Developer

The Over Developed                                                                                         Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                               3/13/2009

     Developers strive to improve land for living, sometimes at the cost of the environment. 

Rainwater washes away newly carved land causing extensive sediment loss.  Runoff from the

impermeable road surfaces wash oils, sediments, and other pollutants into nearby creeks and

streams.  We propose storm drains that empty into a man made lake with a filtering system of

plants and rocks.     To control sediment loss and other erosion, developers could leave an area

around a building zone with a strip of grass and other weeds to hold the soil together.  On large

sites, a sediment pond could be created to catch runoff.     In return, we ask for compensation

for the cost of such accommodations.  We also ask that supplies needed to perform the task be

paid for.  However, if desired results are not achieved, all costs will be paid by the developers.

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond

Thoughtful Questions

  From:   tourism and recreation klan - recreation - JWHS(T)                             Ask

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     What is your plan for when the building and land development process is complete? What are

      you going to do about all of these random "ponds" that you have created?

   From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     I agree about creating the storm drains that empty into a man made lake with a filtering

     system of plants and rocks. Although around how much are you willing to spend to improve

     our waters? How do you think we are going to persuade the people of the area to pay for

     having this done? Are you confident that the storm drain idea is going to be successful? If

     not are we going to be able to afford it?

  From:   Awesome - Waterman - NHHS                                                                Statement

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     The manmade lake with a filtering system of plants and rocks doesn't sound like it would be a

      long term solution. It doesn't seem realistic for all building zones to have these manmade

     lakes. And the lake would still be polluting the environment. Plus this solution won’t control

     the polluting in the first place because not all runoff will go there.  

  From:   The Bay Watchers - CBP_Fed - NHHS                                                   Statement

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     I like your ideaas a lot. They are thoughtful and environmentally geared.  However,

     developers cause a large proportion of our problems.  I would suggest that you implement

     rules for your workers to make sure they won't be lazy and not abide by your standards of

     creating sediment ponds or even doing simple things like recycling.  However, I do think it is

      a little much to ask for compensation in the sense that we destroyed the bay and its

     environment, a large part of it by developers.  I think that you should take responsibility for

     problems that you cause and not put the cost on others.  Again though, I love your ideas. You

     are covering a lot of area that needs to be improved. 

       Response    The Over Developed - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      4/4/2009

             Obviously not all runoff will go to the same place, and we never claimed it would. 

             However it would be very helpful by reducing the amount of pollution being leaked

             into streams and rivers.  Pollution is inevitable in building zones but some steps can

             be made to reduce the pollution and that is what we are aiming for.

  From:   Bay Huggers - farmer - JWHS(T)                                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     If this plan does not work do you have a back up plan? If so what is it?

       Response    The Over Developed - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      4/4/2009

             We respect your comments and agree that developers are a major cause of pollution,

             however, development is required.  We would impose new regulations and penalties

             for our workers to insure they abided by the new rules.

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

       I like the idea of storm drains. If the storm drains do not work then what are you going to

     do? Are you willing to pay the money to help improve our water, even if it doesn’t help?

  From:   j. bunnies - local_gov - JWHS(T)                                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     I agree with everything except the small amount of grass and weeds. The environment needs

     more than a small strip to cope with normal habitat life. Also developer could use recycle

     materials that are eco friendly and cost cheaper to maintain

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     I also enjoy their ideas. What rules do you suggest that we provide for our workers to make

     sure they won’t be lazy and not abide by our standards of creating sediment ponds or

     recycling? It’s very hard to get everyone cooperating. What do you think we can do to get

     everyone involved?

       Response    The Over Developed - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      4/4/2009

             Thank you for your suggestions, we agree that our workers should use eco-friendly

             resources in our projects.

  From:   YES! - Youth Environmental Stewards - Other - SCHS                          Ask

                                                                                                                         3/24/2009

     I think you should do all the things needed to keep the run-off to a small amount and use your

      procedures on any size project.  We feel like it is a great plan as long as it is an effective

            method and maintained properly.

