Recreation & Tourism

recreation and tourism                                                                                 Musselman HS

                                                                                                                           3/19/2012

My point of view on the Chesapeake Bay with regards to the recreation and tourism is that

it they bring in a lot of money and could do a better job at keeping the bay clean. Here's

some examples of what we mean.

Approximately this industy brings in about 17.7 billion dollars a year. In which the bay gets

a small portion. Theres a lot of litter and pollution going on because of tourism and the

tourist throwing trash into the bay, also all the boats in the water pollute it. That causes a

lot of nitrogen pollution which isn't good for the water life. It also causes a big alge bloom

that consumes oxygen and blocks sunlight for the plants at the bottom which the fish eat,

therefore killing the fish also.

The visiting area isn't built upon ecofriendly conditions, the hotels are not ecofriendly. They

 don't have sun panels or water saving toilets

The pollution will affect the tourism industry in many ways.  The first way is that it would

make businesses to close down due to low income.  Without income, it would be very hard to

 continue to make efforts to keep the bay clean.  For people that do come to the bay it

would seem less desirable to visit and they may not want to return to the area, and the

pollution could be hazardous to visitors.

  Theres many ways to keep the bay clean. For one you could not let them put waste and

sewage into the bay. You could also put a tax on tourist and raise prices on recreational

activities. Also make a fine for people who litter.

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    From:   The Recreational ROCKfish \m/ - recreation - MdS                              Ask

                                                                                                                        3/27/2012

       First, we totally agree with you that bringing in money from tourism would contribute

       to helping the Bay become cleaner.

       However, we were wonderding if you could explain what you mean when you say you

       would tax and raise the prices on tourists? We feel as though, tourists will not respond

        well to being taxed and having prices raised.

       Thank you!

       Signed - The Recreational ROCKfish \m/

    From:   Nessie the lock ness monster - CB_Ecosystem - MdS                            Ask

                                                                                                                        3/29/2012

        We would like to point out that we strongly agree with the specific idea of bringing in

       money from tourism to help with the conservation of the Bay.

    From:   Recreation Rabbits - recreation - MdS                                                   Ask

                                                                                                                        3/29/2012

       I thinkt this is a thoughtful response to the problems that are arising within the bay. I

       like that you give facts and statistics because it helped me to better understand the

       magnitude of these problems.

    From:   K&T Group - recreation - MslmnHS                                                         Ask

                                                                                                                        4/3/2012

       I agree completely with the first statement. More tourisim means more money. Which

       means why isn't some of that money put towards keeping the bay cleaner? Good point.

Recreation & Tourism

The Flying Ninjas                                                                                         Musselman HS

                                                                                                                       3/20/2012

From the point of view of the Recreation and Tourism committee, we have plenty of

reasons why bay restoration would be beneficial to the surrounding areas and us.

  Keeping the bay area clean is a vital part in recreational activities and the tourism

business. When the bay is clean it helps keep it safe and sound for those that enjoy

kayaking, canoeing, and swimming. It also keeps the fish safe and plentiful for fishermen

and fly-fishermen.

  As much as we care about recreation, we also want our tourism to prosper. Restoring the

bay, and its ecosystem will provide a safe place for tourists to visit and have fun. It will

keep the place welcoming and visually appetizing to visitors. Tourism and Recreation is

important because we provide the people who visit the bay with something to do and places

to go.

  The bay's problems affect the tourism group greatly. If the area around the bay

endangers wildlife and kills plants, people will not visit. This can usually be caused by toxic

pollution, nutrient over-enrichment, and dwindling underwater gases. This causes fish

depletion. Fishermen won't be able to fish either because of this. There is also nitrogen and

 phosphorous pollution.

  Our business will not prosper with all the bay problems if they are not solved immediately.

Our finances will go down the drain and we will be forced to close down, leaving the

community without recreation and fun. Tourism to the bay will deplete, leaving the bay and

its areas unvisited and a ghost town.

  The solutions of the bay matter the most to us, especially the water quality, since most of

 our recreational activities revolves around water sports and the like. We think planting

shrubbery and different plants and flowers will helps clean the water, making the tourism

in the area go up and the bay to remain clean and different aquatic-plants and life would

be brought back to the bay area. This solution will bring in more money for the group, which

 will lead us to provide more bay restoration funds, giving us even more tourists and

business, creating a cycle in which everyone, including the environment, wins.

