Hey y’all! It’s almost April, which means it’s almost May, which means it’s almost time to say goodbye to my children.
Soon we’ll be drunk and sweating profusely trying to navigate the rocks at Belle Isle and trying to tune out “Amber” by 311 someone inevitably will be playing out of their broken Android. How it’s possible that the sound carries so well is beyond me.
Around that time, I’ll be heading down to a designated CBF planting site to release my babies into the wild. That means getting in the water and planting these painstakingly grown grasses with my own hands. I’m excited to get up close with some nature and whatever creepy crawlies live in the James, believe it or not.
As for the grasses themselves, they’ve grown like crazy almost overnight. Our right-side tub is getting those #gains and probably grew about 2-3 inches in the past two weeks. Our left side needs gentle and loving encouragement. We should probably get someone else to do that job. But, we should be expecting even more growth in the next eight-ish weeks, so that’s really cool.
And sarcastic commentary aside, this so far has been a really rewarding experience, and most hiccups were my own fault. So for a small fee you can get a straight up science experiment and make a huge difference in the health of the Chesapeake, which we’ll probably need more than ever. If Trump’s proposed budget plan goes through, the EPA won’t be able to fund their Chesapeake Bay Program:
President Donald Trump’s budget plan, released last week, reduces the budget for the federal Environmental Protection Agency by 31 percent. That includes a $427 million in funding to address regional pollution, such as the Chesapeake Bay protection efforts. The proposed budget would eliminate funding for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which received $73 million from the federal government in 2016.
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A summary released with the budget states that the administration wants to transfer to state and local governments responsibility for programs like the Chesapeake Bay cleanup.
Most of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s federal money goes to states, local governments and community groups through grants. They focus on coordinating and monitoring the efforts of the six bay watershed states and the District of Columbia. Besides Virginia, the states include Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
You can take action here by urging our Congress to preserve funding for the Bay so we can enjoy it for decades to come. And remember, you can always participate in Grasses for the Masses next winter.
Until next time,
Grass Warrior
