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I think CCA and CBF have done some good things. In CCA MD's case I think internal politics as plagued the organization for a long while stemming all the way back to the founders of CCA MD and when they all defected. CCA MD has seen some very good dedicated people work for it which is great, the bad news is that all these good people always seem to leave or get pushed out. Now word on the street is that some really dedicated other people besides Hammer and the chapter are going to leave over the whole thing. Really bad news for the organization. One can only ask why this seems to happen over and over in that organization?

CBF in general is a good organization with good people trying to do good things. I think their mission really is to educate and get people involved with the goal of that awareness driving change. They do great work at education and raising awareness. Most of my criticism of them has stemmed from their position on oysters. How in the world any organization can support any type of harvest of a species when it is at 1% of its historic population (I believe 1% of any species qualifies for an endangered species registration, I'm looking into this one) is absolutly beyond me. At the same time it was CBF a little over ten years ago that came out first and called for a moratorium. Their position was swayed with the creation of the Oyster Recovery Project which frankly, while planting a lot of spat, has failed to increase the population. Maybe with the recent oyster report they will change their stance, I hope so because it feels like they are dragging their feet on this one. Another issue I had was the CBF was just not taking a hard stance on anything, but I think the fight they put up to stop the Blackwater development was an example of a possible changing of the tide which I hope was not a once in ten year thing, but rather a trend they continue.

Regarding fisheries management in MD I think we do need new faces all around. New faces at MD DNR in fisheries has really not done much from what I have seen so far. The extension of the striped bass season in December and of the trophy season in 2009 just a week or so after a very low YOY index for striped bass was released is beyond my understanding of sound fisheries management. Fisheries management in Maryland is not done my science for the most part(crabs the exception sometimes), it's done by "stakeholder" management which as history dictates does not work. Why we keep doing the same old thing is beyond me, well not really, really it's done that way so people can keep their jobs by keeping different interest groups happy. Will this new commision that has been meeting for a year do anything? I was hopeful, but how the same old people sitting around probably the same old table, in the same old room, will come out with new ideas seems pretty far fetched to me. Time will tell,but I am not holding my breath. I will add some positive and say that at least MD did something about crabs, but I am not clear what happened would have with out the Governor's direction/mandate and more or less cover MD DNR. In the crab case MD DNR has been more of the agency to carry out the mandate. Regardless, stakeholder management does not work and until that changes in MD our fisheries future is in real question.

What MD needs is a new organization that speaks for the fish, driven by anglers who want fish for the future and believe in sustainable fishing. It does not need a national presence, it just needs a total local MD/Chesapeake Bay presence and might also include Virginia since the Chesapeake Bay water nor the fish that swim in it know state lines. This means they are not anti commerial watermen, or anti recreational, or anti anything, rather they are pro fish and will take the sometimes hard position to protect fish for the future. This could mean voting against themselves as recreational anglers. It will take that sort of new, clean of past history, organization to make some things happen.

I will comment on MSSA since I am sure there are some people who will question my opinion concerning them and fisheries management. I have been giving talks to a lot of MSSA chapters over the last year and here is my observation, the local chapters are good people who just love to fish and want fish for the future. In general, its a fishing organization that wants to talk fishing, catch fish and have fun fishing together with friends. Conservation is a part of it, but not the whole thing. I think the headquarters has been run by the same people for a long time. They are dedicated and I believe they believe they are trying to do what is right. But as with other orgs, the same people have been running it and it is time for a totally new face and new people at the helm. I think MSSA should and will take a position on conservation issues, but at the end of the day they are more fishing focused.

Well, I have been up since 3:50am to bring Ivette to the airport and will end my rant to go feed the dogs and let them out:computer:;-)
 
"What MD needs is a new organization that speaks for the fish, driven by anglers who want fish for the future and believe in sustainable fishing. It does not need a national presence, it just needs a total local MD/Chesapeake Bay presence and might also include Virginia since the Chesapeake Bay water nor the fish that swim in it know state lines. This means they are not anti commerial watermen, or anti recreational, or anti anything, rather they are pro fish and will take the sometimes hard position to protect fish for the future. This could mean voting against themselves as recreational anglers. It will take that sort of new, clean of past history, organization to make some things happen." - Brandon

I could not have said it better myself. Pure common sense management. But most importantly, Brandon hit the long term solution squarely on the head; when our best intentions fail, and most likely they will, we must be willing to sacrifice our own interest in the fishery for the greater good. Recreational and commercial alike.

We should take note of the Governor's responses to natural resource issues. He signed the bills banning coastal bay clam dredging and the terrapin harvest ban. He supported the emergency crab regulations this spring. He has demonstrated that he will respond to the public's concerns. Take the oyster issue to him with the same passion that he saw with the crabs. Tell him what the people expect from our DNR.
 
Brandon, I hope you're asleep as I write this post. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Since I'm a 35-year CBF veteran and a 15-year CCA Board member, I've been 'way too close to this issue for comfort. There are no winners. What's important now is to pick up the pieces, remember that what really matters is restoring the health of the Chesapeake and its critters, and get back to work.

And no, that statement does not mean Business As Usual. It means keeping on searching for solutions that will really make a difference--building federal, state, and local policies that address pollution from sewage, agriculture, air, and stormwater runoff, then finding the nec essary money and technology, and hammering away at the specifics, stream by stream, wastewater plant by wastewater plant, storm drain by storm drain, construction site by construction site. And it means swimming against the current every day--120,000 people moving into the Bay watershed every year, 1.2 million every ten years, requiring more houses, roads, shopping malls, wastewater treatment plants, vegetables, corn, and meat. It's a long, tough slog.

Some of what I see on the Bay really IS better, despite what Capt. Jim says. In the Severn near my house, we have some of the very finest grass beds in the whole Bay, growing six different species. The largest is right next to the new 3-acre Aisquith Reef, which received 4.3 million oyster spat on shell last Thursday (see Skip's post [27 sailfish] on the SRRKC board). That reef is a testimopny to partnerships--MD Transportation Authority, MD DNR, CBF, ORP, the SRRKC, the MD Charterboat Assn, MARI, and others. The oysters on the other sanctuary restoration reefs in the Severn are growing very well, (that's what elevation in the water column and plenty of current can do), so we expect this one to go well.

At the same time, the water in te 40' channel just outside the Aisquith grass bed and reef goes dead from May through September. Storms and wind mix it somewhat, but when the water temp. is above 70 degrees, the bottom 15-25' of the water column are off limits to fish and crabs. I look at my sounder screen then and the lower half is blank all summer. Nasty stuff! The nitrogen pollution causing it is a mix of septic system effluent from groundwater, stormwater from pavement ad lawns, and water that the tides bring in from the open Bay. Look closely and you'll see the best and the worst of the Bay, all within a 50-yard radius.

Is this a mixed message? You bet! The Chesapeake is a very complicated ecosystem, and it isn't going to give us easy answers, or respond quickly as long as the population keeps booming. The money we've spent so far since 1976 hasn't been wasted, despite what Capt. Jim says. It has been just enough to make marginal improvements in many parts of the Bay (we think the system bottomed out around 1983) and hold the line in other places.

Against this kind of growth pressure, though, we have to drive even harder to make net progress. MD's Flush Tax (see Bay Restoration Fund at Maryland Department of the Environment), major $ for advanced wastewater treatement in VA (Home), REAP in PA (google it on Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Save the Bay:), and the new federal Farm Bill are already helping, and we'll start to see more results from them in the next several years. Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks and you'll see some more good stuff going on.

Meanwhile, what keeps the system moving is having folks with a big stake in a healthy Bay, like us TF'ers, educating ourselves on the issues and letting our elected officials know, over and over again, that clean water matters to us, and that we'll work to help make it happen. I can't say enough about how valuable it is to have folks like the members of CCA's Patuxent, Mid-Shore, Kent Narrows, and yes, So. MD chapters, and the Mason Springs Conservancy, and the Dorchester and Annapolis MSSA chapters, and the SRRKC working on restoration projects and weighing in politically through CCA's Voter Voice and CBF's Action Network.

Sorry, Capt. Jim. I see the glass half full, and I think we're poised to see progress in the Bay, but only if folks like us keep fighting--in meaningful, specific ways--to reduce pollution and restore habitat. There are lots of ways to do that, lots of opportunities out there. Can you imagine how satisfying it would be to see improvements in the water and in fishing, and know that you helped?

