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At many points on its famously long eastern migration route from central Mexico to Canada, the monarch butterfly faces the perils of habitat loss. As a result, its population has declined by over 90 percent since the 1990s. Efforts to save the striking orange insect range from the unique forests of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacàn to the "Monarch Highway" in the Midwest—and all the way to the urban communities of South Baltimore.
For many city residents of neighborhoods like Brooklyn and Curtis Bay, the monarch was already effectively gone. But with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through a Five Star Urban Waters Grant, the Monarch Butterfly Community Conservation Program began last fall with the goal to engage hundreds of volunteers, students and Baltimore community members in the planting of habitat for the butterfly. The program builds on existing efforts by partnering organizations to reconnect communities with their green spaces.
"The National Wildlife Federation and the National Aquarium have been working in communities around Baltimore for quite some time, creating native habitat through residential gardens and church gardens and community gardens," said Gabrielle Roffe, conservation community coordinator at the National Aquarium. "This grant program was sort of a natural progression, to engage more open community spaces in schools."
Roffe said that creating native habitat for the monarchs would help connect local residents with an international conservation issue.
"What we're working to do is create a full-fledged education program to really empower the students to take ownership of these green spaces and understand the 'why' behind these gardens," Roffe said.
The program began last August on an island in the Chesapeake Bay that might have disappeared beneath the water had its own decline not been reversed. Poplar Island—shrunk like other Chesapeake islands by the forces of sea level rise, sinking land and increasingly frequent strong storms before being restored to its historical footprint—now supports large patches of common milkweed, the primary host plant of the monarch. Partners from National Aquarium and Living Classrooms Foundation harvested the seeds along with staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This spring, the milkweed seeds got a head start in a new greenhouse at Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center in Baltimore, being grown with help from the Living Classrooms Foundation. The National Park Service also partnered with the program to plant some of the monarch gardens on their lands, such as at Fort McHenry National Monument.
"Then the National Wildlife Federation and the National Aquarium, we are the partners who are on the ground in the community, running the education programs and planting the gardens with the community members and the schools," Roffe said.
In April, students from Benjamin Franklin High School in the nearby neighborhood of Brooklyn gathered at the Masonville Cove greenhouse for the first planting under the program. Roffe showed them how to remove the plants from their containers and use trowels to work them into raised beds. Digging alongside the students was their science teacher, Hillary Clayton.
"Masonville Cove has been an unbelievable resource for my classes and fantastic for my kids to experience," Clayton said.
Once neglected and laden with trash and toxic chemicals, Masonville Cove's 54 acres of land and 70 acres of water now support an array of wildlife, including wetlands, an osprey nest, an artificial oyster reef and a native meadow.
"You can say it a million times in a classroom but they don't really understand it until they come out here and see it. It's just been really powerful for them," Clayton said. "They can see exactly what their actions do and what kind of things they can prevent."
Clayton grew additional native plants in lush trays beneath glowing lamps in her classroom earlier this year. The school was one of several to plant a habitat garden under the program. Though the gardens are still young, previous plantings suggest what Benjamin Franklin and the other schools can expect from their new gardens.
"When you build it, they will come. We've planted a lot of gardens in local urban communities and seen that once you start planting, local species start coming back," Roffe said. "We've gotten calls from residents, saying, 'The monarchs are here! The monarchs are here!'"
Roffe understands the experiences are special because of where they're taking place.
"The joy on their faces is just really incredible because people are dealing with a lot on a daily basis, especially in these neighborhoods," Roffe said. "Knowing that they have had a contribution to bring such an iconic species back into Brooklyn and Curtis Bay and other neighborhoods that they haven't seen these species in who knows how many years—that's where you really see the biggest impact."
To view more photos, visit the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.
Video, photos and text by Will Parson
For more than a century, the United States has worked to protect the wilderness around us with parks, preserves and sanctuaries. While natural spaces of all shapes and sizes can benefit wildlife, only one government-designated wilderness program was established in order to build a network of wildlife habitat: the national wildlife refuge system.
The first national wildlife refuge was established in 1903. Today, there are more than 560 wildlife refuges in the nation, whose 150 million acres of land and water are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and marked with the emblem of a flying blue goose. Fifteen wildlife refuges are located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, protecting forests, fields, ponds, marshes, swamps and shorelines in Maryland and Virginia. Federally owned land—which includes wildlife refuges—accounts for about 26 percent of the 8.37 million protected acres in the region, and is integral to our work to safeguard wildlife habitat from development. Learn about five wildlife refuges in the watershed below.
1. Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge (Rock Hall, Md.). Established in December of 1962, this 2,285-acre island refuge is located where the Chester River meets the Chesapeake Bay. The island was among the first parts of Maryland to be settled by European colonists: between 1658 and 1680, two men acquired the entire island tract by tract. Today, the island's forests, grasslands, ponds and tidal marshes offer critical feeding and resting grounds to hundreds of species of migratory birds. Ducks, swans and geese are particularly abundant in late fall and early winter, and refuge staff have documented peaks of more than 50,000 waterfowl at one time on or near the refuge. The refuge provides visitors with opportunities to walk and bike, view wildlife, boat, fish, crab and hunt for turkey and white-tailed deer.
2. Patuxent Research Refuge (Laurel, Md.). Established in December of 1936, this refuge has expanded from its original 2,670 acres to encompass more than 12,800 acres between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It is the only wildlife refuge established to support wildlife research. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, whose staff specialize in research related to wildlife and natural resources science, from the status and trends of bird populations to the effects of chemical contaminants on wildlife. One of its most famous programs involves the captive breeding of whooping cranes: biological technicians raise more than 30 chicks each year, releasing most to a non-migratory flock in Louisiana and training the rest to migrate from Wisconsin to Florida. While the grounds that house the research center are not open to the public, the refuge's North Tract and impressive National Wildlife Visitor Center provide visitors with opportunities to walk, view wildlife, fish and hunt.
3. Eastern Shore National Wildlife Refuge (Cape Charles, Va.). Established in 1984 to promote migratory and endangered species management, this 1,123-acre refuge located at the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula was once a military fort. During World War II, Fort John Custis protected naval bases in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. In 1950, the U.S. Air Force took ownership of the fort, renamed it the Cape Charles Air Force Station and occupied the area until 1981. Today, the refuge is valued as one of the most important stopover sites for migrating birds and butterflies in the nation. Each fall, songbirds, raptors and monarch butterflies gather at the refuge to feed and rest before resuming their migrations south. More than 400 bird species have been seen in and around the refuge, and on peak days, 100,000 monarch butterflies have been seen on refuge roosts. The refuge's wood- and shrublands, fields, ponds and marshes are also valuable to insects (including the endangered northeastern beach tiger beetle), mammals and other critters. The refuge provides visitors with opportunities to walk, view wildlife, boat and hunt for white-tailed deer.
4. Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge (Lorton, Va.). Established in February of 1969, this 2,227-acre refuge sits on a boot-shaped peninsula between the Potomac and Occoquan rivers. While an airport and residential community were planned for the land in the early 1960s, local resident Elizabeth van Laer Speer Hartwell launched a campaign to halt the development and protect the bald eagles that called the Potomac River home. As a result, this refuge—located just 18 miles south of Washington, D.C.—became the first that was established for the explicit protection of the bald eagle and one of four named after women. It encompasses almost six miles of shoreline, 2,000 acres of mature hardwood forest and 207 acres of tidal freshwater marsh that is home to a large breeding colony of great blue herons. The refuge provides visitors with opportunities to walk, view wildlife and hunt for white-tailed deer.
5. Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Warsaw, Va.). Established in 1996, this refuge is the newest of four that compose the Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex. While it currently consists of 8,720 acres of forests, grassland, marshland and swamps, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hopes to protect 20,000 acres of habitat along the Rappahannock and its tributaries over time. The refuge is home to breeding bald eagles and migrating birds, and provides visitors with opportunities to walk, view wildlife, boat, fish and hunt for white-tailed deer.
Which of these wildlife refuges have you visited? Tell us in the comments! And find a refuge by zip code or by state on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.
Warm weather may have delayed waterfowl migrations to Maryland's Chesapeake Bay shoreline and Atlantic coast, according to the results of Maryland's 2016 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. While experts from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) counted more diving ducks in their aerial surveys than in 2015, fewer dabbling ducks, geese and swans were observed.
According to a DNR release, abnormally warm weather in the eastern United States delayed the migration of waterfowl to the Chesapeake region, resulting in an overall waterfowl count of 663,000—lower than last year's 855,000 birds and below the five year average of 759,460.
This year's total included 69,800 dabbling ducks (a decrease from 90,800 in 2015) and 246,000 diving ducks (up from 192,000 in 2015). The increase in diving ducks can be attributed to teams observing more scaup and ruddy ducks, particularly along the Chester River and the Bay's shoreline in Calvert County. Survey teams also observed dramatically smaller numbers of Canada geese: 293,800, or 42 percent fewer than were counted in 2015.
The USFWS Division of Migratory Bird Management pools these survey results with those from other states to get a sense of the distribution and population size of waterfowl wintering along the Atlantic Flyway, the migration route that follows the Atlantic coast of North America.
Learn more about the Midwinter Waterfowl Survey.
The need for land and resources has led to fragmented and degraded habitats across the Chesapeake region, impacting the health of many species. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Bay Program's Vital Habitats Goal Implementation Team are leading an effort to exemplify scalable, strategic habitat conservation in action across the Chesapeake landscape.
