TIDELINES

News & Notes From the Hampton Roads Office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0

From the Desk of Christy EverettHAMPTON ROADS DIRECTOR

Thank You Virginia Legislators!

Virginia Student Leaders Explore Climate Justice

Virginia’s special legislative session concluded in October, and thanks to our many clean-water advocates, legislators voted to continue

substantial investments in cleaning up our rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.

When the special session started, we feared the worst due to the economic downturn resulting from the coronavirus. Fortunately, Virginia’s finances were stronger than expected and some of the revenue shortfall projections didn’t come to pass. Legislators were able to provide much-needed funding to continue modernizing outdated wastewater treatment plants and reducing polluted runoff from farms and our urban and suburban areas.

We are grateful for legislators’ continuing support of Bay restoration work to achieve

necessary pollution reductions by 2025. The Clean Water Blueprint sets meaningful milestones for each state and Virginia must continue to do its part. The next five years will determine whether we bring our rivers and the Bay back to health—and climate change makes hitting those pollution-reduction targets even more challenging.

We hope that you will take a few moments to thank our elected representatives who committed the Commonwealth to cleaning up our rivers, streams, and the Bay. To send your thanks, visit cbf.org/take-action.

The special session may be over, but the next regular session begins in January! Attend our December webinar to learn more about CBF’s upcoming legislative priorities—and how you can help. See the Calendar section for details.

This fall, the Chesapeake Bay Program announced that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported that the 2020 dead zone is the second smallest observed in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay since monitoring began in 1985. The Bay Program also announced that researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science reported the dead zone there was smaller than 80 percent of dead zones reported in the 35 previous years. This smaller dead zone means more areas for oysters, crabs, and fish to thrive in the Bay.

The dead zone is composed of portions of the Bay that have little or no dissolved oxygen. These areas are caused when algal blooms fed by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution decompose, removing oxygen from the water. The low oxygen areas are inhospitable to marine life such as crabs and fish.

The Bay Program attributed the decrease in the dead zone to ongoing state pollution- reduction efforts as part of the Clean Water Blueprint, as well as a cool spring and summer rains that helped mix oxygen into the water. CBF thanks Virginia legislators for maintaining clean-water funding in the revised budget passed during the just-concluded special session. These continued investments will help Virginia meet is Blueprint goals.

The Virginia Chapter of CBF’s Student Leadership Program is charging ahead despite not being able to gather in-person. Virtual workshops and trainings are bringing together student leaders from across the Commonwealth to investigate the connections between clear air, clean water, and human health. In late October, Virginia student leaders joined their Maryland and Pennsylvania counterparts for a week-long online Confluence, exploring ways to advocate for climate justice across the watershed.

Student leaders have also been making a difference in their own communities. From leading socially-distant tree plantings and litter cleanups, to crafting social media awareness campaigns and installing homemade oyster habitat structures, student leaders are finding ways to make positive impacts. Student leaders have taken a particular interest in environmental and climate justice issues and are excited to test some of their newly-acquired advocacy skills during the 2021 Virginia General Assembly.

If you know a high schooler who might be interested in becoming a student leader, they can learn more on our CBF Student Leadership page at cbf.org/studentleadership and apply online to take their first step in helping to save the Bay!

Ryan Murray, CBF Student Leader and Eagle Scout, performed masked tree plantings around Fredericksburg in partnership with Friends of the Rappahannock.

K AT E M U R R AY

H A M P T O N R O A D SBrock Environmental Center

3663 Marlin Bay Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455

757-622-1964 hamptonroads@cbf.org

V I R G I N I A1108 East Main Street

Suite 1600 Richmond, VA 23219

804-780-1392

C B F H E A D Q U A R T E R S Philip Merrill Environmental Center

6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403 410-268-8816

Membership information: 888-SAVE-BAYC B F . O R G

CBF in the Community

A D V O C A C YThank Virginia Legislators Thank your legislators for their commitment

to clean water during the recent special

General Assembly session. Visit cbf.org/

take-action to send your thanks today.

