SCE Forum 2009 Local Government

Comments to All Local Government

From: Crabby Patties - CB_Ecosystem - JWHS(F) Ask

3/31/2009

If we are crabs how do you suggest that we talk to people? Unless you as the government

plan on making technology to understand what we say, we have no chance of telling people to

be eco-friendly.

From: Grim Farms Inc. - farmer - JWHS(F) Ask

4/2/2009

The government keeps saying that we need to be more organic and use less pesticides. What

you fail to relize in a larger scale is how much money that would really cost. if we go more

organic and spend more money and if we don't produce all the products that we need, then we

can lose hundreds of dollars and that will cause us to lose our jobs, and cause you to lose

food and milk. If food and milk are in a limit supply then the prices will go up and the

average joe will be to poor to aford what he needs for his family to survie. We will be more

willing to try new things if the government would be willing to help us out financually.

Thanks

From: Grim Farms Inc. - farmer - JWHS(F) Ask

3/31/2009

instead of criticizing what we arent doing as farmers give us some helpful advice. you need

to realize that money is a big issue to us as farmers and in order to effectivley implant

BMP's we need the money. who better to provide the money that YOU....the local gov't

Local Government

Golden Streams Riverheads H.S.

3/16/2009

As a member of the local government, I know that streams and bodies of water are a big issue. Certain factors like floods, farms, and industries are what make this such a problem. The runoffs that come from these factors make it very hard for the government to step in. If a farm or an industry has a body of water around them they should also help keep it clean by putting fences around it to protect from animal waste or deadly chemicals. Pollution is a big issue that everyone needs to help stop. Streams are little bodies of water that eventually end up into a larger body of water. So what we do to the water now affects the plants and animal life in the stream itself and the larger body of water. Floods are natural disasters that happen from rain and snow that melt into streams and rivers. If acid rain occurs it can kill the life in the water and also some on land. The government has raised money to help start programs to help with the unnecessary outcomes of these problems. The truth is there is only so much that the government can do. That's where you come in; putting money in could help out tremendously. You don't have to help every waterway you see harmed but putting money into one maybe in your town or neighborhood can help. The natural waterways that our in towns and around our homes have to be protected, doing that can help with a better environment. If you are a farmer I seriously doubt that you want your animals becoming sick due to them drinking water that contains diseases that you could have stopped. If you are a homeowner, having dirty contaminated water in your lawn is not attractive. If you are a developer this could affect how much business you receive in that area. So making sure that things are taken care of is a big help in the for you as well as everything else.

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Thoughtful Questions

From: Catch o' the Bay - CB_Ecosystem - HHS Ask

3/18/2009

Seeing as you all are members of the government it is well known that you face many

troubles in your chosen job. While reading your POV statement it came to our attention

that you failed to mention the effect the problems were having on the bay ecosystem.

What is your standing on the ecosystem troubles and what solutions do you, as members

of the government, think could improve the state of the ecosystem?

From: Captain Planet. He's Our Hero. - farmer - GCHS Ask

3/19/2009

As a prelinary point, I just want to say fantastic name. Well done. Now, basic econmoic

policy shows that the marginal social cost of an action exceeds the marginal personal cost,

then the individual will perform that actrion. Clearly, this is closely tied to the situation in

the Bay. How would governments approach this problem from an economic standpoint?

Golden Streams 03-19-2009

From: The Black Panthers - farmer - JWHS(T) Statement

3/20/2009

We request a grant to build buffer zones. We aren't rich.

From: Aquaphobiacs - local_gov - JHS(P) Statement

3/26/2009

Just to clarify, in your POV, you mentioned putting up fences to block the flow of pollution.

Fences would not do anything, the water and pollutants would flow right through. What you

would need would be the buffer zones made of tall grass or trees.

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

4/7/2009

Do you really think that a fence would help? You need to grow trees and use grass buffers.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

team domintation Gonzaga College H.S.

3/16/2009

The local government has many priorities that can only be fulfilled with the people's help.