  Tourism and recreation bring in a yearly average of 16 billion dollars a year. Fund deplete

when the bay is not at its fullest, bringing our industry down and leaving us no money to

help contribute to the restoration of the bay and its surrounding areas.

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    From:   JACT - homeowner - EHHS                                                                     Ask

                                                                                                                        3/27/2012

       How is planting shrubbrey and other plants and flowers going to benefit the

       Chesapeake Bay and other water sytems around it?

Recreation & Tourism

Pitchin' a Tent                                                                                             Musselman HS

                                                                                                                          3/22/2012

The Chesapeake Bay and the Recreation & Tourism idea have many ties to one another.

There are many ways that the health of the Bay impacts tourism. Tourism is an industry

that brings in big bucks.

First off, there are many tourist/vacation places that are along the Chesapeake Bay area,

a few major locations would include Ocean City, MD, along with many other beaches.

Keeping the whole bay watershed is a big deal for tourism/recreation, mainly because if

you go on vacation, or even a camping trip along the Chesapeake Bay, and its is filthy and

looks and smells awful, more than likely you will try to avoid it.

The more things the people can do, and the more businesses along the bay can do, will make

 a huge impact on the health of the bay. Police should try and be more hard on litterers by

making there a huge fine for littering and enforcing it more. Taxes on some things in the

Bay's recreational areas would be a good idea for funding cleaning efforts.

When people go and visit these areas, they should have in mind to dispose of garbage

properly, this includes not throwing the trash in the rivers, streams, etc. this makes a huge

impact, also, fluids and chemicals from vehicles should be disposed of properly and not

thrown on the ground.

Businesses should try to be more environmentally friendly as well, this includes having some

 sort of solar power system so you're not using electricity constantly. Toilets and sinks in

the restrooms that use less water and and more friendly to the environment are also a

great idea.

Water quality really matters for tourism because you wouldn't want to be in a dirty body

of water, or if you are interested in aqua life, where beautiful species of sea life couldn't

grow.

These are just a few of many reasons we as people, can help make the Chesapeake Bay,

and even more importantly, the environment, strive and be healthy and make recreation and

 tourism better for the whole community.

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    From:   The Recreational ROCKfish \m/ - recreation - MdS                              Ask

                                                                                                                        3/27/2012

       Hey!

       We are not sure how effective police interference on litering would be in creating

       funds for the bay. If you could elaborate on specific ways that police could enforce

       the litering policies. Thank you!

       Signed- The Recreational ROCKfish \m/

        Response        Pitchin' a Tent - recreation - MslmnHS

                             To:  The Recreational ROCKfish \m/ - recreation - MdS

                                                                                                                        3/29/2012

              Hello!

              Thank you for asking that question, we all know that it is difficult for police to

              catch litterers, but a percentage or even all of the fine the litterer pays could be

              used for funding the bay. They can be for things to prevent litter, such as trash

              cans/dumpsters along river lots and such, could all make a difference on the way

              people take care of the bay watershed and the environment. Thank you very much

               for your interest! :)

    From:   Recreation Rabbits - recreation - MdS                                                   Ask

                                                                                                                        3/29/2012

       I enojoyed the fact that you compare recreation and tourism and show how they

       connect with one another. I liked that you pointed out the major areas where there is

       recreation and tourism in the bay watershed. I also think that it's good that you

       discussed what things people could do in these areas.

    From:   Wilderness Tours - recreation - MslmnHS                                              Ask

                                                                                                                        4/3/2012

       it wouldnt cost so much if people were not so stubborn

Recreation & Tourism

The Recreational ROCKfish \m/                                                                 Mount de Sales

                                                                                                                          3/26/2012

REVISED

 As recreational bay users and tourists, we are important stakeholders in the Bay because we bring millions of dollars to local economies. However our tourism is dependent upon the clean environment of the Bay which is not going in the right direction. As recreation and tourism stakeholders the problems of the Bay are affecting us because our hobbies are at risk. The possible solutions to the Bay’s problems will affect us because if we are required to follow certain regulations or fines we will not be having as much fun and will be less likely to do the activity that we love.

