A saturated ditch reflects the trunk and tops of loblolly pines. Dennis Forney photo

“Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote …”

GRACE CREEK ALMANAC – Even Geoffrey Chaucer, 600 years ago in the prologue to his Canterbury Tales, was writing about the rain.

With another three inches this week, counting Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s downpours, soggy ground has grown even more saturated. These rains, however, certainly aren’t addressing any droughty March.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Sarah Johnson of the Mt. Holly, New Jersey office says the pattern we’ve seen since about mid-December has brought a steady number of really wet systems with little time between. “Not much time for the ground to dry out,” she said.

December brought us 7.7 inches, and January pounded us with another 6.4 inches – both well above average. February brought a short reprieve with only 1.5 inches before the water machine cranked back up again.

March’s rainfall for the mid-Delmarva Peninsula averaged as much as four to five inches above normal, she said, and the long-range forecast for April suggests the month will also likely bring above-normal amounts of rain.

This week brought the year’s first official warnings for severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. Wednesday’s rumblings confirmed those warnings though tornadoes stayed mercifully away.  The last thing we need is high winds testing sodden roots and toppling tall loblollies ringing this low-country section of Talbot County.

Keep the chainsaws fueled up, powered up and handy.

The trench I have dug in our heavy clay soil for new grape vines is filled with water. No sense in planting them yet.  They would just float away.

I won’t have to worry about watering them, or the blackberry and raspberry plants also awaiting planting.

Johnson said a relatively strong El Niño system in the Pacific, which typically drives rainier weather across the US, is starting to ease.  The steady series of storms that have been coming across the south and then chugging off to the northeast are part of that scenario.  “It’s notable that these storms tracking near or just west of the ocean also tend to have a lot of moisture,” she said.

Those storms have also brought us a lot of easterly winds driving high-tide events along the coast, here in Grace Creek, and elsewhere along the Chesapeake.

The weakening El Niño, she said, should ease us into more of a neutral situation by late spring and early summer.

My landscaper friend Tom said farmers he knows are tearing their hair out, waiting impatiently to get into their fields. “But as wet as it is, at least we’re not in a drought,” he said with customary optimism. “There’s nothing more debilitating than a drought.”

With the possibility of a La Niña scenario in the Pacific next winter, Johnson said, we could see an opposite pattern with drier conditions and fewer of this winter’s back-to-back rain and wind events.

In the meantime, April may continue piercing our soils to the root.

PS: As a man of faith, I went ahead and planted the berry plants anyway. If Noah gets the call, I’m confident that along with the animals, he’ll also snag my berry plants and drag them aboard for the next post-alluvial era.

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

Blossoming Bradford pears, now considered an invasive species, threaten to crowd out other native species, such as redbud, as well as the bike and pedestrian path that edges along St. Michaels. Dennis Forney photo

Springtime, as this week clearly illustrates, is a dynamic time on the Eastern Shore.

With temperatures fluctuating between the mid-70s and mid-30s, it makes me worry about the tender green sprouts of the Amish Snap Peas coming up in my garden.  I count on the afternoon sun to keep warming the soil and encouraging the peas.

Throughout the Eastern Shore landscape, Bradford pears are brightening hedgerows and roadsides, and residential yards. with their audacious white blossoms.  One of the first springtime bloomers in Maryland, they’re doing their best to outshine the more elegant and colorful redbuds also decorating the landscape.

Just about the time of the bicentennial of the American Revolution in 1976, Bradford Pears were a darling of landscape architects and urban planners. Many towns and cities used them to reinvigorate their downtown streets with plantings along sidewalks.  Now, however, like blue catfish, Bradford pears are strenuously labeled an invasive species, a rapidly growing and quickly spreading scourge.

They are infamous for their weak crotches – hardly a flattering characteristic – which can lead to branches splitting and falling on unwary pedestrians enjoying their shade.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service advises: “New hybrids produce viable seeds through cross-pollination with the Bradford cultivar. The descendants are aggressively invading natural and disturbed open areas, displacing native plant communities and disrupting natural succession.”

