Erik Torvald Jansson, an environmental activist and local preservationist, died Friday, June 27, at his residence, Mulberry Fields.

Yeatman, Jesse. "Jansson, Environmentalist and Preservationist, Dies at 67" The Enterprise
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
http://somdnews.com/stories/07022008/entemor161936_32178.shtml

Friends remembered the quiet, unassuming man this week, and wondered whether some of the organizations he was so much a part of could continue on after his death. Jansson would have turned 68 on July 26. 

Cardin, Mikulski, 2 Va. senators call for federal aid

Associated Press. "Disaster Status Urged For Crabs" Baltimore Sun
Thursday, June 26, 2008
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/bal-md.crabs26jun...

Maryland and Virginia's U.S. senators say there's no time to waste in declaring the decline of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs a federal disaster. 

On Monday, July 14, the steering committee for the St. Mary's River Watershed Restoration Action Strategy will meet from 10:00 AM until noon in room A at the Lexington Park Library. For more information call 301-862-3517 or visit www.SMRWA.org.

The "Local Flavor, Local Fare" event will be held Tuesday, June 24 at 5:30 on the square in Leonardtown. Stroll the square from 5:30 – 7:00 pm and enjoy the flavors of fresh ingredients grown or harvested here in Southern Maryland. Proceeds from the event will go toward supporting the programs of Patuxent Habitat for Humanity.

In preparation for the “Buy Local Challenge” Week (July 19 – 27) several award-winning local restaurants, caterers and wineries are teaming up to offer a sampling of dishes and wines all prepared with ingredients fresh from area farms, waterways and vineyards. Participating restaurants, retailers and wineries to be featured include:

Blue Wind Gourmet; Brome Howard Inn; Café de Artistes; Corbels; The Good Earth Natural Food Company; J.T. Daugherty Conference Center; Morris Point Restaurant; Perigeaux Vineyards & Winery; The Tides Restaurant; Solomons Island Winery; Quality Street Catering.

Started here in Southern Maryland, the Buy Local Challenge is one of many programs created by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMDAC) to boost the local farm economy and to highlight the flavor, nutrition, health and environmental benefits local products can provide. The Challenge is now a state-wide initiative, and in July, the Buy Local Challenge Week www.buy-local-challenge.com will ask all residents across Maryland to participate by taking this challenge: “I pledge to eat at least one item from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week.” Buying from local farmers, not only means fresher, more nutritious and better tasting food on the table, it also helps to keep the Chesapeake farm region vibrant.

Tickets are only available in advance with a $25.00 donation to Patuxent Habitat. To get your ticket, call/email out offices at 301-863-6227 or info@patuxenthabitat.org. Also, tickets are being sold at the Brewing Grounds Coffee & Tea on Fenwick Street in Leonardtown!

Students tracing 350-mile St. Mary's watershed area

Yeatman, Jesse. "Tracking What Happens Along River" The Enterprise
Friday, June 13, 2008
http://www.somdnews.com/stories/06132008/entetop173221_32148.shtml

Workers this summer will try to document all 350 miles of the St. Mary's River watershed in hopes of creating a protection and restoration strategy...

Longtime advocate says, ‘We will save this river, trust me'

Mitrano, Erica. "Fowler: Patuxent ‘on death row'" The Enterprise
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

http://www.somdnews.com/stories/06112008/entetop161046_32188.shtml

Well, those younger-tougher-than-me folks that came to build chicken coops on Saturday, during our first extreme heat wave, did very well. I, on the other hand, was wrung out from the heat. Here's a photo of, not just a chicken coup, but a "Poulet Chalet" (in progress):

It has a ramp to a lower level that will be enclosed with hardward cloth; A main floor with a continuous nest box (and outside doors for gathering eggs); And it will have a roost running the length, 2' under the peak. It will have a metal roof that lifts open for easy cleaning. Each of us are doing different end-wall siding. I'm using leftover scrap yellow pine tongue and groove flooring. We didn't finish, of course...but we at least got them framed up.

Rapid Transit Bus for Southern Maryland
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.

Story submitted by Frank Allen

For several years there has been discussion about the possibility of establishing light rail or commuter rail service to St Mary's County. Population and traffic growth here and the demonstrated growth in ridership on the Keller bus service do indicate need for improved public transit between here and Washington. However establishing either light rail or commuter rail service would be very expensive and could take a decade or more to develop. I am proposing a different transit option that can be established quickly and incrementally upgraded: a bus service running on a combination of public highways and dedicated busways. This type of transit is called Rapid Transit Bus (RTB).

I have seen a few examples of this type of service. The first is the Gray line on the Boston MBTA. I boarded an ordinary bus at Logan Airport which looped around the airport, entered the new Ted Williams Tunnel (Interstate 90 extension) under Boston Harbor, traveled a few blocks through South Boston, then entered a bus tunnel under the downtown area. I go off at the South Station stop. I took the bus back at the end of my meetings a few days later. Even though my rides were close to the peak of rush hour (trust me, Boston traffic moves at a crawl), the trips were pretty quick because the buses traveled along dedicated routes in the congested areas. The MBTA was able to establish this route at reduced costs because they decided to share the tunnel under the harbor rather than dig a separate and very expensive tunnel just for the line.

Access the report released by NRDC at http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftops/contents.asp

The urban landscape of roadways, sidewalks and buildings has changed the way water moves through our environment. Rain and snow that falls on paved surfaces becomes stormwater runoff that picks up dirt and pollutants as it follows gravity downhill into storm drains and ultimately into our streams, rivers and lakes; polluted runoff can threaten public health and degrade wildlife habitat. Some cities are using green techniques -- including rooftop gardens on city buildings, more absorbent concrete, and street planters that intercept rainwater before it hits the ground -- to protect their water. This May 2006 report is a policy guide for decision makers looking to implement green strategies in their own area, including nine case studies of cities that have successfully used green techniques to create a healthier urban environment.

LOWER POTOMAC TEAM

For further information:
MIKE BILEK, TEAM COORDINATOR
DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
TRIBUTARY STRATEGIES PROGRAM
410-260-8988 ~ MBILEK@DNR.STATE.MD.US

The Annual Lower Potomac Tributary Wade In is Sunday, June 22nd from 1 to 5 pm along the shoreline at Mirant's Morgantown Generating Plant.

A wade-in focuses on the health of the Potomac River. Each year, an official depth measurement is recorded at which participants can no longer see their sneakers by looking through the water.

Seemingly unscientific, the measurement is valuable over time. As annual depths increase, sediments and other harmful particles that impact water clarity decrease. Reductions in depth measurements mean there are more sediments.