For the first time, our partners now have the regional context and scientific horsepower—through tools and information developed by the North Atlantic and Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs); the Atlantic Coast, Appalachian Mountain and Black Duck Joint Ventures; and the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA)—to identify and agree upon priority "surrogate" species. Surrogate species are animals and plants that can be used to represent the habitat needs of many other species using similar habitats throughout the watershed, and include the black bear, woodcock, black duck, saltmarsh sparrow and brook trout.
Together, we are determining the habitat needs of these surrogate species—what kind of habitat, how much, and where—to understand and plan for habitat changes due to climate change and development. Our aim will be to conserve enough of the right kinds of habitat throughout the Chesapeake landscape, in the right configurations, to sustain these surrogate species, and by extension all the other species whose needs they represent, at desired population levels.
FWS is helping to coordinate the contributions of established, successful conservation partnerships that impact the Chesapeake region, supporting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and Chesapeake Bay Executive Order. By aligning the ground-breaking science of LCCs, the organizing power of Joint Ventures and Fish Habitat Partnerships, and the capacity of NEAFWA and other non-governmental organizations to address our mutual priorities, we are bringing new leadership and resources to bear on the goals of the Executive Order and Watershed Agreement.
Conserving healthy habitats is essential to the long-term health of the ecosystem and the region's quality of life. All of our work adds up to measurable gains for fish, wildlife and plants and the natural benefits they provide to people living in the Chesapeake watershed.
Written by Mike Slattery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Intersex small- and largemouth bass were found in waters near national wildlife refuges throughout the Northeast United States, according to a study from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Of the fish tested, 85 percent of male smallmouth bass and 27 percent of male largemouth bass were intersex.
Intersex conditions—the presence of both male and female characteristics in an animal that should exhibit the characteristics of just one sex in its lifetime—occur when pesticides, pharmaceuticals or other chemicals disrupt the hormonal systems of an animal.
"It is not clear what the specific cause of intersex is in these fish," said Luke Iwanowicz, a USGS research biologist and lead author of the paper, in a release. "Chemical analyses of fish or water samples at collection sites were not conducted, so we cannot attribute the observation of intersex to specific, known estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals."
Among the sites sampled were several locations in the Chesapeake Bay region, including near the Patuxent Research Refuge, Susquehanna National Wildlife Refuge and Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
This study comes just after the release of a separate report from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission identifying endocrine-disruptors, pathogens and parasites as the most likely causes for a decline of smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna River.
The USGS and FWS report, "Evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption in smallmouth and largemouth bass inhabiting Northeast U.S. national wildlife refuge waters: A reconnaissance study," is available online.
The bald eagle, a national symbol of strength and resiliency, may be a common sight today, but just a few decades ago toxic pollutants working their way up the food chain had the species toeing the line of extinction. Prevalent use of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), a harmful insecticide, on agricultural fields caused eagles to produce eggs that were too delicate to support the incubating bird, lowering hatch rates in a drastic way. The decline was so severe that by DDT's ban in 1972, only 482 breeding pairs were left throughout the entire continental United States.
Following the ban, one nesting pair of bald eagles remained in the state of New York, and their eggs were too contaminated with chemicals to be considered a viable means of repopulation. Restoration efforts began across the nation, but two researchers in particular, Peter Nye from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Tom Cade of Cornell University put New York on the map as a key player in eagle repopulation tactics. They took to using an ancient falconry practice called hacking to raise eaglets in a controlled, but wild, environment, to ensure that the birds would learn the proper survival techniques to independently prosper after fledging the nest.
"Their goal was to establish 12 nesting pairs in New York. By 1988, they had achieved the goal of 12 nesting pairs, and here we are in 2015 with more than 300. I know down in Maryland in the Chesapeake Bay area there are even more, so the reintroduction has been very successful," said Michael Clark, Senior Wildlife Biologist for New York DEC. Clark and his colleague Scott Van Arsdale, Wildlife Technician for New York DEC, were mentored by Nye, and have taken over the legwork of tagging and monitoring the birds since Nye's retirement.
To view more photos, visit the Chesapeake Bay Program's Flickr page.
Images by Will Parson
Text by Jenna Valente
Across the Chesapeake Bay, strong waves crash into shorelines, pulling sand into the water and causing beaches to disappear. In recent decades, scientists have turned to living shorelines and stone reefs to slow this process—known as erosion—and create critical habitat for wildlife. On the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, one such project has proven successful on both counts.
The 2,285-acre island refuge in Rock Hall, Maryland, is part of the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and has long offered feeding and resting grounds to songbirds, shorebirds and waterfowl. When a narrow piece of land at its southern point—the highest priority habitat at the refuge—proved in danger of washing away, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and several other partners came together to slow the disappearance of the shoreline.
In June, USFWS Biologist Dave Sutherland—along with staff from the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative (MARI) and Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, both of which are partners in this effort— took our team to the refuge to see the living shoreline and underwater reefs that made it a model of climate resiliency. Five years after construction on these projects began, pieces of land do still break off of the island's long peninsula that separates Hail Cove, Hail Creek and the Chester River. But the goal was never to stop erosion: it was to slow it down without using the manmade structures that block critters from reaching the beach.
While shoreline erosion is a natural process, sea-level rise has amplified the impacts of wind and wave energy across the watershed. "I look at sea-level rise as a human-induced issue that's exacerbating what used to be a slower, natural process," said USFWS Fisheries Biologist John Gill. "Not to say it wasn't happening before. Just that its rate has increased. And it's tougher for marshes to keep up."
For Gill, the Hail Cove restoration project achieves "a nice balancing act" in its use of manmade infrastructure and the natural environment. The essential elements? Headland breakwaters, underwater reefs and a living shoreline. "You're working with Mother Nature, but still providing erosion control," Gill said.
Low headland breakwaters placed at each end of Hail Cove maintain the pocket beach, blocking wave energy that might otherwise destroy the shore. A long ribbon reef deemed the "arc of stone" stretches across the cove, offering further protection for the beach and vital habitat for fish, shellfish and invertebrates.
Hooked mussels colonized the ribbon reef soon after it was built, and eastern oysters that were planted there with volunteer help continue to thrive. Algae grow on the granite rocks, small fish live in the reef's tiny crevices and waterfowl find a source of food on their migrations over the Bay. "A lot of species are habitat-starved, and this [arc of stone] provided a lot of what they need," Sutherland said. "It's well-populated with cobies and blennies and worms and macroalgae. It's really a fantastic habitat."
Sutherland and his team soon recognized the benefits of installing infrastructure that allowed access to the beach: three weeks after sand was put down, engineers discovered nine diamondback terrapin nests on the shore, proving just how "habitat-starved" these native turtles were.
The Hail Cove project was completed this spring when 11 patch reefs—using one acre of material in all—were laid down over the two and a half-acre cove. The reefs will expand the underwater habitat that is so important to so many critters but has been lost with the decline of the Bay's native oyster. For Sutherland, these reefs were "the icing on the cake. If the arc of stone is good, the patch reefs are going to be even better," he said.
DNR Fisheries Biologist and MARI Coordinator Erik Zlokovitz echoed Sutherland's satisfaction with the project. "This is a multipurpose shallow-water reef system. It's not just an oyster reef or a fish reef. It's a multipurpose reef for mussels, oysters and other invertebrates, which provide forage for fish and waterfowl," he said.
The reef has also attracted recreational anglers to the area, who fish from kayaks and small boats for white perch and striped bass. Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, whose members are recreational fishermen, was a strong supporter of the Hail Cove project. For Sutherland, the cove's restoration wouldn't have been a success without the "great partners" that made it possible.
"Living shoreline science is really in its infancy, and every project is an experiment," Sutherland said. But bringing partners together to strike a balance between manmade infrastructure and natural processes allowed this project to work, and Hail Cove now serves as "a starting point for reef construction in the Chester River," said Sutherland. Indeed, relief funds for Hurricane Sandy recovery will soon finance further shoreline protection in the same area of the refuge.
"This project is a testament, to a certain extent, that if you build it, they will come," Sutherland said. "We got to Hail Cove in the nick of time."
To view more photos, visit the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.
Images by Alexander Jonesi and Jenna Valente. Captions by Catherine Krikstan.
A habitat is the natural environment in which plants, animals and other organisms live, feed and breed. Many habitats are shared by numerous living things, forming what is called an ecosystem. Ecosystems range in size and can be as tiny as a patch of dirt or as large as the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Sometimes, different species within the same ecosystem are forced to compete for resources like food, water and shelter. Dominant species and environmental stressors can take their toll on lesser plants and animals.
Rapidly increasing human development contributes to this environmental stress: as our population rises, so does our demand for the same resources that many plants and animals also depend on to survive. We build dams to control stream flow and capture energy, develop wilderness into urban hubs and use our finite freshwater resources at an alarming rate.
Migratory fish are particularly sensitive to ecosystem changes because they rely on certain migration routes between connected habitats to reach their breeding grounds. Dams, road culverts and other blockages that fragment waterways can act as barriers to fish passage.
In an effort to better understand the effect that dams and other manmade structures have on fish passage, Steve Minkkinen, project leader at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Maryland Fisheries Office, has teamed up with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a 10-year survey of American eel populations in the Susquehanna River.
