Friday, July 29, 2016

Episode 327 (8-1-16): A Wetland Walk on a Midsummer Morning


CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (3:53)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, photos, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-29-16.


TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of August 1, 2016.

SOUND – ~ 6 sec
This week, we follow the sounds of sloshing, squishing steps on midsummer exploration of a freshwater wetland in Blacksburg, Virginia. Have a listen for about 45 seconds to imagine the scene and see how many different sounds you can detect.

SOUNDS - ~46 sec
Insects, frogs, birds, gas bubbles in water, plants, people, and many more things made noises on July 27, 2016, in an area near a small, spring-fed stream and a pond formed by a dam of that stream. The area, dominated by cattails, is a streamside wet meadow, one kind of wetland. Wetlands are a diverse group of habitats, typically found in areas of transition between water bodies and normally dry uplands. Historically, wetlands were often considered obstacles to travel, navigation, or development, but they are now recognized for providing many ecological and hydrological functions, including water storage, groundwater recharge, erosion reduction, sediment trapping, nutrient uptake, and wildlife habitat. Four main classes of wetlands are marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens, but there’s great variety within those groups. Wetlands specialists determine whether a given area is, in fact, a wetland on the basis of the area’s soils, plants, and hydrologic conditions. Such determinations—sometimes controversial and legally debated—are a key part of wetlands regulation required by the federal Clean Water Act and by various state laws.

We close with medley of animal sounds you might hear in a Virginia wetland. As you listen, try this riddle: what do the names of Poquoson, Virginia, and Fenway Park in Boston have in common? [Both names derive from types of wetlands originally found in the area: pocosins in southeastern Virginia and fens in coastal Massachusetts.]

SOUNDS - ~ 10 sec – Red-winged Blackbird, Gray Treefrog, Deer Fly, and Mallards

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This episode is based on July 27, 2016, walk in a wet meadow wetland in Heritage Park in Blacksburg, Virginia. The wetland is in the basin of Toms Creek, a tributary of the New River. Most sounds heard in this episode were recorded then and there, but the episode-closing sounds were recorded at other Blacksburg locations at various times.

PHOTOS

Shown below are some of the plants seen during a July 27, 2016, wetland walk in Heritage Park in Blacksburg, Va. Thanks to Tom Wieboldt, Virginia Tech Department of Biological Sciences, for identifying several of these plants.

 
Cattail (Typha species)

Green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)


EXTRA FACTS ABOUT WETLANDS

Quoted from the sources indicated; bolding added by Virginia Water Radio.

From the Chesapeake Bay Program, “Wetlands,” online at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/wetlands :
“A wetland is defined by its soils and vegetation. Some wetlands may be saturated with water throughout the year, while others are not always visibly wet. All wetlands are dominated by “hydrophytes”—plants that are adapted for life in wet soils—and have hydric soils, meaning they are periodically saturated or flooded.

“Two broad categories of wetlands are found in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: Tidal, or estuarine, wetlands are flooded with salt or brackish water when tides rise. Tidal wetlands are found along the shores of the Bay and the tidal portions of streams, creeks and rivers. Non-tidal, or palustrine, wetlands contain fresh water and make up 86 percent of the wetlands in the watershed. Palustrine wetlands are located on floodplains bordering streams and rivers, along the shorelines of lakes and ponds or covering broad, flat areas where water may collect (such as many areas on the Delmarva peninsula).

“Wetlands can be further distinguished by the varieties of plants that grow there: Emergent wetlands, often called marshes or wet meadows, are made up of grasses, sedges and other leafy, non-woody plants. Shrub wetlands, known as bogs or shrub swamps, are characterized by low- to medium-height woody plants. Forested wetlands, including wooded swamps and low-lying hardwood forests near rivers, are dominated by trees.

“Sixty-eight percent of the wetlands in the Bay watershed are forested.”

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Wetlands Classification and Types, online at https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/wetlands-classification-and-types:
Short Definitions of Four Major Types of Wetland
Marsh: “Marshes are defined as wetlands frequently or continually inundated with water, characterized by emergent soft-stemmed vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions; there are many different kinds of marshes....”

