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Way Downstream

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In Maryland Wineries Association annual competition, Boordy Vineyards, Maryland’s oldest winery, took top honors, winning the Governor’s Cup for its 2006 Vidal Blanc, the highest scoring wine judged by a panel of experts. Wine-making is a growth industry in Maryland; 26 wineries sold 968,000 bottles last year, accounting for $10.6 million…

In Annapolis, the limelight shines on Maryland’s second in command now that Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown has unveiled a portrait gallery of former Maryland lieutenant governors at the entrance to his office. The display of second-in-command men and women includes a formal portrait of former Lt. Governor and Attorney General Joseph Curran Jr. — Gov. Martin O’Malley’s father-in-law — who was honored by the governor at a September unveiling reception. “Lieutenant governor is a unique position … that does not have a rigid and defined job description,” said Brown…

In Annapolis, another honor goes to sportswriter Bob Slaff, recognized by Gov. Martin O’Malley as his first Ambassador of the Chesapeake, for his “significant extraordinary contributions to the maritime community and to the promotion of recreational fishing and boating in Maryland.” Slaff writes for the Baltimore Sun, The Capital, the Maryland Gazette, The Mariner and Nor’Easter. A Navy veteran, he remains on semi-active duty as Minister of the Navy of the Maritime Republic of Eastport…

In North Beach, town hall will never be the same. Empty since its evacuation two years ago because of mold, the 1940s’ hall will be demolished in favor of a larger modern home for government offices. During construction, staff are sentenced to two more years in a cramped trailer in a parking lot on Bay Avenue. All that will be saved, says Mayor Mike Bojokles, is the old cornerstone…

In Chesapeake Bay, you can track water quality, nutrient and sediment loads, biotic integrity, fish species, wetlands and forest buffers and more online. Gov. Martin O’Malley’s BayStat program coordinates and keeps tabs on state agencies — Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment — that work to better the Bay. Take a look at www.baystat.maryland.gov…

Meanwhile, Chesapeake Bay Foundation reports another discouraging Bay statistic. Water quality in summer 2007 was far worse than the “average” year U.S. EPA predicted. Forty-five major fish kills due to algae or dead zones occurred from June to early August. Much of the aquatic death was caused by the algae Karlodinium venificum, which produces mahogany tides and toxins that kill fish. In the biggest kill, on July 11, 296,000 fish turned belly up at Mattox Creek Potomac River. “To me, average means not too bad,” said Will Baker, president of the Foundation, who’s calling for passage of the Green Fund and a fee on impervious surfaces this year. “How bad does it have to get?”…

In Virginia, the Marine Resources Commission has announced a zero-tolerance policy for oyster poachers as our Bay neighbor struggles to restore its bivalve population. Violaters might see their fishing licenses revoked for two years, officials said last week. “Our instructions are to be vigilant. Offenders can expect no warnings,” Col. Rick Lauderman of the Virginia Marine Police told the Virginian-Pilot…

Our Creature Feature comes from the Philippines where, rather than the sad old news of extinctions, new species keep turning up. The newest is a flying fox, and a colorful one at that, with orange fur and three white stripes on its face.

Just last year, two other creatures were discovered in the region: a brightly plumed parrot and a long-tailed forest mouse.

The flying fox find began with a tip from a resident of the island of Mindoro, who described the heretofore unseen creature to government officials. They didn’t believe him. So they sent out an expedition and, sure enough, “the species showed up in our nets,” zoologist Jake Esselstyn told Reuters. The newly discovered creature has a new name: the Mindoro fruitbat.