"We learned quite a bit in 2013. We collected 300,000 juveniles [eels] and transported them above the [Conowingo] Dam. The dam has been blocking the [eels'] migration up the Susquehanna River," Minkkinen explained. "There has been a lot of work [to open] upstream passage for shad and river herring," Minkkinen continued. But that work has only focused on adult fish, and as Minkkinen pointed out, the dam's flow is too fast for younger eels to travel through.
Monitoring American eels is important: at historic levels, they made up 20 percent of the freshwater biomass along the Eastern seaboard. However, the introduction of dams and other structures has blocked eel populations from important migration routes, changing eel populations.
Researchers capture and inject chips known as passive integrated transponders, or PIT tags, into the eels. These tags can be detected in future surveys and help the team track eel populations by letting them know if they are encountering a new eel or one that was caught during a previous survey.
The American eel is the only catadromous fish in the Bay region, which means they spend most of their lives in fresh water but migrate to the ocean to spawn. Spawning takes place in late January when the fish swim out of the Bay and into the Sargasso Sea, a portion of the Atlantic Ocean east of the Bahamas.
Eel larvae drift in ocean currents for nine to 12 months before reaching fresh water and swimming upstream. Monitoring allows scientists to study the migration habits of juvenile eels and learn how to aid their upstream journey.
Minkkinen and his team believe that if fish passage to the upper Susquehanna opens, both American eels and freshwater mussels would thrive. This bivalve relies on fish to store their eggs in their gills until the mussels turn into microscopic juveniles and drop off. Mussel populations in the upper Susquehanna are, for the most part, comprised of older, larger individuals. Because mussels are natural filter feeders, Minkkinen's team believes that a rise in freshwater mussels will lead to cleaner water and a healthier ecosystem.
"Our hopes are that we can develop passage and restore eel and mussel habitat to that [upper Susquehanna] portion of the watershed," Minkkinen said.
To view more photos, visit the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.
Images by Steve Droter. Captions by Jenna Valente.
An economic analysis from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) shows that federal investments in on-the-ground restoration can stimulate local economies, creating jobs and supporting small businesses.
With a focus on two of its habitat restoration programs—the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and the Coastal Program—the USFWS determined that for every federal dollar spent, $7 to $9 of restoration work happens on the ground and almost $2 of economic activity is gained by the state in which the work takes place.
Both of these nation-wide programs use federal and private funding to implement on-the-ground habitat restoration projects on public and privately owned land. According to the USFWS, the programs' impacts cut across two dimensions: first, their understood expertise and stable funding pulls in additional funding from other partners; second, the programs' spending creates work, generates tax revenues and stimulates local economies through paid wages and subsequent spending.
Image courtesy Margrit/Flickr
In Maryland, for instance, the Coastal Program has directed $1.4 million toward the eradication of nutria from marshes and wetlands. Introduced to the region in the mid-1940s, the invasive nutria has destructive feeding habits, pulling up plant roots that would otherwise hold valuable marshland in place. The Maryland Nutria Project, which is administered by the USFWS and brings federal, state and private partners together to trap and manage nutria, has created more than 55 jobs and generated $2.5 million in spending on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
"The Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal programs are important drivers for creating employment," said USFWS Director Dan Ashe in a media release. "The benefits reach far beyond the local communities where these projects take place to provide national economic stimulus. At the same time, this restoration work provides benefits to all Americans by creating healthy natural areas, including shorelines, streams, wetlands and forests on privately owned lands."
Severe weather to the north of the region pushed a large number of ducks, geese and swans into the main portion of the Chesapeake Bay this winter, leading to a 22 percent jump in the results of Maryland's 2014 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey.
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), pilots and biologists from both DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) counted more than 905,000 waterfowl during their aerial assessments of state waters this winter. The birds were easier to count this season than in winters past because a number of them were concentrated in the few ice-free, open waters of the Bay and its tributaries.
This total included 128,000 dabbling ducks and 190,300 diving ducks, representing a 76 and 94 percent jump from last winter, respectively. Indeed, the canvasback count was the highest it has been since the mid-1960s, and estimates for mallards and black ducks were the highest they have been since the mid-1970s. Survey teams also witnessed large numbers of Canada geese along the upper Bay: 512,000, 11 percent more than were witnessed in January 2013.
The USFWS Division of Migratory Bird Management pools these survey results with those from other states to get a sense of the distribution and population size of waterfowl wintering along the Atlantic Flyway. This migration route follows the Atlantic coast of North America, and this winter hosted more than 3.19 million birds. Of this total, teams counted more than 1.6 million in watershed states, including Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York.
For almost two decades, state and federal partners have worked to rebuild Poplar Island in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Once home to a sawmill, a general store and a schoolhouse, the island succumbed to sea level rise, shrinking to a fraction of its size by 1996. Rebuilt using sand and sediment dredged up from the bottom of the Bay and hand-planted with native marsh grass, the island has become a refuge for 175 species of shorebirds, songbirds, waterfowl and raptors.
Eastern bluebirds, black ducks and snowy egrets are among the birds that nest on Poplar Island, but it is the osprey whose presence stands out. Their sprawling nests can be found on wooden platforms, abandoned barges and Bay-side rip-rap. Plentiful food and nesting space mean Poplar's osprey population is healthy, and can give researchers like Rebecca Lazarus an idea of what the birds should look like under the best environmental circumstances.
Working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Lazarus is studying contaminant exposure in osprey around the Bay. Because the birds sit at the top of the food chain, their health is an indicator of environmental problems. Tracking the buildup of chemical compounds in the eggs and blood of birds that Lazarus calls a "sentinel species" can tell us what toxics are present in our rivers and streams.
Lazarus started her season of research when ospreys returned to the Bay in mid-March. The University of Maryland doctoral candidate and USGS employee visited nests, counted eggs and watched the ospreys grow.
Once the chicks hatched, Lazarus used motion-activated game cameras to monitor their diets. The birds on Poplar eat almost exclusively striped bass and menhaden, reminding us that the management of these two fisheries has a big impact on the balance of the Bay ecosystem.
As the chicks grew, Lazarus tagged each one of them with a metal band. She measured their weight and culmen length, and took samples of blood to test for chemical contaminants.
The last large-scale study of contaminant exposure in osprey was conducted close to a decade ago, and found elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) and flame retardants in egg samples from the Anacostia and middle Potomac rivers. Lazarus hopes her updated research will show us what contaminants persist in the watershed, posing potential threats to wildlife and human health.
The birds on Poplar are healthy and serve as a benchmark against which Lazarus can compare those that nest in more polluted parts of the Bay. Ospreys experienced such a strong population boom after the United States banned the insecticide DDT and other contaminants that they are now nesting along urbanized waterways where dense development, wastewater treatment plants and the flow of pharmaceuticals and other new toxics into our water have concern about their potential to thrive.
By monitoring the link between clean water, contaminant-free fish and healthy osprey, Lazarus has taken a holistic approach to her research. Once published, her findings could help state and federal agencies develop plans to mitigate pollution or prioritize contaminants of concern. And they will help improve the environmental quality, ecosystem integrity and sustainability of the Bay.
To view more photos, visit the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.
Images by Steve Droter and Olivier Giron.
Captions by Catherine Krikstan.
To track the health of the Chesapeake Bay, researchers across the watershed watch so-called "indicator species" for clues about water quality. Bay grasses—sensitive to pollution but quick to respond to water quality improvements—are one such indicator. Bay grasses are monitored each year by a range of experts in the field, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), the latter of which compiles Bay-wide observations in an annual report on bay grass abundance.
Bay grasses, also known as submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV, provide critical habitat and food for wildlife, add oxygen to the water, absorb nutrients, trap sediment and reduce erosion.
During the months of May, July and September, biologists like Chris Guy, who works with USFWS, visit randomly selected sample sites throughout the Bay. Occasionally accompanied by volunteers, their mission is to track the ebb and flow of underwater grass beds in order to gauge the health of the Bay.
Once a sampling site is reached, researchers use a refractometer to determine the salinity of the water. Different bay grass species prefer different salinity levels, and this measurement gives biologists a hint as to what kind of grasses they should expect to find.
Biologists measure water clarity by submerging a black and white Secchi disk until it is no longer visible, at which point it is pulled up and the waterline is measured. Clear water is important to the health of bay grasses. Because they need sunlight to survive, submerged aquatic vegetation is typically not found in water deeper than five feet.
Once the salinity and turbidity are measured, a rake is tossed into the water and allowed to sink to the bottom.
As the rake grips the bottom and the boat moves forward, the line attaching the rake to the boat becomes taught. The thrower hauls it back on board, records the grass species that are found and rates the abundance level on a scale of one to four. A one indicates an empty rake, while a four means that at least 70 percent of the rake is full of grass.
Hundreds of sampling trips allow scientists to amass a set of data that can be used to measure grass abundance across the Bay. Over the past 30 years, this number has fluctuated with changes in weather and water quality. In 2012, a VIMS analysis indicated bay grasses experienced a 21 percent decline, from just over 63,000 acres in 2011 to just over 48,000 in 2012. The Chesapeake Bay Program and its partners hope to restore 185,000 acres of underwater grasses to the Bay, which would approach historic twentieth century averages and bring a dramatic improvement to the entire Bay ecosystem.
View more photos on the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.
Photos by Steve Droter
Tumor rates among catfish in the Anacostia River are down, according to a new report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Biologists with the agency's Chesapeake Bay Field Office have studied the brown bullhead catfish for decades as an indicator of habitat status and the success of cleanup efforts. The bottom-dwelling fish is sensitive to contaminants that accumulate in the mud in which it finds its food, often developing liver and skin tumors after exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
Image courtesy USDA/Wikimedia Commons
Brown bullheads in the Anacostia River once had the highest rates of liver tumors in North America, but recent USFWS surveys show that tumors in the fish have dropped. While the rate is still higher than the Bay-wide average, this improvement could indicate that exposure to chemical contaminants is on the decline.
Liver tumors in fish are caused by exposure to sediment that is contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. PAHs can be found in coal, oil and gasoline, and enter rivers and streams from stormwater runoff, waste sites and the atmosphere.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) have coordinated a number of recent cleanup efforts to lower PAH contamination in the watershed, from improved stormwater management and more frequent street sweeping to the targeted inspection of local automobile repair shops to lower loadings of oil and grease.
Read more about Tumors in Brown Bullhead Catfish in the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.
This winter saw an increase in waterfowl along Maryland's Chesapeake Bay shoreline and Atlantic coast.
While pilots and biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) counted fewer diving and dabbling ducks this winter than they did in the 2012 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey, these same crews counted more geese.
According to a DNR news release, both Canada geese and snow geese were "noticeably more abundant during this year's survey," with crews counting 462,000 Canada geese—a three-year high—and 83,300 snow geese—a five-year high. Biologists have attributed the boost in goose numbers to two factors: last spring's successful nesting season and December snow cover in New York and southern Canada, which encouraged geese to migrate into the Bay region right before the survey was taken.
While more geese could mean more damage to area farms—as the birds forage on green cover crops and grain crops—most farmers "have learned to deal with the problem," said Larry Hindman, wildlife biologist and Waterfowl Project Leader with DNR. Fluttering plastic flags, bald eagle effigies placed in the middle of fields and the loud bang of a rifle or shotgun have all proven effective at deterring persistent geese, Hindman said, and those farmers who need extra help can find assistance and advice in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Damage Management program.
Resident Canada geese can pose a problem for rural, suburban and urban residents alike, and are considered overabundant in the region. While the birds do provide hunters with a chance for recreation, resident geese can overgraze wetlands and lawns and leave their droppings to pollute local rivers and streams. While the Midwinter Waterfowl Survey does not make a distinction between resident and migratory geese—as both stocks look the same during an aerial survey—DNR researchers do monitor the resident population using leg bands recovered from hunters.
The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey is used as an index of long-term wintering waterfowl trends. The estimates measure waterfowl populations along the Atlantic Flyway, which is a bird migration route that follows North America's Atlantic Coast and Appalachian Mountains.
Read the full waterfowl survey results on the DNR website.
Chemical contaminants continue to afflict the Chesapeake Bay watershed, raising concern over water quality and the health of fish, wildlife and watershed residents.
Close to three-quarters of the Bay's tidal waters are considered impaired by chemical contaminants, from the pesticides applied to farmland and lawns to repel weeds and insects to the household and personal-care products that enter the environment through our landfills and wastewater. But so-called "PCBs" and mercury are particularly problematic in the region, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Both PCBs—short for "polychlorinated biphenyls"—and mercury are considered "widespread" in extent and severity, concentrating in sediment and in fish tissue and leading to fish-consumption advisories in a number of rivers and streams.
The District of Columbia, for instance, has issued such advisories for all of its water bodies, asking the public not to consume catfish, carp or eels, which are bottom-feeding fish that can accumulate chemicals in their bodies. While the District's Anacostia and Potomac rivers raise the greatest concern in the watershed when it comes to fish tissue contamination, a November report confirmed that many Anacostia anglers are sharing and consuming potentially contaminated fish, sparking interest in reshaping public outreach to better address clean water, food security and human health in the area.
While PCBs have not been produced in the United States since a 1977 ban, the chemicals continue to enter the environment through accidental leaks, improper disposal and "legacy deposits"; mercury can find its way into the atmosphere through coal combustion, waste incineration and metal processing.
Exposure to both of these contaminants can affect the survival, growth and reproduction of fish and wildlife.
The Chesapeake Bay Program will use this report to consider whether reducing the input of toxic contaminants to the Bay should be one of its new goals.
Read more about the extent and severity of toxic contaminants in the Bay and its watershed.
American eel numbers are up in the headwater streams of Shenandoah National Park, following the 2004 removal of a large downstream dam.
Significant increases in upstream American eel populations began two years after the Rappahannock River's Embrey Dam was removed and have continued nearly every year since, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Park Service (NPS) researchers.
Image courtesy EricksonSmith/Flickr.
Dams can act as travel barriers to American eels, which undertake long-distance migrations from their ocean spawning grounds to freshwater streams along the Atlantic coast. While American eels can surpass substantial natural barriers--like the rapids of the Potomac River's Great Falls, for instance--dams pose a more difficult obstacle and have contributed to the widespread decline in American eel populations. Dam removal, therefore, could have long-term benefits for eel conservation.
"Our study shows that the benefits of dam removal can extend far upstream," said USGS biologist Nathanial Hitt. "American eels have been in decline for decades and so we're delighted to see them begin to return in abundance to their native streams."
Embrey Dam, which once provided hydroelectric power to Fredericksburg, Va., was breached in 2004 following years of work by nonprofit organizations and city, state and federal government agencies. Its removal was intended to benefit more than the American eel, however, as dams can impact a number of fish that must migrate up rivers to spawn.
"Shad, herring and striped bass are also using reopened habitat on the Rappahannock River," said Alan Weaver, fish passage coordinator for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. "It's exciting to see a growing number of species benefiting from dam removal in Virginia."
Learn more about American eel abundance in Shenandoah National Park.
"Everything you film today, everything on camera, everything you walk on, was created. None of it was here in 1998. We'd be in several feet of water right now a little more than a decade ago." – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist Chris Guy
It's warm for a January morning. But out of habit, the team from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office (FWS) is armed with coffee thermoses and dressed in construction-orange floatation gear. The hot coffee and "survival suits" gain importance as the winter wind stings our faces on the hour-long boat ride from Annapolis to Maryland's Eastern Shore. The team embarks on this trip most mornings throughout the year, even in the coldest months.
In fact, today's task must be completed in the first weeks of the new year. We're hauling discarded Christmas trees to build waterfowl habitat on Poplar Island, a place where, ten years ago, wildlife habitat had nearly disappeared – because the land had disappeared. In 1997, just 10 acres of the original island remained.
Today, Poplar Island has grown to 1,140 acres, thanks to a partnership between FWS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Environmental Service and Maryland Port Administration that uses dredge material from the Port of Baltimore to rebuild the island. Many places (such as parts of Washington D.C. and Philadelphia International Airport) have been "built" using this technique, known as "fast-landing." But Poplar Island is distinctive: it's being constructed not for human use, but to provide the Chesapeake Bay's wildlife with island habitat, a rarity in an era of quick-sinking shorelines and rising sea levels.
"What's unique about this project is the habitat aspect," says FWS biologist Chris Guy, who's helped run the project since 2005. "It's a win-win, because you get a dredge disposal site, which is hard to come by in the Chesapeake Bay, and it's long term, and you're getting much-needed habitat restoration."
According to FWS biologist Peter McGowan, who began working on the project in the mid 1990s, wildlife are now flocking to Poplar Island. "Back in 1996, we had ten documented bird species using the island," he says. "Now we have over 170 species that have been documented, and over 26 nesting species."
Every January since 2005, residents of Easton, Maryland, have put their old Christmas trees on the curb for trash pickup, unaware of the fact that their discarded holiday greenery will soon become shelter and nesting habitat for black ducks, snowy egrets, red-winged blackbirds and diamondback terrapins.
Like so many Chesapeake Bay islands before it, Poplar Island fell victim to both rapid sea level rise and post-glacial rebound: the counteraction of glaciers during the last Ice Age that's making the Bay's islands sink. The combination of rising water and sinking land caused shorelines to quickly erode, and eventually vanish.
Here's a summary of Poplar Island's life, near death and revitalization:
How do scientists and engineers turn open water into land you can confidently step on? With dried and processed dredge material that's used to build up the land over time.
Dredging is a process of clearing sediment (dredge) out of the bottom of waterways. Dredging is necessary on many rivers leading into major ports because sediment naturally builds up over time. This sediment must be excavated so large ships can pass in and out of ports.
Maintenance dredging of the Port of Baltimore is critical to Maryland's economy: the port contributes $1.9 billion and 50,200 jobs to the state's economy. It's also the number one port in the U.S. for automobile exports.
It also contributes a lot of sediment. The port estimates that maintenance dredging in the next twenty years will generate 100 million cubic yards of sediment – enough material to fill the Louisiana Superdome 25 times. Finding a place to store this massive amount of dredge material has been a problem – that is, until the Poplar Island project came calling, requiring 68 million cubic yards of dredge.
When dredge material arrives at Poplar Island through large pipes, it spends a few years drying. Then bulldozers and heavy equipment move in to dig out channels for wetlands and streams. When the topography is set, the area is planted with grasses, trees and shrubs.
A first time visitor to Poplar Island may be surprised to see bulldozers and pipes gushing black dredge material at a site renowned as a world wonder of habitat restoration. Although it's necessary to use this heavy equipment to rebuild the island, the staff has found a way to balance these activities and still attract wildlife.
"Let's call it a 'dance,'" says Guy. "We have to work with the construction, obviously, but we have to be sensitive to the needs of the birds."
