Comments to All Others
From:
Mt de Sales
Ask
4/14/2008
What are the possible solutions that will help save the Bay?
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Other
Little Green Axman
Massanutten Gov. S.-Newcomer
Logger
3/31/2008
As members of the logging industry, we believe it is
very important to maintain our
environment while still getting the job done. Being part
of the logging team in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed we have major roles to play in
protecting our environment. Every
year, 4 billion trees are harvested worldwide. This can
affect the atmosphere by increasing
CO2 levels and therefore increasing temperature,
disturbing water quality by exposing it to
soil erosion, allowing excess nutrients to runoff into
nearby streams and rivers, and adding
to the amount of debris clogging waterways. While
continuing to harvest trees, we can use
Best Management Practices (BMPs) that help us maintain
the health of the environment.
Clear cutting to some may be considered a dangerous way
to harvest hardwood, yet the
dependency of lumber pushes us to think of ways to
harvest wood while keeping the
environment intact. When harvesting near the Bay, a
logging team would have to look at the
big picture. If we obtain lumber near a watershed we
would take into affect
establishing/maintaining a riparian buffer as a BMP.
This would prevent sedimentation and
soil runoff from penetrating the watershed. Once the
area of land chosen for lumber has
been clear-cut, we would then replant trees in place of
the ones we had harvested. Clear
cutting can be beneficial if done properly. Studies have
shown that the thinning of trees
promotes the development of old growth characteristics
and the diversity of plants and
shrubs while attracting a more diverse animal
population. The negative effects of clear
cutting increase with the size of the area cut. Forest
Fires become more intense and are
able to scorch and damage the soil itself. An
alternative to clear cutting is selective
cutting. This process involves selecting lumber to be
harvested. In general, this protects old
growth lumber from harvest. Sometimes only a single
tree is chosen out of an area, or
small groups of trees are cut. By implementing selective
cutting we keep up with the demand
while managing and improving the forests at the same
time. It creates a better habitat for
local animals, and attracts animals from the surrounding
area, increasing the biodiversity of
the area. It makes the forest more resilient to fire
because you have a stand of trees of
different ages and sizes.By utilizing BMPs we are able
to protect the environment and
keep up with the supply and demand of the economy. We
therefore set an example for
other companies that are attempting to keep up with the
growing markets and go green at
the same time, and show that it is possible.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
DORY-DORY FISH - Waterman - MHS
Ask
4/8/2008
do you believe in clear cutting the trees? do you think
it is wise to strip the trees?
From:
fishies - CB_Ecosystem - MHS
Ask
4/8/2008
Logging is an important job and many thanks go to
those who do such a job for a
living. But, couldn't they do a little more? Something
should be planted in place of
clear cutting to help the soil, no matter how far away
water may be.
From:
Chicken Kickers'' 101 - farmer - MHS
Ask
4/8/2008
If the demand for lumber would go up signiffiently would
you still try to use the
pactices you have set?
From:
The Red Neck Yacht Club - recreation - JWHS(F)
Ask
4/9/2008
The Little Green Axmen POV said that after an area of
forest has been clear cut,
they then go back and replant new trees to replace the
ones they took. My question
is: Do you replant the same species of trees that were
harvested? I know that
certain species of animals need specific kinds of trees.
If the trees in an area were
replaced with a different species of foiliage, what
would happen to the animals that
were dependent on the orriginal growth? (This POV did
make me feel better about
the logging industry since they explained that the trees
were replanted and that they
left a repraian buffer to help control soil erosion).
From:
Home Jackets - homeowner - MHS
Ask
4/11/2008
The problm with clear cuting and replanting is that 90%
of the time they cut hard
wood(oak, hickery) and plant soft woods.(pine, cider).
What do you think about tree
farming?
From:
DORY-DORY FISH - Waterman - MHS
Ask
4/17/2008
Couldn't you replace the area that you cut with bamboo?
Bamboo is a renewable
resource and it takes only three years to fully mature.
Response
Industry Minimizing Pollution - Other - MRGS
4/23/2008
Although you're correct that bamboo matures more quickly
than hardwood, it
wouldn't provide the right kind of habitat for the
existing ecosystem.
Response
Anti-Wilderness Progressive Movement - developer -
JWHS(T)
4/23/2008
what type of bamboo? There are over 1000 different
varieties of bamboo each
growing at different rates. You ,ust also consider that
the 3 years mentioned is in
a tropical climate. Bamboo may take a much longer time
to mature in an area with
less rain. Also what would the cost of the bamboo be?
If it would cost an
unreasonable amount of money how would this be effective
as it would deter
many developers from purchasing the lumber.
Response
Little Green Axman - Other - MRGS
4/23/2008
As loggers we are not proposing to clear cut, but
instead use selective cutting.
Selective cutting (as its name suggests) entails
selecting specific trees to be cut
and leaving the remaining forest generally untouched.
In response to the Bamboo issue brought up by the
watermen, you generally want
to avoid implementing introduced species because they
have no natural predators.
The bamboo is easily capable of phasing out the
naturally occuring trees in the
area, leaving groves of bamboo in the place of forests
of trees.
Yes, we would use the BMP's listed because
sustainability is ultimately more
important then making a quick profit.
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Other
Ecstatic
Environmentalists
Massanutten Gov. S.-Newcomer
Environmentalists
3/31/2008
As environmentalists, our goal is to promote the health
of the Chesapeake Bay by preventing
pollution, educating the public, guaranteeing the clean
up of streams and rivers, and caring
for the wildlife in the watershed. We will strive to
protect the bay and its watershed and
one way is through improving agriculture. The future of
agriculture in this region and the
future health of this bay are interdependent.
Implementing agricultural practices will
enhance the water quality of the bay, prevent erosion,
and reduce run-off. Simple BMP’s
such as riparian buffers, tree and shrubbery planting,
and cover crops will help keep extra
sediment and nutrients from getting into streams and
rivers that eventually lead to the bay.
A way we could enable this is through agricultural
incentive programs that actually reward
farmers for using best management practices, such as the
Farmers Union’s Carbon Credit
Program. The program allows farmers to receive income
from storing carbon in the soil
from no-till crop production or capturing methane.
Education is important to the future of the bay, because
it informs future generations
about the current condition of the Chesapeake Bay. Most
states of the Chesapeake Bay
watershed require schools to teach students about the
bay once in each elementary, middle,
and high school. Each state of the Chesapeake Bay
watershed has different goals for
educating students on the bay’s problems. Virginia’s
department of education website offers
lesson plans on the Chesapeake Bay and a rough
itinerary for teachers. The lesson plans
range from lessons lasting one and a half hours to
lessons lasting two to three weeks.
Teaching students what things are helpful and harmful to
the bay throughout their school
career is a practical long term solution. Stormwater
runoff from streets and urban
areas is a large source of pollution entering the Bay;
contributing about as much as
industries and sewage treatment plants. Every year,
10,800 thousand pounds of heavy
metals and 1,512 billion gallons of industrial wastes,
among other toxins, invade the bay. A
variance of around 1,000 different chemicals can be
found in almost every area of the bay.
Defects and mortality in fish from diseases and stress
are among the main results of such
pollution; as well as decline in shoreline and
underwater vegetation due to the reduced
oxygen levels in the bay. The survival rate of certain
fish species (percentage of fish that
don’t prematurely die from unnatural causes) in the bay
has been decreasing. Take the
striped bass for example: their survival rate has
decreased from about 70% of all bay bass
in the mid-1990s to around 50% recently. How can we
make sure this tragic decline stops
before the bay becomes extinct?
The average person can do more than you think to affect
the watershed. They could make
simple changes around their house and yard to have a
positive influence on the Chesapeake
Bay. Planting a rain garden, making a permeable
driveway, or installing a rain barrel at the
end of your downspout could be ways to prevent the flow
of runoff. Inside the house, they
could use energy efficient appliances to help save money
and the environment at the same
time. ENERGY STAR appliances are recommended because
they use 10-50% less energy
and water than standard models and save you
approximately $80 a year in energy costs.