Best, JPW
 
Rose-colored Glasses

This morning, I was cleaning up a pile of junk in the corner and found my old rose-colored glasses. I haven't seen them for years - they were dusty and scratched but I cleaned them up a little and put them on. As one of the disenfranchised CCA SMD members, I have been following the threads trying to figure out what drove these events. I mean, what really drove them - not the BS floating around about banquet settlements and disrespectful behavior. I'm not planning to wear the glasses all the time but I am feeling sort of pollyanna today so here goes.

I think Brandon and JPW both make some excellent points about organizations, the Bay and the future. I know this will come as a suprise to those who have witnessed my biting disapproval of DNR policies and priorities, but I am somewhat encouraged by recent events there and I see a subtle change in attitudes and commitments at both the leadership and staffer levels there. Ok, I can't argue with the glass half empty folks who haven't found their rose colored glasses yet and feel the bar wasn't that high to start with. I agree. However, if you have followed recent efforts to actually manage crabs, yellow perch, and even oysters, the changes can't be ignored. No, we can't change the rotten attitudes and performance of some of the old guard but sound leadership can make a difference and I think that is what we are seeing now.

My wife doesn't believe in my activist efforts even though I couldn't do what I do without her. She accurately points out that, with one stroke of a pen, the government can completely erase a lifetime of efforts to improve, conserve, and preserve our environment. I hate it when she is right but this is another example just waiting to happen. She never batted an eye when I put part of our nestegg into the Mason Springs Conservancy to help protect the "fishing hole" at the Hawthorne Rd. Bridge. She never pointed out - "hell, you aren't even a fisherman so why do you want to do this?" She didn't come right out and say "I told you so" when I got involved in the battle for public policy sanity regarding the road. I guess she really does love me and I hope she will continue to help me. I think I should take her out to dinner tonight.

I am also impressed by the role that CBF has taken in this battle to keep Charles County from building a four-lane highway thru the Mattawoman Creek watershed without a real Environmental Impact Study. Naturally, there are many citizens, belonging to various groups, that are dedicated to this cause but having CBF throwing their weight behind our cause is important and shows more than just lip service to "saving the Bay."

As far as CCA goes, the dedicated members of the OLD SMD chapter aren't going to stop fighting for what they believe in - we will just find other organizations and methods to support our causes and we may find time to dedicate to other causes that CCA would never touch. It is unlikely that we will continue to promote CCA or to attract new members and I suspect that Southern Maryland will be a veritable waste land of CCA membership development for a very long time. However, I can't find a single person who believes that no CCA would be better than the politically corrupt one we have now and I think I may not be the only one who still has a pair of those magic rose colored glasses. I also believe that the changes at DNR were influenced by CCA's efforts in the past and I want to see more, not less, of that influence so I hope I can keep helping to do that in concert with some really bright people at CCA.

Shucks. My rose colored glasses just fell off and I rolled over them with my chair. Nothing but tiny pieces now but maybe I won't need them anyway.

Ken Hastings
 
Ken, you are just a wonderful human being, period. I am trying to be as forgiving of the politics that drove CCA-SMd. to "disinfranchisement" as you, but I am having some (juvenile??) resentment problems. Perhaps I also need a pair of rose-colored glasses? You are right about one thing, I want to see all of the work you and CCA-S.Md. put into the "Yellow Perch Restoration Project" amount to SOMETHING. I would like to help with the "Yellow Perch in the Middle Schools" project, so please feel free to call on me for school help in western Charles County. We can do this under the auspices of the Port Tobacco River Conservancy, or the Mason Springs Conservancy, both 501 (c) 3 organizations. Excuse my French, but fred the CCA!! (Is that the Coastal Conversation Association?? -doesn't seem to want to do much with Conservation, does it?? )
 
John Page? Edited?

"Last edited by Brandon; 10-28-2008 at 11:09 AM. Reason: language"

We've both fought for the same thing for a very long time John Page. But I've gotta call a spade a spade. A 26 on a scale of a 100 is an F- (even by your own CBF ratings standards). As you know, we are 1 rainy year away from a complete disaster. In addition, the Rockfish grade component is SO suspect, especially with the myco issues.
(See: Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Save the Bay:)

I'd lke to be a glass half full guy too, but I'm so weary of organizations drinking from the glass until it's empty and then making excuses. Have CCA and CBF made a positive difference? Absolutely. But that doesn't excuse their massive flaws. The big picture is that the current paradigm is not working by any standard. That doesn't mean throw up your hands, it just means that it is a lot more likely that a new paradigm will work (rather than trying to fix the old).
 
