Bad Bay Report Card

The Chesapeake Bay is a classic underachiever. In the Winter 2011 edition of Save The Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued a report card on the state of the bay in 2010 and gave the largest estuary in the United States a D+. In my household that kind of report card results in the revocation of computer privileges.

The low grade indicates that the bay is “still a system dangerously out of balance.”

Still, the CBF sees reason for optimism.

“The numeric index of the Bay's health jumped three points from 2008 to 2010, with eight of 13 indicators rising. The indicator for the health of the blue crab population spiked 15 points, as the Bay's population increased significantly last year. Also, underwater grasses showed steady progress for the fourth year in a row.”

That's kind of like a kid saying "Well its better than a D!"

We've got a long way to go. For example, nitrogen levels went from a D- to an F.

Now where were we again on that new septic tank legislation?