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Statement

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     WHEN U SAY "IN RETURN, WE ASK FOR COMPENSATION FOR THE COST OF SUCH

     ACCOMMODATIONS", THE PEOPLE PAYING FOR EVERYTHING WILL ALWAYS END UP

     BEING THE CONSUMERS OF THE PROPERTY.THE DEVELOPERS REALLY DONT PAY FOR

     ANYTHING.

  From:   We Run At Night - farmer - BHS                                                          Ask

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     How are you planning to force all of the developing companies to cooperate with these new

     changes?

  From:   Roy Roy the Water People - Waterman - JWHS(T)                               Statement

                                                                                                                         4/2/2009

     A little strip of grass is not going to stop the runoff from going into the bay. The storm

     drains are good but we need more solutions to the pollution problem.

  From:   j. bunnies - local_gov - JWHS(T)                                                           Statement

                                                                                                                         4/7/2009

     I think this is a great plan. Everything is very well thought out and seems that it could greatly

      improve lifestyles.

  From:   Bay Huggers - farmer - JWHS(T)                                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         4/7/2009

     what if the storm drains doesn’t work? What are you going to do?

Developer

Barefoot Developers                                                                                         Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                               3/13/2009

  As developers, we are important because we are the people who decide what things we do to

the environment and where we put things such as houses, buildings, and farms.  The closer we

put them to water sources the worse off those sources get.  People should be trying to be more

conscientious about the things they do to their land.  They need to learn how to not cut down

and uproot trees because that causes the loose soil to run into the water.  Also putting

pesticides and herbicides should be used less often.  Not all of the chemicals we put on plants

stay on them, so in turn they run off into the water sources.                 

If people find other ways to do certain things they do then they’d cause less pollution.  We plan on using more eco-friendly building and developing methods such as: building healthier homes, reusing materials, and recycling.  We also plan on building riparian forest buffers that will benefit both the future homeowners and the steams and the bay.

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond

Thoughtful Questions

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     Clearly as developers we play an important part in the environment. We get most of our

     money when we develop near water sources because humans and other life need water. Our

     problem is how to keep the waters clean. What do you think people should do differently so

     they won't cause pollution? You were saying how us humans use pesticides and herbicides on

     our plants. We also remove trees that don't fit into our senery. What do you think we can do

     to persuade people that doing such things are hurting our environment and persuade them to

     stop?

  From:   Bay Huggers - farmer - JWHS(T)                                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     You have good insight on your contribution to the bay, but you still have a long way to go. You

      still are vague on how exactly you will “Save the Bay”. While you said you will recycle and

     use more eco-friendly materials, what does this include?

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Statement

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     You say the people use chemicals on ours plants and doing other things that hurt our

     environment. Though out your pov you didn’t tell the people what we can do to help stop it but

      still use chemicals that are need to get the job done.

  From:   Roy Roy the Water People - Waterman - JWHS(T)                               Statement

                                                                                                                         3/26/2009

     You don't decide where you put the homes or buildings you build. If you cut down trees, we

     won't have any oxygen. You all are the ones thta cut down the trees to build the houses.

     Organic farming is the answer for using pesticides. At least you have a plan for keeping

            some things "green".

  From:   We Run At Night - farmer - BHS                                                          Ask

                                                                                                                         4/1/2009

     How are you planning on forcing all of the developing compainies to switch to the more eco-

     friendly materials? They will probably cost more money, and might be harder to mantain.

     Also, please take into consideration our economic crisis.

Developer

Syce Me Some Land Developers                                                              Gonzaga College H.S.

                                                                                                                               3/15/2009

The common view that building houses has devastating effects on the environment may have POV:

been true in the past, but this is not the case anymore with modern advancements in thought and

 technology.  One large issue is reducing runoff of topsoil during construction, and proper

planning is the simple key to solving this problem.  This can easily be reduced by leaving plenty

of vegetation around the construction site, which will greatly reduce erosion.  Proper planning

also means avoiding construction on steep hills and slopes, as it is much more difficult to stop

erosion on these terrains.  There are also many controls that can be put in place to stop this

problem during construction.  One such control is land grading, which is the reshaping of

ground surfaces prior to construction to provide a more suitable topography, and is good for

reducing steep slopes and providing more stability in planning post-construction runoff

management (it is also not very expensive to implement).  Another control involves requiring

entrances to construction sites to use substances that absorb water better like gravel.  A third

control involves creating water channels and ponds to collect runoff from the construction

site.  Yet another control is to take any open areas in the site and to use space seeding and

mulching to increase absorption in the area.  Finally there are more simple controls, like

requiring silt fences to surround sites, and also using storm inlet protection around sites.  The

runoff controls can greatly reduce a problem which has soiled the public’s image of developing

companies.  We also plan to build homes and building according to a much higher standard of

energy efficiency and much lower environmental impacts.  Advancements have gotten us to the

point where we have the ability to reduce our impact and protect our surrounding environment,

even during construction.

