Nanticoke River

When the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area law was passed by the General Assembly, it was considered the bold centerpiece to Gov. Harry R. Hughes' effort to restore the nation's largest estuary. Land-use issues had long been treated as the sole province of local government. For the first time, the state would have a say on how land within 1,000 feet of the water's edge would be used. But 24 years later, it's clear that the statute needs to be updated. Too often, the goals of the law have been ignored and the 29-member panel charged with overseeing it, the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission, has lacked the necessary authority.

HARVEY -- The Nature Conservancy of Maryland has bought 161 acres in the shadow of Sideling Hill -- where a highway cut is an unusual geological attraction for tourists -- to help protect one of the state's most pristine and least disturbed ecosystems.The tract, in the Sideling Hill Creek watershed in western Washington County, was bought from Thomas and Mary Creek, who will continue to live on another parcel not purchased by the nonprofit group, said Courtney Shepardson, a conservancy spokeswoman.

They scoured the upper Chesapeake Bay without success yesterday for the survivors of an ecological disaster.Two boatloads of federal biologists, equipped with the latest in electronic fish-finding gear, crisscrossed the lower Susquehanna River near here yesterday in search of the Atlantic sturgeon.The huge fish was around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and biologists fear it, too, may be headed for extinction.Mature sturgeon, which can grow to 14 feet and weigh 800 pounds, migrate from the Atlantic Ocean to spawn in fresh water.

With boating deaths at a seven-year high, the Department of Natural Resources will be asking the General Assembly to enact tougher laws, requiring more children to wear life jackets and placing age restrictions on who may supervise an uncertified boater. Fifteen people have died on Maryland waterways this year despite stepped-up enforcement and high-visibility safety campaigns by Natural Resources Police. Under a proposal endorsed by the O'Malley administration, all children under the age of 13 would be required to wear a personal flotation device, beginning July 10. The current age threshold is 7. Maryland, which pioneered mandatory boating safety classes in the 1980s and minimum ages for wearing a life jacket, fell behind other states in enacting tougher standards.

BIVALVE -- The 18th annual Great North American Turtle Race drew a turtle from Florida and a 12-year-old contestant from Wyoming to this Wicomico hamlet yesterday. But the sweltering day -- and the biggest trophy -- belonged to the natives.Twelve-year-old Artie Abbott of Delmar and turtle No. 213 -- a Nanticoke River resident -- outpaced 464 other turtles to take top honors."I'm smaller than the trophy!" said a beaming Artie after the race. A quick comparison showed he was taller, but just barely.

This week on the Potomac River from the Route 301 bridge to Washington, the Bassmaster Tournament Trail kicks off its season with the $316,700 Kmart Bassmaster Top 100 Pro-Am.Tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday are practice days for pros and amateur fishing partners, and the competition days are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.The pros are competing for a $75,000 top prize. The top amateur will win a fully rigged bass boat.On tournament days, weigh-ins will be held at Smallwood State Park near Marbury in Charles County, starting at 3 p.m. Admission is free.

Crab Days in St. Michaels Celebrate the Chesapeake Bay's favorite crustacean - the blue crab - this weekend during the 18th annual Crab Days at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. For two days, blue crabs will be served in every way imaginable - steamed crabs, fried crabs, crab cakes and crab soups, to name a few. There also will be plenty of hot dogs, French fries, corn-on-the-cob, ice cream and home-baked treats. In addition to food, the museum is cooking up some fun activities.

Albert Vaughn Williams, a road building contractor who was active in real estate development, died of heart failure Thursday at his home in the Woodbrook area.A memorial service for Mr. Williams, who was 97 and known as A. V. Williams, is scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon at the Second Presbyterian Church, 4200 St. Paul St.He was president of the Williams Construction Co., which he started in 1929 and which built many parts of interstate highways in Maryland and nearby states, including the Baltimore and Washington beltways.

Two years ago, officials bubbled with piscatorial pride when Frederick County angler Ron Lewis set a state record with a 67.1-pound blue catfish caught on the Potomac River. "Mr. Lewis's historic catch illustrates Maryland's superb year-round fishing opportunities," said Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin in a news release. With great fanfare, the enormous fish was relocated to a new home in the big tank at Bass Pro Shops at Arundel Mills, where it is still the biggest thing swimming around.

PHILLIPS ISLAND - Calling it an island might be a misnomer, but this 5.3-acre clump in the Nanticoke River has begun to look like the high ground for state and local environmental groups. They are promising a fight to remove a hunting compound they say was built without local permits or regard for Maryland's 16-year-old Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Act. At the center of the dispute is businessman Edwin H. Lewis, who made his fortune in the apparel industry with companies such as Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren.