Crisis in the Chesapeake Bay: Ospreys in Peril

Learn why ospreys in the Bay are producing only a fraction of the young needed to sustain their population and what is being done to reverse this trend. Dr. Bryan Watts, director of the Conservation Biology Center at William & Mary, will present his research findings. David Reed, J.D., of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance will discuss actions being taken to produce solutions.

This is a free program but tickets are required. Donations are accepted and greatly appreciated. Donations can be made at Friends of Patuxent - Donate

What’s happening? Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in the Chesapeake Bay are producing only a fraction of the young needed to sustain their population. Dr. Bryan Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary, will present his research findings on why osprey nest site numbers are so troubling.

What’s being done? Conservationists are taking up the fight to protect ospreys. David Reed, executive director of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA) will introduce Bill McKeever’s short film “The Biggest Little Fish You’ve Never Seen” about menhaden, a principal food source for ospreys, and guide a discussion on how CLA and others are taking action. USGS researcher Dr. Barnett Ratner and naturalist Greg Kearns will discuss their findings on recent osprey nest success in the Patuxent and Choptank Rivers.

What’s at stake? The restoration of ospreys in Chesapeake Bay has been regarded as one of the great conservation successes in America, and it is now very much at risk. Come learn why and what can be done.

Tickets required: Due to the limited seating, advance reservations will be required. Reserve your space today!

Donations accepted: There is no fee for the program, but donations to the Friends of Patuxent will be gratefully accepted to support the conservation, education, and research missions of the Patuxent Research Refuge of USFWS, and the Eastern Ecological Science Center of USGS.

About:This program is hosted by the Friends of Patuxent Research Refuge in cooperation with the Maryland Ornithological Society.

Presenters:

Dr. Bryan D. Wattsis the Mitchell A. Byrd Professor of Conservation Biology and Director of The Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary. The author of more than 600 publications on avian ecology and conservation, Watts has studied birds since early childhood. He has conducted more than 1,000 research projects focused on solving conservation problems throughout the Western Hemisphere but primarily within the mid-Atlantic region of North America. He has worked with ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay for more than 30 years. Current osprey research is focused on menhaden and osprey demography.

David Reed, J.D.is the Executive Director of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance. Prior to joining CLA, Dave was the Executive Director of the Environmental Action Center, focusing on the Clean Water Act permitting and industrial agriculture enforcement work, as well as energy and gas work. His environmental science research spanned freshwater and coastal wetlands, and estuarine environments. Dave has an M.Sc. in Environmental Science from Florida International University and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law.

Dr. Barnett Rattneris a scientist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. He conducts research of regional, national, and international scope that entails hypothesis-driven laboratory and field investigations, risk assessments and scholarly evaluations of legacy (industrial compounds, pesticides, metals including lead) and contemporary pollutants to wildlife and the environment. He has over 45 years of professional experience, published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, co-edited three reference texts, and serves on several journal editorial boards and statutory interagency government panels. He is a Charter Member, Fellow and Past-President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. He has conducted many field studies using ospreys as a sentinel of environmental pollution in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays.

Greg Kearns, a M-NCPPC naturalist/biologist for over 37 years at Patuxent River Park in Upper Marlboro Maryland, is an accomplished photographer, birder, and an expert on the Sora Rail (Porzana carolina), ospreys and wetland ecology at Jug Bay. He was named conservationist of the year by the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources in 2006 for this work and for restoration of the Wild Rice marshes on the river, which has been recognized as one of the best wetland recoveries in Maryland. He also received the Jug Bay Award for significant contributions to the environment on the Patuxent and was given the 2017 National Wetlands Restoration and Conservation award from the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, DC. Jug Bay is a component of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve System, one of only 29 in the country.