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond

Thoughtful Questions

  From:   YES! - Youth Environmental Stewards - Other - SCHS                          Ask

                                                                                                                         3/24/2009

     Our group says YES! to your idea. We feel that reducing erosion will help the bay in many

     ways.

  From:   Da ottonos - local_gov - JWHS(T)                                                          Statement

                                                                                                                         3/24/2009

     Thank you for showing that you as developers can be environmentally friendly. You show

     that even as we progress and develop greater and better homes, we can still preserve the

     environment. With enough government funding, we can see if it works.

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Statement

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     I agree with you completely. When construction sites are building, the first thing that should

      be done is to think of ways to keep the work in a small area so you don’t harm the

     surrounding environment.

Developer

The Rainbow Bunch                                                                        James Wood H.S.- Takarsh

                                                                                                                               3/17/2009

     As a developer we need the land near watersheds to build on property that people will want to buy. However, we still need to keep the watershed clean in order to attract people to buy the

property. To keep the water clean we are willing to plant grass buffers, and trees along the

water in areas where we will develop. We also want to improve the quality of waste

management in the area. The taxes the people will pay to live in their houses we develop will go

directly to the government to help clean up watersheds, this way it cost neither group a large

amount.

     People want development because it provides them with houses, restaurants, and stores. The

population is growing every day, so more development is a necessity. If we develop more this

will create more jobs which will put more money into our falling economy.

     If we do our part to keep the water clean then the watermen will have more fish to choose

from, and the farms will have a better water source for their crops and livestock. The

community will also benefit from having cleaner water and better living conditions. More

people will want to move to the area because of the quality of the water, and all those people

will want to do their part to keep the water the way it is.

     If we don’t succeed in providing cleaner water around our developed land only a few would

loose their jobs, and we would loose some money but not enough to do permanent damage. The

people would not loose any money either. If this plan doesn’t work we will create other

solutions to the problem. We are determined to keep the watersheds clean.

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond

Thoughtful Questions

  From:   j. bunnies - local_gov - JWHS(T)                                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     Keeping the water clean is a great idea! Along the way you all can use recyclable material

     that doesn’t harm the land.

  From:   YES! - Youth Environmental Stewards - Other - SCHS                          Statement

                                                                                                                         3/24/2009

     Buffers and Trees are great ideas but you need to think about prices. They aren't cheap and

     I don't think you can just pull all that money out of your pocket.

  From:   Turner Ashby Anonymous                                                                          Ask

                                                                                                                         3/27/2009

     How can you ask home owners to give up more of their money for taxes?If you want to

     take some of the money from their taxes to pay for the buffers, then you will also

     force their taxes to be raised because the money from their taxes now is still being used

      by the rest of our government.  How can you say this and then say later that you want

     to help our economy? If you are a big developing company then you can definetly afford

      to come to an agreement with the client and help pay for at least part of the costs.

  From:   Ashby Ecosystem - CB_Ecosystem - TAHS                                             Ask

                                                                                                                         3/27/2009

     Another thing to consider is all the houses sitting around that are empty and there are

     still a bunch of new houses being built. What about all the houses that are sitting around

     with nobody living in them? Shouldn't you wait to build houses until those are full?

  From:   Chuck Norris Construction - developer - TAHS                                      Ask

                                                                                                                         3/27/2009

     The tree buffers are a good idea but your payment ideas are contradicticting the

     statement that you said later in your paper that you want to help improve the economy.

     If you want to help the economy, how can you ask your clients to pay even more money

     through taxes? The idea that you will take the costs out of taxes will cause everyones

     taxes to rise because the taxes they pay now are going to other things, and you can't

     just take that money.

