B'More Green - baltimoresun.com

MD coastal bay sea grasses take a dive

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:15:00 GMT

One-third loss last year blamed on nutrient pollution, hot weather

More than a third of Maryland coastal bays' sea grass beds disappeared last year, a state survey has found, wiping out nearly 20 years of recovery in vital underwater vegetation in the shallow, fragile estuaries.

Group ranks Baltimore's parks 15th in nation

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

City gets high marks for park accessibility, but faulted for lack of funding

Baltimore's historic park system ranks 15th among the nation's 40 largest cities in a new rating released Wednesday, which credits the city's foresight in carving out public spaces over the past two centuries but faults its more recent leadership for not maintaining that investment.

Firewood hitchhikers threaten Maryland's trees

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:30:00 GMT

Authorities warn about spread of invasive beetle

With Memorial Day about to kick off the unofficial start of summer, agriculture officials are warning the public not to take firewood with them if they go on camping or cookout trips - those logs could harbor some unseen, tree-destroying hitchhikers.

Maryland ban on arsenic in chicken feed to spread?

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:40:00 GMT

Activists aim for similar legislation in other states

Maryland is set to become the first state in the nation to outlaw chicken feed additives containing arsenic - but it won't be the last, if environmental activists have their way.

Captive dolphins have less toxic mercury than wild animals

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:30:00 GMT

Study by JHU, National Aquarium suggests different diet explains contaminant levels

People aren't the only ones at risk from eating mercury-contaminated fish, since coal-burning power plants have liberally sprinkled the toxic metal across the earth's waters. But it appears that captive dolphins have a little less to worry about in that regard than their wild counterparts.

Most Marylanders support bringing elk back, survey finds

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:30:00 GMT

But hunter-backed poll also finds strong opposition among some western Maryland landowners

The hunter-backed effort to bring wild elk back to western Maryland is gaining some steam, though fierce resistance remains in key quarters.

Solar power growing in Mid-Atlantic

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:15:00 GMT

Sun-driven electricity generating capacity surpasses 1 gigawatt in PJM network

Solar power is gaining a toehold in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Chesapeake Bay historic trail expanding

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:15:00 GMT

Four rivers to be added to route named for Captain John Smith

The 3,000-mile water and land trail network created to relive the Chesapeake Bay's 17th century exploration by English colonists is about to grow still larger.

Mid-Atlantic flounder stock declared rebuilt

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:25:00 GMT

NOAA says six fish populations nationwide fully recovered from overfishing

In a bit of good news for Maryland anglers, the federal government has declared the mid-Atlantic stock of summer flounder fully rebuilt after years of catch restrictions meant to curb overfishing.

Potomac named America's most endangered river

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Group says 'nation's river' threatened by urban, farm pollution, cutbacks in Congress

The Potomac River, which flows between Maryland and Virginia, was named the nation's "most endangered" waterway today by a Washington-based environmental group.

Gansler eyeing lawsuit over menhaden catch limits

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:20:00 GMT

AG says MD may sue if fisheries panel doesn't curb Omega's harvest enough

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler says he's considering going to court if the interstate panel that regulates Atlantic coast fishing for menhaden doesn't cut back enough the catch of a Virginia-based fleet that takes the lion's share of the forage fish.

Saved from bulldozer, UM 'hillock' teems with life

Tim Wheeler — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:55:00 GMT

'BioBlitz' tallies birds, bugs and more in wooded campus enclave

Harvard University has a research forest. So does Duke. Yale has multiple forests. The University of Maryland has “the wooded hillock." a 24-acre patch of trees at the northern tip of the state's flagship public campus.

USDA offers Frederick County farmers help reducing pollution

Tim Wheeler — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:35:00 GMT

Technical aid, $315,000 pledged for voluntary conservation in Catoctin Creek watershed

Farmers may be leery of anyone from the federal government promising help, but here's one offer that sounds too good to refuse.

Land conservation conference looms

Tim Wheeler — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Maryland Environmental Trust event targets land trusts and nonprofits

Representatives of land trusts and conservation groups are expected to gather May 15 in Columbia for a statewide conference on the challenges of saving land in Maryland.

New farm rules curb manure, sludge use to help Bay

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:30:00 GMT

State's "balanced" approach still irks farm, municipal groups; environmentalists split

New farm regulations being aired this week by Maryland officials would ease first-ever limits on how, when and where the state's farmers can spread animal manure and sewage sludge on their fields.

Bids being taken for community gardening awards

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:20:00 GMT

Nursery giving away plants, shrubs, trees to top greening projects

B'more Green generally stays away from touting commercial products or companies, largely because we lack the time or resources to vet them. But my green-thumbed colleague Susan Reimer passed this along, and it seemed too worthwhile to ignore:

Rare wildflower saved to bloom another day

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:50:00 GMT

UM, BGE team up to rescue sundial lupine

Spring is a little showier around here these days, thanks to the efforts of plant specialists at the University of Maryland, College Park. The staff at UM's Arboretum and Botanical Garden have tracked down and rescued or preserved dozens of patches of an increasingly rare wildflower known as the sundial lupine.

Meetings begin on MD's climate plan

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:05:00 GMT

2009 law calls for 25 percent cut in greenhouse gases by 2020

Maryland environmental officials are staging a series of public meetings, beginning today, to get public input on the state's plan to reduce climate-altering pollution.

Emails show O'Malley's close ties to Perdue lawyer

Tim Wheeler — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:20:00 GMT

Environmental group accuse governor of "pandering" to poultry industry; spokeswomen defend exchanges

A series of emails between Gov. Martin O'Malley and Perdue's corporate lawyer shows what an environmental group calls a "cozy relationship" between the two law school classmates as Maryland's chief executive weighs farm pollution regulations of concern to the Salisbury-based poultry producer.

Hopkins grabs rays from campus rooftops

Tim Wheeler — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:55:00 GMT

2,900 solar panels put on seven university buildings

College students are gluttons for catching rays - now schools are getting in the act, too.

Oyster planting season begins

Tim Wheeler — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:48:00 GMT

31 million baby bivalves dropped in Eastern Shore creek

Spring's time for planting more than flower and vegetable gardens. it's oyster planting time, too.

Weekend: Climate "dots", invasive weed pull, urban gardening and more

Tim Wheeler — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:10:00 GMT

Workshop on tap to encourage greening in West Baltimore

The upcoming weekend is chock-full of green activities. Here are just some:

Bay pollution trading stirs mixed feelings

Tim Wheeler — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:45:00 GMT

Officials look to cut costs, critics fear cleanup could suffer

Could pollution "trading" really shave billions of dollars from the costs of restoring the Chesapeake Bay? Or would the long-running cleanup effort suffer at the hands of those looking to make a buck on it?

Chesapeake Bay Foundation to appeal Sparrows Point ruling

By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:41:00 GMT

Environmental groups are appealing a federal judge's ruling that the owners of the Sparrows Point steel mill need only do a limited search for offshore pollution from the plant.

EPA keeps heat on to reduce summer smog

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:15:00 GMT

Baltimore area among 45 nationwide not meeting air quality standards

Just in time for the start of ozone season, the Environmental Protection Agency officially reminds us that Baltimoreans are still breathing unhealthful levels of pollution in their air in late spring and summer.