Governor Martin O’Malley released the following statement on new fuel standards announced by President Obama: “Maryland has become a national leader in the fight for clean air. Through initiatives such as the Healthy Air Act and the Clean Cars Act, we are reducing air pollution to improve the health of our citizens, clean up our Chesapeake Bay and local waterways, and combat climate change.

“Earlier this month, I encouraged the President to set new technologically and economically feasible motor vehicle fuel economy standards to enhance energy security, promote clean air, protect against climate change, ensure affordable transportation, and create jobs. Today begins a new chapter in our nation’s fight for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

“About one-third of the nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay comes from air pollution, and as much as 70 percent of Maryland’s ozone pollution can come from out of State. While Maryland is taking steps to reduce air pollution, we need help from our federal partners to ensure a level playing field and to reduce pollution from beyond our State’s borders.

“I’d like to commend President Obama for his leadership on this issue. The new fuel economy standards announced today will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ozone forming and toxic emissions from cars and trucks.

“Together, we can work to transform our carbon-based economy into a green, sustainable economy for a cleaner future and healthier families - not just in Maryland, but across the nation.”

(Baltimore) —  Pump up those tires and lace up those sneakers, Larry’s Ride and Run is back for its second year and will be held at Spring Meadow Farms on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Larry’s Ride and Run will continue to honor avid biker Larry Bensky who tragically lost his life while biking in 2010.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - With summer officially in progress, a growing number of Marylanders are expected to use the warmer, longer days to begin raising backyard chickens. The best way to ensure a positive experience is to start by purchasing healthy chicks from certified, approved sources and registering flocks with the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA).

"Poultry is Maryland's number one agricultural commodity accounting for $640 million (40 percent) of farm income in 2009 and directly supports approximately 8,000 jobs on Maryland¹s Eastern Shore," said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. "MDA's registration program is designed to protect all the poultry and bird industries in the state ­ from commercial flocks to fairs and show flocks to backyard flocks. In the event of any poultry disease outbreak, a rapid response is essential to prevent the spread of disease and the loss of family income."

"It's much easier to raise and maintain a healthy flock if you start with a healthy flock," said Dr. N. Jo Chapman, assistant chief of Animal Health, and a veterinarian, at the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA). "If a new bird harboring a disease is brought into a flock, the whole flock could become infected and be lost."

National Poultry Improvement Plan Certification

Dr. Chapman urges citizens to purchase chickens only from hatcheries that are certified by the USDA's National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) and permitted by MDA. NPIP hatcheries follow strict biosecurity practices, maintain detailed records of where their chicks come from, and have had their sites and chickens tested for particularly debilitating diseases. The standards incorporated in the NPIP are developed by industry, state and federal officials, working together to ensure the safety of poultry and related products for both import and export across state lines and around the globe.

Anyone who sells or distributes eggs or live poultry in Maryland must meet NPIP standards and hold a permit from MDA; however, many chicks are sold online and delivered through the mail by uncertified and unapproved hatcheries. The practice is not only illegal but can be deadly to your flock. Healthy flocks can be ravaged by one sick chick brought in from an unapproved source.

Poultry Premise Registration

Backyard flock owners, who generally keep birds as pets or for private use of their eggs, are not required to meet the stringent NPIP standards; however, they are required to register their location with MDA. The purpose of the registry is to enable MDA to contact flock owners immediately when a potential disease is identified to quickly and safely contain the disease and prevent it from spreading to other flocks.

The Maryland General Assembly created the mandatory poultry registration program in response to the 2004 avian influenza outbreak on Delmarva to identify and locate poultry populations, such as backyard flocks, not registered with industry groups or the state.

In the event of an outbreak, MDA will contact all flock owners who might be infected and provide them with information and instructions about the specific precautions they need to take to keep their birds and families healthy. Flock owners not on the registry may never know a disease is rampant until their flock dies. Likewise, if a registered flock owner has birds that develop an illness, MDA will work with the owner to contain the disease. Flock owners who are not registered put their neighbors' flocks ­ and maybe even the state's poultry industry ­ at risk.

There are currently more than 3,200 flocks registered in Maryland, including more than 200 in Baltimore City. The registry is confidential, free and easy. To register, visit: mda.state.md.us

"Raising flocks of chickens, like raising any other pet, requires a certain amount of effort and vigilance if the animals and their owners are to stay healthy," said Dr. Chapman. "People who get a dog want to start with a healthy dog, but they also know they have to take other steps to keep that dog healthy ­ like annual shots. It's the same with chickens. There are bio-security measures that flock owners need to practice from day one to ensure their birds and families stay healthy."

What if Your Chicken Gets Sick or Dies?

Despite the best efforts of some flock owners, chickens sometimes do get sick and die unexpectedly. MDA urges flock owners to report sick birds to the agency if more than one bird in a flock is ill since that could be the start of a devastating outbreak. MDA may direct flock owners whose birds die of unknown causes to send the bird to one of the state's two animal health laboratories for testing. There is no charge for that service. Those labs will determine whether the bird died of a serious or contagious disease or some other cause. Call MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810 to report an unusual disease in a flock.