University of Maryland’s Cooperative Extension Service suggests the following natives as better choices for flowering spring trees:  “Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.), and Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida).

In the meantime, these species are being crowded out by the bully Bradfords.

HERE ON THE CREEK, flocks of bluebill ducks, also known as scaup and blackheads, and a smattering of canvasbacks have been joining the perennial Canada geese in recent weeks.  They come and go with no particular pattern. I don’t expect them to stay around for long.

Loons, with their mournful swoonings have also been stopping by, sharing the soundscape with early ospreys checking out nesting sites and passing through in spring migration.

Above us, the warrior constellation Orion is swinging further around to the southwest and west before he  makes his warmer weather disappearance.

I hope Elon Musk’s train of Starlink satellites makes its appearance, going in the opposite direction, as the days keep lengthening.

Seeing them rings a sense of possibility into his goal of enabling humans to one day become a multi-planetary species. The Cristopher Columbus of our day.

I’m reading Walter Isaacson’s excellent biography of Musk and his dizzying and transformational character. (Thanks for the recommendation Eric.) It’s great background material to be reading as so many world events of which he is playing a pivotal role unfold around us on a daily basis.

ON THE WATERFRONT, oystermen are closing out the wild commercial season which ends this year March 29. They’re switching out their dredging and tonging gear for the trotlining and potting rigs used for crabbing.  That seasons April 1

IN THE MEAN TIME, I’ll keep my eyes leveled mostly toward our own planet, greening more each day in our hemisphere. Dynamic spring offers such a feast for the eyes.

Robert Frost writes in his poem Swinger of Birches, perhaps presaging Musk’s restlessness:

“I’d like to get away from earth awhile,
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return.  Earth’s the right place for love:
I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.”

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist, and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

A unique neck of Talbot County land with an interesting history could become a key to restoring wild bobwhite quail populations in Maryland and beyond.

In the process, the nearly 1,000-acre Point Pleasant Farm could also become a haven for other bird, insect and wildlife species important to a healthy natural environment.

University of Maryland and the Point Pleasant Foundation recently signed a five-year memorandum of understanding that will enable researchers in the University’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to create a natural habitat on the farm ideal for propagating and sustaining wild quail populations.  If successful, some of the birds from those populations could be captured and relocated to other areas in Maryland where compatible habitat is available to help reverse declining numbers.

Pen-raised quail are sometimes thought of as a solution to repopulating an area, but accustomed to gathering their food out of a trough, they lack the skills that nature and nurture instill for survival in the wild.

Dr. Luke Macaulay is a wildlife management specialist who works as a faculty member within the University’s extension service. That service aims to use research and education to assist private and public land owners with beneficial management of their land.

“Bobwhite quail are a struggling species,” said Macaulay in a recent interview. “More predators and less habitat are taking their toll.  Our goal with this project is to manage the land at Point Pleasant to give quail the best chance we possibly can to allow for a self-sustaining population.”

That management could include converting farmland to the kind of successional grasslands that provide food and cover needed for quail success.

Point Pleasant Farm, with several hundred acres of tilled land, forests, wetlands, and hedgerows, and a unique history, offers a special opportunity.

This Google Earth image shows the boundaries of Point Pleasant Farm between Leadenham Creek to the north, Broad Creek to the east, Balls Creek to the south and the Bozman-Neavitt road to the west. With an estimated eight miles of shoreline, the farm includes extensive agricultural fields, forests and wetlands.

Surrounded by Leadenham, Balls and Broad creeks, between Bozman and Neavitt west of St. Michaels, Point Pleasant Farm, over the past several decades, has been owned and managed by a series of conservation- and preservation-minded individuals and organizations.  Members of Delaware’s duPont family once owned the property and managed it for fox and waterfowl hunting and other outdoor activities. Its unique geographical features allowed erection of a substantial and effective concrete and chain-link fence across a narrow isthmus between Leadenham Creek and Balls Creek.  Along the land’s western boundary, the fence was erected to keep foxes in and other predators out.