Bog: “Bogs are one of North America's most distinctive kinds of wetlands. They are characterized by spongy peat deposits, acidic waters and a floor covered by a thick carpet of sphagnum moss.”

Swamp: “A swamp is any wetland dominated by woody plants. There are many different kinds of swamps, ranging from the forested Red Maple, (Acer rubrum), swamps of the Northeast to the extensive bottomland hardwood forests found along the sluggish rivers of the Southeast.”

Fen: “Fens are peat-forming wetlands that receive nutrients from sources other than precipitation: usually from upslope sources through drainage from surrounding mineral soils and from groundwater movement. Fens differ from bogs because they are less acidic and have higher nutrient levels. Therefore, they are able to support a much more diverse plant and animal community. These systems are often covered by grasses, sedges, rushes and wildflowers. Like bogs, fens are mostly a northern hemisphere phenomenon—occurring in the northeastern United States, the Great Lakes region, the Rocky Mountains and much of Canada....”

From the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Wetlands,” online at http://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WetlandsStreams/Wetlands.aspx.
Wetland functions and values: “The physical, chemical, and biological properties of the Commonwealth’s wetlands work in concert to perform “wetland functions.” Wetland functions may include: storage of water, ground water recharge, sediment trapping, transformation of nutrients, and wildlife habitat. Wetlands are some of the most productive habitats on earth, providing nursery grounds for shellfish, fish and other vertebrate wildlife.”

Types of wetlands: “An exceptional diversity of wetlands is found across the Virginia landscape. Swamps, tidal marshes, wet meadows, bogs, pocosins and sinkhole wetlands are some of the many types of wetlands found here.”

SOURCES

Used in Audio

Chesapeake Bay Program, “Wetlands,” online at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/wetlands.

City of Poquoson, Va., “History,” online at http://www.ci.poquoson.va.us/271/History.

FrederickLawOlmstead.com, “Back Bay Fens,” online at http://www.fredericklawolmsted.com/back.html.

William Wallace Tooker, “The Adopted Algonquian Term ‘Poquosin,’” American Anthropologist, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan. 1899), accessed online at https://www.jstor.org/journal/ameranth.

U.S. EPA, “Wetlands Classification and Types, online at https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/wetlands-classification-and-types.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “National Wetlands Inventory,” online at https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/index.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Why are wetlands and aquatic habitats important?”, online at http://water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-around-wetlands.html.

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Wetlands,” online at http://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WetlandsStreams/Wetlands.aspx.

For More Information about Wetlands in Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay Region

Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson, Life in the Chesapeake Bay-3rd Edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2006 [information on marshes and other wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay region].

Piedmont Environmental Council, “Common Wetland Plants of Northern Virginia’s Piedmont—A Field Guide,” August 2008, available online (as PDF) at https://www.pecva.org/library/documents/Resources-Publications/Publications/Plant-Wildlife/WetlandPlantGuide.pdf.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Wetlands,” online at https://www.epa.gov/wetlands.

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “The Natural Communities of Virginia—Classification Of Ecological Community Groups,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/natural_communities/nctoc.shtml.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Virginia Wetlands Report, online at http://www.vims.edu/bayinfo/wetlandreports/index.php [newsletter articles on many aspects of wetlands in Virginia].

Wetland Studies and Solutions, Gainesville, Va., Field Notes newsletter, online at http://www.wetlandstudies.com/field-notes-newsletter-1.

Wetlands in the News

State clears way for 'Project Buzzard' in Chesterfield, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/27/16.  This involves a Chesterfield County, Va., development project that is expected to affect 10 acres of wetlands and about 80 linear feet of stream, requiring some type of mitigation.



RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). See particularly the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” category.

Previous episodes focusing on wetlands include the following:
Episode 169, 7-18-13.

Episode 269, 6-8-15 (focusing on what waters, including what wetlands, are covered by the federal Clean Water Act).

SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS

This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standards of Learning (SOLs):

Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.

Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
2.5 - living things as part of a system, including habitats.
3.6 - ecosystems, communities, populations, shared resources.
4.5 - ecosystem interactions and human influences on ecosystem.
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.

Life Science Course
LS.9 - adaptations for particular ecosystems’ biotic and abiotic factors, including characteristics of land, marine, and freshwater environments.
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.

Earth Science Course
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.
ES.10 – ocean processes, interactions, and policies affecting coastal zones, including Chesapeake Bay.

Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:

Virginia Studies Course

VS.2 – physical geography of Virginia past and present.

United States History to 1865 Course
USI.2 – water features important to the early history of the United States.

Civics and Economics Course
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.

Government Course
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
GOVT.16 – role of government in Va. and U.S. economies, including examining environmental issues and property rights.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Episode 326 (7-25-16): Estuary Rap and Rhyme


CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:16)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, images, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-22-16.



TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 25, 2016

MUSIC - ~ 3 sec

This week, we revisit a July 2012 episode that features some rap and some rhyme about a particular kind of aquatic ecosystem that’s vital to coastal areas worldwide. Have a listen for about 75 seconds.

MUSIC/VOICES - ~ 73 sec

You’ve been listening to excerpts from two estuary education videos from the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. As you heard, an estuary is formed when freshwater rivers mix with saltier coastal water. Many estuaries are formed from a coastal plain river meeting the sea. But estuaries can form in other ways, too, such as within barrier islands like Virginia and North Carolina’s Outer Banks; by earthquake activity, which created the San Francisco Bay estuary; and from glaciers, which form a type of estuary called a fjord. While estuaries are usually thought of as brackish—that is, having freshwater mixed with salt water—some estuaries are completely freshwater, such as those on the Great Lakes where river water and lake water are mixed by winds.

However and wherever they form, estuaries typically result in biologically productive ecosystems, including important reproduction areas for fish and shellfish. Virginia borders a famous example: the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Other estuaries in Virginia include the lower, tidally influenced sections of the Potomac, York, and other large river tributaries to the Chesapeake, as well as Back Bay in Virginia Beach, the northernmost part of North Carolina’s Albemarle-Pamlico estuary. Beyond our Commonwealth, many of the world’s largest cities grew up around estuaries, including New York City and Tokyo. So for many millions of humans and countless other organisms, estuaries are among our most valuable and vital habitats.

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This week’s music and voices were excerpted from online videos “Estuary Rap” (4 minutes/44 seconds; 2002) and “So What is an Estuary—So Now You Know,” (7 minutes/2 seconds; 2003), provided for educational uses by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA). These videos were accessed on the System’s “Estuary Education” Web site, http://estuaries.noaa.gov/Default.aspx. The site includes which includes a gallery of dozens of videos and many other resources for learning and teaching about estuaries.

This episode is a revision of Episode 120 (7-23-12), which has been archived.

PHOTOS


Chesapeake Bay Virginia National Estuarine Research Reserve, Taskinas Creek area in York River watersed. Photo undated; taken by April Bahen, made available for public use by the NOAA Photo Library (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/U.S. Department of Commerce; photo nerr0184), accessed online at
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/index.html, 7/22/16.



North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve near Georgetown, South Carolina. Photo taken October 28, 2010, made available for public use by the NOAA Photo Library (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/U.S. Department of Commerce; photo nerr0315), accessed online at http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/index.html, 7/22/16.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION



The locations of the 28 units of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System are shown on the following map, provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), online at http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Default.aspx.

The reserves are the following:

ACE Basin (SC); Apalachicola (FL); Chesapeake Bay (MD); Chesapeake Bay (VA); Delaware (DE); Elkhorn Slough (CA); Grand Bay (MS); Great Bay (NH); Guana Tolomato Matanzas (FL); Hudson River (NY); Jacques Cousteau (NJ); Jobos Bay (PR); Kachemak Bay (AK); Lake Superior (WI); Mission-Aransas (TX); Narragansett Bay (RI); North Carolina (NC); North Inlet-Winyah (SC); Old Woman Creek (OH); Padilla Bay (WA); Rookery Bay (FL); San Francisco (CA); Sapelo Island (GA); South Slough (OR); Tijuana Estuary (CA); Waquoit Bay (MA); Weeks Bay (AL); Wells (ME).

