Crabs are gone, but Oysters are Plentiful in Southern Maryland, Chesapeake

Haven't posted in a while, did try to catch crabs in St. Jerome's creek 2nd week of October - got half a bushel, but it appears the #1 Jimmies were already migrating out to deeper waters....Ospreys are halfway to Venezuela of course, but a nice family of Eagles is still around.  Oysters are coming into season now, locally-grown (Skinny-Dippers!) by the True Chesapeake Oyster company, a fantastic local aquaculture facility.

We've seen firsthand how the oysters clean and control water quality here, over the years - extremely beneficial to both the local economy and ecology.

Much more information coming this winter about life in this area of the bay, southern St. Mary's county, and the opportunities and availability of oysters, crabs etc.  Thanks Paul at Kellam's Seafood for a new crab trap this year, expertly-made as usual!

St. Mary's County MD PAX River NAS Home for Rent Waterfront Bay Access Marina Fishing Crabs

If you're in the market for a waterfront house/property for rent (with dock) in Southern Maryland, St. Mary's County, with Chesapeake Bay access - plus a full-service Marina with launch ramps just up the road - post an inquiry/questions with contact method here in the blog comments (we won't publish the comment).

We are considering/planning to convert this to a rental in the coming year, and are beginning to test the market - would prefer school year tenants. We do not require realtor services.

The 2-story, 4BR 3 1/2 Bath house (6 yrs. old; no basement or garage) would be semi-furnished, is 4 acres wooded pine forest (very quiet), with a custom-built marsh bridge extending to a full floating dock (unique water level boat/access; 3 ft. avg. water depth, suitable for smaller power boats and sailboats with swing keels).  See the 20ft bayliner docked below.

Perfect for adult couple, small family, teachers, grad students, service members or contractors, etc.  5 miles to St. Mary's college; 15 mins. to PAX River Naval Air Station (no traffic).


Great and immediate access to fishing, crabbing, oystering, etc., with plenty of wildlife (Ospreys, Eagles, Owls & other critters) to view. Crab pots, kayaks, canoe should be available.

 

It's Crab Season, in the Chesapeake!

#2 and #3 Jimmies are plentiful, the big ones, however, are still elusive in the more shallow tributaries. Small rockfish are making a presence, plus mid-sized croaker.

How's the Bay Doing?

How's the Bay doing?

This is a Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) recent report....we agree with the findings, and frankly there's a lot of good signs around the St. Mary's/St. Jerome's Creek area - in terms of fish (especially Menhaden), oysters (see the giant we found in the water last week, below!), ribbed mussels and snails, and the well-fed Ospreys.

The 2014 State of the Bay Report is a mix of good and bad news.

The good news is that the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint—the federal-state partnership that requires all of us to ratchet down pollution—is in place and working. Water quality is improving, underwater grasses are starting to come back, and oysters are more plentiful. But while we can celebrate water quality improvements, we're worried by the blue crab and rockfish declines. 

The 2014 State of the Bay Report confirms: The Bay remains a system dangerously out of balance.

(By K, J, M & C)

Early, Frenetic Spring on the Chesapeake

Life in the central Chesapeake Bay region and its tributaries is off to a frenetic pace...

Here at St. Jerome's Creek, we've now seen:

- Many pairs of actively nesting Ospreys

- Mature and baby Ratsnakes (the mature ones are black, the babies have stripes)

- Lots of baby (1 inch) blue crabs, though many dead actually washed up into the quickly-greening marsh grasses - the larger ones haven't yet been coaxed out of the deep mud into the shallows where our crab pots await

- Mummichogs going crazy in the mud flats/marshy areas, swimming, spawning, fighting...(inch-long little fish; males with large black-tipped dorsal fin)

- Pine tree pollen (thick yellow dust) covering everything at least 3 weeks earlier than usual this year

- Black loons fishing, chasing each other around out in the deeper water

- A few blue herons in flight, not so numerous just yet, but should be close behind the many seagulls attracted to the spawning mummichogs, menhaden and other little minnows

- Many Turkey Vultures and crows attracted to the Osprey leftovers, and other larger fish washing up

- The Poison Ivy is peeking its shiny, reddish leaves out, ready to pounce

Southern MD PAX River NAS Hotel - New Addition by Cherry Cove & Hilton

Cherry Cove - Hotel Rooms, Office Space, Storage Space and Apartments in Southern Maryland

Cherry Cove Hospitality Management of southern Maryland announces a new Home2Suites by Hilton hotel property, in Lexington Park MD near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station (PAX River). Home2 Suites by Hilton, a mid-tier, all-suite hotel brand designed for modern business travelers and extended-stay guests, celebrated the opening recently of the brand's seventh U.S. hotel with the new Lexington Park, Maryland property. This is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified hotel in the brand's portfolio.

Cherry Cove of Lexington Park, MD manages this and many other short and long-term hotel, apartment, office and storage space services in southern Maryland, with all properties easily accessible to the DC metro area and Northern Virginia (from Rt 4, Rt 5 and 301 in Maryland to the Beltway). If you need space, odds are Cherry Cove has it. Whether it be hotel rooms, apartments, office space or storage, the property managers of Cherry Cove have the space you need, all while providing superior customer service and industry expertise.

Catering directly to the southern Maryland (SOMD) and Patuxent River area, Cherry Cove's range of well-maintained properties suit the needs of any potential customer. Their Hospitality Division serves Calvert and St. Mary's Counties with hotel rooms and event spaces in southern Maryland including Hampton Inn, Marriott, and Hilton properties, plus the beautiful and picturesque scenery of St. George's Island Inn and Suites.

Cherry Cove also owns and manages rental apartments in Greenview Village, offering one, two and three bedroom options conveniently located near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Close to local schools and allowing pets, this safe and quiet community offers everything a renter is looking for near the PAX River NAS.

If you need southern Maryland office space, Cherry Cove has furnished offerings ranging from 156 to 1,063 square feet, located very close to the PAX River NAS. Amenities include dedicated Ethernet, conference rooms and cleaning services.

In addition to southern Maryland hotels, apartments and office space, Cherry Cove also manages private and secure self storage units, available in a variety of sizes. All come with 24-hour access, and an on-site day manager. From files to inventory, personal belongings to vehicles, Cherry Cove has the storage space to fit your needs.

MD Foreclosure Assistance Mobile Text Service Offered by CAFN

Regional Community Service Announcement

TEXT HOME or CASA to 877-877

The Capital Area Foreclosure Network (CAFN) very recently announced the launch of a new foreclosure prevention text messaging service. The service will provide those in or worried about foreclosure with access to advice, reminders, and alerts through their mobile phones in either Spanish or English. The goals of the campaign are to increase the number of homeowners and renters that get help from a nonprofit housing counselor, and decrease the number of people who drop out of counseling.

---

TEXT HOME or CASA to 877-877

Parties can opt-in to the service by using their mobile device to text message HOME or CASA to 877-877, and will then immediately receive critical information and a hotline number to use when they are ready to connect to a counselor at a HUD approved counseling organization.

---

After opting in, mobile subscribers will receive periodic reminders, information about foreclosure prevention programs available in their jurisdiction, such as the new mediation programs in D.C. and Maryland, follow-up instructions, alerts to scams, financial literacy tips, and much more.

Read more at Gateway to Loudoun County Business - Foreclosure Assistance Mobile Text Service...