The Christmas trees that Guy and McGowan have been bringing to the island since 2005 give black ducks a place to lay their eggs. Black duck populations have fallen dramatically in the Chesapeake Bay region, causing the bird to be listed as a species of concern.
One reason for the species' decline is a lack of food, including bay grasses, aquatic plants and invertebrates that have dwindled as pollution increased. Development and other human activities have encroached on its wintering and breeding habitats.
"[When we began the project], we looked at what others around the country used to attract nesting birds," explains McGowan. "Christmas trees were a good resource. Instead of going into landfills, they could be reused."
Discarded Christmas trees imitate shrubs that black ducks typically seek out. They're warm, sheltered spots to raise young. Since the first tree plantings on Poplar Island took place just ten years ago, none are mature enough to provide adequate nesting habitat. So until the real trees grow tall enough, Christmas trees will have to do.
"Black ducks like to nest in thickets in the marshes," McGowan explains. "Christmas trees help provide the structure they need. It keeps them covered and safe from predators."
And the trees seem to be working. As we take apart last year's piles, we find a handful of eggs underneath the dead trees.
"Seeing that we have these leftover eggs demonstrates to us that ducks are using these nest piles successfully," says Guy. "Just about every one of them we find a few eggs, so we think they're having multiple clutches."
The eggs we find in the six or seven piles that we disrupt belong to mallards, but McGowan and Guy claim that black ducks are nesting on Poplar Island as well.
"We've had six or seven black ducks nesting on the island," says Guy. "You may say six or seven isn't a big deal, but when you're down to the last few hundred black ducks nesting in the Bay, going from 0 to 6, where they're used to be thousands, that's a big success story. That's not the only thing that these trees do, but it's one of the main drivers to get these trees out here."
Guy and McGowan have long envisioned Poplar Island as prime habitat for black ducks.
"Back [in 2005], we went around the curbs in Anne Arundel County and threw the trees in the back of my pickup," Guy tells me. It took the pair the entire month of January to collect the trees and transport them to Poplar Island.
Seven years later, the project is finished in just one day with help from Easton Public Works and volunteers and employees from FWS and Maryland Environmental Service.
Black ducks aren't the only critters on Poplar. The island is home to hundreds of birds, reptiles and other species that now rely on the restored landmass for food and shelter.
For more information about Poplar Island and other wildlife habitat restoration projects around the Chesapeake Bay region, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Chesapeake Bay Field Office website.
The number of ducks, geese and swans wintering along Maryland's Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic shorelines was down slightly in 2012 compared to 2011, according to scientists with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
(Image courtesy Dominic Sherony/Flickr)
Survey teams counted 633,700 waterfowl this winter, as compared to 651,800 during the same time in 2011.
An unusually mild winter in the Mid-Atlantic region likely contributed to the lower population. Scientists counted fewer Canada geese, but more diving ducks, particularly scaup. Canvasback totals were the second lowest level ever recorded; however, more birds of this species were observed arriving after the survey was finished.
Maryland survey results are ultimately pooled with results from other states to measure the population and distribution of waterfowl up and down the Atlantic Flyway, according to Larry Hindman, DNR's waterfowl project leader.
Visit DNR's website for more information about the waterfowl survey, including a complete list of species and survey population figures.
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have launched the Native Plant Center, an online guide to help homeowners identify and choose plants that are native to the Chesapeake Bay region.
Users to the website, www.nativeplantcenter.net, can search for native plants by name, plant type, sun exposure, soil texture and moisture. Users can even find native plants with the same characteristics as some of their favorite non-native plants. The website also includes a geo-locator feature to identify plants suited to a user's specific location.
Planting native plants is an important part of restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Residents who replace their typical backyard landscaping with native plants use less fertilizer and pesticides, provide critical habitat for pollinators, and reduce polluted runoff to storm drains.
The portal uses the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service's native plant database, associated with the publication Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
To learn more about native plants, visit www.nativeplantcenter.net.
Scientists observed more than 640,000 ducks, geese and swans along Maryland's Chesapeake Bay shoreline this winter as part of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Maryland Department of Natural Resources' annual Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. This is a decline from 2010, when approximately 787,000 waterfowl were counted.
The decline is largely due to fewer Canada geese and snow geese being counted for the survey. Large numbers of geese likely went undetected because they were on farms and other inland habitats. Overall, the wintering Canada geese remained high.
More ducks were counted in 2011 (199,300) than in 2010 (173,700) due to snow and cold weather north of Maryland, according to DNR. In particular, there were more mallards and canvasbacks, as well as an exceptional number of gadwalls on the Susquehanna Flats.
The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey has been conducted annually throughout the United States since the early 1950s. Maryland survey results are ultimately pooled with results from other states to measure wintering waterfowl distribution and populations throughout the Atlantic Flyway, according to DNR Waterfowl Project Leader Larry Hindman.
"The survey is conducted in a coordinated manner across the Atlantic Flyway states to provide an annual index of the population size for important waterfowl species like black ducks, Atlantic brant and tundra swans," Hindman said.
Visit Maryland DNR's website to view the full survey results.
You may think being a Chesapeake Bay scientist is a fun, easy job, but have you ever wondered what it's like to work on the water in the middle of winter? U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologists Pete McGowan and Chris Guy give you a first-hand account of their experiences on the Bay in the frigid cold. It may be freezing, but as you'll read, they wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
The weatherman is calling for another frigid day with high temperatures just above freezing. Most people have long since winterized their boats and would not dream of boating 20 miles down the South River and across the Chesapeake Bay, putting on waders and plodding through thigh-deep (often ice-topped) water, to see if muskrats are active. But then again most people are not U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists working at the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island, better known (and easier to say) as Poplar Island. We remain very active outdoors even in the coldest of weather.
Before you pity us, let us tell you that winter is often our favorite time to be out working in the marshes and Chesapeake Bay. In fact, while working in the hot and humid days of July and August, we often talk about those cold winter days without mosquitoes and biting flies, when the vegetation has died back and the marsh has frozen, making it easier to walk and do our work.
Often in the warmer months we are dodging thunderstorms and are rushed in our work because eggs are hatching, the chicks are fledging and everything seems to be coming at once. In the winter things slow down a bit and we can take the opportunity to regroup and prepare for the upcoming nesting season. This is the time of year when we build, repair, and install osprey platforms and bird boxes, and use old Christmas trees to develop snags for egrets to roost and nest upon. The Christmas trees also provide cover and nesting cavities for black ducks.
Boating is a little more relaxed, as you rarely see another boat on the water, and we can move freely without getting in anyone's way or having them in our way. In this sense, winter is a time to pause and think about what we have accomplished and what we want to accomplish. It is a time of hope and optimism in our efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.
This is not to say that winter is an easy time to be a wildlife biologist. During the winter we have the real and ever-present threat of cold, icy water. Although we do not often speak of it, it is always on our minds. Unlike cars, most boats (including ours) do not have heating; the only heat we have available is that generated by the crew in our 25' Boston Whaler. Did we mention there is only room for one or two people in the cabin? This means that on most days the crew rides outside and often has to deal with a formidable wind chill. Even on the calmest of days when the boat is operating at speeds of 25-30 knots, an air temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit equates to a wind chill of 17 degrees. Then there are the days where icing on the gunnels and deck (and at times the crew) from boat spray adds an extra layer of slipperiness to our day. And of course, there is always the task of shoveling fresh snow from the boat's deck. Last year's record snowfall made for lots of shoveling.
During extreme cold periods when ice forms on the rivers and Bay, trying to get our boat out of the marina can be frustrating. On many occasions while departing the South River this winter, we have had to break skim ice for miles. We are always checking to make sure it is not so thick that we will get stuck, or worse, put a hole through the boat's fiberglass hull. Our boat is supposed to be one that can be cut in half and won't sink, but who really wants to put that theory to the test in the middle of winter?
We prepare for the cold mostly by layering on the clothes, with as many as four layers to separate our flesh from the cold elements. Then there is the bulky survival suit with built-in flotation, plus hats, scarves, gloves and heavy boots. All these layers reduce our flexibility, not to mention causing us a bit of discomfort (try carrying around an extra 50 pounds of clothes when you work). Believe us, you need a lot of extra time if you need to use the bathroom! We often joke that the hardest part of our day is getting dressed and undressed.
Winter weather conditions wreak havoc on field gear. Batteries in electronics such as cameras, GPS units and field computers drain faster in cold temperatures. And trying to write field notes can be a bear when your fingers are numb.
Not to be forgotten is that pinhole leak in waders or gauntlet gloves that you can never seem to find and repair, and always seems to get bigger when standing or working in cold water. This makes for extended uncomfortable conditions, particularly when temperatures are near or below freezing. Drying these and other wet field items always takes longer in winter, too.
On a crisp winter day when the air is still, sometimes we just stop and wait to see the world around us. We see the marsh hawks that have come to the Chesapeake Bay for the winter zigzagging around the marsh looking for field mice and voles; what a thrill when they find one! There are always a few bald eagles around, either perching on an osprey nest or majestically soaring through the air. The great blue herons are always present and never seem to mind the cold. Short-eared owls and the occasional snowy owl will show up in the winter, and it is alwaysa real treat to get a glimpse. Then there are the wintering waterfowl – puddle ducks, diving ducks, bay ducks and sea ducks – as they fly into the Bay and marshes in the thousands.
Winter is an active and lively time on the Chesapeake Bay. It is amazing to think that we have an opportunity to experience something that few others get to, especially considering we are doing it within 40 miles of the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area. We wouldn't trade our jobs in any season.
