If We Save the Bay, Will We Still Appreciate It?

Are We Prepared to Live with a Healthy Bay?

..Every year it happens. Initially, I was shocked. Now, like clockwork, every spring I fully expect to get the call from some concerned citizen that local wildlife has gotten out of control and needs to be exterminated.

Our South River riverkeeper has been asked, or in some cases told, to kill a vast swath of fauna, from osprey and cow-nosed rays to muskrats and beavers, for reasons ranging from their perceived threat to small children to minor property damage...

An interesting article. Read the rest.

To restore the bay, we're going to need to reverse some major changes to it that we have made incrementally over 400 or so years. We made these changes for our benefit, not the Bay's. To reverse them will require us accept many changes that may not be pleasant in and of themselves.  Drainage channeled to prevent flooding low lying areas will need to be removed, allowing more flooding.  We will need to restrict many aspects of farm nutrient use and land practices.  This will likely make food more expensive overall (especially if the rest of the US follows suit), and may make farming impractical in some cases, and reduce land prices.  Cities will need to substantially decrease their impacts.  That will cost money, and lots of it. Somebody will have to pay.

We're all happy to save the Bay when the bill gets sent to someone else. The critical moment for the Bay restoration will come when people develop an appreciation for the costs, both in money and in life style necessary to achieve it, and are forced to decide.