Veterinarians who treat pets do not usually treat poultry or livestock, but there are avian vets in Maryland who can be contacted if your flock is sick. To find an avian veterinarian, go to the Association of Avian Veterinarians website. Also, ask the hatchery you plan to buy from if they are NPIP certified or find an NPIP hatchery through the USDA NPIP Directory of Participants. Or call the MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810.

Unusual symptoms that may indicate your chicken is sick and should be
reported include:

• Sneezing, gasping for air, coughing and nasal discharge
• Watery and green discharge
• Lack of energy and poor appetite
• Drop in egg production, soft or thin shells, misshapen eggs
• Swelling around the eyes, neck and head
• Purple discoloration of wattles, combs and legs
• Tremors, drooping wings, circling, twisting of the head and neck or lack
• of movement.

To ensure healthy flocks, visit the USDA's Animal Health website for more information.  To learn more about protecting yourself and your children from diseases carried by poultry, see the Center for Disease Control¹s (CDC) website, "Healthy Pets, Healthy People" at cdc.gov.

Annapolis, MD -- A limited number of Farmer’s Market Coupons are available from the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities in Annapolis.

The coupons are available to anyone 60 years of age or older who is an Anne Arundel County resident and who meets the income guidelines. One person may earn up to $1,679 per month and a two-person family can earn up to $2,268 per month.

Coupons can be picked up from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the department, 2666 Riva Road, Suite 400, in Annapolis. Bring a photo ID. For questions or more information, call 410-222-4257. TTY users, please use Maryland Relay 7-1-1 to place the call.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - ­ The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in two new counties (Allegany and Anne Arundel). Based on detections this year, MDA has placed all Maryland counties west of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay under a quarantine to prohibit the movement of ash trees and wood out of the quarantined area, as well as movement of all hardwood firewood, effective immediately.

"We believe placing a quarantine on Maryland counties west of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay is the best way to secure Maryland¹s Eastern Shore where EAB has not been found to date and protect our riparian forest buffer plantings," said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. "We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners, to control the spread of EAB through biocontrol and surveillance activities. However, we rely upon cooperation from the community to follow the quarantine restrictions, not move firewood and to report signs of possible infestation."

EAB was first detected in Prince George's County after infested ash nursery stock was illegally shipped into the state in 2003.  It was detected through survey in Charles County in 2008.  In 2011 it was confirmed in Allegany, Anne Arundel and Howard counties.

"The existence of the EAB in central and western Maryland was not entirely unexpected, given the high prevalence of ash trees in Maryland and our proximity to Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Northern Virginia where EAB quarantines are in effect," said MDA Plant Protection and Weed Management Program Manager, Carol Holko. "We are continuing to monitor the situation, and working closely with the USDA and University of Maryland Extension (UME) to minimize the impacts of the emerald ash borer and the quarantine on
homeowners, businesses, and communities."

The EAB is an invasive pest from Asia that feeds on and kills ash trees within three years after infestation.  Ash trees are one of the most common and important landscaping trees used in Maryland and are common in western Maryland forests. Ash wood is used for all traditional applications of hardwood from flooring and cabinets to baseball bats. Presence of the emerald ash borer typically goes undetected until trees show symptoms of being infested ­ usually the upper third of a tree will thin and then die back. This is usually followed by a large number of shoots or branches arising below the dead portions of the trunk. Other symptoms of infestation include: small D-shaped exit holes in the bark where adults have emerged, vertical splits in the bark, and distinct serpentine-shaped tunnels beneath the bark in the cambium, where larvae effectively stop food and water movement in the tree, starving it to death.

Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Northern Virginia are infested with EAB and have quarantines in effect. New Jersey and Delaware are conducting surveillance activities and have no EAB detections to date. Green ash is among the top five trees planted and one of the most frequently successful in riparian forest buffers. Ash is planted in more than 2,400 acres of riparian forest buffer plantings on the Eastern Shore and supports about 150 types of butterflies and moths.

Ash is the most common tree in Baltimore City with approximately 293,000 trees and accounts for about six million trees in Baltimore and surrounding counties.  USDA has estimated that losses could exceed $227.5 million in the Baltimore area alone if the emerald ash borer were to become established.

To help stop this damaging beetle, homeowners and citizens who live in and travel through known infested areas can help:

• Dont move firewood ­ buy it where you burn it.  Hauling firewood is the most common way for damaging plant pests to be moved from one area to another.  In addition, the state quarantine prohibits anyone from moving hardwood firewood or any other ash tree materials out of the regulated area.
• Don't plant ash trees.  As the EAB is expanding its range in Maryland, diversified plantings of alternative tree species are recommended for residential landscaping.
• Report any signs of the emerald ash borer to the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center at 1-800-342-2507.

For information about the emerald ash borer and the quarantine, please visit www.mda.state.md.us/plants-pests/eab/ or call 410-841-5920. Additional information is also available online at: www.stopthebeetle.info/

Outdoor Solar Lights are an inexpensive way to start reaping the rewards of solar energy.