All images courtesy Pete McGowan and Chris Guy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
A partnership between the James River Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership and several other organizations has protected from erosion more than 500 acres of tidal freshwater marsh on Herring Creek in Charles City County, Virginia.
The newly protected marsh, known as Ducking Stool Point, is a spit of land located at the confluence of Herring Creek and the James River. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducking Stool Point provides important habitat for waterfowl, bald eagles, largemouth bass and a number of other birds and fish.
To protect the marsh from further erosion, the partnership installed an 1,825-foot-long structure of sloping stone between the marsh and the James River. Stabilizing Ducking Stool Point will help protect stream habitat for migratory and residential fish species, many of which are recreationally valuable to area residents. The project also protects bald eagles and other wildlife that nest and roost in the area.
The project was completed in November and unveiled at a ceremony this month.
Visit the James River Association's website for more information about the Ducking Stool Point project.
On Maryland's Eastern Shore, pollution from development and agriculture are much-debated issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay's health. But one of the region's most destructive forces is unseen by many: a large, beaver-like rodent that digs out and feeds on the roots of marsh grasses.
Nutria are an invasive species that live in the Delmarva Peninsula's marshes and wetlands. Since their introduction in the 1940s, nutria have eaten through thousands of acres of marshland on the Eastern Shore. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County has been especially hard-hit: nutria have destroyed more than half of the marshes there -- nearly 7,000 acres.
Marshes and wetlands are important because they protect clean water by filtering out pollutants and reducing shoreline erosion. They also provide opportunities for outdoor nature activities such as paddling, hiking, hunting and bird-watching.
Additionally, wetland destruction by nutria costs Maryland's economy $4 million per year in lost environmental services from the degradation of farmland, property, water quality, commercial fisheries and outdoor activities. Recent reports estimate that figure will increase to $30 million per year by 2050 if nutria are left unchecked.
To combat nutria's destruction of valuable marshland, a group of federal, state and local organizations has come together to eradicate the invasive rodent from the Eastern Shore.
The Maryland Nutria Project began in the late 1990s as the Maryland Nutria Project Partnership, a group of 22 organizations that joined together to investigate the potential to eliminate nutria from Eastern Shore marshes. In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received federal funding to develop a strategy to eradicate nutria in Maryland.
Today, the Maryland Nutria Project is one of a small handful of highly successful invasive species programs in the United States. Since its work began in 2002, the Project has removed nutria from almost 150,000 acres of wetlands in Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset, Talbot and Wicomico counties.
The Maryland Nutria Project's trapping efforts were originally concentrated in a 95,000-acre "nutria eradication zone," which included Blackwater, the state-owned Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area, the privately owned Tudor Farms, and other nearby private lands.
"Except for monitoring activities, the Project is finished in the nutria eradication zone," said Dan Murphy, program supervisor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office. "We are continuing to expand out of Dorchester County into nutria-infested marshes in Caroline, Somerset, Talbot and Wicomico counties.
Marshes have shown a remarkable ability to recover once nutria are removed from an area. But without a continued effort to eradicate them, nutria will re-infest and once again destroy wetlands. The Project must expand its efforts into the remaining five southern Maryland Eastern Shore counties and the Delaware and Virginia portions of Delmarva -- a total of more than 400,000 acres of wetlands.
"The challenge ahead is for the Project to continue to expand into surrounding marshlands while preventing re-infestation of previously trapped habitats on state, federal and private lands," Murphy said. "This will require the trapping team to work in much larger areas and expand the trapping zone on a much broader front."
Based on current staffing, progress and field efforts, the Maryland Nutria Project estimates that it will eradicate nutria from the Eastern Shore by 2013. After that time, Project members will continue to monitor marshes and remove any nutria they find.
The Nutria Management Team, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office, oversees the nutria eradication project. Other members of the Maryland Nutria Project include:
Learn more about nutria and the Maryland Nutria Partnership from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.


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A unanimous Supreme Court ruled today that the NFL is not shielded from antitrust liability when it contracts for the licensing and marketing of caps, sweatshirts and other team-logo merchandise, USA TODAY Supreme Court correspondent Joan Biskupic reports.
She sends us this file:
The justices reversed a lower court decision that had blocked a Chicago-based clothing manufacturer from suing when the National Football League Properties in 2000 granted an exclusive license to Reebok International for trademarked headwear for all 32 teams in the league. The league declined to renew manufacturer American Needle's non-exclusive license.
A federal appeals court had thrown out American Needle's case and said the 32-member teams were a "single entity" exempt from claims that they illegally thwarted competition and raised prices.
Justice John Paul Stevens, in writing the opinion, said that although the NFL teams have common interests such as promoting the NFL brand, "they are still separate, profit-making entities, and their interests in licensing team trademarks are not necessarily aligned."
(Posted by Doug Stanglin)
Doug is an unrepentant news junkie who loves breaking news and has been known to watch C-SPAN even on vacation. He has covered a wide range of domestic and international news stories, from prison riots in Oklahoma to the Moscow coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. Doug previously served as foreign editor at USA TODAY. More about Doug
Michael Winter has been a daily contributor to On Deadline since its debut in January 2006. His journalism career began in the prehistoric Ink Era, and he was an early adapter at the dawn of the Digital Age. His varied experience includes editing at the San Jose Mercury News and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Also: Follow On Deadline on Twitter


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Make traditional crosshatch cookies with a twist
Peanut butter cookies don't taste the same without cross-hatching the tops before baking. Some people use a fork, while others prefer to use cookie stamps, the bottom of a textured glass, a waffle head potato masher or silicon molds made specifically for peanut butter cookies. The first reader shares her own method.
I use the textured side of a meat mallet to "stamp" peanut butter cookies. One hit and they're ready to bake.
I save the empty paper towel tubes, flatten them and staple one end. I use them as sheaths for my sharp knives, rasps and carving forks. This prevents the knives from getting dull and protects my fingers when I pull one out of the drawer. This is great when you need to take anything sharp to a potluck, too! When they get wimpy, I just make another one.
I take the sturdy plastic lid from a coffee can, cut it in half, then cut the rim off and have bowl or board scrapers.
When I have to reorganize my freezer, I wear leather garden gloves to protect my hands from the cold. I keep a special pair just for the purpose.
I use a wine cork to "stamp" thumbprint cookies. If you don't drink wine, have a friend of family member save them for you, or, the next time you go to a restaurant, ask the waiter. They'll be happy to give you some. (Hint: Go for the plastic ones. They're easier to clean.)
To rinse fruit and vegetables, make a "bath" of 2 tablespoons baking soda to 2 quarts water. Dunk the produce in the mixture, wipe with a washcloth or paper towel to remove wax or herbicides and dry. Proceed with your recipe. — Dae T., Georgia
Local food pantries welcome the plastic shopping bags used by stores, when we do not bring our own bags. Plastic bags can be deflated, rolled up, and many stored in one bag hanging on a hook in the pantry or utility room. Then, when dropping off your contributions to your local food care center, drop off a bag of plastic bags with the food. — Marilyn, Texas
Every day we get a newspaper with a rubber band around it. I always put them into a plastic sandwich bag. I can use them or collect them until the bag is filled. Then I return them to our newspaper carrier by putting it by the mailbox, and he picks them up. — Margot S., e-mail
For queen/king size sheets, no pins. Pins cause rust and holes. Just take a permanent marker and mark the top corners with a dot , smiley face or symbol. — Linda H., e-mail
I use baby oil when I am outside to keep gnats and mosquitoes away. I have never had a problem since using the oil. — Cheryl, e-mail
I bought 3 pair for $1 at dollar store — sneaker child-size socks to slip over reading and sunglasses. They take up less space than eyeglass holders. Also, when I leave them in my car, they don't look like change purses, or similar that might encourage a break in. I need to put one in the car for my loose change there. — Sharon, e-mail
photo by joefoodie


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"Our message must never change. But our method of spreading that message must change or we will doom millions who have never heard of Christ."
– Sam Cochran
In 1953, a young insurance consultant by the name of Sam Cochran saw a vision of people of every race extending their hands toward heaven, desperately reaching for the Message of hope.
An idea was birthed to provide evangelism resources to assist missionaries in reaching people all around the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Traveling the southern California region, Cochran and three other men shared their vision and immediately began raising monies for literature needs.
The ministry quickly developed into what is now called Light for the Lost. A volunteer charitable ministry of the Assemblies of God, the faithful giving investments of core supporters and churches fund the mission of LFTL. Since its inception, LFTL has raised more than $300,000,000.
Funding resources such as audio, visual and printed materials, Light for the Lost has one guiding principle: that all assistance must be used to provide resources directly related to evangelism.
One Message. Many Languages.


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Printable View
Jealous! Cool pics, I got good excersise twisting my head to see them! That optical printer is behemoth! We need to replace that lobby Fett with a better, TDH presentation
That makes me sad, all ILM could afford was an DP boba fett :(
Ahhhh... memories. How'd you get those pictures though? When Stormtrooperguy and I were there they told us no photos unless someone was in the frame with them.
actually, in the presidio campus they didn't let us take any pics past the lobby! i'd have LOVED to take some of the stormies and the hansicle. all i got was a DP boba ;)
Yeah, you're right... I just wasn't sure I was being accurate in my memories, Brian. LOL
Nice deal! When Brian and I went we had Mary Franklin and a few other folks as our tour guides.
