Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Bay Grass Restoration Partnership Newsletter

Issue 6 Spring/Summer 2007

Special points of interest:

Approximately 5 million eelgrass seeds collected during DNRs large-scale restoration project

Maryland DNRs Large-scale Restoration Efforts are Underway on the Potomac River
DNRs Resource Assessment Service completed a fifth season of eelgrass seed collection in the Little Annemessex River near Crisfield, MD from May 21st to June 1st, 2007. Approximately 14,400 gallons of eelgrass reproductive material containing an estimated five million eelgrass seeds were collected. improved sufficiently to support bay grasses, yet a lack of seeds prevents recolonization of these areas. Planting or seeding these areas with seeds collected from healthy beds elsewhere could lead to vigorous natural revegetation in adjoining areas. Using a mechanical harvesting boat, Maryland DNR biologists collected eelgrass reproductive material from the Little Annemessex River.

Over 4,900 students participated in the 10th season of the Bay Grasses in Classes program Over 50 bushels of invasive water chestnut eradicated from the Sassafras and Bird Rivers 32,586 acres of bay grasses found in Marylands portion of the Chesapeake Bay in 2006

The eelgrass seeds were collected as part of a continued effort to plant or seed bay grasses on a large scale in straThe harvester tegic locations to Mechanical harvesting boat offloading collected trims the grass achieve Marylands eelgrass reproductive material beds, removing restoration goals. seeds while leaving the roots and rest of the grasses intact. Only a small portion of the DNR has long recognized the need for a seeds are removed from each healthy eellarge-scale restoration approach. There are areas of the Bay where water quality has (Continued on page 3)

Inside this issue:

Large-Scale Eelgrass Restoration Bay Grasses in Classes Water Chestnut Eradication 2006 Bay Grass Abundance NEWSWORTHY 1 1 2 2 4

Bay Grasses in Classes Wraps Up Its 10th Season

Maryland DNR, in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), has completed its tenth season of the Bay Grasses in Classes (BGIC) program. BGIC is a hands-on, interactive education project that enables students to play a direct role in Chesapeake Bay restoration. Since its inception in 1998, 1,568 classes and 40,970 students have been involved in the program. In 2007, 164 schools with 4,920 students participated in one or all phases of this project. Interested teachers from across the State
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2007 Water Chestnut Eradication Effort In Progress on the Bird and Sassafras Rivers
Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is a floating aquatic plant native to Asia. In the eastern United States, water chestnut is an invasive species known for its aggressive growth habits. One acre of water chestnut can produce enough seeds to cover 100 acres the following year. With four, hard half-inch spines that are sharp enough to penetrate shoe leather and large enough to keep people off beaches, water chestnut seeds are major hazards to water contact recreation. Additionally, water chestnut can wipe out native bay grasses from some areas, prevents nearly all water use where it occurs, creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and provides only marginal habitat to native fish and birds.

Water Chestnut seed

Water chestnut first appeared in Maryland in the Potomac River near Washington, DC as a two-acre patch in 1923. By 1933, 10,000 acres of dense beds extended from Washington, DC to just south of Quantico, VA. In 1955, water chestnut was recorded in the Bird River in Baltimore County and reappeared in 1965, where an additional 100 acres were discovered in the Sassafras River in Kent County. A combination of removal techniques (herbicides, mechanical harvesting and hand removal) was used, and no plants were noted in vegetation surveys until the summer of 1997. A massive mechanical and volunteer harvesting effort began on both the Sassafras and Bird Rivers in 1999, and resulted in the removal of approximately 400,000 pounds of water chestnut from both rivers. Mechanical and manual harvesting took place again in 2001 and by 2002 there were not enough plants present at any of the location to justify using a mechanical harvester. Since then, control efforts have been performed on both rivers by small teams of Maryland DNR staff using personal watercraft. This past June, 50 bushels of water chestnut were collected from Turners, Lloyds and Woodland Creeks on the Sassafras River, a small pond on the Sassafras River across from Woodland Creek and 10 bushels were collected from the Bird River. Despite these successes, the threat posed by the remaining small, but still significant populations, requires that removal efforts continue to keep the population in check and prevent any further proliferation of water chestnut populations. For more information, contact Mark Lewandowski (mlewandowski@dnr.state.md.us, 410-2608634) or visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/sav/restoration/other_projects.asp. Water Chestnut plant

Maryland Bay Grasses Suffer Decline in 2006

Marylands bay grasses suffered a 23% decline in 2006, according to the results obtained from the annual aerial survey, which is conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). Total bay grass acreage in Marylands portion of the Chesapeake Bay dropped to 32,586 acres in 2006, down nearly 9,734 acres from 42,320 acres in 2005. Approximately 70% of Marylands declines occurred in the Sassafras, Bush, Gunpowder, Honga, lower Choptank and lower Potomac Rivers. Scientists attribute the decrease in bay grass acreage in Maryland waters to several hydrographic events which occurred in the spring and summer of 2006.