Also, if every American home replaced just one light
bulb with a compound fluorescent light
bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3
million homes for a year, more than
$600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent
greenhouse gases equivalent to the
emissions of more than 800,000 cars (EnergyStar.gov).
Every simple change could affect
the watershed and the Chesapeake Bay itself by
intercepting general pollution as well was
bay-specific inhibitors.
If the environmentalists were to disappear, then the
effectiveness of every other
stakeholder group would begin to decline because they
would have no foundation to base
their works on. Fisherman and farmers may begin to lose
business and diseases and illnesses
would begin to spread around due to the chemicals
getting into the water. Businesses and
industries wouldn’t care anymore about their greenhouse
gas emissions and there would be
no group there to enforce the laws and regulations of
keeping the bay clean. The health of
the bay would probably decrease because no one would be
there to implement the plans of
saving the bay.
The effectiveness of our plans being implemented would
result in the increase in the
restoration of the bay. If successful, we will continue
our plans and projects to make the
bay even cleaner for future generations. But, we have to
make sure that the future
generations continue applying our plans or our work will
be all for nothing. We want to
encourage today’s generation as well as future
generations to take action in helping
preserve the Chesapeake Bay.
Works Cited: "Carbon Credit Program." 2008. National
Farmers Union. 2 Mar 2008. <http://nfu.org/issues/environment/carbon-credits>.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation. 2006. 2 Mar 2008.
<http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homev3>.
Energy Star. 2 Mar 2008
<http://www.energystar.gov>.
Peirce, Carolyn. "Lawmaker: Teach kids about
environment." 17 July 2007. 3 Mar 2008 <http://www.examiner.com/a-831769~Lawmaker__Teach_kids_about_environment.html>.
"Lessons from the Bay Lesson Plans." Virginia
Department of Education. 3 Mar 2008
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
The Red Neck Yacht Club - recreation - JWHS(F)
Statement
4/9/2008
I just wanted to make the comment that I really enjoyed
reading your POV. It made
a lot of sense to me. Even though my group was for the
torism bureu, at heart I am
an environmentalist. I was wondering if in your reaserch
you came across any
program that was set up to teach the public about the
bay habbitats. I work with a
Center that helps teach the public about the importance
of keeping the natural
ballance of species in an area equal. Is there any group
or organization that teaches
the public about the importance of NOT introducing
non-native speices into the bay
watershed? I know that in other bodies of water invasive
species have taken over
(the sea-lamp-ray, zebra musscle, and snake-head, to
mention a few). I just wanted
to know if anyone was informing the public on this
problem and how to prevent it.
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Other
The Counting Coals
Massanutten Gov. S.-Newcomer
Miner
3/31/2008
We are writing on behalf of the coal miners in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed. Coal miners
in this area are vital to the economy and are relied
upon as an energy producer. Coal
accounts for 49.7% of our nation’s electricity – over
twice more than the next leading
source. Coal power is reliable, abundant, and
domestically produced. 82,959 people are
employed by coal mines in the nation. 33,348 (40.2%) of
them work in mines in the
watershed. That number does not include the countless
jobs that result from the coal
industry such as equipment manufacturing. The industry
is vital for the region’s economy as
well as the livelihood of thousands of area families.
The industry is as part of America’s
heritage as the Grand Canyon and has certainly had a
bigger impact on the average
American’s life.
The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are in danger.
Eutrophipication is suffocating marine
life. Heavy metals are putting people and animals at
risk of cancer and poisoning. Acid mine
drainage is pushing life past its range of pH tolerance.
We are aware of the problems and
that we are a contributor to them. We care about the
ecosystem and are willing to work to
improve it.
The two largest contributions to pollution from the coal
industry are acid mine drainage and
acid rain. Both are caused by sulfur escaping the mines
and infiltrating the area’s wetlands,
making the water too acidic for much aquatic life to
tolerate. Acid mine drainage occurs
when sulfuric acid is formed by the oxidation of iron
sulfide minerals. During mining, the
pyrite is exposed to air and water to form said sulfuric
acid. Possible solutions to the
problem include precipitation of metal sulfides, or
constructing wetlands. Precipitating
metals sulfides entails introducing basic metals to the
acidic water that has free sulfides.
The two react chemically, resulting in neutral water and
metal sulfide concentrate that
could possibly be sold for a profit. The problem with
this technique is that it is time, labor,
and material intensive. Constructing a wetland around
the mine that has resilient plants can
filter out heavy metals and the anaerobic bacteria can
neutralize the pH. Building an
artificial wetland is relatively cheap, it is a one time
installment, and it is aesthetically
pleasing. The downside to utilizing wetlands is that it
is a very slow process and its
effectiveness varies greatly by the season.
Coal, especially bituminous coal, contains sulfur
deposits. When coal is burned for
electricity the sulfur is released in to the atmosphere.
There it mixes with water and
creates sulfuric acid rain. A solution available to coal
plants that are putting sulfur in to the
air could be scrubbers. Scrubbers are very efficient and
effective but their cost outweighs
their benefits. The average cost of scrubbers today is
$300 per kilowatt. People are
normally charged eight cents per kilowatt. For a
regular sized power plant to install
scrubbers in all their facilities, it would cost around
$300 million.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
DORY-DORY FISH - Waterman - MHS
Ask
4/8/2008
i think your paper was very well structured, but your
information is not all correct, i
think that you need to update it, and then repost it.
Response
The Counting Coals - Other - MRGS
4/23/2008
Our information was checked and we obtained it from a
reliable and present
source. I think you may want to tell us what you think
is incorrect, because we
are sure that all of our information is correct
From:
Representing Luke Mill - Other - KHS(K)
Ask
4/17/2008
Is that 300 million per factory or 300 million for all
the factories?
Response
The Counting Coals - Other - MRGS
4/23/2008
The 300$ million would be for each individual factory,
not all of the factories
together.
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Other
Rollin' in the Green
Massanutten Gov. S.-Newcomer
Municipalities
3/31/2008
Municipalities have always been major contributors to
environmental pollution sources.
Recently, some very efficient Best Management Practices
have been developed to combat
the effect of these cities on the environment. Combined
with the use of Best Management
Practices, smart city pollution management is possible
for everywhere, from small towns to
large cities. The Chesapeake Bay is a very
important resource to the communities
surrounding the bay, including our city. Unfortunately,
due to the nature of cities, which is
to have large amounts of people polluting in a confined
environment, our city is also one of
the major contributors to the pollution of the bay. The
bay is an important economic and
aesthetic resource, which we are dedicated to
preserving.
First, we must identify the sources of our pollution.
Starting with the roadways, runoff is a
very large concern. Oil and other car byproducts are
deposited on our roadways daily,
polluting the bay through runoff. This problem is
further compounded by the non-porous
asphalt. Non-porous asphalt allows oil and other
contaminants to run directly into the bay
without filtration. Another major contributor to the
problem is construction within the city.
Concrete used in construction annually contributes
almost 8% of humanity’s carbon dioxide
emissions. Storm water discharge around the construction
site is also a major concern with
pollution. As water flows into the drains around a site,
it carries with it any chemicals or
contaminants that are being used within the
construction. This may include asbestos,
mercury, and contamination from advanced oil based
products used during the construction
process. Finally, the last major contributor to the
pollution is the one that is easiest to
control: the public. Public awareness of pollution is
still a factor into the pollution controls
within the city. Despite years of recycling programs and
years of public service
announcements concerning these programs, many people
continue to throw everything away.
This ends up in the streets and landfills, where the
materials contained within these
products are washed out into the bay.
All of these problems are major, but all of them can be
solved with little or no effort, just
a raised awareness of the solutions. Roadways with a
permeable surface have been tested
within Europe, with the effect that the same chemicals
that would have been washed into
the bay are absorbed into the roadway, filtering through
the ground. This removes most of
the heavy metals and oil in the contaminants, resulting
in mostly clean water reaching the
bay. Construction has some very simple solutions,
but these are almost always ignored.
Simply recycling the un-used materials from construction
can cut down on the amount of
new materials used in each new project. Problems with
the chemical contamination can be
solved with a two part solution. First, the most obvious
solution is to only perform
construction in dry weather. Unfortunately, this isn’t
always possible due to deadlines for
construction, so this is where the permeable asphalt
comes into play. The same chemicals
that would normally flow into the stream from the
construction site are now absorbed and
filtered out through the same process as the road
chemicals being filtered out.
