Federation Blog

Columbus Day was a busy day in the South River Watershed!  The Chesapeake Conservation Corps (CCC), a career and leadership training program funded through the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT), held their All Hands on Deck project at Historic London Town and Gardens.   The All Hands on Deck project was a competitive $2,000 CBT mini grant available to CCC volunteers to complete a large scale project and training opportunity for all CCCs to attend.  The South River Federation’s CCC volunteer, Jennifer Carr, joined forces with the Watershed Steward Academy’s CCC volunteer, Megan Wickless, to create a stormwater-themed day of learning and service at Historic London Town and Gardens.  In the end, partnering up paid off and they were selected for the grant!

The day kicked off with educational activities led by the Watershed Stewards Academy aimed to increase the CCC volunteers’ knowledge of stormwater.  The Corps, under the guidance of Master Watershed Stewards, performed a whole-scale site assessment of London Town’s property.  As a result, they were able to give recommendations on how to move forward with other stormwater related projects.

In the afternoon, the Corps volunteers rotated between three different service learning stations.  The first stop was on board the boat, Remedy, with the South RIVERKEEPER, Diana Muller, and Dr. Andrew Muller, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy.  The Corps soaked in the issues of water quality and stormwater facing the South River and the rest of the Bay.  They were given the opportunity to use equipment such as the Hydrolab to monitor water quality and a secchi disk to measure depth.  Other topics covered included land use, shoreline restoration, and impacts of sewer and septic systems on the river.

The next stop, CCC volunteers got hands-on experience installing rain barrels around London Town’s new museum and archaeology lab.  These beautiful rain barrels from Rain Barrels of Annapolis will catch about two-thirds of the rain events over the course of a year.  The barrels will capture the water allowing the stormwater to cool down and be released slowly into the ground.

The final stop, stressed the importance of maintenance on any restoration project.  The Corps certainly got their hands dirty on this one as they worked hard to clear out a thick layer of silt that had been deposited into a series of step pools.  The step pools serve to slow down stormwater allowing it to infiltrate the ground instead of flowing directly into the river.

The project was a great success thanks to all the organizations and sponsors involved!

The Chesapeake Bay Trust funded the project and most importantly runs the Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program.

The South River Federation and Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA) organized the day’s events.

Historic London Town and Gardens hosted the event and worked very closely with the Federation and WSA.

Rain Barrels of Annapolis provided the beautiful rain barrels at a low cost, making the project possible.

Chipotle and Rita’s of Edgewater donated a delicious lunch for the volunteers and guests.

Wednesday was anything but a typical day at the office. Jennifer and I were offered the unique opportunity to travel to Poplar Island with the US Fish & Wildlife (USFW) to participate in a Common and Least Tern monitoring study. Neither one of us had gone to Poplar Island, so we jumped at the chance, packed up our bags, and met the USFW at their boat bright and early on Wednesday morning.

Once home to almost 100 people, Poplar Island had a post office, general store, and a combination church/schoolhouse located on the island. It is a place that has gone through many changes over the centuries. First settled in 1632, Poplar Island was estimated to be around 1100 acres. Due to tree clearing for farming, by 1999 the island had dwindled down to 2 acres and it was quickly disappearing into the Chesapeake Bay. The State of Maryland established the Poplar Island Restoration Project in efforts to restore the island to its original land mass. The project has been very successful, with them reaching the original size of 1100 acres. The goal is to add another 500 acres to complete the project.

After landing at the dock, we checked in and all of us climbed into a van and off we went to the first Least Tern monitoring site. We had been told by both the USFW and the USGS that we would need to be extra careful where we walked because the nests are on the ground and the chicks and eggs are hard to see. As you will see in the slideshow, they were not kidding! The nests are small depressions in the ground, the eggs are the same color as the sand, and chicks are so tiny that they blend in with their surroundings. Jennifer and I were extra careful for the rest of the day where we stepped.

The day was not all butterflies and unicorns, we did experience the “circle of life” when it came to the birds. We saw nests that had been filled in with sediment from rainstorms, eggs that had been cracked open, and even three dead adult terns. The cause of death for these terns was pretty dramatic—one was decapitated, we only found the mandible of one, and the last one only the wings were left. After seeing these birds, the USFW set up cameras in the areas, but they are sure these deaths mean there are owls on the island. Altogether, we monitored four Common and Least Tern nesting sites. It was an amazing day looking at monitoring all of the nests, eggs, chicks, and getting to learn more about the history of Poplar Island. And we saw more than just terns during the day. We saw a Bald eagle, and immature Bald eagle, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, many shorebirds, Terrapin nests, and even some very small toads.

“It was a special opportunity that I got to be a part of because I am a CCC intern and because of the great relationship the South River Federation has with the USFW” said Jennifer. And she was right, Jennifer and I had an amazing day learning about the restoration project, taking pictures of shorebirds, and of course watching where we walked.

May 1, 2011

It's official, the marina has disposed of the osprey nest.  Frank and Margaret are now sitting on what used to be their home.