As boaters that live in the watershed we are aware of the problems of the Bay. We follow all regulations but the majority of us are not going to go out of our way and spend extra money to go beyond regulation standards. All we want is to keep participating in the recreational activities that we love. We are willing to do whatever it takes to keep our ability to boat possible. Most of us are starting to realize the consequences of our recreation and we still want to be able to keep the Bay for the use of future generations.

As recreational fishermen that live in the watershed we feel, much like the boaters, we just want to continue fishing. If regulations continue to increase, we will eventually just give up fishing in the Chesapeake Bay all together. This is because it won’t be worth it to fish with so many regulations. We do want to save the bay, but our biggest concern is bringing fish home. We will do our best to decrease the amount of pollution that we produce from our recreational fishing trips. That being said, we just want to continue to fish.

As tourists that come to the watershed to perform recreational activities we are not really aware of all of the problems with the Bay. We feel that there should be ways for us to be informed and aware of the regulations of the watershed. We want to continue coming to the watershed, but we will not be able to continue visiting if the Bay continues to go downhill. We can help solve these problems by coming to the bay educated, but we need tools to get that education.

We propose that boats should be required to throw trash away properly, use the right nets for the safety of the fish and minimize the use of phosphorus-filled detergents when cleaning their boats. It is hard to regulate these things, but instead of making it voluntary to use less phosphorus-filled detergents when cleaning their boats it could be required. Also boaters can be fined heavily if they are found littering. We could inform people that live in the watershed about the bay's problems through commercials, pamphlets, and even information sessions about the Bay’s problems. To get people to attend the information sessions there could be incentives for those who attend, for example recreational activities at reduced rates or even free souvenirs.

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    From:   SpunkySafetyOrangeSheep - developer - MdS                                        Ask

                                                                                                                        3/27/2012

       We agree as developers that there should be more awarness regarding the watershed

       to help become more informed about the potiential or current problems facing the

       Chesapeake Bay.

    From:   Green thumbs - farmer - MdS                                                                Ask

                                                                                                                        3/27/2012

       How would boaters reduce pollution as they go out?

        Response        The Recreational ROCKfish \m/ - recreation - MdS

                             To:  Green thumbs - farmer - MdS

                                                                                                                        3/28/2012

              As the Chesapeake Bay PARTAYYYYY has said, boaters can throw trash away

              properly, use the right nets for the safety of the fish and minimize the use of

              phosphorus-filled detergents when cleaning your boats. :)

              We agree with all of these ways and also we think we could possibly come up with

               alternative ways to keep the Bay clean.

    From:   The Chesapeake Bay PARTAYYYYY - CBP_Fed - MdS                             Ask

                                                                                                                        3/27/2012

       We hear your concerns and are here to help! Here are some helpful tips that you can

       use every day to assist restoring the bay: throw trash away properly, use the right

       nets for the safety of the fish and minimize the use of phosphorus-filled detergents

       when cleaning your boats.

    From:   Down by the Bay - CB_Ecosystem - MdS                                                Ask

                                                                                                                        3/27/2012

       We agree with what you are saying because like you, we also enjoy going out on the

       bay, fishing, and other recreational activities. We were thinking about informing people

       about the bay's problems through commercials and pamphlets, what are some of your

       ideas?

        Response        The Recreational ROCKfish \m/ - recreation - MdS

                             To:  Down by the Bay - CB_Ecosystem - MdS

                                                                                                                        3/28/2012

              We think that pamphlets and commercials are a great idea! Also we think that

              there should be free information sessions at local hotels and recreational

              facilities so that the tourists can become more informed.

    From:   Domestic Lives - homeowner - MdS                                                         Ask

                                                                                                                        3/29/2012

       Do you think tourist from around the world would be interested about helping the bay,

       even if they are not directly affected by it? How do you think we could get more

       people interested in helping if they don't live in the watershed?

        Response        The Recreational ROCKfish \m/ - recreation - MdS

                             To:  Domestic Lives - homeowner - MdS

                                                                                                                        4/2/2012

              Hi. We don't think that people would come from around the world, but certainly

              there will be people coming from the surronding areas. We could get more people

              intersted by having free information sessions at local hotels and recreational

              facilities so that the tourists can become more informed.

