Now for some good news. Unless you are familiar with the Delmarva Peninsula, you have probably never heard of the Choptank River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, now facing the same rising sea level as our Jersey Shore. This area once teemed with oysters but as the sea level rose, much of the marine infrastructure was destroyed.
Enter a joint project from University of Maryland Environmental Center at Horn Point and the National Wildlife Federation to create an oyster retrofit. Even at low tide, parts of the riverbank rock structure could not protect the oysters from waves that would destroy the eggs and sperm that result from spawning.
The project built oyster castles to act as breakwaters so the little larvae an attach to rocks becoming spat and then develop their shells to grow into oysters. And the idea is working. This is critical as the Bay is expected to rise at least another foot within the next 30 years. This is a new approach to protecting marine life as the waters rise.
Prayer for the Day
As the waters rise around us, O God, we come to you for wisdom,
For we need stopgap measures as well as long term planning;
As the weather warms, Holy One, we come to you for renewal,
For we know we must change our ways of living.
Grant us, Merciful One, that we are able to muster political will
So all on this planet can live with climate that will not destroy us.
In the name of the One who cares for the earth,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
What could be more foolish to think that ll this rare fabric of heaven and earth could come by chance, when all the skill of art is not able to make an oyster.
- Anatole France, French poet, journalist, novelist (1844-1924)
Like the sand and the oyster, it’s a creative irritant. In each poem I’m trying to create a truth, so it can’t have a fictional beginning.
- Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Jesus, in Matthew 13: 45