       Response    The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)

                                                                                                                      4/16/2009

             We thinks that paying some taxes should not be too much of a problem for the

             homeowners. We think that everyone should do their part and if other groups are

             willing to pay a few taxes to clean up the bay so should the homeowners.

Developer

No Means No!!! :]                                                                                             Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                               3/18/2009

We are the devolpers. The reasons why we are important are we help you devolp your land

properly. Places to shop, eat, live, and their are tonsto work. Developers have many problems

that they face while on the job. The goverment keep pressing new laws on the developers.This

means we have to spend more money. Our goal as developers is to make sure that things are

done right. We are all for the laws, but when we have to pay an arm and leg for the laws. We

will cut coners in some areas.

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond

Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Bass Assassians - Waterman - JWHS(T)                                                Ask

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     You have a good point we do need you to some point, But if we didn't have so much of you we

      wouldn't have all of this pollution in the first place. You build the large plants that spits out

     the horriable pollutions. So how do you plan to make a greener communities?

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      3/23/2009

             did you ever think that maby we didn,t want to biuld the plants that spits out horrible

             pollutions. we are only the developers. we have to do what the big man tells us to do or

              we could losses our jobs. we will consider looking in to this green thing, but

             remember that money dosnt grow on tress. so we have to do this a little at a time.

  From:   Bay Huggers - farmer - JWHS(T)                                                           Statement

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     You bring up Interesting and also Obvious points about developers, yet you have said nothing

      about how you, as developers, will help save the bay from this sediment and excess runoff. I

      agree that developers help the community but what happens when you take the animals

     environment, Build on the farms that feed us, and let the gasses from your trucks and cranes

     pollute our bay. The reason so many restrictions are put on you is because you cannot do

     things right the first time, and if you try to cut corners you will be hurting the bay even

     more. You should try a new outlook and see beyond your own pleasures and see how man

     people and animals you are really hurting.

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      3/23/2009

             as we stated before. we would do more but we have to pay an arm and an leg for

             everything. with the little money we have left we can plant trees around the rivers

             and steams. we feel that if we didnt have to pay so much for theses laws then e could

             do much more for the bay. we dont want to have to cut corners but when we pay so

             much for the laws we sometimes have to. i mean we are all for the save the world

             crap, but we sould be able ro find a cheaper way to  do it. money dosnt grow on trees.

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      3/23/2009

             where do you get off telling us that we need to be better when we are providing

             places for people to live. i dont see you out there on the line to biuld a plce for people

              to live, work ,and shop.

  From:   Awesome - Waterman - NHHS                                                                Ask

                                                                                                                         3/19/2009

     Make sure what is done right?  The government making new laws will help. However, what is

     a solution that you can make as developers to help. You aren't proposing anything. 

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      3/23/2009

             maybe if the government would back off with the laws and people start acting smart.

             that bays wouldnt be like that. and may i point out that everyone eats meat so it

             doesnt matter about protecting the animals until it gets to the point where they are on

              the endangered species list.every person on this planet is selfish incuding you too.

             so every person has a right to their own pleasures within the limit. building homes and

              farms put a roof over their heads and food in ALOT of peoples bellies so if you have

              to cut corners so be it. and for large plants make giant filters to filter through the

             air making the polutted air less polutted. As for the new laws they will tie us down

             even more and leave us broke with no way to help. we need to scrap all the laws on it

             and rebuild from scratch. make it illegal for people to put waste in rivers bays and

             other water places, make it to where they have only a limited amount of pollution they

              can put out and make sure they do so. if they have to supply places to put the waste

             then so be it. if the government has to pay for air filters for the big plant places and

             air polluting things then so be it. it has to start with starting all over bottom up cause

             if we try to build top down it will collapse on us again and it will not work.

  From:   tourism and recreation klan - recreation - JWHS(T)                             Statement

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     I don't think you realize it, but us in tourism and recreation play a big role in a developer's

     success. We bring in tons of people that may not be familiar with the area, and show them

     how awesome the watershed is. This makes people interested in the area and making them

     more likely to buy land to build a house or just for vacation, therefore bringing the

     developers a lot of business.

