Category: Ocean

Will Fracking Water Enter Our Estuaries?

11/30/2013

Surfrider Foundation Urges Action To Protect Our Waterways and Oceans Before December 6, 2013

The Delaware Bay Estuary

An Action Alert From The Delaware Chapter Of The Surfrider Foundation:

"Keep Wasted Fracking Water Out of our Oceans, Rivers, Inland Bays, and Watershed. This is the latest craziness from the oil and gas industry. They want to ship used fracking water on barges on inland and coastal waterways. Fracking water contains radioactive isotopes, lead, arsenic, mercury, and other toxic substances and barges sink, run into things, and have other accidents on a pretty regular basis--you can see why this is a problem!

"The government is seemingly trying to rush this new allowed use through rule-making quickly. We just found out about this issue a couple of weeks ago, and comments are due by December 6th!

"Please comment here:
https://secure3.convio.net/engage/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=
EC67898AA352054D015BA464A3CC6172.app304b?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=9682&autologin=true "

Copyright © 2013 Surfrider Foundation Delaware Chapter, All rights reserved.
Surfrider Foundation Delaware Chapter
P.O. Box 1114
Millsboro, DE 19966

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DNREC Tests the Water at the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean Beaches

7/21/2012

2 Comments

Making the Delaware Beaches Safer Through Quality Beach Water Testing by DNREC

Why does Dr. Kate Connors worry about beach water quality in Nocturne, Opus 1: Sea Foam? First of all, she is the mother of a precocious three-year-old daughter and she loves her dearly. Which parent among us wouldn't pay attention to our child's surroundings, especially in new places like on vacation at the beach? Our first concern would be strangers, followed by activity safety, which includes monitoring how close our child gets to the water, or how far into the water our child goes, or how deep of water our child swims in. Then we think of sharks! (Sorry. But that topic does lurk in the back of most parents' minds, whether they care to admit it or not.) More realistically, in terms of probability of contact, we scan the water's surface for the bobbling, rounded shape of jellyfish. But how many of us also see this standard beach scene through the microscopic and macroscopic eyes of a scientist?

Kate Connors is a scientist, a medical researcher studying the effects of bacteria on the human body. Specifically, she studies Bacillus nocturne, a normally passive, estuary bacteria that floats harmlessly in rivers, bays and oceans. Why does she study this bacteria? Because the organization that hired her, the Institute for Public Policy and Safety, knows that someone has genetically altered Bacillus nocturne. Kate sees danger where we see children laughing and tumbling in the surf.

Is there a problem with our beach water quality in the United States? Yes, in some places. A few years ago, I found a sign posted by DNREC, Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, at an entrance to an inland bay beach. It read:

“The waters of the Inland Bays may contain organisms that could be harmful to your health. Swimming could result in an increased risk of rashes, infections or gastrointestinal distress, especially during and after rainfall. For your health and safety, please swim at beaches with lifeguards where the water quality is tested weekly. For information on beach water quality or to report illnesses resulting from contact with these waters, please call 1-800-922-WAVE or visit www.dnrec.state.de.us.”

Have you seen water quality warning signs near any of the beaches you've visited? What did they say?

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World Oceans Day Is June 8 and Every Day!

6/8/2012

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Over 70 % of the Earth's Surface Is Ocean Water.
Protect the Oceans Now and You'll Be Protecting Your Own Personal Environment, Too.

June 8th is World Oceans Day, a day for celebrating all that the ocean provides for us. It is also a good day to remember to support the many environmental groups' efforts to protect our natural resources. Today my blog features a message from The Nature Conservancy and surfing champion Kelly Slater. Follow the links in green to see and hear their message.

Dear Friends:

Eleven-time World Surfing Champion Kelly Slater needs your help to protect our 0ceans.

Oceans are an amazing part of our planet. Covering more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface, oceans support nearly half of all species on Earth. And no matter where you live, we all depend on our oceans for oxygen, food, jobs, life-saving medicines and more.

In honor of World Oceans Day today, will you join Kelly in the fight to save our oceans?

Our oceans are facing severe threats from human activity; unrestricted coastal development, pollution, and destructive and unsustainable fishing are draining our oceans of marine life. For oceans to keep sustaining us, we must find a way to sustain them.

Because of dedicated supporters like you, The Nature Conservancy has made significant progress in protecting our oceans. On behalf of all life that depends on these waters — thank you.