              Signed The Recreational ROCKfish \m/

Recreation & Tourism

Recreation Rabbits

Mount de Sales

3/27/2012

REVISED 

                As the recreation and tourism that occurs within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, I have noticed the increase in pollution that correlates with decline in fish and other life within the bay. This area is very important to the wellness of the bay and its watershed. Things like boating, fishing, and swimming may not always be positive additions but they do affect the bay almost daily. If the well-being of the bay continues to decline at such a fast rate, there will no longer be recreation and tourism within the watershed. This point of view on the problem might not sound very educated, however being a primary user of the bay almost daily makes recreation and tourism just as much of a contender as any other stakeholder. If things in the bay continue to be like this, it wouldn’t necessarily be a problem for these tourists coming to the bay because they would be spending less money. However, for the actual bay itself and its surrounding areas within the watershed, the people and companies who reside there can be very well negatively affected.

                Boaters are the ones who fish and garden oysters on the bay everyday in order to make a living. In recent research with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, they found out that up until 2010 there has been over 71 million pounds of nitrogen dumped into the bay over the past twenty years. Coming from someone who has been boating for over twenty years, this is a major amount of nitrogen; almost too much for the bay and all of its life to handle. Boaters can say from experience that before they were educated about the harmful effects that some pollutants can have on the bay, there really was not much care to know about it or take any action against it. I think that because there is so much controversy over the health of the bay, people like boaters are realizing that there are many things that we have to do not just what we think should be done. If the problems in the watershed continue to grow, the Chesapeake will eventually become a dead-zone. This will lead to nobody wanting boat, swim, or fish in the bay any longer. This decline in tourism will lead to a decline in profit that the bay is providing for its watershed and the people who reside there. The connection that recreation and tourism has to the bay is huge and most people fail to realize this. Once the bay reaches its end, the society around it will begin to lose money.

                If we can all come up with probable solutions to help with this problem that the bay is having, everyone will be positively affected. If anything, just a cleaner bay will attract more tourists and more recreational activities will arise therefore causing a higher profit for the area as a whole. I understand that there are new efforts from PA environmental officials who are trying to come up with a new way to decrease this voluntary pollution. I think it is good that we are trying to decrease the way that people pollute, if they pollute.

                I think that there are many things that can help to keep the bay clean. For one thing, as humans we have total control basically of what goes into the bay. Sewage treatment plants and other things that are under the control of humans are easily able to be decreased. It is just a matter of us actually taking the initiative.

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Recreation & Tourism

Wilderness Tours

Musselman HS

3/27/2012

Wilderness Tours are great place to go because you can do many things.  We have a variety

 of selections you can enjoy with the whole family including biking, white water rafting,

hunting, fishing, tubing, site-seeing, canoeing, kayacking, pic-nicing, horse-back riding, and

hiking.  You can hike the Appalachian trail.  Everyone can come and enjoy! If the pollution in

 the rivers in the Chesapeake Bay are not taken care of soon then we will have no tourist

revenue or money from fishing or hunting licenses in our area, Harper's Ferry.

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    From:   Nessie the lock ness monster - CB_Ecosystem - MdS                            Ask

                                                                                                                        3/29/2012

        If the pollution continues how do you plan on getting people to come to these

       wilderness tours so that you can have enough money to put towards the conservation

       of the Bay?

        Response        Wilderness Tours - recreation - MslmnHS

                             To:  Nessie the lock ness monster - CB_Ecosystem - MdS

                                                                                                                        3/30/2012

              We can raise money by selling hunting and fishing licenses. We can also advertise

              on Facebook and word of mouth. We could have a 10K run and sell t-shirts

              advertising Wilderness Tours.

    From:   SpunkySafetyOrangeSheep - developer - MdS                                        Ask

                                                                                                                        4/2/2012

       What exactly are you doing to help the bay?

    From:   K&T Group - recreation - MslmnHS                                                         Ask

                                                                                                                        4/3/2012

       These activities sound fun. What is your group doing to minimize pollution?

