goose70
02-28-2007, 09:34 AM
Gentlemen:
I have been trying to prod the Severn River Commission, through the County, to better educate the public (especially those living along the water) about the potential harm of shoreline hardening and the benefits of "living shoreline" alternatives. I'm also concerned that most homeowners do not appreciate the problems caused to the water by fertilizing their lawns. Given the slowly turning wheels of government, however, and the fast approaching Spring/Summer, I want to do something RIGHT NOW to spread the word about these things.
This is what I propose: I will prepare a concise, respectful one page letter (1) informing residents of living shoreline alternatives to alleviate the harm of shoreline hardening and (2) explaining the problem of fertilizer runoff, while asking them to refrain from fertilizing their lawn-- or if they must, at least holding off until Fall. I will first post the letter here for all of you to see it.
Here's where I need your help: I will talk to the Riverkeeper and Severn River Association about distributing this, but what we really need is people willing to drive to waterfront homes and put these into the mailbox (or on the driveway). In the case of gated communities, we can go by boat and put the letter on their dock. If we don't have a small army of people willing to spend a day doing this, then I see no point in going to the Riverkeeper and SRA with the plan.
I know that we've talking a lot about Pickerel this year, since most of us have just "discovered" or "re-discovered" this awesome fish, meaning that we now care much more about whether Pickerel populations fluctuate. Regarding the population fluctuations, we seem to put much of the blame on salinity. I'm not convinced that this is correct. A while back, two TF’rs posted conflicting salinity tolerance figures (one said Pickerel can survive up to 15ppt, the other said 20ppt), but in any event, the Severn rarely reaches either of these levels and even when it does, the creeks are still available for the Pickerel to retreat. Additionally, the number of large (over 20") Pickerel that we're catching suggests that a fair number of these fish survived 2002, when salinity in the Severn probably reached its highest point in recent memory.
That leaves water quality - runoff and the low DO that results - as the likely culprit. This is why I think that our continued enjoyment of Pickerel - and all other fish in the Severn - is more in our control than we may suspect. Given the lack of enforcement dollars even where the government’s and the popular will exist, educating and changing attitudes of those who are privileged to live on the water is probably the only realistic way to address the Severn's water quality and shoreline habitat issues. I think that the letter that I’m proposing could go a long way in educating and shifting attitudes, but it will take some work. Are we up to it?
I have been trying to prod the Severn River Commission, through the County, to better educate the public (especially those living along the water) about the potential harm of shoreline hardening and the benefits of "living shoreline" alternatives. I'm also concerned that most homeowners do not appreciate the problems caused to the water by fertilizing their lawns. Given the slowly turning wheels of government, however, and the fast approaching Spring/Summer, I want to do something RIGHT NOW to spread the word about these things.
This is what I propose: I will prepare a concise, respectful one page letter (1) informing residents of living shoreline alternatives to alleviate the harm of shoreline hardening and (2) explaining the problem of fertilizer runoff, while asking them to refrain from fertilizing their lawn-- or if they must, at least holding off until Fall. I will first post the letter here for all of you to see it.
Here's where I need your help: I will talk to the Riverkeeper and Severn River Association about distributing this, but what we really need is people willing to drive to waterfront homes and put these into the mailbox (or on the driveway). In the case of gated communities, we can go by boat and put the letter on their dock. If we don't have a small army of people willing to spend a day doing this, then I see no point in going to the Riverkeeper and SRA with the plan.
I know that we've talking a lot about Pickerel this year, since most of us have just "discovered" or "re-discovered" this awesome fish, meaning that we now care much more about whether Pickerel populations fluctuate. Regarding the population fluctuations, we seem to put much of the blame on salinity. I'm not convinced that this is correct. A while back, two TF’rs posted conflicting salinity tolerance figures (one said Pickerel can survive up to 15ppt, the other said 20ppt), but in any event, the Severn rarely reaches either of these levels and even when it does, the creeks are still available for the Pickerel to retreat. Additionally, the number of large (over 20") Pickerel that we're catching suggests that a fair number of these fish survived 2002, when salinity in the Severn probably reached its highest point in recent memory.
That leaves water quality - runoff and the low DO that results - as the likely culprit. This is why I think that our continued enjoyment of Pickerel - and all other fish in the Severn - is more in our control than we may suspect. Given the lack of enforcement dollars even where the government’s and the popular will exist, educating and changing attitudes of those who are privileged to live on the water is probably the only realistic way to address the Severn's water quality and shoreline habitat issues. I think that the letter that I’m proposing could go a long way in educating and shifting attitudes, but it will take some work. Are we up to it?