Nice photo's. I have had the chance to visit twice. Yes, the rule was NO photo's allowed. They have a really cool Admiral Ackbar behind a glass box frame in on of the offices. He was COOL!


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International Sites
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Global Social Betterment & Humanitarian Programs Sponsored by the Church of Scientology
Human Rights Conference in Brescia, Italy, Focuses on Freedom of Religion
Church of Scientology Brescia and representatives from diverse religions and creeds spoke on the importance of the freedom of religion at a human rights conference in honor of Human Rights Day 2013
Religious leaders joined in an ecumenical tribute to human rights December 18 in a conference hosted by the Association for Human Rights and Tolerance. Panelists represented of many of Italy's religious communities.
This year, Human Rights Day marked the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world's premier human rights document, which was adopted by the United Nations December 10, 1948.
Among the 30 rights proclaimed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is freedom of religion: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
Each of the panelists gave their perspective on the importance of human rights. The Public Affairs Director of the Church of Scientology Brescia presented an overview of the human rights initiative supported by the Church, and the educational materials it makes available to any group or individual wishing to further the goals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Scientologists on five continents engage in collaborative efforts with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to bring about broad-scale awareness and implementation of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world's premier human rights document.
The Church of Scientology has published a brochure, Scientology: How We Help—United for Human Rights, Making Human Rights a Global Reality, to meet requests for more information about the human rights education and awareness initiative the Church supports. To learn more, visit www.Scientology.org/humanrights [8].
Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream," and the Scientology religion is based on the principles of human rights. The Code of a Scientologist calls on all members of the religion to dedicate themselves "to support true humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights."
[1] http://www.scientologynews.org/sites/default/files/Brescia-human-rights-forum-thumb.jpg
[2] http://www.scientologynews.org/sites/default/files/Brescia-human-rights-forum.jpg
[3] http://www.scientologynews.org/sites/default/files/Human-Rights-Conference-in-Brescia.pdf
[4] http://www.scientologynews.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/multimedia_insert/Brescia-human-rights-forum.jpg
[5] http://www.scientologynews.org/
[6] http://www.scientologynews.org/copyright.html
[7] http://www.scientologynews.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/lightbox_popup///sites/default/files/Brescia-human-rights-forum.jpg
[8] http://www.scientology.org/how-we-help/human-rights.html


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© 2016 All rights reserved.
Palm Beach County continues to shine as a premier business destination. Here are some designations you may not know about:
•The Palm Beaches, also referred to as Palm Beach County, has 38 distinctive cities and towns, which are divided into 15 distinct districts. These are Palm Beach and Worth Avenue, Clematis Street, CityPlace, Convention & Entertainment District, Antique Row, Northwood Village, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter/Juno Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Downtown Boca Raton, Wellington, Boca Town Center and Glades Road, Lake Okeechobee as well as Boynton Beach.
• Located in Southeast Florida, the 2,000 square mile region is the largest county southeast of the Mississippi River and its land area is bigger than two U.S. states both Delaware and Rhode Island.
• Palm Beach County is approximately 60 miles north of Miami and 150 miles southeast of Orlando. The Atlantic Ocean hems the eastern half of the county with beach stretching 47 miles from north to south. The northwest part of the county includes Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake in the United States.
• The largest city both in area and population is West Palm Beach, which covers 52 square miles and has an incorporated population of 101,668. Boca Raton is second with 85,413 residents, followed by Boynton Beach, 68,741, Delray Beach, 61,495, and Wellington, 57,514. The county's smallest town in population is Cloud Lake with 133 residents. The smallest municipalities in land area are Briny Breezes and Cloud Lake, both at .06 of a square mile.
• Palm Beach County is 1,977 square miles with a year round population of 1.3 million.
• By Plane: Ranked one of the most convenient, stress free airports in the country, Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) is located just 2.5 miles from top resorts, pristine beaches, the Convention Center, and West Palm Beaches' thriving downtown district. Ten domestic and international airlines currently serve the airport with 200 scheduled commercial flights arriving and departing daily. Palm Beach serves over six million passengers each year, and has been voted third best airport in the U.S. and sixth best in the world by the readers of the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler magazine again in 2014.
• By Car: travelers can follow either Interstate 95 or Florida's Turnpike, which run the length of the county and feature multiple exits at, or near, essential streets. State Roads 441, U.S. Highway One, and Coastal Highway A1A also run through the county.
• With 16,000+ hotel rooms throughout the destination, visitors are able to choose properties based on their desired location of interest, be it directly nestled along the coast with enchanting views of the Atlantic Ocean, overlooking the beauty of the Intracoastal Waterway, within walking distance of charming towns or vibrant historic districts.
• Visitors can enjoy an average annual temperature of 78º F/ 25 º C and approximately 234 days of sunshine year round.
Lakes, Beaches, Waterways
• 47 miles of pristine Atlantic coast beaches
• 125 peaceful waterways
• Direct access to The Florida Everglades best explored by airboat or paddle tours.
• The country's best bass fishing in the 730 square miles of Lake Okeechobee. Lakes, Beaches, Waterways
• Proximity to the Gulf Stream maintains comfortable ocean temperatures for divers and snorkelers to explore more than 20 reefs and an abundance of deep water wrecks
• Palm Beach County's Parks and Recreation Department operates 79 parks, including two water parks. Many county parks feature athletic facilities, campsites, trails and beaches. For specific amenities and park locations, click here.
County parks include more than 8,000 acres of land for exploration.
Meetings & Conventions
• Palm Beach County Convention Center is located within the destination's Arts & Entertainment District. The two-level, 350,000-square-foot Convention Center is just three miles from the Palm Beach International Airport.
• Meeting space includes a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 22,000-square-foot ballroom, 21,000 square feet of flexible breakout space divisible into 19 rooms, and elevated glass atriums for ample pre-function space.
• The new 403-room Hilton Convention Center West Palm Beach Hotel, expected to open in early 2016, will provide a hotel directly adjacent to the facility.
• The Palm Beaches is Florida's Golf Capital® and is the Spring Training home to the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins, who train at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. Class A Florida State League games are played there throughout the summer. The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals are also in the process of constructing a new Spring Training facility to be completed in early 2017.
• There are more than 1,000 private and public tennis courts throughout the county for all skill levels. The Delray Beach Tennis Center, an 8,200-seat stadium, accommodates the annual International Tennis Championships in January and February. Tennis players of all ages and levels to improve their game at The Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton.
• The National Croquet Center, located in West Palm Beach, is the largest of its kind in the world, boasting a 19,000-square-foot clubhouse and accommodates tournaments, basic instruction as well as private parties and events.
• Florida Atlantic University is home to the annual Boca Raton Bowl, the NCAA Mid-American Conference championship game.
• Polo season takes place annually January through April, and the International Polo Club in Wellington is host to some of the biggest names and tournaments in the world. The Palm Beaches are considered the world's winter equestrian capital.
• Saltwater and freshwater fishing enthusiasts alike enjoy some of the best fishing opportunities in North America. Other outdoor sports enjoyed year-round are tennis, softball, soccer, bicycling, in-line skating, shuffleboard, croquet, boating, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving, surfing, wind surfing and kite boarding, beach volleyball, water skiing, kayaking and canoeing.
• Palm Beach County leads the nation in the production of sugarcane, fresh sweet corn, and sweet bell peppers. It leads the State in the production of rice, lettuce, radishes, Chinese vegetables, specialty leaf, and celery
• Palm Beach County has an estimated $1.38 billion in total agricultural sales for 2014-15.
• The School District of Palm Beach County has been rated an "A" for eight consecutive years by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) and it is Florida's only urban school district with this distinction.
• Newsweek recognized two high schools in Palm Beach County with the distinction of Best High Schools in America 2015.
Adapted from Discover the Palm Beaches


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Nash Kato returns to rock
If ever there was a need for good, honest rock and roll, it's right now. With all the bubblegum pop groups and pseudo-heavy bands that sound like their lead singers are more into grunting and screaming than actually trying to sound entertaining, a person who's not into either of those forms of muzak can often fall by the wayside. So it is with much enthusiasm that I can announce Nash Kato's return to the airwaves.
In case you have no idea who Nash Kato is or was, this is the man who used to front Urge Overkill, until drummer Blackie Onassis developed a strong liking for heroin, and bassist Eddie King Roeser began to develop a strong dislike for Kato. So here we now have Nash's debut album, Debutante, chock full of classy rockers, some of them co-written with Onassis and Roeser replacement Nils St. Cyr. You see, these are some of these songs would have been on the next UO album if there had been one. St. Cyr got to stick around, as he plays throughout the album.
Let me just say this. There hasn't been a sexier sounding record like Debutante in ages. Forget Prince and his last few hodgepodges. Forget all those R&B groups with silky voices that are supposed to sound sexy. Forget about all your rock and roll idols whom you think are sexy, and give a listen to this album. With the addition of a full set of "debutantes" adding creamy background vocals (one of whom is Louise Post), this release comes right off the hinges.
Kato hasn't sounded this assured since UO's Saturation. On Debutante, he sounds as confident as can be. The opening rocker "Zooey Suicide" demands the listener's attention at once. It's tough to see how this song would have ever been pulled off as well by UO. Indeed, Kato stated in an interview that he was finally able to branch out and record the types of sounds he's been wanting to for a long time.
