in their yard, upgrading septic systems to the best available technology, and minimizing or eliminating the use of fertilizers on their yards."
Want some more tips to help the South River and the entire Bay? Check out the Bay Program's comprehensive list of ways people can make a difference.
See a PDF of the full scorecard.
This is the second river report card to be released in recent weeks. The Magothy River released its annual Magothy River Index in February, and it also reflected a decrease in overall river health. Stay tuned for more river report cards in the coming weeks.
Dates of spring 2009 Occoquan River cleanup
If you live in Northern Virginia and you're looking for a way to make a difference in the Bay restoration effort, mark your calendars for the annual Friends of the Occoquan (FOTO) spring river cleanup, taking place on Saturday, April 18 (rain date Sunday, April 19) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be five cleanup sites at the following locations; make sure to RSVP with the listed contact.
Lake Ridge Marina - 12350 Cotton Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, VA
22192
Renate G. Vanegas, (703) 674-6659
Town of Occoquan - 314 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA 22125
Claudia A. Cruise, (703) 491-1918, Ext. 11
Occoquan Regional Park - 9751 Ox Road, Lorton, VA 22079
Alex Vanegas, (703) 674-7847
Bull Run Marina - 12619 Old Yates Ford Rd., Clifton, VA
20124
John Rothrock, (703) 887-1124
Fountainhead Park - 10875
Hampton Rd., Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Danielle Wynne, (703) 324-5616
Rep. Wittman visits the Bay Program office
On Tuesday, Rep. Rob Wittman from Virginia presented at the quarterly Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee meeting about his bill, the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act. Check out a clip from his presentation here:
After the meeting he visited the Bay Program office to hear some presentations and meet some of our staff. We thank Rep. Wittman for his visit!
Gearing up for the Executive Council meeting
The 2008 Chesapeake Exective Council meeting is just two days away, and agencies throughout the Bay Program partnership are busy finalizing details for this annual event. This year, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, and representatives from Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, West Virginia, the USDA and the Chesapeake Bay Commission will be on hand to review the past year's Bay restoration efforts and set a new agenda for 2009. You can read more details about the meeting at the Bay Program's website.
The meeting will be held at Union Station in Washington and is open to the public from 12:30-3 p.m. We're also planning to have a live webcast of the meeting on our website; stay tuned for that link.
Welcome to the Bay Program blog!
Welcome to the Chesapeake Bay Program's blog, our newest web tool to help you, our web visitors, learn more about the Bay Program and what's going on with the Bay restoration effort.
We've created this blog to give you unique insight into the science, policy and events taking place within the Bay Program. You'll hear from the people who work at our Annapolis office and, occasionally, those who work at organizations throughout the Bay Program partnership. In our entries, we'll tell you about what we do and why we've dedicated our careers to helping advance Bay restoration. We'll also highlight places you can visit to experience the Bay and ways you can make a difference in the Bay restoration effort.
We want to hear from you, too. Use the comments feature of this blog to tell us how you are helping the Bay, or ask us questions about what's going on with the Bay. We'll do our best to answer your questions and use your comments to guide future content on the blog and our website.
Thanks for visiting; we're excited to share our new journey into blogging with you!
An afternoon at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center
Alicia Pimental is with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay at the Chesapeake Bay Program communications office.
Yesterday I visited the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC), located in Grasonville on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It's an excellent spot for an afternoon walk, with trails that wind through salt marshes and loblolly pine stands. According to its website, CBEC has four miles of trails, two observation towers and two observation blinds, which are great to take photos from. There's also a one-mile water trail, with canoes and kayaks on-site available to rent (though it was a little too chilly to be out on the water yesterday!).
CBEC is also part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, a network of over 150 sites in Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and New York. Gateways include water trails, parks, wildlife preserves, museums and more. If you're looking for a way to experience the Chesapeake Bay or your local river, the Gateways Network has lots of spots to offer.
CBEC is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. It's about a 20-minute drive from the Bay Bridge and there's a $5 per person admission charge. I hope you're able to go check it out!
A boardwalk through the marsh leads to a small beach area, where terrapins nest and lay eggs each spring.
One of the observation blinds is located on a small pond and offers great photo opportunities.