(Source: National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, online at http://www.nerra.org/).

SOURCES

Used in Audio

National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, online at http://www.nerra.org/.

National Geographic Society, “Estuary,” online at http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/estuary/.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Estuarine Research Reserve System, “What is an Estuary,” online at http://nerrs.noaa.gov/about/what-is-an-estuary.html.

NOAA/National Ocean Service, “Estuaries,” online at http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_estuaries/welcome.html.

University of Rhode Island Office of Marine Programs, “Estuarine Science,” online at http://omp.gso.uri.edu/ompweb/doee/science/descript/esttype1.htm.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge/Virginia,” online at https://www.fws.gov/refuge/back_bay/; and “Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (September 2010),” available online at https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Back_Bay/what_we_do/conservation.html.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science, “Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve,” online at http://www.vims.edu/cbnerr/index.php; and “Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Observing System,” online at http://web2.vims.edu/vecos/Default.aspx.

For More Information about Estuaries

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), “USGS Water Science School/Why are Wetlands and Aquatic Habitats Important,” online at https://water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-around-wetlands.html. This site is part of the USGS’ “Water Science School,” online at https://water.usgs.gov/edu/.

USGS/“Chesapeake Bay River Input Monitoring Program,” online at http://va.water.usgs.gov/chesbay/RIMP/index.html. This site is part of the USGS’ Virginia Science Center, online at http://va.water.usgs.gov/.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). See particularly the “River, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category.

Other episodes focusing on aspects of the Chesapeake Bay include the following:
Oysters, Nitrogen, and the Chesapeake Bay, Parts I and II - Episode 279, 8/24/15 and Episode 280, 9/7/15.
Checking on the Chesapeake with the Bay Barometer and Other Tools - Episode 305, 2/29/16.
A Student Shout-out for Chesapeake Bay Submerged Aquatic Vegetation - Episode 325, 7/18/16.

SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS

This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standards of Learning (SOLs):

Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.

Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
3.6 - ecosystems, communities, populations, shared resources.
4.5 - ecosystem interactions and human influences on ecosystems.
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.

Life Science Course
LS.9 - adaptations for particular ecosystems’ biotic and abiotic factors, including characteristics of land, marine, and freshwater environments.
LS. 10 - changes over time in ecosystems, communities, and populations, and factors affecting those changes.
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.

Earth Science Course
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.
ES.10 – ocean processes, interactions, and policies affecting coastal zones, including Chesapeake Bay.

Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:

Virginia Studies Course
VS.2 – physical geography of Virginia past and present.

United States History to 1865 Course
USI.2 – water features important to the early history of the United States.

World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.
WG.6 - past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction as influenced by social, economic, political, and environmental factors.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Episode 325 (7-18-16): A Student Shout-out for Chesapeake Bay Submerged Aquatic Vegetation


CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:20)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, images, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-15-16.


TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 18, 2016.

SOUND - ~ 4 sec

That’s the sound of an underwater recording in a river in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.   If you were under a few feet of water in the Bay or one of its river tributaries, what aquatic vegetation might you find submerged there?  This week, 16 Virginia high school students give us a quick lesson on that subject.  Have a listen for about 25 seconds.

VOICES - ~25 sec
Males: American Pondweed! Curly Pondweed!
Females: Horned Pondweed! Sago Pondweed! Slender Pondweed!
Males: Eelgrass! Muskgrass! Redhead Grass!
Females: Water Stargrass! Widgeon Grass!
Males: Common Waterweed! Hornwort!
Females: Wild Celery! Southern Naiad!

