House delegates visit VIMS
Chesapeake Subcommittee Retreat Members of the VA House of Delegates’ Chesapeake Subcommittee visited VIMS to explore issues facing Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. From L: VIMS Dean and Director John Wells, with delegates Harvey Morgan, David Bulova, Margaret Vanderhye, Lynwood Lewis, Jr, Brenda Pogge, Edward Scott, R. Lee Ware, Jr, Beverly Sherwood, and Matthew Lohr.
Storm-Surge Modeling Professor Harry Wang (C) explains his storm-surge computer model to Subcommittee members. The state-of-the-art model, developed by Wang and colleagues at VIMS, holds great promise for predicting storm-surge flooding in Chesapeake Bay. Looking on are (from L): Harvey Morgan, Beverly Sherwood, R. Lee Ware, Jr., David L. Bulova, Edward Scott, Margaret Vanderhye, and Brenda Pogge.
President Reveley William and Mary President Taylor Reveley (standing) addresses the members of the Virginia House of Delegates' Chesapeake Subcommittee during their visit to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on August 26th and 27th.
Shoreline Managment Scott Hardaway, head of the Shoreline Studies program at VIMS (C), discusses shoreline management with Subcommittee members. Hardaway and his staff provided technical advice concerning the size, shape, and placement of the 12 breakwaters that now protect the revitalized Yorktown waterfront.
Harmful Algal Blooms Professor Kim Reece (C) talks about "red tides" with Subcommittee members during their visit to VIMS. Researchers in Reece's lab monitor harmful algal blooms in Chesapeake Bay and are working to develop molecular probes to hasten identification of harmful algal strains.
Bayfloor Contaminants VIMS Dean and Director John Wells (C) describes how bayfloor mud attracts and holds chemical contaminants during the Virginia House of Delegates’ Chesapeake Subcommittee visit to VIMS. Looking on (from L) are Ellen Porter (Legislative Services), Scott Hardaway (VIMS Shoreline Studies program), the Hon. Harvey Morgan, and Fran Bradford, Assoc. VP for Government Relations at W&M.
Kirk Havens of the Center for Coastal Resource Management (C) describes the removal of derelict crab pots from Chesapeake Bay during the Virginia House of Delegates’ Chesapeake Subcommittee visit to VIMS.
Oyster Hatchery Professor Stan Allen (2nd from R) describes VIMS' role in oyster aquaculture to Subcommittee members. Researchers in the VIMS oyster hatchery are working to breed disease-resistant oyster strains for use in the Bay.
Oyster Aquaculture From L: Delegate Brenda Pogge, Delegate Harvey Morgan, VIMS Council member Jim Rogers (obscured), and Delegate Margaret Vanderhye discuss oyster aquaculture with VIMS professor Stan Allen. David Malmquist
Seagrass and Bay Scallops VIMS Professor Robert "JJ" Orth (Right) shows bay scallops to Subcommittee members inside the VIMS seagrass greenhouse. Orth is involved in a collaborative project with public and private partners to restore oysters, seagrass, and bay scallops to the Commonwealth’s seaside bays.
Sediment Sample Mark Preisser (L) and Matthew West retrieve a sediment sample from the bottom of the York River during the Virginia House of Delegates’ Chesapeake Subcommittee visit to VIMS on August 26th.
Spat-on-Shell Oysters Delegate David Bulova examines a cluster of spat-on-shell oysters during the visit to VIMS by the Virginia House of Delegates’ Chesapeake Subcommittee. Looking on are Delegate Harvey Morgan and Edward Scott.
Members of the Virginia House of Delegate's Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resource committee visited the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on August 26th and 27th to talk with researchers about issues facing Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
The visiting delegates, members of the Chesapeake subcommittee, represent districts from the Eastern Shore to the Blue Ridge and share an interest in restoring and maintaining the Bay’s ecological and economic health. They were invited to VIMS for the 2-day retreat by Delegate Harvey Morgan, whose district includes the VIMS campus in Gloucester Point. Morgan chairs the full House committee.
In addition to discussions with VIMS scientists, the delegates heard from representatives from the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Omega Protein, U.S. EPA, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Virginia Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality, Virginia Farm Bureau, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
VIMS Dean and Director John Wells, who led off the retreat with an overview of Bay issues, says the event “provided a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other how VIMS can best fulfill its legislative mandate to provide advisory service to the Commonwealth on marine-resource issues.”
Delegate Morgan says the information gained during the retreat was "invaluable in helping us to understand and manage the challenges we face in restoring the Bay."
During their visit to VIMS, subcommittee members explored issues related to blue crabs, harmful algal blooms, menhaden, ownership of subaqueous lands, oyster restoration and aquaculture, seagrasses, shoreline management, storm-surge modeling, and water quality.
Their visit included a cruise aboard the RV Pelican, a surplus Navy landing craft that VIMS has retrofitted for Bay and coastal research. The delegates learned about VIMS’ role in protecting the Yorktown shoreline, sampled and viewed the algae responsible for the current “red tide” in the York River, and discussed the collaborative project between VIMS scientists and watermen to remove derelict crab pots from the Bay.
During a second-day cruise aboard the CBF vessel Bea Hayman Clark, the delegates discussed environmental education, York River water quality, and issues related to oyster aquaculture and watermen, including spat-on-shell oyster restoration efforts.
Del. John Cosgrove, Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, lauded the subcommittee members during his evening address for their bipartisan approach to Bay management. He also asked them to continue to encourage other delegates to consider how legislation affects the Chesapeake—noting that almost the entire Commonwealth lies within the Bay’s 64,000 square mile watershed. Ann Swanson, the Commission’s Executive Director, sounded a similar note, pointing out that legislators must work together—and with their counterparts from other states around the Bay—“because nature knows no political boundaries.”
House members attending the retreat included Delegate Harvey B. Morgan, Delegate Beverly J. Sherwood, Delegate R. Lee Ware, Jr., Delegate Edward T. Scott, Delegate Matthew J. Lohr, Delegate Brenda L. Pogge, Delegate Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr., Delegate David L. Bulova, and Delegate Margaret G. Vanderhye.