The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has launched a new online environmental learning series designed to be a resource for teachers, parents, and students during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, Washington, D.C., announced schools would be closed until May 15. Virginia and Pennsylvania schools are closed through the end of the school year, while Maryland’s school closure is likely to be extended.

Since the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) founding in 1967, CBF’s education work has focused on a simple motto: Learn Outside. But due to restrictions related to coronavirus, for the first time CBF has cancelled all educational field experiences this spring on CBF boats and outdoor education centers across Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.

That’s why CBF is undertaking a new effort to bring outdoor education experiences to teachers and students tasked with learning remotely. This new remote learning series, called “Learn Outside, Learn at Home,” features videos of CBF’s professional educators discussing environmental science topics from around the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The online resources are carefully crafted to align with school curriculum and state learning standards.

“These are tough times for everyone. We realize many parents are juggling work and life responsibilities while also caring for children at home due to school closures,” said Tom Ackerman, CBF’s Vice President of Education. “Meanwhile, teachers are grappling with the best ways to educate students remotely. CBF is ready to help. Several new education videos, investigations, and activities are already available and during the next several weeks we’ll add many more. They’re all designed to bring our award-winning Bay education programs into your homes and get students exploring nearby nature.”

Each video is paired with an investigation for students to complete. Students can also explore nature journaling activities to document the environment around their homes and backyards. Schools and teachers both locally‑-such as in Alexandria, VA, and Harford County, MD–as well as from as far away as Oregon are integrating the Learn Outside, Learn at Home series into remote learning efforts.

For adults restricted by stay-at-home orders, CBF is creating educational and entertaining webinars, videos, and blog posts related to news, wildlife, and the environment along local rivers and the Bay. The wide variety of topics include a webinar on dolphins in the Bay, a video and blog post on how COVID-19 is affecting oyster farmers, and an Ask an Expert video series covering topics from oysters to regenerative agriculture.

Over the next few weeks, CBF’s team of educators and scientists will continue creating new material that anyone can benefit from during the pandemic. The new videos and investigations are being compiled at cbf.org/bringhome. To get CBF’s weekly e-mail roundup of engaging new resources, subscribe to the special Save the Bay e-newsletter at cbf.org/newsletter

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The recently published work of two oceanographers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) displays how ocean warming, sea level rise, and the hardening of shorelines will lead to increased storm surges for Baltimore and other parts of the upper Chesapeake Bay.

The research article by HPL Professor Ming Li and Assistant Research Scientist Fan Zhang was made available in a publication from AGU (American Geophysical Union).

Using the climate model projections to drive regional atmosphere‐ocean models, Li and Zhang investigated how ocean warming, sea level rise, and coastline management affect storm surge in the semi enclosed Chesapeake Bay. The results: Warmer ocean surface produces stronger storms and leads to higher storm surge throughout the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, the hardening of shorelines will further raise the peak surge height in areas such as Baltimore, which reside in the upper parts of the Chesapeake.

“Although ocean warming and sea level rise are global phenomena, what local people do with coastline management could make a big difference to storm surge and flooding in a semi-enclosed Bay like the Chesapeake Bay,” said Ming Li.

The scientists used Hurricane Isabel (2003) as a case study, showing projections of climatic conditions for 2050 and 2100. While ocean warming is shown to be the main driver of storm surge amplification in the future climate, energy budget analysis also shows that allowing flooding over low‐lying areas leads to a significant energy loss and reduction in the storm surge height in the estuary.

The research notes the challenges involved in managing coastal inundation risk in the Chesapeake Bay due to its long and convoluted coastlines. Given the large difference in the storm surge height between soft and hard shorelines, coastal communities around the Bay need to explore different mitigation and adaptation strategies to deal with coastal inundation.

For example, allowing for the low‐lying coastal plains of Maryland’s Eastern Shore to be flooded – and assisting the affected coastal communities in elevating their houses and/or migrating to higher grounds – could significantly reduce the storm surge at the metropolitan cities located further upstream.

“By retreating from low-lying rural areas, surge height in Baltimore and Washington, D.C could be reduced by 1.5 feet. The coastal communities around the Chesapeake Bay need to engage in discussions about how to collectively mitigate the flood risk,” said Li. “A potential cost-effective management strategy might be to assist low-lying rural communities to relocate rather than building higher seawalls around the cities.”

It was also noted that while sea level rise will add to the total water level, it only has a moderate effect on the storm surge height itself.

HORN POINT LABORATORY
From the banks of the Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, scientists engage in  world-renowned research in oceanography, water quality,  restoration of sea grasses,  marshes and shellfish, and expertise in ecosystem modeling. www.umces.edu/hpl

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One of the most enduring and resonant powers of the natural world is its capacity to inspire wonder in those who experience it. Whether derived from a stunning vista of massive scope, or from the delicate intricacies of the smallest flower, that wonder is what draws us to the outdoors. It is this reason that Pickering Creek Audubon Center wants to lift spirits during the current health crisis with birds.  Center Director Mark Scallion states, “Birds represent hope, resilience, and an inspiring ability to adapt, and I think this community shares those same traits. We want to remind folks that with hope, resilience and adaptability, we’ll come out on the other side of this health event even stronger—for each other and for the environment.”