You’ve been listening to the names of 14 kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation found in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  The names were shouted out by students from Achievable Dream High School, located in Newport News, Virginia, during the students’ two-week visit in July 2016 to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.  Submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, is the formal name for plants and plant-like organisms that grow underwater in areas shallow enough that light can penetrate to the bottom.  In the Chesapeake Bay region, between about 15 and 25 such organisms are common or are otherwise ecologically significant, and collectively they’re often called Bay grasses.  Despite that common name, none actually are grasses; that is, they’re not classified in the grass family of plants.  Some—like Muskgrass—aren’t even plants, but rather are algae, which are not classified as true plants.

Those confusing details aside, there’s no confusion about the ecological importance of Bay grasses.  They’re a major source of food for waterfowl, as seen in names like Redhead Grass and Widgeon Grass; they provide habitat for fish, crustaceans like Blue Crabs, and other organisms; their leaves and roots harbor food sources for many animals; and they improve water quality by stabilizing sediments, taking up nutrients, and producing oxygen.  For all of these reasons, the extent of Bay grasses is an annually measured indicator of the Chesapeake’s overall health. In 2015, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’ annual aerial survey reported 91,000 acres [Editor’s note: actually, over 91,600 acres were measured in 2015], a significant improvement over the record low of about 39,000 acres in 1984.

One goal of Chesapeake Bay-restoration efforts is to have 185,000 acres of Bay grasses.  That, and other challenging Bay-restoration goals, will take a lot of work.  But it’s not hard to imagine some of that work being done a few years from now by one or more of the Achievable Dream High School students you heard this week, who are already working to achieve their own challenging goals.  Thanks to those students for lending their voices to this episode.

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to students and teachers in Achievable Dream High School in Newport News, Va., for their participation in this episode. The students who called out names of Chesapeake Bay submerged aquatic plants were the following:
Kameren Bluiett
Cassie Broadhead
Richard Cotman III
Anastasia Davíla
Arahs Dixon
Daja Goodrich
Burt Hatton IV
Alonda Johnson
Johnell Judkins
Trent Kinney
Elijah Lydell
Rashid Normal-Jones
Caleb Weekes
Shealtiel Weekes
Markel Wiggins
Destiny Williams.

More information about Achievable Dream schools in Newport News is available online at http://achievabledream.nn.k12.va.us/.

Thanks to John Gray Williams, John Seiler, and Maggie Furrow, all in the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment, for their help with this episode.

The underwater sounds in this episode were recorded by Raven Harris, of Newport News, Va., on the Appomattox River in Petersburg, Va., on April 18, 2014; used with permission.  Thanks to Mr. Harris for providing the sounds.  Paddling videos by Mr. Harris are available online at https://vimeo.com/stickmanghz.


IMAGES






Top: Eelgrass; middle: Widgeon Grass; bottom: Wild Celery. All photos courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, from their “Bay Grass Identification Key,” online at http://dnr2.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/sav/key.aspx.



EXTRA FACTS ABOUT CHESAPEAKE BAY REGION SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (“BAY GRASSES”)

Following is a list of Chesapeake Bay submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV, or “Bay grasses”), compiled from several references.  The list is divided into species native to this area and those that are non-native.  The scientific name is given in parentheses and italics.  The format for common names and the scientific names are according to the 2012 Flora of Virginia, except as noted for three organism groups not included in the Flora of Virginia.  Notes on habitat, occurrence in Virginia, and ecological significance are from the Flora of Virginia (page numbers indicated).  The numbers, corresponding to the references given below the organism list, indicate the reference(s) that the organism.