"Queen Of The Gangsters" is dark and foreboding, in a halfway optimistic Kato way. It's reminiscent of songs that appeared on the final UO album, Exit the Dragon. And as far as tributes to Victoria's Secret models go, "Octoroon"'s cadences towards Laetitia Casta are about as good as it gets. Kato's pulled out all the stops on this one, and the sounds are as classy as his clothes. Why Ms. Casta? You tell me. Without a lyric sheet, I was perplexed the first few times I listened to the song, but then it finally all became coherent.
"Cradle Robbers" would suit a lot of people online. Dig it as Nash shoots down the elderly who take sexual advantage of the youthful. "It seems so ordinary / Tooth Bunny and the Easter Fairy". Sporting one of the most memorable melodies on the entire album, "Cradle Robbers" rocks and pops like nothing else. If only they'd play this stuff on the radio. Same goes for "Blow", an incredibly beautiful sad song that feels like the brisk breezes that begin to arrive when Autumn settles in. Familiar and funky. Slow and subtle.
The big prize, though, is the title track. "Debutante" is the best example I can think of for why all this crap music on the radio's gotta go. With a seemingly endless supply of melodies and super hot guitar licks, "Debutante" just doesn't let up. "Tonight I'm holding some fifty large / Tonight I'm here at the scene of the crime / Remind the bouncer just who is in charge / But tell his dopeman we don't need his lines". Tough and gritty. And with no sympathy towards the title character, Nash comes off as tough as Lou Reed back in the '70s.
Kato even turns in a fantastic cover tune. Steely Dan's "Dirty Work" is the song in question. You've never quite heard this classic till you hear it with a little accordion thrown in. No, not polka accordion. Just smooth and perfect squeezebox action. And those guitar solos at the end are pure perfectionism. It's not often you hear a Steely Dan cover, if ever, but here Kato pulls it off with a lot of panache.
Both "Rani (Don't Waste It)" and "Los Angelena" hark back to the UO days once again. A bit more pensisve and straight forward, these two tunes ground the album solidly before it takes off into '70s nostalgia. Not that we really need another song about a city in California, but "Los Angelena" remains original in its imagery. On the other hand "Rani" is a solid rocker, sporting a great intro and lots more of those patented Kato riffs that just can't be denied.
"Black Satin Jacket" on the other hand may as well be the great song that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker never wrote. Something must have awakened in Kato when he was recording "Dirty Work", or else the Steely vibe was in the air, because "Black Satin Jacket" sounds just like a long lost outtake from something like The Royal Scam or Countdown to Ecstasy. It's quirky and jazzy, and full of all those strange lyrics that make sense just like Donald Fagen writes. Or used to write. You be the judge.
After that, the weak link arrives. "Pillow Talk" just tends to wander all over the map without really settling anywhere interesting. This also makes the song seem as if it goes on forever. It probably would have been better off being cut from the album. However, "Born in the Eighties" is pure fun, as Kato both thumbs his nose and embraces all the trends and gadgets that the new generation either grew up on, or are now just living through their own discovery. Man, it's scary to think there's a whole group of people out there who were only toddlers when Thriller was first released.
Debutante closes with the brooding "Blue Wallpaper". Again, it sounds like a track that would have fit on the last UO album. It's not bad. It's just not the best choice for a closing number, although it is better than "Pillow Talk". So two songs out of a total of 13 is hardly something to pass over. There's plenty of other, more popular albums out now that don't even contain two good songs, let alone eleven.
Everything about Debutante is pure rock and roll class. From the cool cover art to the Debutante vocals, to Nash's guitar playing. This is where it's at. And you can thank Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam in helping to get this released, as Sony 550 didn't want to handle it, and neither did another label. Kinda like how Matthew Sweet's amazing Girlfriend was treated before Zoo Entertainment picked it up. Ah well, at least someone was listening. It's great to have Kato back in the fold. Hopefully we won't have to wait as long again for the next release.
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Black Milk Gives 'Em 'Hell'
// Sound Affects
"Much of If There's a Hell Below's themes relay anxieties buried deep, manifested as sound when they are unearthed.READ the article


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- Autor: DICHTER, MISHA
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One of the world's foremost concert pianists, Misha Dichter is also a celebrated artist—who has documented his life and musical career in witty and insightful black and white sketches for over 40 years. Many of the drawings have appeared to high acclaim in New York art galleries, and in A Pianist's World in Drawings, the artist's complete body of work is now available to fans, art aficionados, and collectors for the first time. This collection provides readers with an astute and perceptive visual account of the artist's life onstage, on the road, and behind the curtain. The accompanying captions and anecdotes deliver a fascinating and humorous perspective on the life of a high-profile professional musician. Dichter's drawings have been compared to those of New Yorker artists Saul Steinberg and George Grosz, both of whom bring a perspective of playful satire to their work. Screenwriter Marshall Brickman writes, "Not content with being one of our premiere concert artists, Misha Dichter has the temerity also to be a brilliant graphic artist. His drawings display all the grace, wit, and sureness of style we've come to expect form his performances. He has captured his world in a series of keenly and often hilariously observed drawings filled with wry insight. This is a collection for lovers of both music and graphic art. Move over, Saul Steinberg – there's a new guy on the block." "Misha Dichter shakes his diligent classical piano training to 'play' freely in his drawings. The joy we feel looking at them is rooted in the pleasure he takes making them. They are his record of trips taken, important moments, and the music world he knows so well. The drawings share the playfulness of Paul Klee and Saul Steinberg mixed with the social commentary of George Grosz." —James Goodman "I always enjoyed Misha's drawings. I found them artistic and so clever. Every time I look at them I say 'Aha! So true!' These cartoons are timeless." —Itzhak Perlman ABOUT THE AUTHOR Misha Dichter's family is from Poland—but he was born in Shanghai in 1945, after his Jewish parents fled the country at the onset of World War II. A few years later the family moved to Los Angeles—where he began piano lessons at the age of six. He later enrolled in The Juilliard School, studying under Rosina Lhevinne, and won the Silver Medal in the 1966 Tchaikovsky Competition—launching an acclaimed international career. Today, Mr. Dichter has performed with almost every major orchestra in the world. His critically-applauded classical recordings with MusicMasters, Koch Classics, Philips, and RCA display a passionate and nuanced interpretation of Brahms, Liszt, Gershwin, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Schubert, and other master composers. His frequent duo-piano performances with his wife, pianist Cipa Dichter, take him to festivals and concert halls throughout Europe and North America. Their first recording together, a three-CD album of Mozart's complete piano works for four hands released under the Musical Heritage Society label, was named 2005 Record of the Year by Music Web International. Mr. Dichter is also an accomplished writer—having contributed articles to renowned publications including The New York Times.
Detalhes do Produto
- Formato: ePub
- Origem: IMPORTADO
- Editora: ROSETTABOOKS
- Assunto: Artes e Fotografia - Desenho
- Idioma: INGLÊS
- Ano de Edição: 2012
- Ano: 2012
- País de Produção: United States
- Código de Barras: 2000896126967


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CableTV.com Recommends DIRECTV for your TV service
Are you wondering which company is considered the best TV service provider out of all the satellite TV and cable companies in North Jackson, OH? Using data from independent consumer surveys can help you find and compare cable companies and other paid television services available in your area. And according to the research, DIRECTV is the most highly rated company in North Jackson.
When choosing a cable package, it's important to remember that the best cable company in North Jackson, OH isn't necessarily the cheapest. We let you review the features and channel selections of the highest rated providers available in North Jackson. There are benefits and drawbacks to every cable package. Usually, every provider can give you the major network channels. However, TV packages in North Jackson might have a different selection of smaller channels than a similar package that is available in another area. You may want a premiere package to ensure you never miss your favorite show or a Cincinnati Bengals or game. Whatever your viewing needs, we'll make it easy to explore your options.
Want reliable service and top-of-the-line customer support? When you use CableTV.com to choose a cable company in North Jackson, OH, you'll get just that. That's because dependability and quality customer service are both factored into our TV provider rankings, so you can easily evaluate your options and choose a provider that meets your needs.


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- Fragile X
- Treatment & Intervention
- Research
- Resources
- Advocacy
- Community
- Support the NFXF
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Lesson Planning Guide for Students with FXS
This Guide is intended for classroom teachers who may have little or no exposure to Fragile X syndrome (FXS). Our goal is to help make the teaching and learning environment from preschool through high school more effective, more efficient, and more rewarding for teachers and the student(s) with FXS who come under their care.
This Guide provides practical information that includes:
Note: Special thanks to NFXF members Randy & Diane Dobslaw, and in honor of their son Brett, whose generosity enabled this publication. This guide also owes a profound debt of gratitude to Dr. Marcia Braden, whose original work, Curriculum Guide for Individuals with Fragile X Syndrome, is incorporated extensively throughout the guide.
Additional Resources can be found on Educational Resources.


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Lexi is an 18 year old girl. Max is also 18. Max is...
Young love
- by Millie456_:-)
- Rating:
- Published: 30 Dec 2014
- Updated: 8 Feb 2015
- Status: In Progress
" please dad I don't want to leave" Emily begged " em know it's going to be hard but we are leaving and that's final" Emily stormed off to Finnish packing. Emily is moving to wales because they are moving in with her dad's girlfriend. Emily hates Lucy she is all to nice to be around. What happens when Emily goes to the same school as leondre deveries (from bars and melody) if you don't know who they are look them up on youtube you will be amazed!!!!!!!!!!!!
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