Monday, April 22, 2013
The currently nameless heron appears on Maryland license plates.
Officials at the Chesapeake Bay Trust are looking for input to help name its blue heron mascot. The heron, which also currently adorns "Treasure the Chesapeake" Maryland license plates, is nameless at the moment. But from now through April 26, the organization is asking Marylanders to vote on its website for one of three finalists: Hattie the Heron, Seemore D. Bay and Wade. More than 550 names were submitted to the organization's contest, according to a press release. "Submissions ranged from names that rhymed with heron, to ones that represented famous Marylanders, to others that held a personal story or connection the submitter had with the bay," Molly Alton Mullins, director of communications at the trust, said in the release. "It was …
Friday, April 19, 2013
A state Department of Natural Resources report found that the number of female blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay is up, but reproduction is down.
Maryland's Department of Natural Resources reported good news and bad news Friday about the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population. In a press release issued Friday, department officials said 2013's winter dredge survey found the spawning-age female population has reached 147 million—a 52 percent increase over last year and twice the lowest possible healthy threshold. However, the study also found that the total abundance of crabs plummeted from 765 million to 300 million, as did the number of juvenile crabs in the bay, signaling what officials believe to be high mortality in last year's class of crabs. “The results of this year’s winter dredge survey are by no means ideal, however, our strong management framework includes a buffer that …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Volunteers will meet at Tydings Park.
Earth Day isn't until Monday but citizens in Havre de Grace, Port Deposit and Perryville are doing their part for the planet a couple of days early. The Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway is holding its annual River Sweep on Saturday, April 20, near waterways in Harford and Cecil counties. Participants in the cleanup will pick up trash along the Susquehanna River and tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. River Sweep is now in its 13th year, according to Examiner.com, which reported that last year, 850 volunteers contributed to the effort. Volunteers should wear old clothes, bring gloves and meet at one of these five locations at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 20: The cleanup will be from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. For more information, …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Environmentalist group says the bay's health is still "dangerously out of balance."
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) again gave the bay low marks this year for pollution levels, but said some of the fruits of federal guidelines are beginning to show. "While the Bay is still dangerously out of balance, I am cautiously optimistic for the future. The federal/state Clean Water Blueprint for the Chesapeake Bay is in place and beginning to work," said CBF President William C. Baker in a press release. The CBF regularly evaluates 13 levels of the bay's health and grades them accordingly. This year, the Chesapeake Bay's overall score was 32 percent, which the CBF labeled a D+. That's up one point from the last State of the Bay report in 2010, and four points since the report in 2008. "While hopeful, a Bay health index of 32 on…
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Maryland has a new logo for marketing initiatives surrounding the state's seafood industry.
Maryland has a new logo to use in marketing its seafood industry. Unveiled Wednesday, the logo is the design of Baltimore's John Snyder, who won a statewide contest organized by the Department of Natural Resources. According to a DNR news release, Snyder, 50, is an award-winning artist and illustrator. In the statement, he said: "Being a former chef, I wanted to incorporate the major seafood, that to me, represented the Chesapeake region. I wanted a clean, modern and graphically simple design that translated well across all mediums. I also wanted the identity to reflect the colors of the Maryland State flag." His design was picked from 75 entries, the statement said. The statement said for his selection, Snyder and four friends will have …
Friday, July 13, 2012
The Chesapeake Wooden Boat Builders School has left Havre de Grace, according to a report.
The Chesapeake Wooden Boat Builders School has picked up its oars and left for different waters. The school departed the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum in favor of the Upper Bay Museum in North East, according to Cecil Daily.com. The report said the school, which offered classes through Harford Community College, will soon offer similar programs for Cecil College. Explore Harford reported that the Maritime Museum's 14-member board voted last month to sever ties with the school. TELL US: Did you participate in Chesapeake Wooden Boat Builders School events? Leave a comment.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded grants to four Maryland municipalities Monday.
Havre de Grace is the recipient of a $100,000 grant to help improve Lilly Run, officials confirmed Tuesday. The city was one of four municipalities in the state to receive funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, as announced Monday at a conference in Lorton, VA. “It was a very competitive process and a lot of people put in for it and we were lucky enough to receive the $100,000,” Havre de Grace spokesman and Lilly Run project coordinator John Van Gilder told Patch Tuesday afternoon. The launch of the funding project was announced in March at Concord Point in Havre de Grace. The city learned recently—and it became official Monday—that it was receiving a sizeable grant. “Lilly Run has been a problem for flooding and for …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Gov. Martin O'Malley said the state has reached milestones while also accounting for growth.
Maryland has met its milestones to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday. The 2009-2011 milestones are part of the state's Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), which puts the state on track to achieve its next two-year goal, as well as the 2017 goal. “There are some challenges so large that we can only tackle them together. Restoring the Bay is one of them. And all of us are here today because we understand that the choices we make together for our Bay matter for our health, our environment, our quality of life, our economy and for future generations," O’Malley said, according to a statement. “We have worked closely with our local partners to create and carry out a Watershed Implementation Plan that …
Monday, June 11, 2012
A storm on the Chesapeake Bay Thursday made for some cool images.
Images of the Chesapeake Bay aren't rare. But the storm images from Thursday are certainly unique. I first got a glimpse of the unusual, localized storm cell on Facebook. I shared it on the Havre de Grace Patch Facebook page. This morning, as I was checking out YouTube for anything unique posted in Havre de Grace over the weekend, I came across the video posted with this article from some folks headed to the regular Thursday night races. I was indoors at the Havre de Grace High School's Class of 2012 commencement—so, my camera was fixed elsewhere. Did you happen to capture any video or photos of the storm Thursday? I'd love to see whatever images you captured. Add them to this post!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The replica ships temporarily docked along the Susquehanna River Wednesday.
All that was missing was the Santa Maria. Well, Christopher Columus, too. The Nina and the Pinta—or replica versions of the smaller ships in Columbus' fleet—made an unscheduled stop in Havre de Grace Wednesday afternoon at Tidewater Marina. The ships are en route to Lewes, DE, said Brigitte Peters, Havre de Grace manager of marketing tourism. Do you have photos? Add them to our slideshow.
Fred Cullum
4:38 pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Now that would be quite an honor. more ›