Finally, on the topic of raising public awareness, the
same old tactics will probably not work
anymore. The possibilities include monetary incentives
for recycling essential metals;
implement a program for the unemployed, in which the
unemployed will have the option of
working for the city to help clean up the roads and the
bay instead of the standard welfare
programs.
In conclusion, several easily
implemental programs can drastically reduce the amount
of refuse and pollution the municipality produces and
puts into the Chesapeake Bay. Best Management Practices
such as the ones outlined in this paper can help achieve
this goal.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
We Care, As Long As You Care - developer - CHS
Ask
4/10/2008
Although I think that your group has made some good
points about how you plan to
remedy the way you contribute to pollution, my question
is how do you plan to fund
those programs and what, if any, way would that affect
the public?
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Other
The Chesapeake Strip
Mall
Massanutten Gov. S.-Newcomer
Business
3/31/2008
We are a representative group from an existing local
strip mall located in the Chesapeake
Bay watershed. After our watershed was declared to be in
critical condition, we decided to
take a look at what we could do to remedy the Bay’s
situation. We acknowledge that our
businesses have a significant impact on the environment,
but we also realize that we can
make several changes to lower our negative ecological
impression in ways that are conducive
to both our business and the Chesapeake Bay. Although
our business will inevitably take
tolls on the condition of the Bay, the boost we add to
the local economy is essential. We
provide jobs, services, and commodities for our
citizens. In order to keep our area’s
financial system healthy, our participation is vital.
However, the way we go about our
business can be altered to better accommodate our
watershed’s needs.
We plan to make our strip mall greener in several ways.
Perhaps the most detrimental part
of a strip mall is its production of food. The used
frying grease produced by the food
manufacturers are usually thrown out and result in
environmentally unfriendly waterway
clogging and sewer system backups. We plan to install a
bioremediation system where
bacteria are employed to naturally “eat away” at the
waste products, eliminating disposal
concerns. Another harmful byproduct from our
food court is an increasing use of
disposable paper products. We have decided to eliminate
paper products entirely and switch
to their more eco-friendly bagasse counterparts.
Bagasse is a fast-decomposing sugar cane
product that biodegrades in thirty to ninety days,
reducing environmental impact. In our
public restrooms we plan to install water-saving
utilities such as waterless urinals and
water-conserving faucets and toilets. This will cut down
on water consumption and reduce
the strain of waste water on our environment as well as
save us money.
We are also interested in daylight harvesting, a
practice that involves an ambient light-
sensing system that dims electric lighting whenever
natural light is sufficient. This will save
electricity and in time return our investment with
reduced electric bills. Studies show that
an increase in natural lighting also benefits human mood
and shopping potential, benefiting
our business, our customers, and our
employees.
Finally, we recognize the runoff created by our
impermeable asphalt parking lot. In order
to maximize the usable surface area of the lot, we will
divide it into sections for different
size vehicles. Smaller, more compact, and consequently
eco-friendlier cars will receive
smaller parking spaces located closest to the mall.
Larger vehicles that require larger
spaces will be located farther away from the mall. This
creates a small incentive for owning
a smaller car and rearranges our parking lot to
increase usable space. In all of these
ways, we hope to continue serving our community while
becoming an ecologically friendlier
business. We do realize that some of these changes will
require spending on our part, but
we believe that in an ecologically changing business
world, our investments will bring us
financial benefits in time.
Works Cited
“Better Site Design Fact Sheet: Green Parking.”
The Stormwater Manager’s Resource Center. 26
February 2008.
<http://www.stormwatercenter.net/Assorted%20Fact%20Sheets/Tool4_Site_
Design/GreenParking.htm>
“Green Parking Lots.” Department of Planning and
Development. 30 September 2005. 26 February 008
<http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/dclu/Publications/cam/CAM515.pdf>.
Heschong Mahone Group. “Skylights and Retail Stores: An
Investigation into the Relationship Between
Daylighting and Human Performance; Condensed Report.”
Daylight Technology. 20
Aug 1991. 3 March 2008.
<http://www.daylighttechnology.com/benefit_pdf/Retail_Stores.pdf>
Verdon, Joan. "Malls Lauded for Going Green."
NorthJersey.com. 23 Feb 2008. The Record. 3 Mar 2008
<http://www.northjersey.com/business/Centers_find_it_pays_to_go_green.html>.
World Centric, “Biocompostables – Biodegradable Food
Services and Packaging Disposables.” 26
February 2008 <http://
www.worldcentric.org/bio/index.htm>
World Centric, "Compostable Sugar Cane Fiber Tree-Free
Tableware." 26 February 2008
<http://www.worldcentric.org/bio/bagasse.htm>.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
Mineral County Agriculturalists (the Aggies) - farmer -
KHS(K)
Ask
4/16/2008
I really like your ideas about making your business more
eco-friendly. These all sound
like great practices on paper but I am concerned about
the actual aplication of some.
For example you stated to have bacteria to eat away at
your waste but where would
you install such an area. Would it simiply take up
store space? Would you have a
designated area for all restraunts to empty their waste?
How would this work? I'm also
not clear on how arranging the parking lot will decrease
runoff. Overall I really liked
your POV. It has many wonderful ideas. Also it is great
that you included a work sited
page.
Response
The Chesapeake Strip Mall - Other - MRGS
4/23/2008
Thanks for your kind words and great questions, Aggies!
We've looked at several
models for a bioremediation system, and the one we like
best is a storage unit
outside the building. It would be a designated waste
area for the whole food
court.
The rearranging of the parking lot will not decrease
runoff, per se, but it will
increase the number of cars we can fit on the
impermeable surface, hopefully
eliminating a need for a larger or second parking lot.
If we do put in a new
parking lot in the future, we will use porous asphalt
that will decrease runoff.
Also, the rearranging provides a small incentive for
owners of compact, eco-
friendlier cars. Thanks again for the great feedback!
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Other
Industry
Minimizing Pollution
Massanutten Gov. S.-Newcomer
Industry
3/31/2008
In a world where the condition of our Chesapeake
Bay is slowly degrading, we must all
step up and take part in helping to save the bay. After
years of trying to pretend that we
don’t hurt the environment, the Industry is ready to
admit that we actually do. We ask that
you judge us not unfairly; for we are not alone in
murdering the bay… we just do a little bit
more than others. We admit that Industrial pollution is
a problem that contributes greatly
to the degraded condition of the Chesapeake Bay. As a
collection of Industries in Northern
Virginia, we have realized that maintaining the health
of the Bay is critical, for without it,
our society and way of life will be utterly destroyed.
For our industry to survive in this day
and age, we must do our part in saving the Chesapeake
Bay. Without the Bay, everyone will
move from our watershed, and then there will be no
consumers to buy from us. Therefore,
we, the Industries of Northern Virginia have decided
that it is in our best interest to form
an alliance with the environment.
The primary pollutant produced by industry is nitrogen
nutrient pollution. There are 49
industries that are primary nitrogen producers in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed, and of
these 49 industries, 12 have already successfully
reduced the amount of nitrogen that they
put into the river systems. One of these factories was
the AlliedSignal Hopewell Plant- the
largest Ammonium Sulfate producer in the world. It is
also the largest Point Source of
Nitrogen on the James River. As of today, the plant has
cut their nitrogen discharges by
80%, although they are still the largest producer of
Ammonium Sulfate fertilizer in the
world. This shows that industries can take the
initiative to reduce pollution and still be
economically successful.
To become successful industries, we need the bay and we
need a profit, so to reduce
pollution going into the bay we need economical
solutions. Some solutions that are already in
place are air pollutant regulators in smoke stacks (more
commonly known as scrubbers),
which keep harmful pollutants out of the atmosphere.
Each smoke stack can be fitted with
sensors that are capable of monitoring emissions, and
this data can be kept in a specific
computer, allowing us to look at the trends in the
pollutants our plants are producing.