We control the outspread of money to smaller organizations that can help maintain a

healthy environment and prevent danger from striking. The local government can protect

the Bay and clean up dangerous pollutants gathering by distributing money to local agencies

that are specialized in cleaning up the Cheasapeake. The local government also provides

money to sewage treatment plants and water purification systems that provide individuals

with clean water and a healthy environment for you and your children to live happily. With

your help we can form organizations devoted in cleaning up the Potomac River, the

Anacostia River, and the Cheasapeake Bay. The local government not only wants to help our

environment, but also the American people.

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Thoughtful Questions

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

3/19/2009

This is a very good point. I understand how you the goverment can help regulate the money

spent but how will you spend our tax dollars to help save the bay. We the people will help you

choose but what are your ideas on how we can all save the bay?

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

3/19/2009

Where is the local going to the money to dstribute to local agencies? By taxing more people?

I dont think that people are going to be willing to pay any more taxes then they have to at

this time.

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

3/23/2009

If the government does give you the money you need and people do join your organization,

then you will have everything you said you will need to fix the problems. You may get what

you need to fix the problems, but what are you going to do to fix the problems? Give us some

ideas.

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

3/23/2009

The government is helpful but we also need to look at everything through a eco-friendly

point of view. We could use recyclable materials which can be an abundant resource. They

can cost much cheaper, easier to maintain, and we wouldn’t have to relie on the government

for funds.

From: Charlie's Critters - Other - JWHS(T) Statement

3/24/2009

i understand that you are helping the bay area but since you are using thepeoples money you

should ask them how they want their money spent,because maybe they dont like your plans

for the bay.

From: The Black Panthers - farmer - JWHS(T) Statement

3/24/2009

we need money more than ideas. with out government grants all that money that goes into

buffer zones comes out of our pockets. If we don't have money to buy seeds, you don't eat.

Sorry but thats the way it is.

From: Charlie's Critters - Other - JWHS(T) Ask

3/24/2009

why dont you think about recycleing? it would be a lot cheaper! But other than that your

point of view is very good.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

The Enforcers Gonzaga College H.S.

3/16/2009

The local government is what makes everything run. Our legislature and committees decide

the major decisions on the Chesapeake Bay, and our choices affect the homeowners,

farmers, developers, watermen, and the tourism industry of the area. The whole Bay area

and even the ecosystem rely on our decisions, and we can sometimes not make the best

ones. We take the brunt of the criticism and blame from the other groups for our efforts,

or lack thereof, towards the Bay’s problems. Many of the members of our government

make their decisions based on the likelihood of running for re-election, so their choices do

not always have the Bay first and foremost. We try to follow the majority of the public’s

opinions on what to do with the Bay to better our public perception, rather than do what is

truly best for the Chesapeake Bay. We are bombarded from all angles, homeowners and

tourists seeking aesthetic beauty and recreation from the bay, and then developers and

farmers trying to utilize the Bay and build up around it, which is not always in the best

interest of the Bay. If solutions are not found primarily from our group, we will be voted

out of office when elections rolls around, and we will disappear. Cleaning up the Bay would

likely benefit us in our quest for re-election and increase our public perception in the

process. The solutions need to be advertised by our government to allow us to prosper, but

a less critical public, where our decisions don’t make the difference in our re-election would

make us much more willing to participate. Our group is the most all-inclusive sector,

besides the State/Federal Government, and our decisions decide whether we will be here

next year or not.

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Thoughtful Questions

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

3/19/2009

You mentioned that the local government has a very important role in the health of the bay,

and I agree. However, the politicians are not the ones out on the water depending on it for a

source of income. As you said many politicians have their next term in office in mind rather

than making the best decision. Do you think that the big decisions concerning the bay should

be given to a group with more interest in the matter, so that we don't have people with

special interests making the wrong decisions?

Response The Enforcers - local_gov - GCHS

4/5/2009

The government's job is to make decisions in the best interest of the most people.

Everybody has their own special interest based off of how they are involved.

Unfortunately, everyone has their own bias, but the government needs to see through

these and do what is necessary to save the Bay.

Response The Enforcers - local_gov - GCHS

4/1/2009

The local government is representative of all the people who have interests in the

Bay. It is important for the local government to voice the opinion of all those

involved, and especially those who are the most affected, such as the waterman.

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

3/30/2009

I think your group made a really good point with cleaning the bay purifying the water and

making the bay clean for the marine life.