Natives
American Pondweed (Potamogeton nodosus) – “...ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers...infrequent.” (p. 1136)
Common Waterweed (Elodea canadensis) – “Slow...waters of rivers and streams; tidal freshwater aquatic beds in the Coastal Plain....  Frequent in the mountains; infrequent in Piedmont and Coastal Plain.” (p. 1132)
Eelgrass (Zostera marina)“...tidal aquatic beds of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. ...Infrequent in the outer Coastal Plain but often abundant where found.” (p. 1360)
Horned Pondweed (Zanichellia palustris) “...tidal aquatic beds of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries; ...ponds and sluggish streams in the mountains. ...Infrequent to locally common in the Coastal Plain.” (p. 1340)
(Common) Hornwort (or Coontail) (Ceratophyllum demsersum) “Submerged in tidal aquatic beds,...tidal marshes, ponds, and sluggish streams; ....  Locally common in estuarine waters of the Coastal Plain; rare in the Piedmont and mountains.” (p. 500)
Muskgrass (a group of algae species: Chara spp.) – not included in Flora of Virginia.
Redhead Grass (Potamogeton pefoliatus)“Tidal aquatic beds; also nontidal waters.  Infrequent in the Coastal Plain.”  (p. 1337)
Ribbonleaf Pondweed (Potamogeton epihydrus) – “Ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers....  Infrequent and local throughout, except absent from southwestern Virginia.” (p. 1335)
Sago Pondweed (Stuckenia pectinata)“...ponds, lakes, and estuaries.  Infrequent; scattered throughout the state; locally common, especially in brackish maritime ponds and estuaries.” (p. 1339)
Sea Lettuce (a species of algae: Ulva lactuca)not included in Flora of Virginia.
Shoal Grass (Holodule wrightii) Not included in Flora of Virginia; for more information, see this link.
Slender Pondweed (Potamogeton pusillus)“Ponds, lakes, and streams...infrequent throughout.” (p. 1338)
Southern or Common Naiad (or Bushy Pondweed) (Najas guadalupensis)  – “Rivers, streams, and impoundments...Infrequent, scattered throughout.” (p. 1134)
Water Stargrass (Heteranthera dubia)Slow to medium-gradient rivers and large streams  Locally common in the Piedmont and mountains, especially along the Potomac, Shenandoah, James, New and Clinch rivers.  (p. 1332
(Large) Water-starwort (Callitriche heterophylla) – Swamps, floodplain pools and ponds, upland depression swamps and ponds, impoundments, ditches, and muddy ruts; typically in shallowly seasonally flooded habitats....  Frequent in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont; more local in the mountains.”  (p. 780)
Widgeon Grass (Ruppia maritima) – “...tidal aquatic beds of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries; pools in salt marshes and salt pannes.  Locally common in the lower estuarine and maritime zones of the Coastal Plain.” (p. 1340)
Wild Celery (Vallisneria americana)Slow or still waters of rivres, lakes, and...estuaries....  Infrequent but locally common throughout.” (p. 1135)

Non-natives
Alligator-weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides)“Alluvial and tidal swamps, canals, sloughs, ditches, and ponds.  ...In the past several decades, this weedy, introduced, semiaquatic species has spread and become rampantly invasive in parts of southeastern Virginia; its continued spread into new areas can be expected.” (p. 211)
Curly Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) “Ponds, lakes, and streams....  Frequent and locally common throughout the mountains and in scattered areas of the Piedmont and Coastal Plan; a problematic, invasive exotic in favorable aquatic habitats.” (p. 1335)
Eurasian Water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)“Tidal swamps, ...tidal aquatic beds, ponds, disturbed tidal (or formerly tidal) habitats.  Mostly infrequent or rare, and scattered throughout; locally abundant in tidal reaches of the Potomac River and its major tributaries, in Back Bay, and possibly other estuaries.” – p. 636)
Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)“Still or slow waters of ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers (nontidal or tidal).  Infrequent throughout but usually abundant where found; most current records are from the Piedmont, but the species is rapidly spreading and can be expected in new areas.  One of our most invasive aquatic weeds, often clogging waterways and boat motors and outcompeting native aquatics.” (p. 1132)  Additional note 10/19/16: For more on Hydrilla in the Potomac River, please What’s up with the green stuff invading the Potomac River?, Washington Post, 10/15/16.
Parrot Feather (or Brazilian Water-milfoil) (Myriophyllum brasiliense or aquaticum) – “Swamps, ponds, ditches, sluggish streams and rivers.  Infrequent to locally common in the coastal Plain and Piedmont; rare in the mountains.  This invasive exotic appears to be actively spreading and increasing in abundance.” (p. 635)
South American Elodea (or Brazilian Waterweed) (Egeria densa or Elodea densa in some sources)“Sluggish or still water in rivers (nontidal or tidal, streams, and impoundments.  Infrequent to rare throughout, but often locally common where found; most frequent in southwestern Virginia.” (p. 1131)
Spiny Naiad (or Spinyleaf Naiad, Brittle Naiad) (Najas minor)Ponds and lakes.  This introduced species is rapidly spreading in Virginia and is quite tolerant of polluted waters.” (p. 1134)