When interest in fox-hunting waned, but not its interest in conservation, the family donated the property to the national Audubon Society. That national organization has long dedicated itself to the welfare of birds.

According to Harry Shapiro, president of the Point Pleasant Foundation which now owns the property, the Audubon Society did little more than retain ownership through the years.  In addition to fields, forests and wetlands, the property also includes a number of houses, barns and other structures long associated with what had once been a number of smaller farms, before consolidation.

“Those structures,” Shapiro said, “had basically been let go to rot, if you will, until Bob Pascal negotiated with Audubon to buy the property.”

Pascal, according to a Wikipedia article, was an American Republican politician, collegiate football player, professional Canadian football player and a propane entrepreneur who served as County Executive of Anne Arundel County, Maryland from 1975 to 1982. A Baltimore lawyer, Shapiro enjoyed a 50-year relationship with Pascal as his attorney and friend.

“Bob invested at least $800,000 in riprapping the extensive shoreline of the property as well as rebuilding barns and other structures – some for rental, others for his own use,” said Shapiro.  “He basically brought the property back to what it had been during the duPont days and put it in a posture to attract waterfowl.” The Point Pleasant Farm has an estimated eight miles of shoreline.

A substantial concrete base and chain-link fence, installed by members of Delaware’s duPont family, runs along the western edge of the farm. DENNIS FORNEY PHOTOS

Pascal, in 2011, donated a conservation easement for the entire property, in return for a tax deduction, to Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources. That easement allowed Pascal, and eventually the Point Pleasant Foundation he created, to retain ownership of the property. The easement stipulates, however, that the property will be used for nothing more than what it was being used for at the time of the easement approval.

“The easement allows for renovation and replacement of existing buildings but no more,” said Shapiro. “That’s in perpetuity.  Forever. The whole purpose is to restrict development and have the property remain as pristine as it has been.  The buildings can be improved and rented but no new homes or anything like that can be built.  Nothing can be done that is inconsistent with conservation purposes.”

Shapiro added that Pascal, on his death in 2021, bequeathed the stock of the corporation that had owned the property, along with $2.5 million for upkeep and maintenance, to the foundation.

The only other thing the easement allows for is use of the property for education and research. That’s where the University of Maryland comes into the picture.

Several months following Pascal’s death, Shapiro contacted University of Maryland officials to gauge interest in use of the property.. “After circulating the offer and details of the easement through a number of departments, they initially told me there was no interest. I was crushed. But then a few weeks later I was told that two professors had finally come forward with interest. That’s where this journey began. I started talking with Luke and his colleagues. They were so enthusiastic. That’s what I wanted from the start.”

Shapiro said he thought Pascal would applaud the new ideas around managing the farm for wild quail propagation. “I think he would be excited by this, providing habitat for quail. He hunted quail. But I think he would be excited not just for restoring appropriate habitat, but also by the idea of eventually exporting wild birds to other parts of the state or even the country for restoration.”

Dan Small coordinates Washington College’s Natural Lands Project, focusing on developing and instituting management plans in cooperation with farmers and other landowners to create beneficial habitat for wild quail and other species. He has been collaborating with Macaulay and others at University of Maryland on a management plan for Point Pleasant Farm. He further discussed the need and opportunity.

“Land managers in the south have been having success with expanding quail populations by increasing grasslands habitat.  But they’re reluctant to give up their birds for relocation to areas like ours where we’re also interested in rebuilding populations. Transporting the wild birds with long airline flights and long drives also has its problems. So,” said Small, “if we can get a wild bird program going at Point Pleasant through proper management, that would be all the better.”

Macaulay noted that areas in St. Mary’s County in southern Maryland and on natural lands on Greensbury Point in Anne Arundel County, as well as the upper Eastern Shore, have some of the last remaining pockets of wild quail populations. That could be built on with more land management and introduction of relocated wild birds.

Ten months after Shapiro and the university people started talking, they signed the memorandum of understanding.