Using Best Management Practices (BMPs) is another way to
reduce the pollution. One
example of a BMP is a technique called “drip panning,”
in which small containers or
indentations are placed underneath any leakage or
drippage, thus allowing any leaking or
dripping chemicals to be cleaned with ease. Although
this is a temporary solution, it
dramatically reduces the amount of chemicals that wash
into the waterways. Another
example of a BMP is a riparian buffer- a natural
corridor of trees or shrubs along the river
bank, which protects the river from runoff and
pollutants. These riparian buffers will be
planted along the banks of rivers near our industrial
plants. Lastly, we have decided that
we will actively participate in the carbon credits
program, in which allows us a certain
number of carbon emissions a year. If we go over our
allowed carbon emissions, then not
only are we making less of a profit, but the money that
we must spend goes to
environmental programs to help reduce pollution.
As we’ve said, keeping the
Chesapeake clean (which makes the people happy) will
also increase profit for the Industry
of Virginia (which makes us happy), and also increases
the overall health status of the bay
(which makes everyone happy). In conclusion: We, the
Industries of the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed, will strive to implement economically
feasible and environmentally conscious
BMPs to reduce the levels of pollution discharged into
the water. This will not only increase
the water quality of the bay, but improve our image in
the eyes of the public (which will
hopefully make us more money).
Sources:
Blankenship, Karl. “Industries taking Initiative, big
Bite out of Nutrient Discharges.” Chesapeake Bay Journal
Online. 2/28/08. http://www.bayjournal.com/“BMP: Drip
Pans.”
Industrial BMPs. 3/3/08.
http://www1.co.weber.ut.us/wiki/images/b/b4/BMPDP.pdf
“Business Technology: Monitoring Pollution at its
Source.” NY Times online. 3/3/08.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
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Other
Nutty
Environmentalists
James Wood H.S.-Fordyce
Environmentalist
4/8/2008
“Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and social
movement centered on a concern for the
conservation and improvement of the natural
environment”.As an environmentalist I try to
help people understand the importance of ecology and why
we should treat nature with
great respect; both for its own sake and the importance
of civilization. “One thing about
environmentalist is there is a very diverse range of
options on what to do. Further more
there is almost an infinate list of things a person
could do to help”, said Caryolyn Chase.
After reading her paper I’d have to agree that I
consider the job of an environmentalist to
connect with others and creat change. As an
environmentalist I also support the
Chesapeake Bay Program, which is a unique regional
partnership that has led and directed
the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983. I feel
enivronmentalist are important to
this watershed because there are a lot of things we can
do to help support the goals of the
Chesapeake Bay. The problems of the bay don’t just
affect environmentalist but we
understand that and it’s our job to connect with people
and help them understand that they
to can be affected by the changes in the environment.
There are many solutions and
approaches that could help protect and restore the bay.
People are one of the main causes
of pollution. We could contribute to savng the
environment by changing things in your home
like conserving water, reducing energy consumption,
maintain your septic system, reduce
household hazerdouse waste. Also you could help the bay
in your own backyard by planting
trees, skipping the spring fertilizers and wait untill
fall, compost falling leaves, reduce
runoff, landscape with native plants, and use pestocides
carefully. On the road you can
plan trips carefully, walk or bike and carpool. At
school reuses old school supplies, cover
books with newspaper or paper grocery bags, pack a waste
free lunch and educate children
while their young about pollution and saving the
environment so they are aware that they
can also be affected. I believe that if more people
knew about the issues and how they
can be affected the more people would want to help. Some
peolple would argue that their
lifes are to complicated and hectic to worry about the
enviroment and spreading the word
wouldn’t help them get involed. Well I think they’re
wrong because no matter how hectic
your life is you can still contribute by doing the
little things.When more people get involved,
weather it’s contributing a lot or just a little bit
the bay would be restored more quickly,
and most importantly it would be done suceessfully.
http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0799/et0799s12.html
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
Home Jackets - homeowner - MHS
Statement
4/11/2008
I'm sorry but there is a lot of spelling errors; you
don't seem professional when you say
your an environmentalist but can't spell Chesapeake
right. Also, I would have expected more
information.
From:
DORY-DORY FISH - Waterman - MHS
Statement
4/11/2008
do we sound like idiots? come on really do you think
that we don't know how too pronounce
and/or define the word environmentalist?
were not dummies, do you beg to differ?
From:
Ecstatic Environmentalists - Other - MRGS
Statement
4/23/2008
You definitely were on the right track when you were
writing this paper. You included
quite a few best management practices to help cut back
on pollution only wish you would
have gone into more detail. There were a few grammatical
errors in your paper. "We
could contribute to savng the environment by changing
things in your home..." this
sentence switches from "we" to "you" and saving is
spelled wrong. I wanted to add that
you actually did spell Chesapeake Bay right throughout
this paper. Starting out by
defining what an environmentalist isn't a bad starting
point for this paper. I don't think
you were trying to say the reader was dumb and didn't
know what they were talking
about, but it seemed like you were trying to establish a
common definition. I understood
where you were coming from, your paper simply lacked
enough details to make it stand
out as one of the best.
From:
Ecstatic Environmentalists - Other - MRGS
Statement
4/23/2008
You obviously have opinions and I respect them, but
because of the spelling errors and
stuff like that it is hard to take what you are saying
seriously. I would suggest editing
before you submit.
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Other
TOP STORIES
James Wood H.S.-Fordyce
Environmentalist
4/8/2008
en•vi•ron•men•tal•ist
Pronunciation: (en-v"run-men'tl-ist, -v"urn-), [key] —n.
1. an expert on
environmental problems. 2. any person who advocates or
works to protect the air, water,
animals, plants, and other natural resources from
pollution or its effects. 3. a person who
believes that differences between individuals or groups,
esp. in moral and intellectual
attributes, are predominantly determined by
environmental factors, as surroundings,
upbringing, or experience (opposed to hereditarianism).
I am an environmentalist I try to protect the waters the
wild life and plants from being
polluted by or any threats of a polluter. I work on the
cheassepeack bay .framers are a big
problem with there chemicals and there frurtilizer that
sink in to the underground water
and it all flows right to the cheassepeack bay which
kills fish and water plants. This can
cause a lot of havoc to everyone around the bay. That’s
why I made it my job to protect
the waters of America so we can live in a clean world.
Organize clean up days of the
streams and dams along the cheassepeack bay. Plant a
buffer a round parts of the bay to
help the farms keep there cows out of the bay. We can
organize a day to meet with the
commute to have an awareness day for the bay
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
fi$h hunter$ - Waterman - MdSA
Ask
4/16/2008
Are you sure that buffers are to keep cows out of the
Bay? I thought they were to
prevent erosion. I don't think cows have a problem with
drowning in the water because
cows don't find the CHESAPEAKE Bay appealing.
From:
Ecstatic Environmentalists - Other - MRGS
Ask
4/23/2008
I like your definition in the beginning :). Farmers are
a problem, but they aren't the only
people that contribute to the pollution in the
Chesapeake Bay. Organizing days to clean
up the Bay would be a good idea, but how are you going
to get people to actually
participate without using some sort of incentive?
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Other
Mentalists
James Wood H.S.-Fordyce
Environmentalist
4/8/2008
1. Environmentalists are known to deal with concerns
about public health. We are very
important to the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is much more
than a body of water, its
organisms and body supports the region. We in fact are a
significant component of are
quality of life. We work hard to accomplish several
objectives first and for most protect
public health. We stop the pollution going into the bay
from factories and sewage treatment
plants. The bay is also chocked with pollution from
16.7 million residents of the watershed.
2. The bay is the largest estuary in the world and has
become a huge trashcan. Bottles and
cans float on the sides, they drift into the streams,
inlets, and along the shores of the bay.
The bay is used as a home for thousands of creatures
and organisms. The future of the
bay is in the hands of us and the citizens of the world.
Its not always about the money we
spend to clean it up it is how we figure out to save and
protect it.
Two major reasons for the Chesapeake Bay's popularity
are its huge size and its infinite
variety. The Bay stretches for approximately 200 miles
along the coasts of Maryland and
Virginia, and offers year-round recreation for thousands
of families. Every day, hundreds
of volunteers are doing their part to keep Bay waters
clean, and there are many ways you
can help.
