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A PA judge allows Elon Musk's $1 million voter giveaway; All eyes on AZ this Election Day, but experts warn of harmful misinformation; To call or not to call? The election night question; Election Day raises new fears over Comstock Act, reproductive rights.

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Philadelphia's District Attorney says the city is prepared for any election violence, doctors advise about how to handle Election Stress Disorder, and Oregon has a high number of women in government.

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A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

Report: Seagrass Restoration Making Progress in Chesapeake Bay

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Monday, July 10, 2023   

A new report found some vital improvements in the Chesapeake Bay over the last few years.

The Chesapeake Bay Program reported 76,000 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in the bay in 2022, representing a 12% increase over 2021, and 9% higher than the average since 1984.

Seagrasses were observed to be in decline prior to Hurricane Agnes in 1972, which nearly wiped them out. Restoration efforts have been ongoing since the 1980s.

Doug Myers, Maryland senior scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said seagrasses are a vital part of the ecosystem.

"They cement the sediments together with their roots, they produce oxygen to dissolve into the water. They provide all kinds of cover for things like crabs as they're molting. And as they're dying back in the fall, they become food for migrating waterfowl," Myers outlined. "They're one of those keystone type species in the bay, that without them, the bay was considered sick and dying."

The underwater grasses in the bay are measured annually by an aerial survey carried out by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

The long-term goal set out in The Chesapeake Watershed Agreement is to restore 185,000 acres of seagrass. Seagrass in the bay is harmed by pollution, changes in salinity, or when the water becomes clouded with algal blooms or suspended sediment and sunlight is prevented from reaching the seafloor.

Progress in the restoration of bay seagrass was set back substantially by record rainfall in 2018 which led to an excess of sediments and pollution in the bay, in addition to changes in salinity. Given the long-term nature of the decline and restoration, Myers acknowledged people may be unfamiliar with seagrass.

"In the last 10 years, we're seeing seagrasses coming back to places that it hasn't been for 20 or 30 years," Myers pointed out. "It's a new phenomenon, and with people they might think it's something invasive that we have to get rid of. And so, we've been out there trying to tell the story that no, this is a really good thing, it's a sign that the cleanup is working."


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