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      4/6/2009

             keeping us away from the river might help but in the end the jobs that are needed by

             the river will neaver get done. so what do you plan to do with that. are you going to do

              thoses jobs your self.

  From:   Bass Assassians - Waterman - JWHS(T)                                                Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     1.You really should check your spelling and grammar thoroughly next time.2.You bring up a

     valid point but not an ethically correct one, cutting corners is never the way to go in life it

     only leads to more corners that need to be cut and a negative lifestyle.3.There is also no

     plan in your POV to help all the other occupations clean up the bay which is the sole purpose

     of us gathering on here.

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      3/27/2009

             the corners we have to cut is the ones that have less damage attached to it. the

             laws we need to slash are the ones that hold us back from putting our whole

             hearted effort into it.

             p.s.

             1.You really should check your spelling and grammar thoroughly next time. uh

             some of us aren't that good in spelling and grammar if you know what the word is

              then its all good

             back on the subject now.

             you ask?

              You say you are for law but will cut some corners. Some when you do cut some

             corners, what corners are you going to pay less or more attention to?

              the one we need to pay attention to are the ones that dont hurt the environment

             more and the ones that do. we have to be careful when we cut corners. the ones

             that we can cut are the ones with less consecquiences and actually help in the

             long run. its like skipping a grade it may hurt you or help you but if your smart

             enough it will help.

             We would like to know what you are proposing to do to help the bay?  Right now

             you are putting the blame on the government and stating things.

             well what we are proposing is not letting anyone put or empty anything into any

             water system, take down the laws the GOVERNMENT has and rebuild the laws to

              where they are going to keep pollution out of the bays, rivers, streams, lakes,

             ponds, and other places including the ocean.

             people please for heavens earths and animals sakes taking down the laws

             rebuilding them and preventing people from polluting in water system we wouldn't

              have this problem anymore.

  From:   tourism and recreation klan - recreation - JWHS(T)                             Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     "We are all for the laws, but when we have to pay an arm and leg for the laws. We will cut

     corners in some areas." In a response to our POV statement you mentioned that we

     "obviously had no concern for laws....and was trying to cut corners." We never mentioned in

     our POV about cutting corners or complaining about laws that are in effect. It sounds to us

     like you're replying to your own post.

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     You say you are for law but will cut some corners. Some when you do cut some corners, what

     corners are you going to pay less or more attention to?

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     I’m pretty sure they are talking about us developers developing correctly. I really dont agree

      with the government making laws will help us. There are millions of people that don’t obey all

      the laws made by the government now so what makes you think they will obey these new laws.

  From:   Barefoot Developers - developer - HHS                                                  Ask

                                                                                                                         3/23/2009

     We would like to know what you are proposing to do to help the bay?  Right now you are

     putting the blame on the government and stating things.

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      3/27/2009

             as devolopers you should under stand what we are going through. we want to help

             the bay by useing special sponges in the swewers were we are located at in the

             sewers. they will cheatch all the dirt and filth and put out clean pure water.

  From:   Ashby Ecosystem - CB_Ecosystem - TAHS                                             Ask

                                                                                                                         3/27/2009

     if you cut corners to save money how do you know if that will harm the enviroment

  From:   Chuck Norris Construction - developer - TAHS                                      Ask

                                                                                                                         3/27/2009

     What do you plan on doing to help the environment?  All you talked about was who you

     are and you blamed the government.  Where is any proof that it is the governments fault

      that developers cause pollution on their developments? Why are you going to cut

     corners?  All this will do is produce more pollution.  I recommend that you stop bashing

     people that comment on you POV and rethink what you originally wrote.

  From:   Fergerson's Construstion Company - developer - RvrHS                          Statement

                                                                                                                         3/27/2009

     Where do you get off, are you an actual developer because if you were, you would be

     required to follow these laws and probably wouldn't be cutting corners.  Do your

     research.