From: Flower Children - Other - BHS Ask

3/31/2009

Your group made some really good points. I believe that the cleaning of the Bay should

come first and foremost. What do you think could be done to get the public citizens

excited about countering pollution? If everyone works together, something could be

done.

Response The Enforcers - local_gov - GCHS

4/5/2009

We can get people more excited about conservation by making people more aware of

the problems through ads and commercials. Also, the government can put in a rewards

system, like tax breaks, to entice people to contribute.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

Da ottonos James Wood H.S.- Takarsh

3/18/2009

The local government plays a big role in trying to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Restoring the Chesapeake Bay will require more than just money; it will require the participation of willing people who are up to the challenge. For the people, the question is,” Is the government willing to support our plan of cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, financially?” It’s up to the government. First of all we need to find a way to restore the water quality for the Chesapeake Bay by 2010; it’s the government’s main goal right now. A lot of people believe that the deadline is beyond the 2010 mark. Our first step to help restore the water quality is to remove over 90 million pounds worth of nitrogen pollution. 71 million pounds of it have already been removed. Some say the possibility of doing this by the end of 2010 is unlikely. The local government has to make stricter policies on water quality by convincing the national to help them out.Another way for the governments to help out is by building a community consensus that makes it easier to pass bay friendly laws and ordinances. One way is to find different individuals of the community and find different viewpoints of different groups people, with the local government being leaders of the group. By discussing different viewpoints and different ideas, there can be ways that are politically, cheaply, and

environmentally safe ways to come up with laws that benefit the farmers and the people and

save the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.

One law that can be passed is to find a way to use as little fertilizer as possible or a different type of fertilizer that keeps pollution from going up to high, but is still able to grow crops and make food for the people. Another law is to find a way to use a different source of energy for factories that doesn’t pollute the air and water in the Chesapeake Bay area and the areas surrounding it. another possibility is to find a biodegradable chemical that doesn’t harm the environment, but at the same time helps farmers and factories stay profitable. As I mentioned earlier, most of the effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay is going to come from the people who are willing to volunteer to the help and farmers who are willing to loose some rights as farmers in order to contribute for the cleaning of the Chesapeake Bay. The government is there to enforce the laws and help with the

financial support.

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Thoughtful Questions

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

3/20/2009

What types of fertilizers can be used that do not cause pollution to the Chesapeake Bay?

From: Grim Farms Inc. - farmer - JWHS(F) Statement

3/24/2009

Yes this does require the participation of other people, but the money issue is the biggest

reason why more people don't join in. More farmers and fishermen would join in. The fact is

that the fertilizers that are organic do cost more than we can spend. If a law is passed on

fertilizers then we would lose money and in time lose our farms and thats less food for the

people. If the government would help us pay for the stuff we all would be more willing to join

in.

From: Night Lights Gas Co. - Other - BHS Statement

3/30/2009

I agree with you and believe that the government needs to help out with this issue, but my

only concern is that the government cannot make anybody do anything. They can make laws

and regulations, but in the long run it will be up to the people to decided what happens to the

chesapeake bay and let's all hope they pick the right choice. Great paper by the way.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

j. bunnies James Wood H.S.- Takarsh

3/19/2009

As the government we play a big role in trying to keep the pollution out of the Chesapeake

Bay area. We have certain restrictions on what we can and can not do. Our society needs to

help to administer the laws that we fabricate. Some of the laws the government produced were,

1) To tax the builders an extra 2% and use the revenue for environmental clean up.

2) If you live near a construction site you must volunteer to plant the grass buffers and

trees to earn 1% of the profit for your community.

3) Everyone has to recycle in the community the money from the recycling will go towards

paying for the grass buffers and trees, that will be planted at the construction sites by the

community.

The Builders have to obey these laws,

4) Builders must build approximately 500 feet away from the river.

5) Builders must put up silt fences during construction work so that the soil won’t run off

into the water shed.

6) Builders must use recyclable material to build the houses.

Obeying these laws will benefit the community and the environment around you, were only

trying to boost the economy. These rules were thought through carefully and were set to help

out local wildlife.

