MNN - Mother Nature Network

 

In Maryland this spring we have enjoyed some good news about the Chesapeake Bay — both crabs and seagrasses have shown increases in their latest numbers.

 

It is ironic, though, that we receive this very welcome news at the same time the nation witnesses a tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, one that took the lives of 11 rig workers, threatens the livelihoods of thousands of people, and may damage the Gulf ecosystem for generations.

 

My sympathies are further deepened knowing that just as The Nature Conservancy in Maryland/DC has invested heavily in the protection of forests and wetlands to help the Chesapeake Bay, The Nature Conservancy’s programs in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi has been working to do the same for the Gulf of Mexico.  Decades of conservation work is at risk with one event.

 

All of this is made more concerning because the scope of the disaster is not limited to the Gulf of Mexico.  There is a possibility that effects of this spill may make their way up the eastern seaboard, to Maryland’s Atlantic Coast and the Chesapeake Bay. 

 

We are watching this possibility closely, and will offer our help to protect Maryland’s waters should the necessity arise.  Furthermore, we are also supporting President Obama’s moratorium on the consideration of new offshore drilling sites.

 

I will continue to provide updates on possible effects to the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s Atlantic Coast as information comes available.  In the meantime, please learn more about the Gulf oil spill and how The Nature Conservancy is helping to respond, by reading Conservancy president Mark Tercek’s most recent blog here.