April 26, 2011

I'm 99% sure that over the weekend Margaret laid eggs.  Since I can't see into their nest, I can't be 100% sure, but she hasn't left her nest all day.  It seems to me, she is keeping those eggs warm.  We shall see what happens in 5 to six weeks.

April 23rd, 2011

This week Margaret has been acting very strange.  She’s been doing this “dance” in and around the nest.  She’ll walk around, like she is trying to flatten the inside of the nest, while fluffing her feathers.  Then, she will sit in the nest for long periods of time.  Then, she’ll get up again and repeat the process.  Nowadays, Frank and Margaret spend a lot of time around the nest.  They don’t go very far, only leaving to catch a fish or to sit in the tree by our office.  I’m not sure if this means she is close to laying eggs, but it looks like we are headed in that direction. 

In general, osprey will lay an average of three eggs.  They are buff-colored eggs with dark speckles.  The eggs are laid one to two days apart and incubation will last five to six weeks.  During this time, it is predominately the female who will sit on the eggs.  The male takes little part in incubation, or warming the eggs until after they hatch.  The male will be the “bread” winner for the family during incubation and after the chicks have hatched.  While the chicks are growing, they can demand more than six fish per day!  Frank will be very busy keeping up with the demand of the family.  They will have to keep a careful eye out for predators such as crows, ravens, owls, gulls, and raccoons to make sure the chicks stay safe during the early weeks.  It will be interesting to see what happens over the weekend.

April 13, 2011

After the first blog, I realized these osprey needed names—they have a lot of personality!  After watching them, the names Frank and Margaret popped into my head.  I looked outside again and watched her meticulously place a stick in the nest, while he sat perched high on the boat; on full alert for any predators.  So, it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Frank & Margaret!

Frank and Margaret have been very busy with nest building.  Their nest has grown significantly over the weekend and this week.  After doing some research, I found that average nests are 1 to 2 feet deep, and can range from 3 to 6 feet in diameter!  From my window, it looks like they have built two nests—one on top of each other.  Ospreys are known to build more than one nest in their territory, but this seems a little close.  I’m thinking Frank has given Margaret a selection of twigs to choose from for building their nest.  During the nesting season, they will continuously repair the nest with these extra twigs and branches.

Since Frank and Margaret have taken up residence in the flying bridge of one of the boats, I was curious to know more about the rules & regulations of osprey nest building.  Can you remove a nest?  What happens to the property after the nest becomes “active”, meaning eggs are present in the nest.  After a slight mishap with human interference with the ospreys, I was even more curious to know the rules.    

I talked to Diana, South RIVERKEEPER®, who talked to Peter, our local osprey connection, and this is what they had to say about nest rules & regulations.   

Ospreys, as with most birds found in the United States, are protected by both state and federal laws. The arrival of spring in the Chesapeake Bay also means the arrival of ospreys, who are seeking suitable nesting sites for the remainder of spring and summer. Once almost an extirpated species in the Chesapeake Bay region, ospreys are now a commonly observed species, with approximately 3,600 nesting pairs in the region. Unfortunately, ospreys that nest in the Chesapeake Bay region nest mostly on man-made structures such as duck blinds, power poles, navigational markers, nest platforms, and, in this case, a flying bridge of a boat. 

Such nesting sites can be frustrating to property owners. Under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), osprey are a protected species. Protection includes their nests, eggs, and young. Under federal law, osprey nests can be removed from private property before any eggs or young are present in the nest, however, once eggs or young are present in the nest (early April through July/August), the nest can no longer be removed or disturbed. If a property owner has an osprey nesting on their property, and the nest contains eggs or young, then the property owner must apply for a federal MBTA permit to remove the nest.  They can do this by contacting the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Migratory Birds at 413-253-8577.  If someone sees human disturbance to an active osprey nest they should report activities to the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Enforcement Coalition Hotline (CBEEC) at 1-800-377-5879, a 24 hour manned hotline.  CBEEC is a coalition of state and federal law enforcement agencies responsible for enforcing environmental regulations in the Chesapeake Bay region.

I enjoy watching Frank and Margaret build their nest piece by piece.  I never realized the intricate process they take in building their home.  I look forward to seeing what happens next in “As the World Turns—Osprey Style.”  

April 8, 2011

Ever since we’ve moved to our new office, I’ve been watching the wildlife that is in and around Gingerville Creek.  I’ve been especially watching the two ospreys that have taken up residence in one of the flying bridges of a boat.    

Growing up in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, I have seen my fair share of ospreys, but this is different.  From my office window, I get the opportunity to observe their daily behavior and it is fascinating!  Since not everyone gets the chance to watch ospreys at such a close distance, I thought it would be fun to write a blog about their activities.  Frankly, I’ve grown quite fond of them. 

I started observing when the male showed up in Gingerville Creek.  He was perched in one of the trees outside of Erik’s office.  He would sit there for most of the day, leaving to take a quick trip around the river or to catch a fish, but for the most part it looked like he was waiting for someone.  And he was!  A few days later his lady friend showed up and they have begun building their nest. 

