Ecological issues brought to CNU by Chesapeake Bay Rep

Ecological issues brought to CNU by Chesapeake Bay Rep

by BETH BECK
Captain's Log
February 9, 2007

It’s about getting back at least part of what’s been lost. A small but interested group of students gathered in the Washington Room of the David Student Union (DSU) to hear from Chris Moore, a representative from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) speak about various ecological problems in the Bay and how they’re being remedied, but unfortunately not solved. A native of Virginia Beach, Moore grew up fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. In 1967, the CBF established a mission to “Save the Bay.” Since then, the organization has grown to 130,000 members with 58,000 action-network members and 10,000 student, teacher and scientist volunteers.

“Our goal isn’t a return to the original, pristine waters of hundreds of years ago. We know that’s not possible,” said Moore. “What we think we can do is get up to about 70 percent of that original pristine ecology. But we’ve got a long way to go.”

The 195-mile-long Chesapeake Bay, with its 64,000 square-mile watershed that supports 16,500,000 people, has run into many problems. All facets of its ecology, from its fish population to the amount of oxygen in its water, have changed drastically since it was first examined, said Moore.

Moore received his undergraduate degree from Randolph Macon College and his graduate degree from George Mason University. Moore later became involved with the CBF, focusing in the fisheries connected with the Bay.

To spread word of CBF’s plan to improve the Chesapeake’s ecology, a small but detailed pamphlet is released yearly.

“The CBF wanted to tell people what’s improving, what’s not improving and where we need to go,” said Moore. Ten colorful pages, with pictures and graphs, let the public know just that.

But all of the issues tend to involve debates among different parties feeling that their own interests need to be addressed before the Bay’s. The result is often a complicated blame game.

“We’ve got some saying all we have to do is clean up the farms and everything will be fine,” said Moore. “But then we’ve got the farmers saying that all you really have to do is clean up the sewage and it will be okay. In reality though, no one party is to blame.”

“[Moore’s] points made sense,” said Freshman Kelsey Brunton. “It was good that he didn’t just focus on the environmental aspect, but included discussions on farms and fisheries.”

And the effects of this pollution extend beyond the normal environmental problem. Fishermen are also a large part of those affected by the destruction of the Bay.

“And if you don’t like to gather seafood, most of us at least like to eat it,” said Moore. “So Bay pollution affects a large number of people.”

“I was interested in the subject since I do a lot of boating on the Bay,” said Senior Tyler Sheets. “The Bay is in worse shape than I thought, so it’s good to know more so I can do something to help.”

The protection of fisheries are both the best success stories as well as the worst failures in this quest to save the Bay.

“Rockfish, as a now thriving species, are the best showcase of restoring fisheries on the entire eastern coast,” said Moore. “The species went from rock bottom in the 1980’s to experience an explosion in population growth every year.”

In regards to oysters, the seafood the Bay is most famous for, a much different story of the Bay is told.

“Oysters have really been decimated due to pollution, over fishing and more recently, deadly parasites,” said Moore. “Oysters used to filter, in effect clean, the entire amount of water in the Bay in just a day. Now it takes a year for the current population to do that.”

Moore’s detailed overview of the successes and failings in the fight to save the Bay ended with a call to action, listing several ways students could get involved.

“You really have more influence that you realize,” said Moore.

“[Global warming] is really our issue and our generation’s job to address it,” said Katy Wingfield, president of the Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) chapter on campus. “I’m proud of the students that have come out. It’s not as much as Monday night’s event, but this is a very focused discussion.”