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Thoughtful Questions

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

3/23/2009

i like your ideas however im not sure that you would be able to get total compliance from the

builders.also what does j bunnies mean

From: TA Presidential Bay Group - local_gov - TAHS Ask

3/27/2009

Is it realistic to make everybody recycle and then give the money to the government? Is

it also realistic to have all houses made out of recyclable materials?

Response j. bunnies - local_gov - JWHS(T)

4/16/2009

We believe that by giving the money to the government they could use it more so than

the public. The government could take the money from us recycling and put it to use

by making new organizations and committies. Also in our opinion it would be a very

smart idea to build with recycled materials such as Trex,Tyvec,and other materials

that have also been in use for house building for many years. These ideas will work in

conjunction to better our communities and way of life.

From: The Enforcers - local_gov - GCHS Ask

4/5/2009

You have a lot of creative points on how to hault nearby soil from eroding into the Bay. The

only thing that you have not mentioned is how to limit nutrients, nitrogen, and phosphorus

from entering into the Chesapeake from farms. I think you concentrated mostly on the

Chesapeake's direct surroundings instead of the distant watershed.

Response j. bunnies - local_gov - JWHS(T)

4/16/2009

Well the farmers can use nutrient management plans.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

The Man North Harford H.S.

3/19/2009

We are the local government, we are the law. We think that the Chesapeake Bay is very

polluted and overfished at this time and we are trying to find ways to protect the bay and to

save the animals inhabiting the bay. The current laws that we have protecting the bay aren’t

enough and we need more. We could make a law furthering the limits placed on dredging and

crabbing in the bay because the rate at which crabs are being depleted is too high for the

population to rebuild itself. A total ban of crabbing should even be considered, giving the crabs

a few years to replenish their population. After the population is up again, the high amount of

crabs will allow for an economic boost. While this is happening we will redirect the crabbers

to clean up the bay. Dredging is tearing up the floor of the bay and needs to be cut back as it

destroys animal’s natural habitats. To downsize the dredging problem we will make oyster

farms to allow them to still have a job and harvest oysters.

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

3/23/2009

personally i don't think that making more laws will fix the problem people break many of the

current laws, i think you if anything you should make a tax incentive or something of the like

to increase the likely hood of having compliance to your laws.

From: Grim Farms Inc. - farmer - JWHS(F) Ask

3/24/2009

i dont know if crabbing should be the main concern of the government. what about the

farmers? we are in need of funds so that we can make a positive impact on the bay.

From: TA Presidential Bay Group - local_gov - TAHS Ask

3/27/2009

First off, the local crabbers are already struggling, and to take away their income for a

few years would put them out of business and take away a part of their heritige.

Secondly, where would you put the oyster farms so that they wouldn't disturb the Bay?

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

3/31/2009

Are you crazy? A total ban of crabbing is the worst thing you could ever do. That's one of

the tourist attractions, people come to eat seafood, and if there is none, then the money

brought in by tourists is GONE.

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

4/1/2009

how will putting crabbers out of jobs help anything in the bay? although you have a good idea

putting people out of jobs wont solve anything. both oysters and crabs are being affected

not just crabs so wouldnt that mean putting waterlife on hold rather then just crabs?

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

4/7/2009

You give good ideas but there is no explanation to how they will be completed. Also stopping

crabbing will eliminate many jobs and hurt the suffering.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

County of Talbot James Wood H.S.- Fordyce

3/20/2009

By keeping the bay clean, we will prosper as the citizens will be happier and healthier in the

cleaner environment. The clean environment and the clean water will keep citizens in our

district, supporting the cause. It could also inspire new people to move into our area as the air,

water, and environment is clean and fresh. Now is the time to make the hardest decision. It is

up to us and the word of the people to come up with an idea or ideas to help solve the bay’s

problem.

A facility needs to be built as well as jobs need to be filled to maintain our mission for years

to come. This will supply our construction companies with work and our citizens work for

generations. Cleaning the bay is not a short-term fix but a long-term fix. By giving people jobs

to completely maintain the bay’s health, we accelerate our economy and open many doors. The

only problem is coming up with a reasonable solution to acquire the funds needed to make all

this happen. We have decided to raise taxes but only with a declining rate as the bay gets

cleaner and the less work there is to do. This allows for the funds and keeps the citizens

encouraged to help in this process as it will make their taxes decline in price.