Clean Boating Tips:
• Don't let trash get thrown or blown
overboard.
• If trash blows overboard, retrieve it &
consider it "crew overboard" practice.
• Pack food in reusable containers.
• Fill portable fuel tanks on shore, where you
are less likely to spill and where spills are
easier to clean up.
• Keep your engine well tuned. No leaking
seals, gaskets, or hoses.
• Place oil absorbing material in the bilge.
• Never discharge bilge water with a sheen.
It's illegal.
• Wash your boat frequently with a sponge and
plain water.
• Use phosphate free, biodegradable, and
non-toxic cleaners.
• Use alternatives to toxic bottom paints.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
Home Jackets - homeowner - MHS
Statement
4/11/2008
I really enjoyed the comic. This definately stands out
against the other POV's.
From:
Industry Minimizing Pollution - Other - MRGS
Ask
4/23/2008
You had very thoughtful techniques in reducing pollution
from boating, but being
environmentalists, do you know any ways to help protect
the Bay that don't have to do
with boating? Boating contributes to only a small
percentage of pollution in the Bay.
From:
Industry Minimizing Pollution - Other - MRGS
Statement
4/23/2008
I really enjoyed your POV Paper. You provided many good
solutions and techniques. Your
paper was well organized and the comic at the bottom was
entertaining. All around your
paper was very good!
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Other
Tree Huggers
James Wood H.S.-Fordyce
Environmentalist
4/8/2008
Environmentalist are important to the Chesapeake Bay
because they help stop nature from
being destroyed and getting into the bay. The
Chesapeake Bay is filled with oil and chemical
pollution and it affects the environmentalist by giving
them a job.
Their job is to inform the public about what is going
on so that they can try to stop the
pollution before it gets to the rivers and streams
leading to the bay. If the bay was
completed cleaned and the pollution stopped then our
jobs would be way easier, and we
could live so much cleaner. We help to solve the problem
by protecting the public and trying
our hardest to stop pollution and save nature.
The solutions wouldn’t cost us anything because we get
paid to help try and save the bay.
The way we get paid is by getting to live cleaner and
healthier. Yes, I believe cleaning the
bay would help just about everything and everyone. We
participate directly, it’s our job to
participate and help saving the bay.
Tree huggers have been around forever. Recycling is
one of the best ways to prevent
pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. For example you can
recycle your old oil instead of just
dumping it on somewhere. Most people today think it’s a
waste of time to pollution.
Personally I think its good, if it makes the air cleaner
and the ground less dirty.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
The Forester Boys - Other - KHS(K)
Statement
4/9/2008
I really don't think that it would make the jobs much
easier because, it would make
it much harder for loggers to keep sediment from
entering rivers to the chesapeake
bay.
From:
Representing Luke Mill - Other - KHS(K)
Ask
4/10/2008
So what if your an Environmentalist. Someone who
recycles is an environmentalist.
What does you being an environmentalist have anything to
do with cleaning up the
bay? What do you think people should do to clean up the
bay? What needs to happen
for the bay to become healthy again? And another thing,
Recycling doesn't have any
efect on the bay at all. The 2 leading causes of the
bay's polution is sedemintation,
caused by farmers letting their cattle into stream beads
and river banks ,and
nutreint runoff from crop feilds caused by over
fertilization by farmers. Trach that
is not recycled is taken to a landfill not the
Chesipeke Bay.
From:
Representing Luke Mill - Other - KHS(K)
Ask
4/11/2008
So what if your an Environmentalist. Someone who
recycles is an environmentalist.
What does you being an environmentalist have anything to
do with cleaning up the bay?
What do you think people should do to clean up the bay?
What needs to happen for the bay
to become healthy again? And another thing, Recycling
doesn't have any efect on the bay at
all. The 2 leading causes of the bay's polution is
sedemintation, caused by farmers letting
their cattle into stream beads and river banks ,and
nutreint runoff from crop feilds caused
by over fertilization by farmers. Trach that is not
recycled is taken to a landfill not the
Chesipeke Bay.
From:
Home Jackets - homeowner - MHS
Statement
4/11/2008
You sound a little over optimistic. The bay will never
be completely clean, because of organic
pollutants (i.e. leaves).
Response
Tree Huggers - Other - JWHS(F)
4/14/2008
Your a little over pesamistic!
From:
When fish fight back - CB_Ecosystem - JWHS(F)
Statement
4/14/2008
Hey whats up your POV statement was good I dont know
what that other guy was
talking about because recycling would help the bay.
From:
Home Jackets - homeowner - MHS
Statement
4/15/2008
I agree with Luke Mill. Recycling would be a great
start, but what about chemicals
entering the water? The 2 main pollutants are sediments
and nutrients. Where did you
get your sources?
From:
The Pearls - local_gov - MdSA
Statement
4/16/2008
Environmentalist not only educate people about they Bay,
they are supposed clean the
Bay and develop plans which will improve the future
state fo the Bay.
Response
Little Green Axman - Other - MRGS
4/23/2008
I agree it is very important to clean the Bay and the
areas around it, which in turn
reach the Bay through the watershed by means of runoff
and acid rain. However
solutions to help clean the Bay can't fully restore it
to its original state. Not
everyone shares the same interest we do, which is to
save our environment, and
not many people would want to pay nothing for their
services contributing to the
cleaning of the Bay. Construction of buffer zones and
BMP's in general will
require the assistance of machinery operated by
construction workers who work
for money not free.
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Other
The Forester Boys
Keyser H.S.-Kurtz
Forester
4/8/2008
As a forester we hear about the problems of the
sedimentation and the chemicals coming
from farmers fields. As foresters we think that tree
buffer zones around agricultural
fields would help with the problems. Why because, trees
are good for helping stop sediment
runoff into the bay and surrounding streams. Tree
buffer zones are a natural
sedimentation barrier and they are good for the
environment by giving off oxygen, and by
giving animals a great habitat to live in. Ways that the
forest buffers can help
sedimentation are by slowing down the runoff and the
leaves build up can also slow the
runoff down.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
fishies - CB_Ecosystem - MHS
Statement
4/11/2008
Although I agree with your thoughts on the ways you can
fix pollution, but maybe you
should put in you POV paper about WHAT pollutions are
running off into streams that lead
into the bay!
But other then that, you all had a pretty good
explanation :)
Response
The Forester Boys - Other - KHS(K)
4/14/2008
Thanks alot but we will have to do some more research in
order to do that.
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Other
Representing Luke Mill
Keyser H.S.-Kurtz
Paper Mill
4/8/2008
As a representative for a Mead Westvaco factory in the
Chesapeake water shed, I know
the effects that factories have on the environment. For
years factory owners and personal
have denied the facts on their effect on the
environment, but they can not any more. They
are trying to fix the mistakes they’ve made in the past
by striving to learn from them.
Industrial scientist and environmental scientists alike
are finding new ways to reduce our
negative impact on the environment.
In recent years they have added a new air filtration
system improving air quality and
environmental health in the surrounding area. They are
also reusing more and more
recycled material every day, helping to protect and
conserve the environment. They are
also disposing of factory waste in responsible ways(Not
dumping them into the Potomac).
Those at Mead Westvaco know the effect they have on the
environment and are striving to
improve it.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
Home Jackets - homeowner - MHS
Ask
4/11/2008
Ok, if you do not dump the waste in the Potomac then
what do you do with it?
From:
Mineral County Agriculturalists (the Aggies) - farmer -
KHS(K)
Ask
4/11/2008
What else can the paper mill do to improve the
surrounding area? Is there any harmful
sunstances that come out of the stacks that are
polluting the area?
Response
Representing Luke Mill - Other - KHS(K)
4/16/2008
now a days factories consintrate on not creating waste
at all. Others, not
including Luke Mill, reuse the waste that they create.
CSX burns the old oil from
the trains to heat their buildings. The oil that Luke
Mill does create is trucked to
treatment plants were most wastes are diluted with water
untile they are no
longer harmful to the enviroment.