AngleJP was edited, not JP Williams, just a note of correction.
Whether you are drinking from a half full or half empty glass, slow down:D Sorry could not resist.

As for your points Capt Jim, I think there is some validity to what you are saying. I did not see the 26 rating, but that is horrific.

Brandon
 
First of all, you need a guy to lead the charge and a vehicle to carry him. Brandon - you're our man!

Then, I think the 1st step is, like many others have said, to STOP the polluting. Stop development in the watershed so we don't have this insane influx of polluting organisms (humans). The problem is, everytime you bring up this very simple premise, everyone declares "that can't be done". Well, it can be done. Our politicians just have to make that commitment. [Insert about 1,000 ways to stop pollution here ]

The 2nd step is to fix, repair, and add to the storm water and sewage treatment systems so that municipalities are no longer adding to the problem.

The 3rd step is to try new fixes for cleaning the water and improve old ones- Circle C Oyster Ranch/Richard Pelz has come up with the best mechanism but the state has done a poor job of promoting it (except for the $500.00 tax break which has been poorly publicized). The windmills that Discovery Village guy has invented work, as well. We could treat the Bay like a swimming pool, putting filters in all of the polluted rivers and creeks to filter out polluted water. Once water quality is restored, the natural oysters will thrive and clean the Bay like they once did. Menhaden need to be replenished in The Bay - CCA and CBF HAVE worked on this one hard, and I applaud them for this. Buffers for runoff which CBF has worked on are also important. This list goes on.

There are about 20 more steps, but without step 1, we will be caught in the same holding pattern AT BEST. We MUST stop the polluting first.
 
First of all, you need a guy to lead the charge and a vehicle to carry him. Brandon - you're our man!

Then, I think the 1st step is, like many others have said, to STOP the polluting. Stop development in the watershed so we don't have this insane influx of polluting organisms (humans). The problem is, everytime you bring up this very simple premise, everyone declares "that can't be done". Well, it can be done. Our politicians just have to make that commitment. [Insert about 1,000 ways to stop pollution here ]

The 2nd step is to fix, repair, and add to the storm water and sewage treatment systems so that municipalities are no longer adding to the problem.

The 3rd step is to try new fixes for cleaning the water and improve old ones- Circle C Oyster Ranch/Richard Pelz has come up with the best mechanism but the state has done a poor job of promoting it (except for the $500.00 tax break which has been poorly publicized). The windmills that Discovery Village guy has invented work, as well. We could treat the Bay like a swimming pool, putting filters in all of the polluted rivers and creeks to filter out polluted water. Once water quality is restored, the natural oysters will thrive and clean the Bay like they once did. Menhaden need to be replenished in The Bay - CCA and CBF HAVE worked on this one hard, and I applaud them for this. Buffers for runoff which CBF has worked on are also important. This list goes on.

There are about 20 more steps, but without step 1, we will be caught in the same holding pattern AT BEST. We MUST stop the polluting first.
Well Capt. Jim, I do agree with you at least partly on #1. So does Tom Horton n the article I referred to on the Elephant Graveyard board. I disagree that it is a simple matter, especially since you realize that "Our politicians just have to make that commitment." This is where it is going to break down. Too many politicians still worship at the alter of growth, and too many well-heeled parishioners provide the tithes that keep them worshiping. Tie this to the American desire to have no one tell them what to do or where to live, the deference we give to owners of private property, and the continuing population growth in the country and the Bay watershed, and it becomes an extremely "non-simple" solution.

I wish it were that simple.
 
We need to get 12 billion oysters in the bay ASAP. We saw what happened for 18 months in the Severn and the Magothy when a salinity change up there caused a mussel/clam bloom. Crystal clear water.

Reducing pollution is great. Oysters are key also.
 
