Bay Journal News Feed

In the shallow waters of the Chesapeake, Bay grasses sway in the aquatic breeze of the current. Bay grasses, also called submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV, are one the most important natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay. There are 16 common species of Bay grasses found in the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries.

From restoring brook trout habitat in headwater streams to rebuilding oyster populations in 20 Bay tributaries, the Obama administration has set forth a sweeping vision for a revived Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding watershed.

A new review of the Atlantic menhaden stock confirms that the population continues to exist at a low level and-for the first time-suggests that overfishing has taken place in a number of recent years.

The EPA in late April announced that Jeffrey Lape, director of the agency's Chesapeake Bay Program Office in Annapolis, has accepted a position as deputy director of the Office of Science and Technology in the EPA's Office of Water in Washington, D.C.

More than 12,000 volunteers hauled tires, plastic bags and even a Canadian flag-with the pole still attached-out of the Potomac River this spring.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley announced new regulations in May to increase the number and quality of oyster sanctuaries in state waters as well as to make it easier for watermen and other interested parties to get into the aquaculture business.

Scientists grading the Bay's health for 2009 reported there were modest improvements in parts of the Chesapeake, and they gave the Bay an overall grade of C, up from a C minus in 2008.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the EPA in May announced a settlement of the environmental group's 2009 lawsuit against the agency, which had contended that the EPA failed to enforce the Clean Water Act to restore the Bay.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission has decided to keep most of the restrictions that have helped to revive blue crabs in the Bay. The commission unanimously passed regulations in May for the 2010 crabbing season that would maintain the ban on winter crab dredging and the freeze on new crabbing licenses.

Several agencies and legislators in Pennsylvania appear to be stepping up their efforts to regulate and tax the natural gas industry that developed in the state as companies moved in to exploit the Marcellus Shale, a natural gas-rich rock formation that extends across much of the Appalachian Basin.

The Obama administration in May reversed course and said it would suspend plans for exploration drilling off the coasts of Virginia and Alaska and on 33 wells under way in the Gulf of Mexico.

It's easy to see why everyone is excited about the prospect of biofuels.

It was a noisy spring in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Physicist Jim Long fell in love with the Mattawoman at first sight.

The year 2010 is a benchmark for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. RiverTrends-our volunteer water monitoring program-celebrates its 25th anniversary.

If you're reading this, I'd like you to go to the phone or the computer right away and confirm your subscription using the 5-digit ID code above your name on the back page.

By World War II, the history of the Chesapeake Bay and the submarine had become fully intertwined. While no Nazi submarines officially penetrated the Chesapeake, there's an ongoing discussion among old-timers around Willoughby Spit who swear there is the sunken hulk of a submarine there. Some remember playing on her emergent hull as youngsters and say they even went below and looked at the controls.

Ever since he was born two years ago, a visit to the Maryland Zoo has become all about the baby elephant.

A lot of emphasis is placed on the importance of vernal pools in the life cycles of amphibians, who spend part of their lives in these habitats. The fairy shrimp spends its entire life in the pool. How much do you know about these crustaceans?

Vernal pools are important habitats used as breeding grounds by adult amphibians and as nurseries by young amphibians. This quiz will test you on what you know about these temporary water bodies. All of the answers can be found in the article, "Temporary pools a permanent part of amphibian life cycle,"