In a typical spring, most of Talbot County’s students would be visiting Pickering Creek for a field experience. This spring Audubon staff at Pickering was expecting to see not only students from Talbot County, but also Wicomico, and Caroline counties. In the face of this unprecedented health crisis, Pickering Creek Audubon Center has had to curb it’s outdoor and classroom activities, which has been sobering.  However, as environmental educators tend to (and often have to) Pickering Creek staff must see this challenge as an opportunity.  Pickering educators are spending time developing a suite of creative lessons and activities to keep its community of nature enthusiasts of all ages connected to the outdoors. In addition to currently working with school system partners to adapt STEM-oriented environmental programs, Pickering is thinking of families and the increased time they are spending together as we “stay at home”.

It is with both families and students in mind that Pickering Creek Audubon Center announces a community sharing activity called “Dream Birds.”  Pickering Creek educator, Nico Sarbanes says, “Many of the moments that really solidified my love of birds at a young age were those moments when, flipping through the pages of my first field guide, I discovered a fantastic-looking bird that I never would have thought existed. The first time I saw a picture of a Roseate Spoonbill, I was completely floored. How could there really be a bird that looked like this, as if two spatulas had been glued to its head? The rainbow colors of the Painted Bunting, and the massive, long-toed feet of the Northern Jacana, elicited the same reaction.  With over 10,000 species of birds worldwide, I still find myself constantly surprised and awed by the diversity of the avian world.”

With Audubon’s “Dream Bird” activity, created by Nico, staff is hoping to create similar moments of excitement about birds in our community, showcasing some extraordinary birds whose field marks often seem like they were picked right out of our imaginations.  Young nature lovers (though submissions from all ages are welcome!) are challenged in this activity to imagine a bird that they don’t think really exists. Through a series of prompts and drawings, participants will describe their dream bird’s key field marks, and then submit their descriptions and drawing to Pickering Creek.  Upon receiving submissions, Pickering Creek staff and volunteers will get to work trying to find real-life bird species that match the “dream birds.” Once a match has been found, participants will receive a species profile and a picture that matches the Dream Bird. The most creative and artistic submissions will have a chance to be featured on Pickering Creek’s social media pages.

If you or your child would like to submit your own “Dream Birds” to Pickering Creek, visit https://pickering.audubon.org/get-involved/dream-birds to learn how.

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A River-Friendly Yard mimics the natural environment to benefit water quality. Even if you are not on the waterfront, every drop of water from properties within the watershed is carried to our waterways. The entire state of Maryland plus parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia comprise the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Stitching together small habitats to create conservation corridors makes an essential difference for all species—including our own—to thrive. Though the Bay and local river watersheds are vast, creating a River-Friendly yard of any size can make a real impact. Enjoy beautiful native plantings; create bird and pollinator habitat; improve soggy lawns and basements; and join ShoreRivers in achieving a vision of healthy waterways across Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Interested in creating your own River-Friendly space but aren’t sure where to start? Check out ShoreRivers’ easy 10-step guide. Not sure of what plants to choose? Get started with the guide’s list of ten native meadow species that provide three-season color along with habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies. Be inspired by sample concept plans to see what other homeowners have done. Visit shorerivers.org/river-friendly-yards for strategies, native plant lists, available workshops, community consultations, and more. For more specific questions, contact Ethan LaLumia at [email protected] or call 443-385-0511 x253. 

Be sure to watch for more River-Friendly news, including Fertilizer Awareness Week (April 5-11, 2020).

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The Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) returns with two opportunities to attend its Science Bytes programming in March and April. The gatherings, held at Piazza Italian Market in downtown Easton, MD, offer an up-close opportunity to listen and ask questions about the types of research and environmental science happening at the Cambridge, MD-based lab.

Associate Professor Jamie Pierson will present “The Role of Plankton in understanding climate change” on March 26 from 6 – 7:30pm. Assistant Professor Matt Gray will present “The historic role of oysters and new approaches to leverage their benefits to the Bay” on April 14 from 6 – 7:30pm.

These gatherings are designed to share science relevant to our communities in a casual (and delicious!) setting. HPL Lab Director Mike Roman will interview both professors regarding their respective research while attendees enjoy Italian treats from Piazza Italian Market’s wide selection of wine, beer, and antipasto.

Tickets are $35/ person. To register visit https://www.umces.edu/events or contact Carin Starr at [email protected], 410-221-8408.

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science leads the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. From a network of laboratories located across the state, UMCES scientists provide sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment, and prepare future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. www.umces.edu

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