Hi From "Little Hattress"

----I Like Many Have been Lax in our PRACTICAL Fight for better things for the bay Watershead, Be Honest with you I've in the Past been busy in the helm seat ---The ass hole created problems that now gave me time, to voice my thoughts wiil wish I was still busy --I hopefully will begin my Personal Campaign on Nov. 17 at the AACO Council hearing on Septic systems--Bill No. 84-08 ---as we are held to 3 minutes to speak our peace , well chosen words will have to be the Order Of the Day ---My experiance has been in any Council meeting , that a Standing room only leading out to the Entrance doors & so Speakers have to be in the Hall & Outside have to be rigged so Standers can hear proceedings will bring the Attention of many --PRO & CON ---Lets see , now who Attends --NOV 17's Hearing --AACO MD Council --Google-geo.
 
----I Like Many Have been Lax in our PRACTICAL Fight for better things for the bay Watershead, Be Honest with you I've in the Past been busy in the helm seat ---the ass hole created problems that now give me time, to voice my thoughts is Here --I hopefully will begin my Campaign on Nov. 17 at the AACO Council hearing on Septic systems--Bill No. 84-08 ---as we are held to 3 minutes to speak our peace , well chosen words will have to be the Order Of the Day ---My experiance has been in any Council meeting , that a Standing room only leading out to the Entrance doors & so Speakers have to be in the Hall & Outside have to be rigged
 
Capt Jim

Thanks for the vote, if it paid the bills to be the man totally full time I would take you up on it.

While I totally agree with you on clean water and pollution, I would be remiss to remind everyone that while we are cleaning up the water, which will take a long time, we also need to reduce harvest limits. They can not stay the same as water quality goes down. Both these things need to happen in conjunction with one another.

John Page,
just caught up on your response after reading it yesterday and being a little too tired. RE; oysters, I think it is spectacular what you all of you have done on the reef in the Severn. I know among the many people that have helped, you in particular worked really hard. I think this could happen in a lot of places in the bay if there was not a harvest allowed. At 1% of their historic levels its absolutely absurd to allow a harvest in the bay. I have read the literature about how long the oysters take to grow, how its said it "works"to "clean" the bars etc... Problem is that over the course of the last ten year restoration effort the population has not gone up, actaully by some reports I have read its gone down. As we all agree, time for a new approach, how about continuing the current programs with spat etc and just not harvesting for the next ten years since the past ten year strategy has not worked. Yes, I am a broken record on this one, but maybe if someone would have been a broken record and loud like me when the sturgeon where about gone they might not be gone. If we keep allowing a commerical harvest (any harvest, there is no recreational harvest anymore thus the reason I refer to it as commerical) the oysters do not even have a chance.

I would also note that while I am loud about oysters, menhaden may be just as important as they filter more water then oysters. I know a lot of us all have our eye on this one as well, just worth mentioning when we start to talk about filter feeders.

Have a good one all

Brandon
 
Just some food for thought.I went diving off Podickery to recover a lost anchor for a charterboat captain.It was only down 8 days but already it was covered in silt.Not buried -just a fine covering of silt.I find anchors buried under silt (1 inch) and always thought they had been down there for years.Now I'm guessing 6 months.

I'd like to see all the time/effort of ALL these meetings/hearings/studies go towards planting grass and farming oysters.The bay would be 100 times better off :yes:.
 
Bill H:

It IS that simple. Remember that movie where the guy is hanging out of the window and yells "I'm mad as he l l and I'm not going to take it anymore"? There is a tipping point on EVERY issue. If the citizens get angry enough, change will occur. Complacency has festered among us like a staph infection.

Brandon:

I can guarantee YOU ARE THE MAN. We've had this discussion many times, what when you were still in college? I can make 3 calls and get the job done if you will do it. The whole watershed will be behind you. You could make the same calls with the same result if you took the job. Our list would be the same people. The new organization will be like the Field of Dreams "Build it and they will come".

Capt. George:

You've been a great mentor. You, Capt. Kerry, Capt. Al and the rest of the MD captains have been fantastic to me for a whole lotta years. I can assure you, it is NOT like that down here. MD has a much stronger appetite for conservation. I feel that the push to clean The Bay MUST come from MD - just like the Rockfish moratorium. VA MIGHT come along kicking and screaming. An experienced voice like yours will make a big difference in the push for clean water.
 