Being an osprey cannot be easy; every day brings a different challenge..  They have been building their nest little bit at a time.  Each day the male bird brings back branches of all sizes for her to use in their nest.  It’s fun to watch her decide what branches are best.  For example, if she likes it, then they will work the branch into their nest.  If she doesn’t like it, she will push it off their perch as if to say, “I don’t like it, go find me a new one!” 

They face other challenges, from eagles and crows encroaching in on their territory to human disturbances, such as boat traffic, construction, or human interference.  I can tell when activity is going on outside because they will begin to “talk” at loud volumes.  Now I’m not expert at osprey language, but there is a difference between their calls.  You can tell when they are calling to each other or when they are upset.  The almost hysterical chirping means something is going on that doesn’t make them happy! 

He has just brought back another branch, and we will see if she likes it or not.  I will be blogging about their status so check back soon for recent activity. 

For more background information on ospreys, check out these websites:

http://newyorkwild.org/osprey/osprey_info.htm

http://www.pandionhaliaetus.com/

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/irc/docs/00000260_20.pdf

Much of the current thinking about the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers centers on the way that the land around them - their watersheds - are used.  For instance, is the landscape dominated by agriculture and forest or perhaps by roads and suburban development?  Based on these contemporary land uses and a variety of scientific assumptions, models have been created to estimate pollution loads to various waterways, and to drive the restoration strategies for restoring their health.  

So, on the eastern shore of Maryland, where various agricultural land uses such as row crops and the poultry industry pre-dominate, strategies generally focus on maximizing soil conservation practices, like cover crops and forested buffers, and reducing fertilizer loads.  On the western shore, which was once heavily agricultural, but is now primarily urban and suburban development, the problems are attributed largely to “stormwater,” a catch-all term intended to cover anything associated with the runoff of rain from the developed landscape.    Both sets of assumptions seem intuitively true and have a straightforward appeal:  “We do X and Y happens.”   The trouble is, as is so often the case, the world is more complicated than that.

Research coming out of Franklin & Marshall University over the past several years has taken to examining the way that historical land use, primarily agriculture and land clearing, has both shaped our contemporary sense of what healthy streams and creeks look like, but also how they function.  Their research has focused primarily on mill dams throughout the mid-Atlantic, and looking at how sediment released through historical land use built up behind those dams in stream valleys across the region, and is now being exported downstream.   Even where mill dams were not present – and they occurred in significant numbers in Anne Arundel County – the stream valleys are covered in several feet of historical sediment which continues to make its way to tidewater.    

The researchers from Franklin & Marshall issued the following stark statement in the conclusion to a 2011 publication[1]: “incised, post-dam breach streams and fine-grained banks in the mid-Atlantic region are anthropogenic in origin, and the causes of both the accumulation of sediment in valleys and subsequent incision and erosion are not directly related to modern upland land use or cover. Conceptual and computer models that link channel condition and sediment yield exclusively with contemporaneous upland land use, sediment supply and runoff are incomplete because anthropogenic forcing has impacted valley bottom, not only upland, boundary conditions, and has done so for centuries.”

What this means in plain English is that, in many respects, we are still paying for the ways that our predecessors used the land that we currently live on for the past several centuries.  This is not to absolve current generations of taking responsibility for the problem – if not us, who?  If not now, when? – but instead to emphasize that what we do today has long lasting effects and that in order to best restore the health of our waterways, we need to first truly understand what is making them sick.

On September 4th and 5th Quiet Waters Park in Anne Arundel County Celebrated its 20th Birthday and we were there to help celebrate.  We were part of the touch a truck/boat event for the guests;  this was a wonderful outreach.  I met so many children that have never touched or been on a boat - so they were very excited when they were able to come aboard and honk the horn, pretend to pull up the oyster cage and touch the anchor.  Amazing to see their eyes light up!

Arianna Muller is showing off the Maryland Grow Oyster cages next to our patrol and monitoring boat, Remedy.

Anyone who has spent time doing historical or genealogical research recognizes that there's "low hanging fruit", information which is relatively easy to come by, "high hanging fruit", more difficult to discern elements, and pieces of information which, when compared against all the other facts, just don't make sense.  For the most part, the "What's In a Name" entries presented here to date have been relatively low hanging fruit.  The rest, by and large, appear to be more difficult to verify.  One name, however, has given me fits from the start: the so-called "Tarnans Branch."   The waterbody itself currently runs basically from the southwest to the northest, just above Route 50, and eventually tying into the North River drainage that feeds the uppermost reaches of the river (see below from the 1993 USGS map).    

 Despite considerable searching and investigation, the name "Tarnan" or "Tarnans" didn't turn anything up.  But the name "Tarman" did appear a few times, and finally, looking closely at the 1878 Martenet map, a "Mrs. Tarman" shows up as a landowner on what is today known as Maccubbins Cove, between Gingerville Creek and Broad Creek (see below).

 Then, member John Koontz brought in an 1928 Anne Arundel soils map (see below).  Imagine my surprise to see what is today called "North River" listed as "Tarmans Branch."   Unfortunately, I haven't been able to turn up additional details on the Tarman family, but I now believe that the current name "Tarnans" is a result of a transcription error or miscopying at some point in the past and that the proper name for the waterway is, in fact, "Tarman's Branch."