This problem will not be fixed unless we keep the support of our citizens. A county meeting

will be scheduled every month to bring everyone together and discuss the current progress on

the bay and its surroundings.

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Thoughtful Questions

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

3/30/2009

Do have any ideas on how to clean the bay?

Response County of Talbot - local_gov - JWHS(F)

3/31/2009

The funds from the taxes will allow for farmers to put in filters and buffers. There

could even be paid part-time workers that aid in trash removal. As the main issue lies

with supplying the funds needed our tax plan will cover that while keeping everyone

happy and the bay cleaner. After the right amount of funds are accumulated we will

go to the people and get their ideas. This site demonstrates the "peoples" ideas that

we can put the tax money into.

From: Flower Children - Other - BHS Ask

3/30/2009

When you finish cleaning the bay what is your plan for stopping the bay from being polluted

again?

From: Grim Farms Inc. - farmer - JWHS(F) Ask

3/31/2009

What are the ways you are trying to clean the bay? i think you are geting ahead of yourself.

you got to clean the bay before you keep it clean. try to take this one step at a time!

Response County of Talbot - local_gov - JWHS(F)

4/2/2009

What you said makes no sense. You said that we are getting ahead of ourselves but

cleaning the bay is NOT the first step. We gave a reasonable solution to aquire the

funds needed to even begin to start to perform any cleaning. You said to clean the

bay before keeping it clean but thats exactly what we wrote. You didnt understand

our tax policy. The first step is to get a way to make money and keep the people

happy. We did this by setting up a raise in taxes but with a DECLINING RATE.

Which means that taxes will be at a set level and the bay will be how it is now. As the

bay becomes cleaner those taxes will come down as there are not as much work to be

done. So easily you can see that we named 4 steps: 1. raise taxes with a declining

rate 2. work with the poeple to come up with ways to clean the bay like

putting in buffers and fences on farm land an other areas 3. As the bay

gets cleaner the taxes get lower. 4. maintaining the bays healthSo we would

like to know how we are getting ahead of ourselves and what kind of steps would you

take other than the ones we have set up.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

Estuary Estates Riverheads H.S.

3/20/2009

As board of supervisor’s members of a small county that is included in the Chesapeake Bay

Watershed, we see the need to protect our rivers and streams. If we are able to step up now

and stop problems before they even arise then we will all be in better shape. The members of

the board completely understand that it will take time and money to implement the devices that

will help save our streams and rivers from pollution, but we are ready to begin changing our

practices so that the next generation will not have to pay for our mistakes.

Most pollution in our area originates from fertilizers used on lawns, chemical wastes from

factories, and farm practices. Although the homeowners in our community know that putting a

lot of fertilizers on their yards make them beautiful and green, what they don’t know is that

most of that fertilizer gets washed off and runoffs into our streams and creeks. Many farmers

in our community have no buffers around the streams that go through their lands and allow

their animals to access them.

The board believes that by distributing money to local organizations that help farmers,

homeowners, and business owners “go green” then we will be able to start at the source of some

of the problems. We believe that by educating homeowners about the importance of only using

fertilizer when necessary and giving them the resources to know which kind and how much to

use, we will be able to have cleaner streams. By supplying farmers in our areas the ability to

apply for grants that will help to cover the costs of planting trees and grass buffers both the

farmers and the Bay benefit. If we are able to help cover some of the burden that these

plantings will carry then the farmers are more apt to help fix problems.

These problems can only be fixed if the community sees the need to do so and works

together to make sure that once a problem arises, solutions are given to help solve it.

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Thoughtful Questions

From: Ronnie Colemans - Waterman - GCHS Ask

4/2/2009

How would you get the public's opinion to change?

Response Estuary Estates - local_gov - RvrHS

4/14/2009

I would try to make the public understand that each one of us is responsible for the

environment and needs to be active in helping clean it up.

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

TA Presidential Bay Group Turner-Ashby H.S.