  From:   Bay Huggers - farmer - JWHS(T)                                                           Statement

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     Hey back again, So now do you still believe that cutting corners and being greedy is going to

     get you far in your career? Well as developers you guys make more money then all of us

     farmers combined yet somehow we can still afford to make changes to keep the bay that

     supports us clean. With all the comments you still have not even said any way you can help

     the bay yet, that’s sad. As for it costing “an arm and a leg” to go green, that’s False. Going

     green is some simple things recycling, using only renewable resources and so on. Which

     would really save you money too, with such a negative attitude on Going green and believing

     in cutting corners in order to succeed in life you should have your developing license

     revoked and the properties you have built be looked at by a true professional to see if they

     were built the right way or if you “cut corners”. Also how can you compare smart kids

     skipping a grade to you the developers who cut corners, that’s a oxymoron. Government is

     here to guide you not work against you, although sometimes it may feel like that they set

     those restrictions and rules on us so that it will better us as citizens.Good luck with future

     business. Ps. If you would of written as much as you have responded you wouldn’t be getting

      slammed like this, try a little harder on your POV (Point Of View) next time.

  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     When you say the govt. is pressing new laws on developers, and this causes the developers to

      spend more money, why would the developers have to spend more money when the govt.

     should be the ones paying for all of the environmental problems? Our taxes should be paying

     for the clean up. If you really think about it, the developers won’t be the ones paying for

     everything. The developers will be passing on all of the costs to the consumer of the

     property. The consumer will be the ones to fork out all the money to pay off the developers.

  From:   Barefoot Developers - developer - HHS                                                  Statement

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     Well your idea about the sponges is well interesting but we don't see how sponges are going

     to do anything more than stop the water from flowing through. The sponges are just going to

     absorb the water but not stop the dirt.

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      4/3/2009

             if you have ever watched a sponge you would know that when lage amounts of water

             is put into the sponge it loses water on its own. now i saw a dacument on this subject

             and was able to see this in action. so i can say that this works. when the dirty water

             goses through the sponge it comes  out clean on the other end of the sponge.

  From:   Administration of Stream Sweeping - farmer - BHS                              Ask

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     There are many ways to help. How is a way that you can actually help the environment?

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      4/3/2009

             you say"The sponges are just going to absorb the water but not stop the dirt. that is

             exactly the opposite of what they do they let the water slowly through since its is

             filtering out the dirt and is capturing the dirt not letting dirt through.

  From:   tourism and recreation klan - recreation - JWHS(T)                             Ask

                                                                                                                         4/1/2009

     how will cutting corners in some areas help the bay at all? and its because of all these shops

     and places to eat that are causing polution in the area as well.  if you guys explained more

     about your plan instead of a couple sentences you wouldnt have been swamped with

     comments

  From:   The Weasels ... Forestry Worker- Other - BHS                                   Ask

                                                                                                                         4/1/2009

     How do you plan to implement this in the already failing economy?

       Response    No Means No!!! :] - developer - HHS

                                                                                                                      4/3/2009

             well since our economy is failing the ones we have to rely on helping are those

             concerned and able to help out and volunteer.

  From:   tourism and recreation klan - recreation - JWHS(T)                             Statement

                                                                                                                         4/3/2009

     Those are all good points, but in my opinion you should worry about keeping developers away

     from the river

Developer

Fergerson's Construstion Company                                                                   Riverheads H.S.

                                                                                                                               3/20/2009

Dear local community,

       As a local construction worker and supervisor, my company has faced many environmental

issues and controversies over the last few weeks.  We have been unjustly accused of not being

environmentally friendly and our recent project of building the new mall in town has been

delayed from protests and lawsuits about building by a nearby stream.  I am here to say that I

personally believe that the conservation of our land is very important and I stress this point at

every work site we are at.  I feel that these misunderstandings are unfounded and are

disrespectful to and underestimate my crew and workers.  While there are ways that we all can

improve how we react with our environment, this construction company is doing everything in

its power to conserve the beautiful area in which we live.

       Before we start a project there is a great amount of research that is done before we even

agree to begin building.  If we and our staff believe that the site is environmentally sound

enough to support the building we will begin, but not without precautions.  Any of the excess

sediments that occur while building can severely damage a water ecosystem by exposing it to

excess erosion and in the event of a heavy rain these sediments could easily bury a stream. 

