Maryland is the 42nd largest state, making it one of the smaller states in America. It is
located in the South Atlantic region on the United States eastern seaboard. Prince George's is
one of twenty four counties in Maryland. It is also the geographic center of the state. Maryland
has a varied climate. The state is home to a variety of different ecosystems. This is also true of
Maryland’s environment, which has the Atlantic Ocean on the coast, mountains, and forest land.
My paper will focus on Prince George’s county and the state of Maryland. The size of the state
and how connected parts of Prince George’s county is to its neighboring counties and cities
makes it sensible to take a wider view of Maryland’s ecology and environment.
There are many fresh water ecosystems in Maryland. Many of these are found in Prince
George’s County. There are several streams and rivers in the county that feed into the
Chesapeake Bay. Many of these water ways developed after glaciers began to melt flooding
existing rivers and craving out new waterways. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries grew and
formed as the ice age ended. These rivers and streams are home to several species of fish. These
species include small and large mouth bass, catfish, bluegill sunfish, yellow and white perch,
carp, pumpkinseed sunfish, pickerel, and eel. Perch and sunfish are considered threatened or
endangered species. This is true of many creatures that live in fresh water dwellings. Forty –
one percent of Maryland’s fresh water fish are now listed as rare, threatened, or endangered. The
state of Maryland and Prince George’s county are trying to save and restore these fresh water
dwellings. The county along with the ...
... middle of paper ...
...ill,
Deborah J. Chaloud, Elizabeth R. Smith, &Anne C. Neale. (1997). An Ecological
Assessment of the United States Mid-Atlantic Region. United States Environmental
Protection Agency, Washington D.C.
Maryland Department Natural Resources Responding to Climate Change. (2011). My Green
Guide Maryland. Retrieved from http://www.mygreenguidemaryland.com/Land-
Conservation-and-Preservation-in-Maryland/maryland-department-natural-resources-
responding-to-climate-change.html
Maryland’s Environment: A 20,000 Year History of Change. Retrieved from
http://www.jefpat.org/archeobotany/PDF/PaleobotEssay.pdf
Stranko, Scott , Kilian, Jay, Becker, Andy, Klauda ,Ronald & Dan Boward (2009). The
Blackbanded Sunfish, Protecting Maryland’s freshwater Ecosystems. Retrieved from
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/naturalresource/winter2009/sunfish.pdf
This ad is directed to many people in the Chesapeake Bay region because there are tons of pollution each year that are destroying the nation’s largest estuary, or part of a body of water where the fresh and salt water mix, and are also killing the Bay’s crabs, oysters, and fish, which is a huge industry in the area and also something the state of Maryland is known nationally for (Environment, p. 8). Pollution is destroying the Chesapeake Bay every single day, however now people are taking steps in the right direction to fix this problem but many people fear that time has run out.
Kennedy, Victor S. and Kent Mountford. (2001). Human Influences on Aquatic Resources in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
...rn as much as the Chesapeake agricultural business. The warm weather of the Chesapeake Bay created many wealthy opportunities for its citizens, contrasting with the colder climate of New England society.
According to the United States Census Bureau (2016), Anne Arundel County has a total area of 588 square miles of which 415 square miles is land and 173 square miles is water. The geographical coordinates are N39.0001 and W76.6164 (Google Maps, 2017. Appendix B is a satellite image of the Anne Arundel area from the Google Maps website. Anne Arundel County borders the following counties and independent cities: Baltimore City to the north, Baltimore County to the north, Calvert County to the south, Kent County to the northeast, Howard County to the northwest, Prince George’s County to the southwest, Queen Anne’s County to the east, and Talbot County to the southeast. Appendix C is shows a map of Anne Arundel County illustrating the surrounding
The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary with six major tributaries, the James, the Potomac, the Susquehanna, the Patuxent, the York, and the Rappahannock Rivers, feeding into the bay from various locations in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia (Chemical Contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay – Workshop Discussion 1). These areas depend on the Bay as both an environmental and an economic resource. Throughout the last 15 years the Chesapeake Bay has suffered from elevated levels of pollution. Nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants, farmland, air pollution, and development all lead to reduced water clarity and lowered oxygen levels, which harm fish, crabs, oysters and underwater grasses (Key Commission Issues 1). There are other types of pollution in the bay such as toxic chemicals, but because nutrient pollution is the most significant and most widespread in the Bay its effects are the most harmful to fisheries. Nitrogen and phosphorous fuel algal blooms which cloud the water and block sunlight from reaching underwater grass beds that provide food and habitat for waterfowl, juvenile fish, blue crabs, and other species (Blankenship 11-12). Algae plays a vital role in the food chain by providing food for small fish and oysters. However, when there is an overabundance of algae it dies, sinks to the bottom of the Bay, and decomposes in such a manner that depletes the oxygen levels of the Bay (11). The reduced oxygen levels in the Bay reduce the carrying capacity of the environment and these “dead areas” sometimes kill off species that can not migrate to other areas of the Bay, such as oysters (11). Increased abundance of algal blooms also led to the overabundance of harmful and toxic algae species and microbes such as the microbe Pfiesteria, which was responsible in 1997 for eating fish alive and making dozens of people sick (12). The heightened awareness of diseases that can be contracted through consumption of contaminated fish also has an economic impact. Therefore, the excess levels of nitrogen and phosphorous have fueled an overabundance of algal blooms, which has reduced water clarity and lowered oxygen levels, affecting many species within the bay and ultimately the industries that rely on these species.