From:
Bojangles - farmer - JWHS(T)
Ask
4/21/2008
You address the situation of the Potomac, but that is
not the only river in the area. What
about the Savage? and other smaller creeks in the area?
MODERATOR COMMENT:
It's just fine if they focus only on their local waters.
That will help restore the Bay.
Response
Representing Luke Mill - Other - KHS(K)
4/22/2008
Although your question is outside of my POV, I am aware
that Patrerson's Creek
is polluted by runoff from farms in its water shed,
until recent years New Creek
has been polluted by maltiple sources, and as far as the
Savege River goes, ther
has never been a pollution problme.
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Other
awesomley amazing super spectacular envoirnmentalist
James Wood H.S.-Takarsh
environmentalist
4/9/2008
We decided that environmentalists are important to
the earth because we help save jobs
and the earth the Chesapeake Bay is just one of many
problems that we are trying to solve
right now with all the help that environmentalists can
get we can look forward to a
brighter and better future and a cleaner earth. By
cleaning up rivers and oceans even
valleys we can save people from the high pollution in
the earth’s atmosphere and save plants
and animals too. By doing all of this it will not only
make others feel better but us also.
By using water filters to clean up the water and add
more fresh water to the earth’s
surface it can improve it greatly. However if we fail
our job it will not only make us look
bad but could possibly make the earth worse. It could be
dangerous to use some tools that
we will use however we will use them with caution. We
will make sure everyone wears gloves
so that all the bacteria and pollution will not infect
us.
Being careful while doing this is the number one
concern. If we happen to mess up and
spill and spill anything we have taken out we will have
to start all over. All of the
environmentalists will have been trained to do this
helpful but dangerous job. When
succeeding it will make the earth better and everyone
very happy to live near the bay.
Therefore everyone will keep their jobs. We will save
plants and animals. As well as
ourselves.
Enviornmentalists are important to the Chesapeake
Bay Watershed because we have to
work harder to protect the earth. The Bay's problems
affect my group because even
though we love the environment the work to constantly
clean is getting tough. One solution
that we suggest is that maybe we reroute the sewage
pipes leading somewhere where the
sewage won't get into the bay. One way that this
solution could affect us in the extensive
building of new sewage lines and rerouting everything.
Our group is important to the environment because if
it wasn't for us there would be no
one to even think about taking care of the environment.
We're the reason there's probably
an environment left. And the bays problems keep us
occupied with ideas about how to clean
up the bay.
Its good for our livlihood because it gives us
things to do so that we can try to fix the
problems. We would prefer the more natraul way of fixing
things so that it dosent harm
the enviroment in any other way and also protect the
wildlife. The solutions will benefit us
by giving us a healthier enviroment to live in. If the
bay isnt cleaned up we could all
dissapear by drinking polluted water and breathing
polluted air.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
The Chesapeake Strip Mall - Other - MRGS
Ask
4/23/2008
What specific water filter systems did you have in mind?
Are they natural filters or
man-made? Also, what do you propose be done with the
sewage that is routed away
from the Chesapeake Bay? Aside from that and the
miscellaneous misspelled words, we
liked your paper and the personal responsibility you put
on people to protect their
natural environment by seeking new solutions to old
problems.
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Other
K and B's Seafood
Restaurant
Calvert H.S.-Gustin
Business
4/10/2008
We are the owners of K and B’s Seafood Restaurant
which is completely dependant on
POV:
the aquatic life that inhabits the Chesapeake Bay.
Seafood restaurants as a whole have
been criticized for causing many of the problems
associated with the Bay. Many of these
claims may be true for some restaurants; it does not
apply for us. Here at K and B’s we
are in correlation with the Save the Bay Foundation and
they suggest to us which aquatic
life can afford to be used as food. Many seafood
restaurants are completely hypnotized
with making a profit off of the water but we understand
that once we ruin the water our
livelihood will come to a screeching halt. For example
the Oyster is a necessity to the
survival of the Bay due to its filtering abilities. One
Oyster is capable of filtering 56 gallons
of water in one day. In about the 1920’s it took
approximately 3 days for the Oyster
population to filter the whole Bay. Now scientists
predict that the current Oyster
population would take about 1 year to filter the entire
bay. With this knowledge you will still
find Oysters on the menu for many seafood restaurants
associated with the Chesapeake
Bay. Until the oyster’s survival is guaranteed by the
Save they Bay Foundation, you will not
find Oyster on our menu.
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
Because we said so. - local_gov - JWHS(T)
Statement
4/11/2008
I really like the approach your taking. It's straight
forward and you aren't going to just cut
down on the amount of oysters you serve. You're letting
the oysters reproduce until
everything is back to normal and the water can be
filltered more efficiantly. It's the best
and fastest way to do it.
Response
DB Defenders - Waterman - JWHS(T)
4/15/2008
Do you market and advertise your attempts to protect the
bay? That could draw
more customers to your restaurant that care about the
preservation of the bay
and ultimately help more while making your business more
successful. Being a
business that comes in contact with many ordinary people
who are not regularly
involved with the bay gives you the opportunity to
provide education to the
community.
From:
DORY-DORY FISH - Waterman - MHS
Statement
4/17/2008
Thats awesome about how seafood restaurants could be
joined with Bay correlations to
know when its a good time to serve certain foods. I
think more restaurants should have
this program also because it would really help with
keeping the populations of
underwater animals alive. Your group has a cool stand on
only using certain seafoods
when they are available. Good job!
From:
awesomley amazing super spectacular envoirnmentalist -
Other -
Statement
4/23/2008
i believe that this is true. We use too much of the
cloams and organisms in the
Chesapeake Bay that we are killing some of the life in
the waters. They other organisms
have nothing to survive on then.
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Other
Makin Money
Rappahannock H.S.-Settle
Industry
4/15/2008
The Chesapeake Bay is an important national treasure.
More than 100,000 rivers and POV:
streams drain into the bay, making it the largest
estuary on the Atlantic coast and one of
the largest in the world. It’s a commercial and
recreational resource for more than 15
million people living in the watershed. The watershed
encompasses some 64,000 square-
miles in parts of six states. The Bay is home to more
than 3,600 species of plants, fish, and
animals. One major industry along the Chesapeake is the
crabbing industry. The $150
million-a-year industry is steadily declining. The new
regulations on commercial and
recreational crabbers are designed to reduce the crab
harvest by 15 percent over the next
three years. The female crab population has declined
about 80% over the past 12 years.
The two main types of wastes that affect the bay
due to industries are air pollution
and chemical contaminants. The burning of materials in
order to provide factories with
energy causes the air to become polluted with the smoke
and fumes of those materials.
These pollutants are put into the water when
precipitation brings them back down to
earth’s surface, which then turns them into chemical
contaminants that get washed into the
bay. One of the largest problems of air pollution in
the bay is nitrogen. The type of
nitrogen that comes from air pollution is nitrogen
oxides. These are released into the air
through the burning of oil, coal, or gas. It is
estimated that about one third of the nitrogen
in the bay comes from air pollution. Also, some
industries dispose of their waste improperly,
which can cause it to get put into the Chesapeake Bay.
Industry could get rid of their waste in a better
way instead of dumping in the bay.
The industries would have to give up a little money and
a little time. The solutions to the
problems would be an inconvenience. If people show them
the damage that they do to the
bay they might change their mind. If other groups see
that industries are trying to make
the bay better they would try harder so they wont look
so bad. If the industries could try
to find a way to turn their waste into something good
like a way to run their factories and
do it in a cleaner way such as not burning fossil fuels.
If the industries on the bay
happened to disappear it would hurt the people around
the bay because they wouldn’t have
all the supplies they once had close to them. Bay
Program Partners have set a goal to
correct nutrients-related problems in the Bay and its
tidal tributaries by 2010 by
implementing enhanced air pollution controls. While just
8 percent of the air nitrogen
reduction goal has been achieved, progress is expected
to accelerate dramatically over the
next few years as recently approved air pollution
control efforts take effect. As is, S.B. 13
stipulates that the annual 50 million dollar fund, that
comes from the Chesapeake Bay
Trust Fund – first established during November’s special
session – must be used to reduce
non-point source pollution, or the kind of stuff that
cannot be traced to one drainage pipe
or power plant.