Our company always uses sediment ponds at every site to prevent runoff and capture excess

sediments.  We also leave the ponds after we complete the project to control the flow of the

water from parking lots and roads.  In areas where we are not working we plant grass to

prevent the erosion of sediments and other pollutants into the stream.  Because of the delay on

our project we have planted grass on any exposed sediments to prevent them from eroding

while we are not allowed to work.  Our company monitors any and all spills from a chemical that

is being used and cleans it up as effectively as possible.  We know that any chemicals or

fertilizers that wash into the stream will cause a harmful effect on the habitat.  By using

environmentally friendly chemicals and materials we have helped to prevent a negative effect

on the environment.

       We are taking out a lot of trees which are natural barriers to keep sedimentation out of

the rivers and streams. While we cut wood to put in the houses the saw dust flies into the water

and this will start polluting the river. I want to try and build houses to help the environment;

like having hot water heaters that only run when you use them and building houses in already

open areas to cut back on how many trees we are cutting down. I do not know how we are

supposed to do it when we are limited on the amount of money we have to use, everyone would

take a massive pay cut in order to keep all the sedimentation down. I would like to keep the

environment clean because it may not affect me but it will affect my children and their

children. If the environment is bad things will increase in cost because the abundance is less.

If the abundance is less then we will have to stop building houses because the things we cut

down will be going extinct, which will cause people to lose jobs. So in all perspective the

environment will control the jobs we get and the money we make. My job will affect everyone

because if I can’t build houses people will not have a place to live and if I can’t build houses I

cannot make money to support my family. So if we don’t do something to help the environment

then how can we live in harmony?
 

       Sincerely,  Fergerson’s  Construction Company

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Developer

We're Here To Build It Up!                                                                 Jefferson H.S.-Picard

                                                                                                                               3/26/2009

     Land Developers face a predicament in their line of work.  They are pressured to build

bigger and better buildings on larger plots of land, but when they develop land they are hassled

for causing erosion and pollution.  Developers can not be completely blamed for building and

causing issues for the watershed and bay, however they can do some more things to help toward

 the effort in preserving the area.

     Developers are doing more everyday to prevent causing harm to the environment.  They

leave plants and trees around to prevent erosion.  During times of construction the sites are

surrounded with artificial buffers to keep sediment from running off.  Builders make an

effort to cut back on impervious materials like concrete as another way to prevent runoff.

     The land that makes up the Chesapeake water shed is desirable to buyers, because the

scenery is very attractive.  Developers can make a lot of money developing land that is in high

demand, so even though developing is harmful it isn’t going to stop.  Developers understand that

 developing land in the past has proved to have negative affects on the water shed, and they

are taking all the necessary measures to fix the damage that has been done.

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  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     I agree that us developers are trying to change the way of doing things to help our water

     system. How long do you think it is going to take us to accomplish this? Do you think we are

     going to lose any business or money by doing this?

  From:   Administration of Stream Sweeping - farmer - BHS                              Ask

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     Even though it is more profitable to build up around the bay, wouldn't it still be profitable to

     build in other areas which won't cause as much harm to the bay?

Developer

KillC                                                                                                       Jefferson H.S.-Picard

                                                                                                                               3/26/2009

The water quality of the bay directly impacts each and every one of us.  It is a main source of

not only our drinking water, but also most recreation.  A lot of money is made from the bay, so

we need to start putting more money into methods of conserving the water. Developing goes

hand in hand with tourism and recreation because if one fails, the other surely will as well.

Developers need recreation to be successful in order to continue developing. The more

successful the tourism, the more us developers will be able to develop.  The quality of the water

 has been progressively worsening over the years, and we, as developers, are also partly at

fault for this.  This is why we want to propose a change. Sediment and nutrients are the main

sources of pollution and we plan on greatly reducing the amounts that run off into the bay and

rivers.

  As developers, it is in our best interest to place different developments such as houses,

commercial units,  and buildings near water sources.  However, this has had a negative impact

on the environment over the years.  The environment is a very high priority and we would like

to do what we can to save it, while also continuing to develop successfully.  We would like to

have more environmentally friendly construction sites.  We want workers to become more

aware of the problems we are facing, and able to work more efficiently.  We would also like to

promote the use of biodegradable material in order to cut back on the amount of damage done

by construction.