Sincerely,

Amy Hawthorne Morris
Sr. Online Outreach Manager
The Nature Conservancy

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On Memorial Day

5/26/2012

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A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:

You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!

From the West Coast to the East Coast, we enjoy the beauty of our beaches thanks to the national safety provided by our Armed Forces.

In the middle of all the excitement of a Memorial Day Parade, or on the outer edges of a beach full of multi-colored beach umbrellas, or sitting in front row seats watching bright fireworks fragment in the night air, we sometimes forget what Memorial Day is all about.

Memorial Day is a time of remembering, a time of thankful praise for a courageous job well done, and a time to offer prayers for the well-being of all military families.

We truly live in the home of the brave, and America's service personnel and their families deserve the best of everything. On this Memorial Day and every day, remember to say, "Thank you for your service" or "Thank you for protecting my family and me" whenever you meet someone in uniform. Just as important are the kind words, smiles, and help that you offer to all the military families that you meet as you thank them for their sacrifice for us.

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Horseshoe Crabs Annual Census on the Delaware Bay Beaches

5/11/2012

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Horseshoe Crabs Inundate the Delaware Bay Shoreline

Delaware Bay beaches come alive with activity in mid-May as migrating shorebirds fly in from Central and South America, horseshoe crabs swim ashore to lay their eggs, and census takers count the number of crabs finding mates. The shorebirds refuel by feasting on the eggs that are half-buried in the sand and then continue their flight northward. The remaining eggs that are covered by sand will mature and hatch after a month or more of development, in relatively calm water when the moon is full. Waves sweep the half inch long crabs into shallow water where they stay for nearly a week until they are ready to molt. The young crabs then live in the nearby intertidal flats for the first two years of life.

During the full and new moons of late May and early June over a million horseshoe crabs appear on the beaches of the Delaware Bay. Most of them favor the beaches mid-way up the Delaware Bay, such as Pickering Beach, which often has the highest densities of horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's horseshoe crab census. Researchers counted an average of 27 horseshoe crabs per square meter at Pickering Beach during the peak of spawning season. Other beaches with large populations of horseshoe crabs are Mahon Beach, Kitts Hummock Beach, Fowlers Beach, Bowers Beach, Big Stone Beach, Slaughter Beach, and Prime Hook Beach. The highlighted beaches have been reviewed in my earlier blogs, and the other beaches will be reviewed in upcoming blogs.

Since 1990 the University of Delaware Sea Grant College Program sponsors a horseshoe crab census to estimate the population on Delaware beaches. The data from these annual crab counts provide a valuable management tool for long-term monitoring of the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population. You can volunteer for the Annual Horseshoe Crab census by contacting Dr. Bill Hall (Delaware) at (302) 645-4253 or by e-mail at bhall@udel.edu. An excellent source of information about the Delaware horseshoe crab population is the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment's website at http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/horseshoecrab.

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Will Fracking Water Enter Our Estuaries?

Surfrider Foundation Urges Action To Protect Our Waterways and Oceans Before December 6, 2013

DNREC Tests the Water at the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean Beaches

Making the Delaware Beaches Safer Through Quality Beach Water Testing by DNREC

World Oceans Day Is June 8 and Every Day!

Over 70 % of the Earth's Surface Is Ocean Water.
Protect the Oceans Now and You'll Be Protecting Your Own Personal Environment, Too.

On Memorial Day

A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:

You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!

Horseshoe Crabs Annual Census on the Delaware Bay Beaches

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Will Fracking Water Enter Our Estuaries?

Surfrider Foundation Urges Action To Protect Our Waterways and Oceans Before December 6, 2013

DNREC Tests the Water at the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean Beaches

Making the Delaware Beaches Safer Through Quality Beach Water Testing by DNREC

World Oceans Day Is June 8 and Every Day!

Over 70 % of the Earth's Surface Is Ocean Water. Protect the Oceans Now and You'll Be Protecting Your Own Personal Environment, Too.

On Memorial Day

A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!

Horseshoe Crabs Annual Census on the Delaware Bay Beaches

Author

Archives

Categories

Over 70 % of the Earth's Surface Is Ocean Water.
Protect the Oceans Now and You'll Be Protecting Your Own Personal Environment, Too.

A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:

You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!