Information from:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/airdeposition.aspx?menuitem=14746
(goes into depth on air
deposition from cars and what we are doing and what we
need to do to fix this problem).
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/air_pollution.htm (talks
about all the different types of air
pollutions that are affecting the bay).
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/nitrogen.aspx?menuitem=19412
(gives information about
the nitrogen problem in the bay and how to fix it).
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0510_crabbing.html
(gave us the crabbing industry information in the
Chesapeake).
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
awesomley amazing super spectacular envoirnmentalist -
Other -
Ask
4/23/2008
Why do you think this is happening?
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Other
Big Lots
Rappahannock H.S.-Settle
Urban sprawl/construction
4/15/2008
Construction is one of the leading causes of
pollution running into the Chesapeake Bay. POV:
Many types of construction can cause pollution in the
Chesapeake Bay. Urban sprawl is the
main cause of the increase of pollution in the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. There
are many factors involved such as jetties, and piers
built on the shoreline. Houses built on
the shoreline are a major factor affecting the
Chesapeake Bay also.
The relationship between population growth and
urban sprawl appears to be the most
obvious cause. The sprawl causes many more homes, and
schools to be built. This causes
greater per capita land consumption. Population growth
and per capita land consumption
has caused a loss of 1200 square miles of rural land in
the Bay and its tributaries since the
1970s. Sprawl has contributed to 55% and population
has contributed 45% of the land
consumption.
Urban sprawl has caused a loss of wetlands, which
is detrimental to the Chesapeake
Bay. Development of wetland costs up to $500 for a 1/10
of an acre to $7, 500 for a ˝
of an acre depending on where it is located, and quality
of surrounding area. The wetlands
provide habitat and homes to many species. Loss of
wetlands causes loss of habitat to
many species of waterfowl that migrate to the watershed
in the winter months.
Urban sprawl has caused excessive sediments and nutrient
loads into the watershed.
Construction sites on a per acre basis contribute to 10
to 20% more sediment than
agricultural lands. Increase in construction has caused
an increase of sediment delivered
into the watershed. Sprawl has produced five to seven
times as much sediment and
phosphorous as a forest. Unmanaged growth will
counteract any attempts in trying to
clean up the Bay.
Roadways affect the Bay and its tributaries by the
rainwater running off of the
roadways. Nitrogen is the main cause of pollution in
the Bay and its tributaries. Sprawl has
contributed to more people traveling to the cities to
shop, and eat in restaurants. People
traveling to the city causes excess nitrogen going into
the bay because of the car exhaust
has a lot of nitrogen in it. Concentrating development
around metro stations, so residents
don’t have to drive as far is a popular idea that is
receiving attention in Maryland and
Northern, Virginia.
Homes and condos built on water front properties
are also affecting the Bay and its
tributaries by pollution from the septic fields.
Although there are new restrictions stating
that you must have engineered systems on non-perking
land so that the pollution is limited.
It is a large mound above the ground that the waste
flows to. Also the homes built along
the shore line have jetties, piers and bulkheads that
change the way the water moves,
causing erosion of shoreline down stream causing, excess
sediment into the bay, and its
tributaries.
If laws and regulations are made we can save the
bay. We need to limit the number of
hours people can drive on the highways, by having swipe
cards to limit the hours your car
can operate during a given time period. The Chesapeake
Bay and its tributaries are home to
more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, and
around 15 million people today. The
restoration and long-term health of the bay depend on
halting urban sprawl, and the excess
nitrogen entering the bay by. Which can be done if
construction workers, and everyday
people stop worrying about themselves, and start
worrying about the environment. Nothing
will be possible until we start working together, and
not against each other. If proper
measures are taken we can save the biodiversity of the
bay and work towards restoring
the quality of the water for aquatic creatures, and for
people to swim in.
Websites
Information on sprawl in wetland areas, and the rules,
regulations and cost of it.
http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=810
Information of sprawl, facts about the bay, and
statistical information about bay and
sprawl. http://www.sprawlcity.org/studyVA/chesapeake.pdf
Information on how nitrogen and sprawl affects the bay.
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=453&sid=590970
Air pollution caused by nitrogen affecting the bay.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/developmentpressure.aspx?menuitem=19514
Sediments affecting the bay.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/sediments.aspx?menuitem=14691
Land Use, and Population Growth affecting the Chesapeake
Bay. http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/issues/watersheds/growth/index.php
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From:
Rollin' in the Green - Other - MRGS
Statement
4/23/2008
Your paper was very well structured and full of
supportive statistics. I have one
suggestion though. Even though limiting the amount of
time drivers spend on the roads is
a good idea, I highly doubt that people will want to
give up that freedom. An alternative
method to reduce the amount of runoff is porous asphalt.
Porous asphalt reduces the
amount of runoff drastically and also filters pollutants
that could run into the bay.
From:
awesomley amazing super spectacular envoirnmentalist -
Other -
Statement
4/25/2008
i like it
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Other
Sycamores
Rappahannock H.S.-Settle
foresters
4/15/2008
The Chesapeake Bay watershed stretches a whole
64299 square feet and runs through POV:
six states. It runs through Virginia, Maryland, West
Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New
York and all of the District of Columbia. It is home to
more than 3,600 species of plants
and animals and more than 15.1 million people. It is the
largest of 130 estuaries in the
United States. An estuary is a body of water where salt
and fresh water meets. The
Chesapeake Bay puts out 24 billion dollars a year in
recreation, flood control, and habitat
restoration.
A watershed is an area of land where all the water
that is under it or drains off of it
goes into the same place. A big part of the forested
watersheds are the riparian buffers.
The riparian buffers are trees or some kind of buffer
between a river and the forest. It
stops some of the major pollutants from entering the
river. If we cut down the buffer
zone, then we would have to work harder to purify the
water. Degraded riparian buffers
result in reduced water quality, reduced wildlife and
fish populations, property damage and
loss of valuable agricultural lands. That’s why we need
to conserve the riparian buffers.
A forested watershed acts like a sponge. It soaks
up the rainfall into its ground, roots,
leaves, and ferns. When they are fully saturated they
slowly release the water, thus
delivering a consistent waters supply. So you can see
why it is so important that we keep
the watershed clean. Without buffers or laws such as the
Chesapeake Bay act, sewage and
waste would just creep into the Chesapeake Bay.
Another major injury to the buffers protecting the
watershed is invasive species.
These are species that are not native to the area that
hurt indigenous species to create
their own space. In order to restore the plants that
form the buffer, invasive species must
be controlled and limited. One way to do this is to
kill these invaders by cutting them off
and immediately applying herbicide. This process,
though, must be done carefully in order
not to pollute the ground water with the chemicals even
more. For animal invasive species
the foresters want to fence in forested preserves until
trees are well established.
In conclusion the Chesapeake Bay watershed is very
important not to just people around
the Chesapeake Bay but to people living in the
watershed all the way up to New York.
Because of clear cutting and deforestation the forests
of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
is loosing its precious forests that we desperately need
to keep the Chesapeake Bay alive.
Information on forest replanting:
http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/workoutdooroffice/forester.aspx
Information on how the forest relates to the watershed:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/watershed/index.shtm
Information on animal invasive species:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/Data/hydrology.asp#Forests%A0Protect
Information on plant invasive species:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/forestbuffers.aspx?menuitem=14780
Introductive information on watershed: http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/whatis.html
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Other
Mind Blowing Menhaden
Rappahannock H.S.-Settle
Menhaden Fishing Industry
4/16/2008
Menhaden, once a booming industry on the shores
of the Chesapeake Bay for over POV:
130 years, is now run by a single company and caught in
a whirlwind of controversy. Omega
Protein, the company behind the fishery, has locations
in Virginia, Louisiana, and Mississippi,
harvesting more than 390 million Menhaden from the bay
alone each year. These kinds of
numbers worry conservationists. VIMS, a marine science
institute out of Yorktown, is
currently working on getting an accurate estimate of the
Menhaden population through
satellite technology. With this information, scientists
can then allow more or less Menhaden
to be harvested, leaving enough fish in the bay to
support its food web.
