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Way Downstream

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In Annapolis, greening and leaning the state budget brought together the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Environment Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation last week. They’ve listed eight tax and fee proposals that, they say, would generate $706 million in 2009 while helping clean up Maryland. The largest money-maker, halting the Inter-County Connector, would save us $540 million. Other ideas include an impervious surface tax to raise $100 million; a wetlands permit fee for developers to raise $3.6 million; and ending the coal mining tax, for a savings of $7.7 million. We hope Gov. Martin O’Malley reads their list while figuring out how to deal with our $1.5 billion deficit …

In Washington, the U.S. Geological Survey — in our view one of the last federal agencies (mostly) untainted by politics — can help us learn a lot about the most precious substance on Earth: water. For instance, do you know how much water it takes to grow a hamburger? (1,300 gallons, for the vegetation needed to support a cow and then for processing the meat.) Learn more at the USGS Water for Schools Web site, http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu <http://leestl-ex1.stl.leeent.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu> …

In Chesapeake Beach, the annual Cancer Gala at Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant raised over $450,000 for the Calvert County Unit of the American Cancer Society, from sponsors and 1,703 revelers who paid $125 each to eat, drink and dance under a waning moon. In 26 years, the big, one-night party has contributed over $3 million to fighting cancer through research and relieving its sting through services in Calvert County …

In Pennsylvania, the sound of a jackhammer last week was not construction. It was destruction — of a dam, in a growing trend of ridding ourselves of the useless dams that have put many of our rivers and streams in straightjackets and ruined wildlife habitat. Thold McCoy-Linn Dam, which hasn’t been used for hydropower electricity since 1950, was situated between the towns of Bellefonte and Milesburg and has long prevented the passage of fish on Spring Creek in Centre County …

Bay Country Police Beat: Two eagle-killers have come to justice after investigations by the Natural Resources Police and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In St. Mary’s County, Francis Long got a kick out of shooting creatures — turkey vultures, skunks and groundhogs — from his back porch. When Long turned his Rifle on a bald eagle, he paid the price: a fine of $2,500, a year’s probation and a year’s revocation of his hunting privileges. In Caroline County, Robert Patrick paid a $1,275 fine for poisoning a bald eagle. The big bird died after eating a predatory fox Patrick had poisoned to protect poultry he raised for shows …

Our Creature Feature this week is a local one from Anne Arundel County where Mike Cook, who operates Cook’s Mobile Marine Service, received an emergency call last month about something other than a failing engine. Herrington Harbour North’s office said that a baby duck might be trapped in a vessel’s exhaust. How’d they know? A mother duck nearby had been quacking up a storm.

Cook sped to the scene and concluded that quite possibly, a duckling had made its way through an exhaust pipe and dropped down into the muffler water. What to do? After surveying his options, he did just the right thing: He opened the seacocks, found the keys and hit the engine sufficiently to allow the muffler to fill with water. Four ducklings rode a wave to freedom, the marina’s Harbour Watch reports.