C O M M U N I T YWebinar: Virginia General Assembly Preview Wednesday, December 16, 12:00–1:00 p.m. Join us for an overview of legislation we

anticipate working on during the 2021

Virginia General Assembly session—and

how you can get involved. Visit cbf.org/

events/webinars to register.

Oyster Pop-upTuesday, December 22, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Brock Environmental Center 3663 Marlin Bay Drive, Virginia Beach

If you are looking for some tasty Bay-farmed

oysters, join us for our next oyster pop-up.

Order your oysters from Rogue Oyster

Company at cbf.org/oysterpopups then pick

them up at the Brock Environmental Center.

If you cannot make it to this pop-up event

but still want some delicious Bay oysters,

visit chesapeakeoysteralliance.org for a list

of regional oyster purveyors.

Brock Environmental Center Learning Series Webinar: The Bay Act Tuesday, January 12, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Join us to learn about the Chesapeake Bay

Protection Act, the landmark program

designed to improve water quality through

effective land management. Registration

coming soon at cbf.org/BECLearningSeries.

The series is presented with support from

Jean Jenkins and Mike Newell.

Construction on the Macon and Joan Brock Classroom continues this fall with the installation of energy-efficient windows and two raw-water storage tanks that will store an additional 6,000 gallons of rainwater onsite. The collected rainwater will be turned into potable water, reducing runoff pollution to the Bay and saving money.

The innovative sustainable classroom at CBF’s Brock Environmental Center is the site of a new Virginia Beach City Public Schools Environmental Studies Program for high school students. The program began this fall at the Brock Center, using its natural surroundings to broaden students’ understanding of sustainability and the environment. Once the classroom is complete by the end of this year, students will be able to use its cutting-edge features to facilitate their hands-on learning experiences.

The new classroom is made possible thanks to a generous donation by Joan Brock. Tymoff+Moss Architects led the design of the project, with support from SmithGroup, and Conrad Brothers are constructing the classroom. Civil engineering firm WPL completed the site design master plan. Visit cbf.org/brockclassroom for more information on the project.

Macon and Joan Brock Classroom Construction Update

VoiCeS for the BayCBF’s Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards, or VoiCeS, adult education class concluded in November, with more than 150 people participating to learn about the Bay.

This year, VoiCeS went virtual and watershed wide, with classes in Hampton Roads, Central Virginia, Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Each week participants were given pre-recorded materials to watch in advance, then the group came together for an overview and Q&A with the speakers.

Topics included stormwater, oysters and crabs, trees, farming, and more—plus the VoiCeS students learned what they can do to make a difference for their local waterways. Next year will find the VoiCeS graduates performing real environmental improvements and building awareness in their communities as part of their service requirement. When the waters of the Bay are finally returned to sustained health and balance, it will be thanks to citizens like these who decided to take action and lead.

Save Oyster Shells

In November, CBF and a group of volunteers emptied our Hampton shell recycling bin located at Sam Rust Seafood. It was a good thing we got there, as the bin was overflowing! The group shoveled and loaded up 97 bushels of shell on a warm autumn afternoon.

Recycled shells are used by CBF to create reefs and nurseries for baby oysters. These baby oysters, or spat, need hard surfaces like shell to latch onto and flourish.

CBF has shell recycling bins across the state. Visit cbf.org/shellrecycling to find a location near you so you can drop off your used shells.

Energy-efficient windows were installed at the Macon and Joan Brock Classroom this fall.

C B F S TA F F

Volunteers help clean out CBF’s shell recycling bin in Hampton this fall.

C B F S TA F F

As a challenging year closes, we are counting our blessings. We are surrounded by passionate members, united by our mission, and inspired by the support of our donors. We are moved by the generosity of the Merrill Family Foundation—they are offering a $600,000 match on donations through December 31. Please give your year-end gift today by visiting cbf.org/donation and your donation will be worth double. Your kindness today will help fuel our efforts to save the Bay!

Make Your Year-End Donation Today!