Omega Protein Inc., out of Reedville VA, employs
around 350 workers in the
Northumberland area during the year. It’s the largest
employer in the county and brings
money into the county, one of the poorest in the
Northern Neck per capita income. Also,
the benefits that come from the Menhaden products Omega
Protein produces are helpful
and useful in many ways. People with blood circulatory
problems use fish oil for their veins.
Fish products also help produce things such as ink,
plastics, animal feed, and even building
materials.
Menhaden, though not use as a fish food for humans,
are being taken from the bay in
large numbers. These fish are an important part of the
bays ecosystem. They are filter
feeder fish and a major food source for a variety of
other fish and seabirds up and down
the Atlantic coast. Menhaden are the base of the bay
food web and the most abundant fish
in the bay. Conservationists are working to keep it
that way by setting limits on the
harvesting season as well as many other efforts to
protect these vital fish. A yearly cap on
the amount allowed to be scooped out of the bay has
also been proposed to help as well.
As a group, we see both sides of the Menhaden
industry equally. The harvest of these
fish from the Chesapeake Bay is vital in many ways.
These products as well as the heart-
healthy fatty acids derived from these fish are
important to those with health problems.
On the flip side, too many fish are being taken each
year. Conservationists are right in
trying to preserve the Menhaden population for years to
come. We believe there should be
some type of balance between the two points of view such
as new regulations on harvesting
techniques and annual amounts to keep the industry in
the bay instead of making one side
more right than the other.
Works Cited
A Fish Tale. David Brancaccio. 2008. Jumpstart
Productions. 7 April 2008:
http://www.pbs.org/now/series/index.htmlCooperative
Living. Richard G. Johnstone, Jr.
VMDAEC. 8 April 2008.: http://www.co-opliving.com/about/index.htmlMenhaden
Matter.
Dick Brame. Chesapeake Bay Foundation. 8 April 2008.:
http://www.menhadenmatter.com
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Other
BlowBoats
Rappahannock H.S.-Settle
Marina Owners
4/16/2008
The Chesapeake Bay is a valued resource. It is the
largest estuary on the Atlantic coast,POV:
and the third largest in the world. The Chesapeake
drains to six states: VA, DE, PA, WV,
MD, and D.C. Approximately 17 million people live in
this 64,000 sq. mi watershed. There
are over 100,000 creeks, streams, or rivers in the
watershed. The Chesapeake Bay
watershed affects many people, and its quality is an
important concern.
Water pollution is a large problem among the
Chesapeake Watershed. Because of oil,
grease, and chemicals, marina owners are a source of
non-point solution. As measures of
improvement, the Department of Conservation and
Recreation (DCR) joined the Virginia
Coastal Program, Virginia Sea Grant, and other state
agency and industry partners to
develop a “Clean Marina Guidebook.” Among other
practices this guidebook includes storm
water runoff and fish waste management measures.
In 2001, Virginia launched the Virginia Clean
Marina Program to help distribution of the
Guidebook. This program was designed initially to
educate and recognize marinas that
implement Best Management Practices (BMPs). Those who
adopt the measures explained in
the Guidebook and implement the BMPs gain certification
as a Virginia Clean Marina.
Marina owners have no control over the
characteristics of the Bay or how pollutants
act in it. However, it is important to understand them
when trying to improve the water
quality and decrease pollution. Some of these
characteristics of how pollutants act in the
Bay, that play a role in the understanding of change,
are if they are diluted quickly or not,
accumulate in sediments or remain in the water column,
and if they concentrate in specific
areas or disperse. Sediment can be a concern at any
marina because it can create turbid
waters, can lead to dredging due to the accumulation in
the marina basin, and the pollutants
carried with it.
Also attached to sediment particles are nutrients
and toxic substances. Each has
different forms and tendencies to attach to particles,
biodegrade, and volatilize. Each
form might also have a different toxicity to aquatic
life and change when the compound is
moved from one environment to another. The type of water
body a marina is on makes a
difference in processes like sedimentation, pollutant
delivery, settling, and resuspension.
Pollutant resuspension is another concern to marinas.
Toxic metals are often mentioned,
but organic matter, bacteria, nutrients, and other
pollutants concentrated in sediment are
also resuspended by water turbulence and can cause water
quality problems.
Nutrient delivery to the Bay is a primary focus to
research. Over time, nutrient delivery
has increased dramatically. In 1972 the Clean Water Act
was broadcasted. In 1976 the
US Congress issued a directive, in testimony to the
importance of water quality of the Bay,
to the Chesapeake Bay Program examining the factors that
were changing the conditions of
the Bay. This was to see the benefits of water quality
legislation in the Bay from 1972 to
1976. Results indicated that benefits for annual
boating, fishing, and swimming ranged
from a total of $357.9 million to $1.8 billion.
Marina owners have factors such as pollutants,
sediment, nutrients, and others to take
into consideration while trying to improve the
conditions of the Bay. While they are running
their marinas, they also have to be understanding of
marine society and know what to do
and what not to do in order to best control the water
quality. As the marina being located
on certain bodies of water come into effect of what
precautions to take, also does the
different characteristics of the pollutants dealt with
by marina owners. In areas to
decrease toxic waste of chemicals, marina owners should
use less toxic chemicals and try
to dispose of the chemicals by keeping them from being
washed in to the river. To decrease
the stirring up of sediment in low circulation zones,
marina owners should keep the amount
of piers and boats in the area to a limited amount and
also develop a size degree. In
general marina owners need to increase the care of their
marina area by following all
guidelines and taking as many precautions as possible.
Science Direct
http://www.vims.edu/env/projects/tbt_deq/
http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/nonpoint/docs/6217va_fnl.pdf
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Other
hug a tree
Rappahannock H.S.-Settle
foresters
4/16/2008
The Chesapeake Bay watershed is about 64,000 square
miles and stretches across six POV:
states. Our forests are important in many ways
including; cleaning the air, filtering and
cooling the water, and storing and cycling nutrients.
The forests cover 58% of the Bays
watershed. To help prevent pollution in our streams,
trees should be planted to help filter
runoff. When it rains, the water flows over the ground
picking up oil, soil, fertilizers, and
other chemicals and goes into our watershed. The best
management practices help protect
the quality of the water.
A riparian buffer is the area of land next to a
stream (the streambanks or floodplain
area). Riparian forest buffers’ function is to provide
control of the stream environments. It
moderates fluctuations in the stream temperature and
controls light quantity and quality.
This will help enhance the habitats diversity. Buffers
that already exist can be improved
through the ordinance requirements.
Maryland and Virginia require a 100-foot vegetated
buffer along the shoreline of the
Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay
Preservation Act provides for a limited use
within the buffer, it generally allows for the marinas
and docks within the buffer. In April
2001 some changes to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation
Plan included; the expansion of the
Resource Protection Areas, a new plan of development
submittal requirements, new tree
protection and tree canopy replacement requirements, it
updated storm water quality
framework, and increased opportunity for public review
of exception requests.
Some ways to help protect and prevent destruction
of the Bay’s forests include;
encouraging the management on family-owned and other
private forests, this can lower the
risk of forest loss from parcelization. You can protect
large tracts of the forest land by
enhancing the viability of the forest products. There
are about $11.5 billion worth of goods
and services produced on an annual basis from
Virginia’s forest industries. If we can
balance the habitats and deer population then it will
help sustain the naturally high diversity
of the Chesapeake forests. There are many other ways to
help protect the Chesapeake
Bay’s forests so, every little effort you make now will
be an enormous help in the future.
Works Cited
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/watershed/socf.shtm
http://www.kyphilom.com/www/wood/bmp.html
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/landplanning/bmp.html
http://www.yourforestmanaged.com/how/water.php
http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/publications/BMPs/buffers.html
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From:
Ecstatic Environmentalists - Other - MRGS
Statement
4/23/2008
Your paper is wonderful! Great development and
explanations of improvement ideas. If
you wanted to make your paper even better you could
include some examples of
problems already affecting the bay and what caused them,
then offer the solutions.
However, i dont feel like your paper absolutely NEEDS
that..
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