Sources for This List
Chesapeake Bay Program, “Field Guide of Bay Grasses,” online at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/categories/category/bay_grasses_sav.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Guide to Underwater Grasses,” undated, online at http://www.cbf.org/Document.Doc?id=188.
L.M. Hurley, Field Guide to the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation of the Chesapeake Bay, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (PB 90-187402), Annapolis, Md., 1990.
Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson, Life in the Chesapeake Bay, 3rd Ed., Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Md., 2006.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, “Bay Grass Identification Key,” online at http://dnr2.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/sav/key.aspx.
Alan S. Weakley et al., Flora of Virginia, BRIT Press/Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, 2012.

SOURCES USED IN AUDIO AND FOR MORE INFORMATION

Peter W. Bergstrom et al., Underwater Grasses in Chesapeake Bay & Mid-Atlantic Coastal Waters: Guide to Identifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation, University of Maryland Sea Grant Publications, College Park, Md., 2006. Information about this 76-page guide is available online at http://ww2.mdsg.umd.edu/store/books/sav/index.php.

Karl Blankenship, Bay grasses make a comeback but annual survey is in jeopardy, Bay Journal, 7/10/16.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Guide to Underwater Grasses,” undated, online at http://www.cbf.org/Document.Doc?id=188.

Chesapeake Bay Program, “Bay Grasses,” online at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/bay_grasses; “Underwater Bay Grass Abundance (Baywide),” online at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/indicators/indicator/bay_grass_abundance_baywide; and online field guide Bay grasses, July 2016, at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/categories/category/bay_grasses_sav.

L.M. Hurley, Field Guide to the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation of the Chesapeake Bay, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (PB 90-187402), Annapolis, Md., 1990.

Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson, Life in the Chesapeake Bay, 3rd Ed., Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Md., 2006.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources, “Bay Grass Identification Key,” online at http://dnr2.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/sav/key.aspx.

Alan S. Weakley, et al., Flora of Virginia, BRIT Press/Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, 2012; information about the Flora of Virginia Project is available online at http://floraofvirginia.org/.

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, “Chesapeake Bay Report Card,” online at http://ecoreportcard.org/report-cards/chesapeake-bay/.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science, "SAV in Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays," online at http://web.vims.edu/bio/sav/.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html)

Previous episodes on the Chesapeake Bay include the following:
Episode 279 - 8/24/15
Episode 280 – 9/7/15
Episode 305 – 2/29/16
.

A previous episode on aquatic and wetland plants is the following:
Episode 146 – 1/28/13.

SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS

This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standards of Learning (SOLs):

Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.

Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
2.5 - living things as part of a system, including habitats.
3.5 - food webs.
4.5 - ecosystem interactions and human influences on ecosystem.
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.

Life Science Course
LS. 4 - organisms’ classification based on features.
LS.6 - ecosystem interactions, including the water cycle, other cycles, and energy flow.
LS.8 - community and population interactions, including food webs, niches, symbiotic relationships.
LS. 10 - changes over time in ecosystems, communities, and populations, and factors affecting those changes.
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.

Earth Science Course
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.
ES.10 – ocean processes, interactions, and policies affecting coastal zones, including Chesapeake Bay.

Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:

Civics and Economics Course
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.
WG.10 - cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve problems and settle disputes.

Government Course
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.