This day in age, we are surrounded by so much technology.  We want to use this technology and

incorporate it in homes and businesses to make both more energy efficient.  This may make the

cost of homes go up, but it will save the homeowner massive amounts of money in the long run,

while also helping the environment.  The more we are able to develop, the more jobs will become

 available.  We would like to make sure that homes have healthy grass without using

unnecessary fertilizer.  We would be willing to make sure there are more gardens and fewer

houses for the sake of the economy.

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  From:   The Rainbow Bunch - developer - JWHS(T)                                           Ask

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     Your wanting to put more money into keeping our water source clean, but how are we going

            to make the money to do that? How much do you think it is going to cost us?

  From:   Administration of Stream Sweeping - farmer - BHS                              Ask

                                                                                                                         4/1/2009

     The economy is in a bad time right now and money isn't easy to come by how do you suggest

            getting the money?

Developer

The Fast Developers of the World                                             James Wood H.S.- McDonald

                                                                                                                               3/26/2009

Development itself is not necessarily harmful to the Chesapeake Bay; it is the way we develop

the land-where we locate new roads and buildings and how we build them- that can have a

lasting negative impact on our natural environment.

  In the industry of developing people build many things that help the people in the world. The

developers have created new material that looks out for the people’s future. The developer can

be a problem or a helper. Developers can change many ways they build in the world. The

developers can change the way they use technology, change the ecosystem they affected and

build only smaller necessary buildings people need. Our government can also help to make

healthy standards.       

The developers could also use different things in commercial building. One thing they could

add more of is storm drains. The developers have also created parking lot revetments. Theses

storm drains would be added in commercial building like malls, big time stores and city streets.

Adding the storm drains would help with the non-point pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. It will

also help at making the cities, roads and parking lots a lot cleaner and looking better. The only

problem with adding these storm drains is that they would have to be checked monthly to keep

them working properly.

The developers have used many good techniques that help the economy and ecosystem. Many

developers have after making any buildings replanted anything they removed. Most of the

developers help the lands by placing more trees and grass on bare soil. The only problem with

this is that we need every developer to contribute in planting trees and grass on the newly built

on land. To make all the developers participate in this we need to add a hefty fine on the

developers that don’t plant trees and grass on the land they built on. The way to add this hefty

fine is by adding a bill to developing. They could participate in either planting the grasses and

trees themselves or they could hire other people to do it for them.

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  From:   The Fast Developers of the World - developer - JWHS(M)                  Ask

                                                                                                                         3/31/2009

     How would you improve on planting more plants. People still don't plant many plants back in

     the area they are working on. We also think that you need more ways to improve the

     developers or ways thet they improve.

Developer

Chuck Norris Construction                                                                          Turner-Ashby H.S.

                                                                                                                               3/27/2009

We are representing the developers from Turner Ashby High School and here is our take POV:

on developer’s impact on the Chesapeake Bay.  Developers do contribute to the pollution in

the Bay but they are not the main culprit in contributing pollution. 

    We do realize that we are causing a good bit of sediment run off but that can be easily

prevented with the proper precautions.  We feel that a sediment fence should be

mandatory if any top soil is exposed. Sediment fences shouldn’t be a problem because they

are relatively easy to install and cheap to buy or make.  Some developers remove all the

cover crops on the land area, and that is a pointless and costly process.  We feel as though

a developer should only remove the cover crop on the land where they plan on digging down

to make the foundation or roadway. 

    Some of the problems for developers also come from the engineers and architects in

the planning process.  The developers are paid to follow the instructions of the design. So,

if the engineer doesn’t grade the land for the best possible run off prevention, then the

developer has to follow that plan, and can’t help the amount of run off from the

development.  Better communication between the designer and the developer would help to

prevent poorly designed projects.  This, in turn would reduce the impact of developments

on the environment.

The cost for these simple solutions won’t amount to too much, so we feel as though the

client and the developer should come to an agreement on who pays for these processes.

    We realize that this would not solve all the problems that come from developments, but

this is a good start towards a cleaner and healthier Bay.

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  From:   Flower Children - Other - BHS                                                               Ask

                                                                                                                         3/30/2009

     How would you enforce you ideas?  Unfortunately, there are many developers that would

     find their way around the law for the sake of cost efficiency.

Developer

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