        Response        Wilderness Tours - recreation - MslmnHS

                             To:  K&T Group - recreation - MslmnHS

                                                                                                                        4/4/2012

              we can minimize pollution by hiring contractors  to test for sediment also ,

              alturnative energy , reduce reuse,and recycle.

Recreation & Tourism

K&T Group                                                                                                    Musselman HS

                                                                                                                       3/29/2012

We are the K&T Group we are recernation tourism at the Cacapon State park? Our group

walks hike, fish, swim, hunt,. We are trying to keep the cacapon state park clean. its is

important to the K&T group and the tourist to keep the park a safe and healthy place to

bring friends and family. Our reason for this is to clean up the enviroment and watershed

around us and across the united states.

Every tree that dies or is cut down we plant two more trees in replace so that our animals

and humans have oxygen but mainly the trees arent only for human usages it is also used

for our animals they use it for vegestation, shade, nesting, homes.

the water is also important source to us and animals. if we dont keep the water cleaned in

cacpon park then its gonna be impossible to keep our waters clean water . so our K&T

Group just wants to say that keep our enviroment clean at cacpon state park and all

around for generations to come.

sincerely K&T GROUP

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    From:   Wilderness Tours - recreation - MslmnHS                                              Ask

                                                                                                                        4/3/2012

       you make avery excellent point

Recreation & Tourism

scuba steves!!

Musselman HS                                                                         4/3/2012

We are part of the recreational and tourism group. We believe recreation and tourism is a

major part of the Chesapeake Bay.  Tourism around the Bay includes scuba diving, kayaking,POV:

 fishing, boating, and swimming.

 The Chesapeake Bay is in much need of attention. For example there is so much pollution

under the water that it takes the oxygen out of the water. Also the growth of people in the

 area has also affected it so that is a definite factor.

The Bay needs to be better taken care of by the people who use it. So that recreation

users can use it safely. We believe that maybe if you install some donation boxes that

people could donate money so that the bay can be taken care of properly.

We believe that the reason that the Chesapeake Bay is so polluted is because there is too

many people and not enough people taking care of it.

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    From:   wvrebels - farmer - EHHS                                                                       Ask

                                                                                                                        4/11/2012

       Maybe you could have the people that are closer to the bay help clean it up more if you

        mor regulation that they have to follow for them to have to live there.

Recreation & Tourism

RVR Fishing

Musselman HS                                                                         4/3/2012

We are the RVR fishing company. The Bay is essential to us surviving. All of the fish and

other wild life in the Bay are dying off. This has hurt our business substantially. We took a POV:

recent water sample from  the Bay and found that he oxygen levels are severely

decreasing while the nitrogen levels are increasing. These  create toxic problems in the Bay

and have killed over 2,000,000 fish so far. If that isn't bad enough the chicken manure

from the local farms are killing off the crabs.  The nitrogen in the manure is very rich in

nitrates that cause algae to grow in tremendous amounts sucking all of the oxygen from

the water. Both of these animals are very important to us. This is how we make our living

and now all of the animals are dieing. If something is not done soon then our business will

go down the tubes.

One thing all farmers can do is create a nutrient recycle system to prevent all of the

nitrates from entering the Bay.

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Recreation & Tourism

Walk the Civil war

Musselman HS                                                                         4/4/2012

Walk the civil war tour guides will show you around Harpers Ferry and the Cemetery.

There is still Bay problems around the world although they have got better there are still POV:

people sick, etc. Harpers Ferry is located on the Potomac, it is in the Chesapeake Bay

watershed. With the pollution we have in our area now, I think it would help if we had set

up a clean up crew. To prevent pollution and get our bays cleaner, we need to take a few

steps to help clean it up. The Potomac and Chesapeake Bay was different 150 years ago

because things were different back then there was not as many cars as we see today, oil is

 was not used as much as it was today. The Harpers Ferry condition was in a lot better

shape then it now. Back then there wasn't as much pollution because there wasn't as many

buildings there wasn't as many people, etc. Harpers Ferry could not be restored as it was

150 years ago but we could make it better and try our hardest to get it back to before.

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    From:   Sheep Farmers II - farmer - EHHS                                                        Ask

                                                                                                                        4/11/2012

       We agree the pollution is getting worse, but who do you think will clean up the bay and

       what steps do you suggest they take to do so?

Recreation & Tourism

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