“What we are doing is consistent with Mr. Pascal’s wishes,” said Shapiro. “We’re just putting our toe in the water now instead of jumping in head first. The memorandum can be renewed beyond five years if we all agree. Whether we go with a state proposal to remove all or some of the land that is being farmed and place it into grasslands, and how we might also want to manage the forests there to benefit wildlife, as well as the economic considerations of doing that – that’s all part of the ongoing discussions.”

Shapiro noted that the conservation easement is not dependent on the public having access to the property. “Independently though, we plan to have some public access, such as for workshops like one we had in November when about 110 people gathered at the farm to hear about some of the plans being considered. There were excellent speakers and people really enjoyed it.

“The educational component of the easement will involve people coming in,” said Shapiro.  “As we made decisions about the easement, we always envisioned people coming in, but not just letting it be wide open.  We want people to be able to see the best practices and benefits that can develop out of research that can be done on properties like this.  But the habitat is very sensitive.  We have to control who comes on the property and what they do. Otherwise it could be overrun, destroyed and injured, and I don’t think anyone wants that.”

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

Ralph Fletcher Seymour etched this scene of Joe’s Oyster Bar in Chicago in the mid-20th century.

Watermen – dredgers and tongers – are bringing in their day’s catch of oysters as I write.  It’s mid-morning on the eve of the 2023 winter solstice.

They motored out Grace Creek just after 6 this morning, diesels thrumming.  Law says they can begin oystering at 7.  In three or four hours, most of them have their daily limit.  Tongers with two men aboard can harvest 24 bushels. That’s 12 bushels per license holder. Dredgers – they can bring in 10 bushels per license.

This marks just about the midpoint of the 2023-24 wild-caught oyster season. Started October 1 for tongers, Nov. 1 for dredgers. Ends March 31.

An early winter sunset over the oyster fleet at PT Hambleton’s complex on Grace Creek. Dennis Forney photo.

The beds here in Broad Creek and the Choptank, by most accounts, are in good shape. The oysters are pretty – as pretty as oysters can be. Classic oval and round shells, singles, knobby and ridged and solid on the outside. Sleek mother of pearl on the inside provides a smooth and comfortable surface for meats fattening and yellowing as water temperatures continue to fall.

From what I hear, the market has been fickle, not as strong in this Christmas week as what would typically be expected. Demand is off.  Inflation maybe. Not as many people going out to eat.  Prices holding them back somewhat.

The bushel price paid to watermen at the docks has been holding steady up and down the Chesapeake at right around $35. The law says watermen can tong and dredge five days a week – weekends off – but many weeks there has been at least one day when there has been no market. The boats stay tied up on those days.

Once the Christman season passes, the price of  bushels to the harvesters is expected to drop.  $28 is the figure I hear.

PT Hambleton told me there’s only two things a waterman has to worry about.  “January and February.”

Wednesday night this week I shucked and fried a couple dozen oysters.  Frank gave me the recipe.  Drain the oysters and dip them individually in a beaten egg; dredge and coat them in cracker meal; fry them over medium high heat in just enough oil to coat the bottom of a pan. They’ll golden up quickly.

Flip them over to make sure they’re golden brown on both sides and then set them on paper towels to soak up excess oil and cool a little. Then dip them in some cocktail sauce – horseradish and ketchup – pop them in your mouth, and you have yourself a nice Eastern Shore meal.  If you have a crab cake left over from the summer and some green beans or limas from the garden, even better.

The oysters were delicious.  My old man – some called him G. Robert – put the cracker meal along with salt and pepper in a paper bag and dropped the oysters in and shook them up to get evenly coated. His oysters were always good so I did the same.  Worked beautifully and keeps your fingers from getting all sticky with raw egg and meal.  Now that they’re banning plastic bags that litter the countryside, there’s more paper bags for coating oysters. A six-pack bag works just about perfect.

Already looking forward to more fried oysters.  So easy.

I’m glad the solstice is here.  Days start lengthening. The watermen, heading out in more of the sunrise as each day passes, must be appreciative too.

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.