3/23/2009

Local government is important to the improvement of the Chesapeake Bay because we can

create laws and restrictions on what happens in the bay. Although we cannot provide all of the

money necessary to cover the costs of cleaning up the bay, we can still create programs and

non-profit organizations that can make money and raise awareness about the pollution in the

bay. The bay’s problems affect the local government because people will become mad if the

government cannot solely help the bay, which will make those people not support the government

and their programs anymore. Possible solutions affect the local government because we will

need to create money for the improvement of the bay and may necessitate an increase in

taxation to raise enough money, which could make people very angry. As the local government,

we prefer solutions and approaches including supporting non-profit organizations such as the

Center for Watershed Protection and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, creating laws to help

improve the Chesapeake Bay such as taxing the public an extra percent for money solely for

the bay, making building regulations for houses built near the watershed, and requiring farmers

to plant trees or grass buffers if their fields and farmlands are near streams. An example of

an act already in place is the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, which will stop 7.5 million

pounds of nitrogen and 260,000 pounds of phosphorus from going into the bay each year.

Maryland has put in place a Healthy Air Act, which we think would be appropriate for the local

governments of all other states in the watershed to have. These solutions would reduce the

amount of sediments and pollution in the bay so that wildlife will flourish and waterman can

stay in business. These solutions will hopefully also create cleaner air and water in the

Chesapeake Bay watershed area.

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Thoughtful Questions

Local Government POV & TQ Navigation

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Local Government

Aquaphobiacs Jefferson H.S.-Picard

3/24/2009

We are a local government concerned with the cleanliness of the Chesapeake Bay. The

Chesapeake Bay is not the clean water system that it should be due to pollution. The pollutions

are nutrients and sediment that are not where they are meant to be. This pollution comes from

both point and non-point sources. Point source pollution comes from traceable sources such as a

sewer pipe. Non-point source pollution is untraceable such as runoff from a field. The

Chesapeake Bay Program aims to reduce the pollution flowing into the bay. The main problem is

the flow of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment runoff from fields, homes, and farms.

The local government can help to regulate the flow of pollution and the planning to prevent it. Best Management Programs can be implemented to limit how much pollution factories are emitting.

BMPs can also advise how much fertilizer homeowners should use. Homeowners are the fastest

growing source for non-point source pollution. With over a 64,000 square miles watershed,

many local governments will need to coordinate to reduce pollution spread throughout the area.

We can also hand out pamphlets of information pertaining to the bay and the issues

because most people do not even know there is a problem with pollution in the bay. Another way

to get information out is to hold public meetings or plan a special event to gather a bunch of

people to inform them. With increased public knowledge, increased donations would help fund

further education and other projects to aid the Chesapeake Bay Program. Future communities

will need to be well planned and have programs in place to safely remove any runoff to be

treated instead of running into a river. The smart growth planning will be a step up from sprawl

communities that do not have systems to help take care of pollution runoff.

The longer the programs are run, the more people become accustomed to them and become second nature. And with a cleaner environment, more tourists would visit the area and would thus increase the economy in the surrounding areas.

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Ice Cream James Wood H.S.- McDonald

3/26/2009

The role of local government is to listen to all the points of views from farmers, watermen,

homeowners, and developers. We have to use this information to develop new laws that will

assist in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, while still allowing stakeholders to continue with

their livelihoods. We must also make sure equal responsibility is placed on all stakeholder

groups.

The lack of goals met in 2008 is the reason that it will take 3 more years to have the bay

cleaned up. Only 38 percent of goals were met last year. The reason we care is because we are

the financial support for the bay’s health and condition. If these goals are not met then the

clean up of the Chesapeake Bay will continue to be delayed.

There are many key points that the local government must focus on that includes making new

laws to protect the bay and reducing pollution. One law that should be passed is a law for

farmers to put up fences around water ways to keep their animals out of them. Another is for

factories to use a different source of energy that doesn’t pollute the air and the water in the

bay. We would also like to find a biodegradable chemical that doesn’t harm the environment,

but it helps farmers and factories stay profitable. Factories will need to continue with the

smoke covers and filters to keep our ozone clean.

