Maryland
Old breakwaters eyed as future realms for ‘oyster castles’ – The Southern Maryland Chronicle
![Old breakwaters eyed as future realms for ‘oyster castles’ – The Southern Maryland Chronicle Old breakwaters eyed as future realms for ‘oyster castles’ – The Southern Maryland Chronicle](https://i0.wp.com/southernmarylandchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/62d1bfdcb0a9f.image_.jpg?fit=1200,675&ssl=1)
What are you able to do when breakwaters break?
Waterfront property house owners have lengthy been frequent observe to construct offshore reefs or seawalls out of stone, concrete, or wooden to maintain wind-driven waves from eroding their shorelines. However storms have worn down lots of these breakwaters through the years, and the rising sea degree is progressively compromising even the sturdiest of them.
Credit score: Dave Harp / Bay Journal Media
Repairing or changing failing breakwaters might be pricey and quickly disrupts submerged grasses and bottom-dwelling marine creatures.
Now, researchers with the College of Maryland Heart for Environmental Science, working with the Nationwide Wildlife Federation, are attempting out a greener, probably much less dear various. They’re topping these eroding buildings with “oyster castles,” interlocking concrete blocks seeded with bivalves that may be put collectively to imitate pure oyster reefs.
“[There are] tons of of breakwaters all through the Chesapeake Bay,” mentioned Matthew Grey, an oyster researcher at UMCES’ Horn Level Laboratory in Cambridge, main the hassle.
Credit score: Dave Harp / Bay Journal Media
He mentioned a few of these wave obstacles have already been battered down and submerged beneath the water’s floor. And with some research projecting 2 toes of sea degree rise by 2080, many extra are more likely to be drowned and rendered ineffective in coming years.
“So if this works,” he added, “that’s a means we might inexperienced the grey infrastructure and lengthen its effectiveness.”
Oyster castles are being tried in a number of locations as a part of “residing shorelines,” extra plant– and wildlife-friendly options to the bulkheads or stone revetments typically used to armor the waterfront in opposition to erosion. Utilizing them to rehabilitate failing breakwaters presents new alternatives — and challenges.
Standing waist-deep in water, Iacopo Vona, a graduate analysis assistant at Horn Level, struggled to maintain his footing as he hefted an oyster-encrusted block from an idling motorboat. With a splash, he plunked it atop a submerged pile of rocks that years in the past had been put in as a breakwater on the inlet to a shallow cove off the Choptank River.
“No guts, no glory!” known as Richie Lengthy, the laboratory staffer piloting the boat, as Vona misplaced his battle for steadiness at one level and went down within the water.
Soaked however undeterred, Vona and others on the analysis crew labored the following two days till they’d positioned about 60 oyster castles on the uneven backside, layering them excessive sufficient to interrupt the floor of the water.
The challenge is underwritten with a pair of $50,000 grants — one for design and improvement by way of the Nationwide Fish and Wildlife Basis and the opposite for the precise work, from the Palmer Basis, a non-public nonprofit named for the primary president of Snap-on Instruments.
“It took a whole lot of effort for only a small little patch,” Grey mentioned, “however that is form of a brand-new challenge, and we had been figuring it out as we [went].”
Credit score: Dave Harp / Bay Journal Media
The primary problem they confronted was to degree the uneven ridge of the deteriorating breakwater. The blocklike castles have to be set on a flat floor to suit collectively correctly. So the researchers tried filling the gaps by emptying pails of crushed stone water over them. It labored, after a style, although the crew remains to be mulling whether or not they should anchor the castles to safe them in opposition to storms higher.
“Virtually miraculously, it match collectively on that exact breakwater system,” mentioned Amanda Poskaitis, Mid-Atlantic coastal resilience program supervisor for the Nationwide Wildlife Federation. The Virginia-based conservation group has partnered with UMCES on the challenge as a result of they hope it is going to be helpful not solely all through the Bay however in coastal areas elsewhere.
Researchers will examine the rebuilt breakwater’s effectiveness at dampening wave power. However they’re additionally anxious to see if the oysters clinging to the castles survive and multiply, to allow them to do at the least a bit to assist clear up nutrient air pollution within the Chesapeake Bay.
Lab assessments have proven that when the concrete castles are coated with bivalves or different filtering organisms like barnacles, they pull nitrogen from the water at “exceptionally excessive charges,” mentioned Jeffrey Cornwell, a analysis professor at Horn Level who’s studied the nutrient removing capabilities of oysters.
The general nutrient removing of those castled breakwaters shall be comparatively restricted, Cornwell cautioned, as a result of they’re not more likely to occupy a big portion of the Bay and its tributaries. But when vital filtration charges might be verified within the discipline, he added, that might make it value providing monetary incentives to waterfront property house owners or others needing air pollution removing credit for enhancing breakwaters this fashion.
Credit score: Dave Harp / Bay Journal Media
One other limitation for such initiatives in Maryland will be the state’s chilly winters. Oysters die if uncovered to freezing air temperatures, so bivalves on castles that challenge above the water at low tide are in danger. However Grey identified that the castles used to construct the pilot challenge had massive oysters that had survived as a result of the previous few winters had been comparatively gentle.
That vulnerability received’t be a problem farther south, Poskaitis famous, the place freezing temperatures are rarer. For that purpose, she mentioned, she anticipated these breakwater enhancements to work even higher alongside the Carolinas coast.
“After all, [with] some breakwater programs, it’s not going to work,” she added. “However we predict that utilizing various kinds of oyster buildings might be a technique to enhance habitat and resiliency in offshore breakwaters.”
