Ask the Experts Question Archive - Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

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what are some of the problems of the Chesapeake Bay?
Are diamondback terrapins native to the Chesapeake Bay? And also, are they exotic species?
How did the Chesapeake Bay get its name?
I own waterfront property in Chance, MD. My question is, what native grasses are appropriate to plant on my property to keep my sand and soil from running off and into the bay. I have the property bulkheaded, but rains carry my sand/soil over the bulkhead and into the water.
At what location does the saltwater from the ocean flow back into the bay? What locations would be considered brackish? (probably spelled wrong) What locations have primarily fresh water?
Where are there dead zones in the Cheasepeake Bay/
The Cumberland Times (Allegany County) published a letter from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, offering to spray properties with Dimilin as a solution to the gypsy moth problem. This is to be in conjunction with Washington County Forest Conservancy District Board. The article follows: CUMBERLAND - Landowners with forested property in Allegany County may benefit from a cooperative gypsy moth spray program with the Washington County Forest Conservancy District Board. The cost per acre for helicopter spraying in Allegany County will be $38 per acre, with a minimum spray block of 20 acres. Landowners may combine with neighboring properties to reach this minimum, or pay the 20-acre fee to have lesser areas sprayed. There is no cost-sharing available, but the reduced rate given the cooperative program allows landowners a more affordable option for protecting their forest resources. The pesticide used will be Dimilin, which has a broad application window, great effectiveness and reduced operational costs. To participate in the program in Allegany County, landowners must file an application with a deposit of $120 and the area to be sprayed will need to be identified on a map at the Maryland Forest Service office in Cumberland. For information about gypsy moth defoliation and to learn if your property will be sprayed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture's residential spray program, call (301) 777-3601. The MDA program focuses on neighborhoods and high-use recreational areas. To sign up for spraying under the cooperative program, contact the Maryland Forest Service at (301) 777-2027. ______________________________________________________ article found at http://www.times-news.com/archivesearch/local_story_037130445.html Won't Dimilin eventually make its way into bodies of water and then down into the Cheasapeake? Isn't there something safer to use?
how can we help save bay grasses
What are the chemical and physical properties of the Bay?
how many square miles does the Chesapeake bay drainage basin contain?
I recently pulled an elevation topographic map of the Chesapeake and surrounding lands and noticed the elevations of the Delaware pennisula rarely exceed 15 meters in elevation above sealevel. This is very troubling as the data presented in "An Inconvienent Truth" and elsewere, indicate a rise of 10 to 12 meters possible in mean sea level by 2100. This rise would eliminate the bay almost in its entirety and leave exposed sea coast in its wake. Knowing full well it is virtually impossible to reverse the climate changes currently set in motion (IPCC recent report), shouldn't there be a major restructuring of all the bay initiatives to take this possibility into account? The hundreds of millions of dollars in money and efforts will be all for naught with current accepted climate change science. Has the Alliance any thoughts or strategy on this matter?
How do I test Chesapeake Bay water for phosphorus content?
I am doing a report on the declining popluation of the blue crab in the Chesapeake. I was wondering if you could provide me with any information on this subject.
how does wasting energy effect the chesapeake bay?
How does recycling in my home---paper, newspaper, mail, bottles, cans, etc---help to save the bay?
I work at a restaurant and we serve oysters. I discovered there are live crabs living in the oysters. What kind are they? They are from Chesapeake Bay. They are about the size of a nickel. They have white legs and somewhat of an orange body
My granddaughter has to do a science fair project on the Chesapeake Bay. I was thinking about a project on the salt contain. I was wondering if you make any suggestions.
what month and time do the crokers and spots run in the bay?
What is the approximate % of nutrient and sediment removal for a stream buffer width of 65' vs. 100'? What actual quantifiable impact (if any?)does the additonal 35 feet provide in order to make a case for a 100 foot, uninterrupted buffer width? If not quantifiable or negligible how would you make the case otherwise???? A response at someone's earliest convenience (currently in the heat of stream buffer model ordinance battle at the municipal level) would be most appreciated! thank you.
I am helping my son work on an elementary-school project on the Oyster Toadfish. We are trying to understand better a few things we have found. The OT is an apex predator, but does anything particularly go after its young or eggs? How sensitive is the OT to the bay's problems with silting and fertilizer run-off? What would happen to the benthic niche and to the bay at large if the OT population went way down? Thank you for any help you can give us, Manny Olds
I am doing a science experiment on the affects of different types of pollution on gallon samples of water from the Lynnhaven River. I was wondering what amounts of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and PH are healthy for the marine life in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
what essentially made the chesapeake bay?
HOW DO HUMANS AFFECT BLUE CRABS?
When was the Chesapeake Bay named and who named it? To be more specific what was is called when John Smith sailed into it and created his map?
Some of the large rivers that flow into me are the James,Potomac,York,and Susquehanna.What am I?
