Chesapeake Bay Programs

University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension works with local stakeholders, community leaders, and citizens on issues concerning the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay’s estuary is a national treasure, with natural and economic resources on which Marylanders depend for their livelihood and recreation. That resource is threatened by the rising sea level, changing land uses, and increasing non-point source pollution. Maryland Sea Grant Extension agents are prepared to face those challenges using participatory planning technologies. The weTable is an ideal tool for enhancing public engagement processes and creating an interactive dialogue. By transforming a tabletop into an interactive map, database, and decision making platform, Sea Grant Extension Specialists facilitate collaborative planning and conversations about resource management.

Authors: Vicky Carrasco
Krisztian Varsa

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an exotic pest native to Asia. Experts believe it arrived in the United States in solid wood packaging materials. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was first identified in Michigan in 2002 and was found the same year in nursery stock in Charles County, Maryland. Despite implementation of eradication programs around the source nursery and quarantines on the movement of timber and firewood, EAB has spread to nearly all counties west of the Chesapeake Bay.

Authors: Robert L. Tjaden

Unless you are growing Zoysia grass or Bermuda grass, spring is NOT the best time to fertilize your lawn. The University of Maryland recommends that you do not fertilize your lawn in the Spring at all, unless your turf is weak and thin. Even then, the recommendation is to apply NO MORE than 1/2 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn before the end of May. If a home owner applied what fertilizer companies tell us to do, we would apply about 1.75 lbs. of nitrogen per 1000 square feet by the month of June. THAT IS THREE TIMES MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT!

Authors: Jenny Rhodes
Shannon Dill