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Maryland
University of Maryland reverses decision to allow anti-Israel protest on October 7
The University of Maryland on Sunday reversed its decision to allow an anti-Israel protest on the first anniversary of the October 7 Massacre, following backlash from local Jewish groups.
UMD Students for Justice in Palestine and UMD Jewish Voice for Peace had been set to hold their October 7 vigil for Gazans killed in the Israel-Hamas War at the campus’s Mckeldin Mall, but the University System of Maryland (USM) said in a statement that on the day of the Hamas-led pogrom it would limit campus events requiring permits or approval to those supporting “a university-sponsored Day of Dialogue.”
“From the beginning of the war, we have come together as a University System to urge that we use this moment to encourage conversation, compassion, and civility; to engage with one another across our differences and draw on our shared humanity and our shared values to bridge what divides us,” said USM. “These dialogues aren’t new. Many of our universities have been hosting this kind of programming for several months. Reserving Oct. 7 gives us a chance to continue these urgent conversations and to mark this solemn anniversary in a way that gives students—all students—the time and space to share and to be heard.”
USM said that its intent was not to infringe of the free expression and speech of students, but to be sensitive to the needs of students as October 7 was a “day of enormous suffering and grief for many in our campus communities.”
UMD Jewish Student Union, Maryland Hillel, Terps for Israel, and Israeli American Council Mishelanu at Maryland welcomed the USM decision and thanked UMD leadership in a joint social media statement on Sunday.
“October 7, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, is a day of mourning for the Jewish and Israeli community,” said the UMD JSU. “We are relieved that SJP will no longer to be able to appropriate the suffering of our family and friends to fit their false and dangerous narrative.”
The Jewish groups said that it was distraught that the decision to only hold university-sponsored event had to be made at all, and wished to used the campus space to “grieve together as a community” to promote unity at the university. The unideal situation was necessary, according to the Jewish groups, to ensure the physical and psychological safety of students on the day of mourning.
UMD JVP and SJP attacked the decision to cancel the event, claiming that the vigil for Palestinians killed since the October 7 Massacre was attacked without familiarity of the content. The anti-Israel groups said that the discourse was “the continuation inherently racist, Islamophobic, and dehumanizing rhetoric surrounding Palestinians.” JVP and SJP said that the actions against their event were an attempt to paint “Muslim, Arab, and anti-Zionist Jewish students as barbaric.”
The anti-Israel groups asserted that their vigil for Palestinians who died in the war was no threat to the campus’s Jewish community, but conflation of Zionism and Judaism did threaten UMD and the Jewish community.
“To claim that Palestinians cannot hold a day of remembrance in mourning one year of genocide, or lay claim to that date is an insult to every life lost in the Zionist entity’s genocidal campaign,” UMD SJP and JVP said on Instagram on Sunday. “The disproportionate scale of suffering experienced by the Palestinians over the past year necessitates their remembrance and our solidarity on this day. The suffering of all innocents killed must not be monopolized and necessitates a fair and just representation.”
SJP and JVP demanded the right to organize and exercise their right to free speech, accusing Zionists of attempting to stifle Palestinian voices.
The organizations indicated on their Sunday Instagram post that they still planned to hold their all-day event at Mckeldin Mall, and on Monday a link to register still active and listing the campus building as the rally location.
UMD Jewish groups said that they would be holding their own event to memorialize the victims of the October 7 pogrom at the Maryland Hillel.
Maryland
Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland
![Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/02/44f70b16-36c5-418b-a083-913b44ccccef/thumbnail/1200x630/35894c49deb7bc01bace1597e72e5c6f/354a4da6cd4b544ff5da5921dfff7e33.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
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Maryland
Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland
![Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4622,h_2599,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/spartan_nation/01j6q3dyp4hhn9f949m6.jpg)
Michigan State’s football team emerged with a 16-10 win against Florida Atlantic, but it was far from a convincing victory. The Spartans struggled throughout the game, exhibiting a range of issues that need immediate attention if they hope to find more consistent success moving forward.
With less than a week to prepare for its next opponent, Michigan State has a critical opportunity to address these shortcomings and refine its game plan.
The win over FAU exposed several areas of concern for Michigan State, particularly on offense. The Spartans were plagued by poor execution and missed opportunities, with several drives stalling due to penalties and miscues. The offensive line, in particular, struggled to establish a rhythm, which led to limited success in both the running and passing games.
Quarterback play from Aidan Chiles was inconsistent, with errant throws and a lack of cohesion with the receiving corps contributing to the team’s inability to sustain drives and put the game away early.
Defensively, Michigan State managed to hold FAU to just 10 points, but there were still some worrying signs. Despite the Spartans having multiple interceptions and a safety, they gave up several big plays, revealing potential vulnerabilities in the secondary and raising concerns about the unit’s ability to maintain discipline and focus throughout the game. Missed tackles and lapses in coverage could prove costly against more formidable opponents, making it imperative for the coaching staff to address these issues in the coming week.
Special teams were another area where Michigan State faltered. On multiple occasions, the Spartans gave up more punt return yards than they should have because of missed tackles.
With less than a week before its next game, Michigan State has a valuable window to regroup and make the necessary adjustments. The coaching staff will need to focus on tightening up execution across all phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams. This includes refining the game plan, improving communication and instilling a greater sense of urgency and discipline among the players.
The Spartans cannot afford to let the issues that plagued them against FAU carry over into their matchup against Maryland. If they hope to be competitive as the season progresses, the team must use this time to correct course and demonstrate growth in all facets of its game.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
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