VBEC
Virginia's Bay Environment Conservation
MISSION STATEMENT
"As citizens in Hampton Roads we have an obligation to keep our city and waters clean and healthy. We are organized to help protect our city's environmental areas, like the Chesapeake Bay, and we are dedicating ourselves to change the health of our ecosystem"
How Argriculture Effects The Bay
Healthy farms can be a key factor is sustaining the environment along with the surrounding society. Over the years in Virginia farms have steadily decreased due to increased costs, decreased consumer food dollars shared with farmers, lessened profits, and increased urban development. Preserving our farms and open is essential for our ecosystem because they act as natural fillers for our water. All throughout the watershed farmers are willing to commit to the conservation practices but can not accomplish these goals by themselves. They need government assistance like the Farm Bill to help them remain profitable and environmentally friendly.
Link to the Farm Bill below-
Chemical Contamination in the Bay
Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams receive pollution through the wastewater, agriculture, and storm water. harmful chemicals like mercury, PCBs, and PAHs, do not break down easily and continue to flow through the environment for years, impacting fish, local birds and obviously humans. Stormwater pushes chemicals from lawns, cars and personal care products into waterways polluting our local streams.
Storm water runoff from our suburbs pick up oil, pesticides, and other modern chemicals as it goes across lawns, roads, and parking lots into local streams and sewage drains; which is extremely difficult to control. Once in our waters these chemicals disrupt the whole food chain in a process known as bioaccumulation. Bottom-dwelling aquatic organisms recieve contaminants while feeding. Larger fish take in these toxins when they eat the contaminated organisms. Resulting in birds, humans, and other animals eatinh these contaminated fish. You can personally help by using organic materials to clean your cars and house, along with organic shampoos and other personal care items.
Mercy is often released from burning coal, it pollutes waterways and can harm our local organisms in the Chesapeake region. Governments have issued statewide fish consumption advisers for Mercury for all lakes and rivers in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and for many rivers in Virginia. There has been many request to start constructing coal burning plants in Virginia and near the Chesapeake bay, most have been shot down. Protecting the bay starts with controlling our industries.
High levels of contamination come from old industrial plants like the Sparrows point steel plant in Dundalk, Maryland. Chemical contaminants were recorded in the groundwater and soil in areas of the plant and the nearby streams. This include benzene, chromium, lead, and zinc. There has been little to no clean up attempts on the plant and in the area. Our bay is effected by more than just our citizens and industries. We need the help of our neighbors Delaware and Maryland to conserve the Bay.
Effects of our land use
Our land effects our rivers, streams and the bay. Increased urban development has lead to increase pollution of ground water from things such as our vehicles, homes and businesses. Our land connects us with the farms, streams, rivers leaving to other states and the bay. What goes through our land will end up in our water ways. We need to become more concincious about what we leave on the ground and what we're putting out into our environment. Cleaning up trash on the streets and roads, reducing amount of harmful chemicals you use to clean with, moving to more organic products, contributing to local markets and using a the three Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) are all things you can personally do to help.
Reducing pollution from our sewage
Improved sewage systems can decrease the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the bay. MD passed a fund on 2004 to help renovate the sewage systems to help clean up the bay. The issue is there hasn't been any serious enforcement of this cleanup and these sewage plants continue to pollute.
Here's our petition
The effects of our actions will lead to the destruction of our surrounding ecosystems. We, as the people of the Hampton Roads area, have the obligation to help save our organisms and their habitats. All it takes is a signature or your voice. Help save the Bay with an upgrade
Just So You Know
The health of the Chesapeake Bay will and does effect more than the surrounding plants and animals, it effects us as well. Without the Bay we will lose our major industries resulting in a devastating hit to our economy. The bay fuels our real estate industry, our fishing industry and most importantly our tourism industry. Without the diversity of fish a healthy Bay can provide restaurants will not be able to house the many tourists that come to Virginia's oceanfront, without the food the oceanfront is made known for what would be the point in vacationing here anymore when there's several other beaches to visit? Without a clean Bay front no one will be looking to buy houses there and the others that came before them will leave. The crucial part the Bay plays in the fishing industry is self-explanatory. When need the Bay in order to survive a sustainable life. We need to change our ways before the Bay's time is up.