The Chesapeake Bay is a large estuary located on the east coast of the United States. The bay is over 200 miles long and goes through Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The bay has much to offer the locals. Many locals have made a career out of harvesting the bay's sea food. The bay's harvest and many of its other attractions bring tourists and in turn revenue for the area. Oysters and blue crab are a big part of the culture in the bay area. However, these organisms are in danger and need help.
The Chesapeake Bay is a large bay that stretches from Maryland to Virginia, fed by many rivers and streams that run from as far north as New York to Virginia and West Virginia.5 It is home to a plethora of plants and fish species, many of which the people of the area fish for food and supplies. The pollution present in the Chesapeake Bay is affecting the livelihood of both the fishermen and the fish – the less the fishermen haul due to the death of the species they catch, the less they get paid – and as consumers of these fish, we are consuming the toxins as well.
Kennedy, Victor S. and Kent Mountford. (2001). Human Influences on Aquatic Resources in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Texas the second largest state in the nation has seen a boom in its population over the past decade, which presents both challenges and opportunities for state politicians, such as creating and modifying the state’s current water plan. Texas’ population growth was only second behind California with an increase of 4.3 million people between 2000 and 2010. (Tannahill) The increase in the state’s population growth rate is due to both a natural population increase, whereby live births exceed deaths, and immigration. Compared to the rest of the nation Texas has one of the lowest cost of living expenses in the nation, making it an affordable and attractive option for immigrants from all over the world. Although, most people would see the lower cost of living as a valuable resource, it also has a draw back. Texas which shares a border with Mexico has the largest Stretch of Border between the United States and Mexico. The United States and Mexico border is more 1,900 miles long, in which Texas has more than 1,254 miles...
... the residual effects of pollution left behind by both mining in the Chesapeake Bay area around rivers, such as the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, that feed into the Chesapeake Bay. Lutz also had quoted John Dawes, now the executive director of the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, on the damage done to streams and to the aquatic life in the streams. Dawes told Lutz "'we're looking at 4,600 miles of dead streams in Pennsylvania'" in reference to the vitality in polluted regions. This can occur in several ways but the two generally accepted causes are the toxicity levels in the water are too high to support life and the contaminated water is slowly killing off members of the food chains for the aquatic life. In either theory, the death of fish and their food chain caused by AMD is impacting the billion dollar fishing industry that calls Chesapeake Bay home.
The Chesapeake Bay has faced an excessive amount of pollution over the past century. The water in the bay has become so highly polluted that It is capable of causing harm to humans coming in direct contact with the water. Although algae serves a vital role in the bay’s ecosystem, it also creates a problem that is causing a large amount of the problem.
In 1607, King James I. granted a charter to the Virginia Company which allowed them to start a colony in the New World. This colony was named Virginia after the virgin queen, Queen Elizabeth I, and was located along the Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia Company sought to build a permanent settlement, and was successful in establishing Jamestown. Virginia was also home to nearly 14,000 Algonquin speaking Native Americans who were united under the Powhatan Confederacy lead by Chief Powhattan. Other Chesapeake Bay colonies include North Carolina, whose population became dominant in African Americans with a large amount of settlers from Barbados, and Maryland. Maryland was established by the Calvert Family after King Charles I. granted 10 million acres of land to the family. Maryland became the only British colony to ever have a Catholic minority, and the population of Maryland also consisted of indentured servants, slaves, and many farmers. The Chesapeake Bay was a very hot area a...
As colonies of the British Empire, both the New England and Chesapeake regions were inhibited by innumerable immigrants of English origin. Despite this common characteristic, the two areas greatly differed from each other. New England was more tolerant and community based whereas the Chesapeake was focused more directly on personal wealth and land. While they both drew from British influence, the distinct conditions in each region caused them to develop separately and become unique in their own way.
This vegetation also provides much cover for fish. The aquatic plants provide a great source of food supply and act as a nursery for young fish (“Native” par. 5). Vegetation serves many purposes in fish habitat; besides keeping fish safe. It also helps keep the lakes clean. Aquatic plants cycle the water and help absorb pollutants. Another great benefit of these aquatic plants are that they help hold sediment and the banks of the lakes in place while providing oxygen into the water (“Invasive” par. 7-8). Unfortunately invasive species are destroying such vegetation. The Common Carp or “Cyprinus carpio” is one such fish that is causing great damages to lakes all around the world.
Sullivan, J.D., Jr. Florida’s endangered species, threatened species and species of special concern. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2004, Tallahassee, FL, USA.