health of the bay

how healthy is the bay? i don't know....but v.i.m.s. does. catch a ride on the alliance to find out the facts.

oyster bar

oysters are making a come-back in the bay-i have seen their resurrection myself- so learn about oysters today and consider becoming an oyster farmer this summer.

got grass?

learn why seagrasses are so important to the bay on the schooner alliance today at 2:00pm.

jellyfishing with plankton

if you are a fan of spongebob-and i know you are- take a ride on the schooner 'alliance' to learn about jellyfish and zooplankton in the chesapeake: i'm ready!

turtles for lunch

join the crew at v.i.m.s. every wednesday from now through the end of july aboard the schooner 'alliance' for some education on all things chesapeake bay. today's subject are the endangered sea turtles...maybe you'll get lucky and see one of the babies released by the national aquarium this past weekend.

ghost crab

the chesapeake bay's ghost crab pot retrieval program has netted over 28,000 abandoned or 'ghost' crab pots from virginia waters over the past three seasons and the crabs are the beneficiaries...and me.

the winter watermen are at it again

the winter watermen in maryland are busy in this off-season collecting abandoned "ghost" crab pots from the bottom of the chesapeake bay. last year's program in virginia was a great success.

high tides

the chesapeake bay's tides have been a little out of whack this year, with some really high ones and others crazy low: different from what my tide app says it should be. everybody knows the tides are regulated by the gravitational pull caused by the rotation of the sun and the moon: their interaction with the earth have caused these tidal anomalies. 

marine corps base quantico awarded clean marina status

our honorable troops were honored earlier this month with the designation of "clean marina" under the virginia clean marina program for the good work they perform at their quantico base facility. the marines join 62 other clean marinas throughout virginia. good work!

virginia fringed mountain snail

ok...its from virginia...and stephen colbert likes 'em.
corporate pollution, possibly?

ghost crab pots

this year the state of virginia started a program to remove abandoned crab pots and other debris from the chesapeake bay. 58 watermen participated in the program which covered over 1500 square miles and recovered 8600 pots, along with 61 nets and a baby stroller. this is a fantastic program coordinated by the virginia institute of marine science (VIMS)! not only did it replace income for the watermen lost due to the elimination of the winter dredge, it will help revive the health of the ailing bay: almost 5000 animals were killed while trapped in these derelict pots. This is the only large-scale program of its kind in the country that seeks out and removes unmarked, submerged, derelict crab pots using side-imaging equipment. very cool. support vims, please.