Too Green to Live in: Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, are photosynthetic bacteria that typically live in water. It is toxic to almost all livestock, wildlife, and humans by affecting the nervous system and the liver. Agricultural and residential fertilizers that get washed off lawns and into bodies of water contain nitrogen and phosphorus, which are major contributors to why blue-green algae bloom. In Maryland, lakes and ponds are often affected by blue-green algae, so people and their pets (like dogs) should not enter the water in order to avoid the toxins from the algae. When I saw this heron standing in an area full of algae, I worried about how it could survive in this kind of situation. This is one of the reasons why we need to pay attention to not over-fertilize our lawns or farms, why we need to minimize rain-water runoffs, and why we need to protect the watershed and our own clean water to use!

Save a Life: Near bay bridge, a fish was dead. It is laying on the shore. Recently year water pollution has directly threatened crabs and oysters survival at Maryland Chesapeake. I hope this event can attract people attention and join cleaning up environment activity.