How deep is the water under the bay bridge?
In reading about the three varieties of fiddler crab living around the Chesapeake, I haven't found one that matches the variety we often found growing up at my family's home on the Tred Avon River between Easton and Oxford. Muddy brown, it never had an enlarged claw, nor did its eyes sit on raised stalks. Any idea what this is?
What are the commercial uses of the bay
How is the bay doing, is it considered healthy today?
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How does agricultral run off cause dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay?
What is the total drop, in feet or meters, from the southern tip of Garrett Island to mean sea level at the mouth of the Bay?
For a school project, that may be selected to present to the state: I'm interested in the populations of different amphibians of the Chesapeake Bay. Do you know of anything that will help me?
What are some endangered or threatened species?
What are three marine resources that have the greatest total annual value?
How does Chesapeake bay pollution affect blue crabs?
Why is it important to conserve water?
Could you give me some unusual facts about Chesepeake Bay?
How did the Chesapeake bay get its name?
How much chemical pollution goes into Chesapeake Bay every year?
How do scientist monitor the health of the Chesapeake Bay?
Where did invasive plants come from? Why are they so bad?
What can I do to help protect the Bay?
Tell me more about mycobacteriosis in the Bay's striped bass population.
Where can I find a list of pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay?
Where can I find information about subtidal muddy bottoms, salt marsh, sea grass beds, and oyster bars in the Chesapeake Bay?
How do changes in the health of the Bay affect blue crabs over time?
What number do you want when taking a phosphate and/or nitrate testing, and if the phosphate and nitrate levels are bad, what can we do to fix it?
How many waterways flow into the Chesapeake Bay?
I am trying to find information on rising sea levels in the Bay.
Are you aware of any web-based sites that provide bay temperatures?
Could you send me with a copy of the site design principles that address reducing impacts which the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay advocates, and could you provide copies of county codes/guidelines that incorporate the design policies?
What are the main rivers in the Chesapeake Bay?
What and where are the invasive and exotic plant species in Central PA?
Have artificial SAV's been used in areas to restore shallow water habitats, where native species could not be established.
How is global warming affecting the Chesapeake Bay?
Where can I find information on Chesapeake Bay plants and animals?
Where can I research bioinvasions in the Chesapeake Bay?
Where can I get a copy of the better site design principals and desired best practices for builders and developers
What are websites that provide bay temperatures?
What are alternatives to seawalls for a homeowner?
Why is runoff and pollution from it so bad for the Bay?
What are the main rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay?
Where can I find information on Shad?
How does the water get into the Chesapeake Bay?
Why is it important to measure salinity, pH, conductivity and temperature in the Bay?
How much sediment enters the Bay in any given time period, for example, during a flood?
What are the five major tributaries for the Chesapeake Bay?
Where can I find information on native grasses to plant in Maryland and Virginia?
Where can I get statistics on bay pollution for elementary students?
What is the difference between a watershed and a drainage basin?
What are the names of some anti-erosion grasses that a homeowner can plant along Bay shorelines?
How can a crabber recycle crab shells?
Where can I find reliable figures regarding nutrient loading in the Bay?
What are the best tourist attractions in the Chesapeake Bay?
Where can I find out the environmental issues affecting my watershed and what groups are working on correcting them?
How efficiently does the freshwater of Chesapeake Bay mix with the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean?
What kind of sharks are found in the Bay?
I am doing a school project on water testing. What tests should I perform?
How can I find out the location of access points and islands in the Chesapeake Bay?
What options are there to paved parking lots in order to reduce runoff?
If the polar ice caps were to completely melt, how much would the water level of the Bay rise?
What are the small, glowing things in the bay at night?
Where can I find data on horseshoe crabs and the Bay protected area for them?
How can I find out if it is safe to swim in the local creeks in my watershed?
I have heard that pet waste from people not cleaning up after their pets contributes to the nutrient problems in the rivers that drain into the Bay. Is this true?
Where can I find out if it is safe to eat the fish I catch?
Planting Bay grasses by hand is labor intensive. Is there a mechanical grass planting machine?
How can I find out about Blue Crabs and the facts about their decline?
How many gallons of water are typically in the Bay.
What is a BayScape or a beneficial plant?
How can I find out the condition of the Chesapeake Bay?
Why are they sinking toilets in the bay?
Why are underwater grasses so important?
How big is the Bay? How did it form?
What is a riparian forest buffer?
How can I find the name of my watershed?
Why is the Bay polluted?
What can I use on my driveway for ice? My property slopes into a wetland and I am concerned about run off.

The Ask The Bay Experts panel is comprised of Chesapeake Bay experts in many diverse fields of Bay issues including wetlands, pollution, watershed management, shad restoration, fish passage, fisheries, lawn care for Bay repair, blue crabs, monitoring, SAV and more. They work in a variety of academic institutions, non-profit organizations, federal/state government in the Bay watershed and Bay-related businesses.

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay - Comments or Questions:
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