My humble thoughts on the Entire Picture

--Jim I Can't wait for the Year of Local re election ---Pay Backs are Hell --No Action in 2009 will result in House Cleaning --The Serfs are "Mad as Hell , & Won't take it any longer "--Been watching with many the Yearly Harvest of Contrabutions for seed for this "Clean Up Planting" but have yet seen a Vible Harvest for us Serfs--geo
 
<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype> Capt. Jim:
The fact of development is not something you can control, Jim. For one, the people in <st1:state w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:state> are not nearly as invested in the Bay as those in <st1:state w:st="on">Maryland</st1:state> and even <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Virginia</st1:place></st1:state>. I've seen the <st1:place w:st="on">Juniata</st1:place> flow into the Susquehanna in the spring so red it looks like an arterial wound. And there is sign up on Route 80 east of Hazelton that speaks of the Chesapeake watershed, but the few people up there that think about it at all probably can't see why this should be important to them, or how a few more homes or a new industrial development affects things hundreds of miles away. Places they've never been.

And because of the engine of federal and federally-related employment, along with the attractiveness of a highly educated workforce, development around the Bay in <st1:state w:st="on">Maryland</st1:state> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Virginia</st1:state></st1:place> is equally intractable over the long run, though what looks like a depression in the making may slow it down substantially. It's an ill wind that blows nobody good.

But the fact of development doesn't necessarily mean the fact of pollution. Indeed, I suspect it will be, given any impetus at all, much easier to control the impact of new development, through the requirements of environmentally conscious construction, than it will be to stem the pollution from existing structure and activity. But development is a reality and standing in front of the bus only gets you run over. The problem you are really worried about, that we are all worried about because it is the biggest threat to Bay, is pollution. And that is where the attention needs to be focused, on sources of pollution. You say you want a new approach. Alright, let me suggest for starters that we need to create a consciousness of our aquatic footprint. And then we need to tax it. If you are using up the Bay, you need to pay for it. If the price is too low, which it is now, you will use too much of it.

When you and I last had this discussion on your boat it centered on menhaden. I think the commercial take in the Bay needs to be shut down and the plant in Reedville closed. The fact of intolerable pollution is inescapable, at least in the near term. And so, unnecessarily removing any portion of the Bay's capacity to defend itself is intolerable. But if Omega is to continue fishing in the Bay, let it pay for its aquatic consequences.
It is a commonplace of economics that price need reflect all the marginal cost of production, even those costs imposed on outsiders. If such costs are not borne by the producer, price will not reflect the true sacrifice involved in production; it will be too low, and hence too much will be sold. If Omega were to include in the price of its products compensation for the damage it does to the Bay, it would have no market. It sells nothing for which the market does not supply ready alternatives. It only exists because it has been allowed to be underpriced. I want to repeat that, it only exists because its products are underpriced.

There are readily achievable ways to cushion the impact of Omega's closure on the community of Reedville, if there is a will. Taxes recovered from aquatic footprint fees could be earmarked (if that phrase is permissible anymore) for the purpose. The plant is not the highest and best use of that land, and the results of the closure of the menhaden factory lands in Beaufort, in your new home state, can be studied profitably. At least one of the old Beaufort factory ships is now an artificial reef off Frying Pan Shoals. Ironically fitting. I have no sympathy for the owners of the capital in Omega, but the people and the community can be protected and the disappearance of the plant is inevitable in any event. They would be better off to negotiate its demise now, while they have a bargaining position.
<o:p> </o:p>
There are any number of other things that come to mind in creating the a new paradigm to use your phrase&#8230;from using any WPA like jobs program that develops from our current economic collapse to help in refurbishing infrastructure needed to protect the Bay, to heightening and funding the development of intensive research into, and production of, pollution control technologies and better water usage practices, topics that are as necessary to a growing worldwide population as is the more widely noticed concern over energy conservation. I could go on, probably indefinitely, but the winds are finally coming down, and I need to put some gear together to go fishing. Going to troll tomorrow out of Ridge and it's your fault I have to drive all the way from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Fairfax</st1:city></st1:place> to St. Mary's. I don't know if you remember that day I fished on your boat with just one other fellow, a fine old gentleman whose picture I look at everyday, because we're both standing there grinning with our big fish. Bunch of guys didn't show for the makeup charter, including your father-in-law who had hit a deer that morning up in Calvert. You, being you, as fine a gentleman as has ever run a boat on the Bay, said we would fish regardless, so we had your boat to ourselves. And I thought it pretty nice down there, and have been fishing out of Buzz's ever since. Good luck to you and your family, as always.
<o:p> </o:p>
Dan
<o:p> </o:p>
 
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