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Md. oyster shell recycling program faces problems

By WTOP Staff

SARAH POLUS, Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Shell collection delays and confusion over tax incentives have recently caused setbacks in the region’s oyster shell recycling campaign.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation runs the “Save Oyster Shell” oyster-recycling program in the Maryland and Virginia watershed areas.

The program allows local restaurants and the public to donate oyster shells, which are reused to grow oyster larvae, and are then planted in the bay. There are four shell drop-off locations in Maryland: in Shady Side, Annapolis, Edgewater and Severna Park.

Douglas May, the owner of May’s Restaurant in Frederick and a participant in the program, said that it’s important to contribute, because the more businesses help the system, the better the chances are of having oysters to harvest and serve to hungry customers.

Last year, May petitioned the town to create a public oyster drop-off location at the Frederick town dump, and although the plan was approved about six months ago, May said no visible progress has been made.

May said summertime oyster shell collection wasn’t ideal, attracting unwelcome flies. Having a collection site to dump the shells on a weekly basis would help eliminate this problem, as well as encourage others to participate, he said.

Bill Day, general manager at Annapolis Wine Bar, said although the restaurant has been involved in the program for three years, they haven’t been participating lately. The wine bar normally receives containers from volunteers to store the shells before they’re collected, but hasn’t received any containers in more than a month.

According to Chesapeake Bay Foundation spokesman Karl Willey, the program has recently combined with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, which will now control restaurant participation. This transition period has caused some lags in collection efforts.

The foundation, due to a lack of proper funding, equipment and resources, joined forces with the partnership to deal with large-scale shell collection. Until now, the program has been mainly run on a volunteer basis, with the intention of giving people “a sense of ownership in helping to save the bay,” Willey said.

While the foundation and the partnership both wish to continue to encourage public participation, collection operates on a county-by-county basis, so working through restrictions on collection can take a while.

Despite the lapse in collection efforts lately, Day thinks the program is “quite successful” in building oyster bars all over the bay. He will continue to participate in the program once he gets more collection bins, because he would rather use his leftover oyster shells to help regenerate the bay than waste them.

“It’s a little extra work, but it’s worth it,” he said.

May said despite the setbacks, the program seems to be a success. “I think they’re headed in the right direction, they just need to get more people on board to help.” He cited the lag time in establishing a public dumping spot in Frederick as an example of the need for the community to rally behind the program.

According to Don Meritt, director of the Horn Point Hatchery, the recycling program contributes about 15,000 shells to the lab annually. “It’s not the majority of the shell we use, but it’s not an insignificant amount,” Meritt said. He hopes to see the program continue to grow, and become a larger source of shell donation for the lab.

Willey anticipates that around the holiday season the amount of shells being donated by consumers will greatly increase, while restaurant donations tend to stay pretty consistent.

In April, Maryland lawmakers passed a bill that awards businesses that participate in shell recycling $1 per bushel tax credit, up to $750 a year. The bill went into effect July 1, according to Maryland Department of Energy Spokeswoman Samantha Kappalman.

However, according to Gina Hunt, the Department of Natural Resources’ deputy director for fishery services, the tax-credit regulations aren’t in place yet. Before the law can be implemented, the Maryland comptroller’s office must develop regulations. Participants will still be able to claim tax credits on any shells recycled in 2013, Hunt said.

The current plan involves the Oyster Recovery Partnership, which originally spearheaded the bill, to act as the certification agent for participants, in order to help them become eligible for tax credits.

Hunt says the Department of Natural Resources is partnering with the Oyster Recovery Partnership to do certifications.

“We have to work with comptroller’s office,” Hunt said. “We’ve talked to them but we need everyone to sit in a room to hash out what really goes into the regulation.”

Restaurant owner May said he had heard talk of the law, but had received no information how he could go about getting tax incentives for his shell recycling efforts.

Horn Point Lab hatches oysters to restore Chesapeake:

(Copyright 2013 by Capital News Service. All Rights Reserved.)

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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