Marylands Bay Grass Abundance

The loss of bay grasses, or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), from the upper Bay and tributaries was due to an influx of saline waters caused by the dry spring conditions. The dominant bay grass species of the upper Bay, which prefer fresher water, were most likely stressed by the increased salinity levels during their critical growing period. A large rain event in early June ended the drought, but transported considerable amounts of sediment and nutrients into the upper and middle portions of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. This event decreased water clarity for much of June and led to additional SAV acreage declines. Additional bay grass acreage losses occurred in Tangier Sound, home to the majority of Marylands eelgrass (Zostera marina) population. This area is still recovering from the large 2005 eelgrass die-back which was due to elevated summer water tempera-

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Large-scale Restoration
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grass bed allowing them to reproduce and persist at healthy levels. After collection, the harvested seed material was transported by commercial watermen to Maryland DNRs Piney Point Aquaculture Facility in St. Marys County. Some of the harvested material was used to make seed bags for immediate distribution simulating natural seed dispersal. Mesh bags were filled with freshly cut seed material and deployed allowing for seeds to mature and settle to the bottom in suitable restoration areas. Seed bags were deployed on the Potomac (near St. Georges Island) during June. Large holding tanks containing eelgrass reproductive material, includThe remainder of the eelgrass reproductive material is held through the summer in large ing seeds tanks to allow for seeds to separate from non-seed material. After separation, seeds will be stored under temperature and salinity controlled conditions. The seeds will be planted this fall on the Potomac River. Large scale seeding efforts have resulted in the successful establishment of eelgrass beds at St. Georges Island on the Potomac River. Water quality conditions at this particular location have allowed for seedlings established from the 2004 and 2005 seed collections to survive the summer conditions (high water temperatures and low water clarity) of 2005 and 2006. DNR will continue to monitor these new beds in addition to the germination and development of this years seeds. DNR will also continue to closely monitor the health of the eelgrass beds from which the seeds are taken, as well as the relative success of the different seeding techniques, in order to identify the most cost-effective large-scale restoration method to meet the Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. Funding for this project was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with work performed by Maryland DNR and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. For more information on Maryland DNRs large-scale eelgrass restoration projects, contact Katie Preen (kpreen@dnr.state.md. us, 410-260-8654) or visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/sav/restoration.asp.

Bay Grasses in Classes

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were trained by DNR and CBF staff in January. Teachers used the curriculum materials and online resources provided to educate their classes on the importance of bay grasses. Teachers were provided with materials necessary to construct growth chambers in their classrooms including, aquarium equipment, sediment, and seeds or adult plants to propagate. Each student had an opportunity to plant the seeds or propagate adult plants, monitor growth and record data, as well as participate in lessons and activities designed to educate them on the benefits of bay grass communities. After 12-16 weeks of caring for their bay grasses, the students disassembled their systems and transported the grasses to restoration sites throughout the state. School children planting their class- Approximately 112 classes attended a field trip at the end of the program to plant their room-raised bay grasses in Rocky classroom-raised grasses at one of the five restoration sites in the Chesapeake Bay waterPoint Creek shed, including: College Creek, Severn River (Anne Arundel County); Rocky Point Creek (Baltimore County); Lake Needwood; Rock Creek Regional Park (Montgomery County); Broad Creek, Choptank River (Dorchester County) and North Bay (Cecil County). There they took part in planting the grasses and other activities designed to reinforce their knowledge of bay grasses. By studying the ecological importance of bay grasses and actively participating in restoration, students also gained a sense of stewardship of the Bay. Students have planted over 3 acres of bottom surface in the Bay with the 500,000 plants grown in their classrooms. BGIC receives funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For more information on the Bay Grasses in Glasses program, contact Mark Lewandowski (mlewandowski@dnr.state.md.us, 410260-8634) or visit us online at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/sav/bgic/.

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Declines
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tures. Preliminary 2007 observations indicate that some SAV beds appear denser in 2007 than they did in 2006. Despite the baywide reduction in bay grass coverage in 2006, several areas of the Chesapeake Bay experienced moderate increases in acreage. SAV beds on the Susquehanna Flats, Elk River, upper Potomac River and Fishing Bay averaged a 25% increase in acreage. The Northeast River and Mattawoman Creek (Potomac River) recorded their highest SAV levels since the annual SAV survey began in 1984. Early estimates, based on aerial photography and ground observations, indicate that current Wild Celery growing in the upper 2007 bay grass numbers are similar to 2006. Maryland DNR will continue to monitor the health of SAV throughout the Bay and the results of the 2007 annual baywide SAV survey Bay in early July, 2007 will be available in early 2008. For more information on Marylands bay grasses, please visit http://dnr.state.md.us/bay/sav/.

NEWSWORTHY
BGIC teacher recognized as Teacher of the Year
In January 2007, John Sandkuhler, a horticulture teacher at the Forbush School at Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore, received the Chesapeake Bay Trusts Teacher of the Year award. The Chesapeake Bay Trust Teacher of the Year award recognizes the contributions that Maryland teachers make restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Two teachers are annually awarded, one elementary or middle school teacher and one high school teacher who demonstrate a genuine and sustained commitment to Bay education and restoration projects. The Forbush School is accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education as a Type I General and Special Education Nonpublic School to provide educational and therapeutic services for children and adolescents in pre-school through 12th grade. In addition to growing bay grasses for the Bay Grasses in Classes Program, Mr. Sandkuhler helped Forbush earn official Maryland Green School status and provides innovative environmental education programs to his students, allowing them to contribute to Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts regardless of their personal constraints. Congratulations John!

SAV Reproductive Ecology Workshop

In early March, 2007, several DNR SAV scientists attended a 2-day SAV Reproductive Ecology workshop in Annapolis, MD. The workshop was hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Programs (CBP) SAV Workgroup, funded by the CBP Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) and featured presentations on SAV reproductive ecology and implications for restoration. Invited speakers hailed from throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and included experts from as far as New York and Mississippi.

Martin OMalley, Governor

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Resource Assessment Service, Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Tawes State Office Building, D-2 580 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, Maryland 21401 410-260-8630

John R. Griffin, Secretary

Anthony G. Brown, Lieutenant Governor

Funding for this newsletter provided by the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program. The facilities and services of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or physical or mental disability. This document is available in alternative format upon request from a qualified individual with disability.