A report card on the health of the Chesapeake Bay released recently looks beyond the traditional indicators of nitrogen, phosphorus and water, and reviews what’s going on with the people in the bay’s massive watershed.

On ecological indicators the new report card by UMCES, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, finds the bay is making progress, though the watersheds of some of the rivers that feed the Bay are not as healthy.

Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources Josh Kurtz joins us to discuss the invasive and indigenous creatures in the bay. After years of falling numbers, are crab populations moving in the right direction? And what threat do invasive species, like the Blue Catfish, pose?

Department of Natural Resources' winter dredge survey is a bay-wide effort to estimate the number of blue crabs living in the Chesapeake Bay. The survey estimates of the number of crabs over-wintering in the bay and the number of young crabs entering the population each year, among other data sets used to manage the crab's population.

But first, Bill Dennison, Vice President for Science Application at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, joins the show to discuss some of the new findings. Dennison is a professor of marine science and is set to become UMCES interim president in September.

UMCES report includes a new component this year—environmental justice—where it finds marked disparities. Suburbs tend to show lower impacts of environmental stress than cities and rural areas.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Here is a Stoop Story from Julia Dugan about a mountain trek gone wrong.

Want to hear more from the Stoop Storytelling Series? The latest podcast episode features a story from historian and educator Joanne Martin, who co-founded the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Five years ago, Adrienne Kilby was looking for a way to make friends and enjoy nature. So, she founded Baltimore Queer Hike. We speak with Kilby and co-organizer Shanae Giles about finding community and celebrating the outdoors.

Links:
Popular trails in Maryland
Trails recommended by the Baltimore Banner

This interview originally aired on April 14, 2023.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

With hundreds of acres to exercise, bike, stroll or gather, Druid Hill Park is a green oasis in Baltimore. But getting to the park requires crossing up to ten lanes of traffic. We speak with Monalisa Diallo, who lives in the Mondawmin neighborhood, and John Kwamya, who serves as Green Space Coordinator for the New Auchentoroly Terrace Association.

Plus, artist Graham Coreil-Allen is president of the New Auchentoroly Terrace Association and one of the founders of The Access Project for Druid Hill Park. He describes methods for making intersections and crosswalks safer for all. 

Links:
Short film series: Stories for Change
Maryland's Crash Data Dashboard
Baltimore City DOT Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Design Effort
Baltimore City’s 2022 Complete Streets Annual Report

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

What’s your poultry preference? Soon, options will go beyond just roasted or fried. Upside Foods received USDA approval to sell its cell-cultivated chicken: no animals harmed, grown in a lab. We hear from Eric Schulze, Upside's vice president of Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. Plus, a group of Hopkins students is raising awareness about alternative protein production. 

Links: Upside Foods, JHU Alternative Protein Project.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

The recent headlines are alarming. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, shortened as PFAS, have been found in our rivers, drinking water and our bodies. The human-made "forever chemicals" do not easily break down, and pose a lasting health risk to humans and the environment.

A report from the U.S. Geological Survey published last week found that the drinking water coming out of faucets in nearly half of American homes contain these chemicals, also called PFAS.

But how persistent are so-called, “forever chemicals?” And what can we do to reverse the contamination?

Tasha Stoiber, Ph.d., is a senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, with a focus in PFAS. We're also joined by Melanie Benesh, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group, where she is an expert on toxic chemical regulation.

We also hear from scientists coming up with the next-generation of filters to remove these chemicals from our drinking water. Dr. Danielle Nachman, Ph.d, is senior scientist and project manager for the ‘Applied Chemistry and Physics Group’ at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Disability Pride Month started as a celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act--signed into law in July 1990. It marked a significant milestone for the civil rights of Americans with all kinds of disabilities. For people and advocates in the disabled community, Disability Pride month also means celebrating the full breadth of experience of those with disabilities. Make Studio in Baltimore City is hosting Disability Pride Arts Fest on July 15. Jill Scheibler, cofounder of Make Studio, joins the show. Also joining are two of the artists featured in the Disability Pride Arts Fest, Tyrone Weedon and Louis Middleton.

Later in the show, we take a look at a new art exhibit featuring the work of Judith Scott. She is a celebrated artist whose work has been shown at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, and other prestigious museums. Scott started honing her craft only in her mid-40s.

Scott was born with Down syndrome in 1943, then rendered deaf by an attack of Scarlet Fever in her infancy. But her deafness went undiagnosed for years, and was interpreted as low IQ. She was considered ineducable and spent the next 36 years institutionalized.

Now the American Visionary Art Museum is featuring Scott’s work in a new solo exhibition, open through June 2024. The exhibit, “The Secret Within: the Art of Judith Scott,” includes the artist’s intricate sculptures, as well as personal perspectives on Scott’s life from some people close to her.

Gage Branda, a Curatorial and Development Coordinator at AVAM, joins us to describe the exhibit he helped assemble.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

At the Peale, Baltimore’s Community Museum, two exhibits, worth a look: One explores the synergy between the work of Steven, Alexandra and Zac Posen, a father and his daughter and son. The other features local cartoonist Barbara Dale, not at all afraid to speak her mind, as she makes people laugh. 

Jeffrey Kent, chief curator, gives us a preview of the two exhibits, which he hopes will inspire visitors to realize their own creativity that lies within.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Here is a Stoop Story from Jeffrey Kent about following his dream even when his family advised him otherwise … and how art saved his life.

Now, a quick turn to another local artist who has had the courage to follow his dreams. Landis Expandis, former lead singer of the rock-and-soul quintet The Almighty Senators; Also a DJ, a surreal and abstract painter. Landis Expandis’s  music, energy and art bring joy and inspiration to many -- and now he is in a tough place. Expandis, who is immunocompromised, encountered a series of health challenges and has kidney and liver failure, the latter due to lymphoma.

The Baltimore arts community has rallied to offer support. Here’s part of the Go Fund Me page set up to help cover costs for him and his family:

“For the past 35 years, Landis Expandis has dedicated his soul to Baltimore crossover music, bringing us immense joy through music, painting, dance parties, and all around magic. Now it's time to ask for support for Baltimore's Best and his spouse in their time of need.”  

We at On the Record send Landis our hopes for his continued recovery. 

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

What’s next at selective colleges in Maryland, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has said they can’t consider race when they choose students? We ask Professor Julie J. Park of the University of Maryland and Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed: What’s the value of diversity? And how can schools achieve it?  

Links:
What the Supreme Court Rejection of Affirmative Action Means   
What Could Colleges Do Without Affirmative Action?  
Affirmative action's end spells more isolation for students of color

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472