An area of pollution we plan to focus on is nutrient pollution. This is the most harmful

pollution toward the Chesapeake mainly caused by too much nitrogen and phosphorous from

fertilizers, waste, water, and vehicle emissions, that fuels unnaturally high algae growth in the

water. Fertilizer is another topic of discussion that needs to be dealt with. Farmers should be

using less fertilizer or fertilizer that keeps pollution from going up to high.

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Gangsta Gov'ment Jefferson H.S.-Picard

3/27/2009

The stakeholder group that we are apart of is the governments role in helping the POV:

Chesapeake Bay watershed. The problems we face are harmful pollutants caused by

nutrients and sediments. The nutrients that are polluting the bay are excess amounts of

nitrogen and phosphorus, which are found in fertilizers. Being on the government

stakeholders group it is our belief that to help the Chesapeake Bay watershed we need to

do three things: create drain ways that don’t run into watershed, put caps of amount of

fertilizer sold, and increase price on fertilizer.

By creating drain ways that don’t run into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, it will lower

the amount of oil, sediments, and nutrients that are flowing into the watershed. The drain

ways will lead to filtering plants that will clean out the harmful substances, and dump the

clean water back into the Chesapeake Bay.

To regulate the amounts of fertilizer being used on crops, we will suggest caps on the

amount of fertilizer sold to the public. This will lower the amounts of nutrients and

sediments from flowing into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These caps will remain in

effect until pollution levels have lowered to a reasonable level.

To increase the price on fertilizer, we suggest to put in place regulations that will raise

the prices of fertilizers to a certain point where farmers will not be as dependent on it.

The reduced amounts of fertilizer being sold and used will lower the amounts of pollutants

into the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

These regulations and caps will over all reduce the amounts of pollution in the

Chesapeake Bay watershed, and solve the crisis of pollution in the water.

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Musselman's NGO Musselman H.S.

3/31/2009

The bay is important to Musselman High School, because it is a spot for tourists to visit. Non-

point source pollution is a problem to me; because it affects the water we drink as well as the

afffects value of the property. I cause pollution by run-off from the student parking lot at

Musselman High School, erosion in certain areas. i can help this problem by adding in rain

gardens and riparian buffers. Being part of Mrs.Stevens class has allowed us to not only learn

about enviroscape, but we as a class has gone out and taken water tests, labs on the water and

Musselman High School students show elementary kids how stormwater run off happens.

how much acid is in it. Even a couple of students have gone to Capacon Institute and have done

a PowerPoint Presentation and have talked to enviromentalists there as well. We have planned

a field trip to go to elementary schools, middle schools, and maybe to other high schools that

learning the same information as we are. Mrs. Stevens as a group has come together and put together a blog on all we have accomplished. Hopefully in months to come our class can enjoy a trip to Baltimore Aquarium. As a class we are trying, and doing our very best to make this comfortable, safe, and clean place for the families in the community of Inwood, WV again. Not only that but allowing fish in the bay to have a clean habitat and safe place to live. All in all just basically cleaning up the Bay is our "BIGGEST" Concern.

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From: Catch o' the Bay - CB_Ecosystem - HHS Statement

4/3/2009

I like what you are saying but this really shouldn't be under local government. This type of

POV should be under the other category. Despite this the way you are showing and letting

other people know about the problems is a really great thing you are doing.

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the albino couple Calvert H.S.

The Albino Couple 4/3/2009

As members of the local government we feel that the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay is a

prominent issue. Much of Maryland's industry is a product of the Chesapeake Bay. The health

of populations of both plants and animals in the bay are the major issue. There are two major

points of discussion regarding the health of the Bay; the pollution coming into the bay and the

harvesting of organisms from the Bay. One of the major sources of pollution is agriculture. We

feel that offering farmers subsidies for allowing forested buffers around bodies of water

would decrease the amount of pollution entering the waterways. We also feel that it should be

the county's job to maintain forested buffers along roadways near waterways. In the area of

harvesting organisms from the bay, we feel that limits should be decreased in the area of

shellfish, especially oysters, crabs, and waterfowl (barring invasive species such as the mute

swan and zebra mussels.)The limits of these organisms should also be more strictly enforced. If

the forest buffer policy and the organism limits are instituted and enforced then the health of

the Chesapeake's ecosystem will improve greatly.

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