APPENDIX A: Teacher Pages

ACTIVITY III: Identifying Environmental Events, Problems, and 

Issues? 

How Do We Distinguish Between Environmental Events, 

Problems, and Issues?

Oyster Wars – Event-Problem-Issue Chart

ACTIVITY IV: Identifying Beliefs and Values - Where Do You 

Stand Signs 

(Where Do You Stand Statements, Environmental Value 

Descriptors, and What Are the Values pages can be found in 

Appendix C)

ACTIVITY V: Oyster Wars – Identifying Stakeholders, Beliefs, 

and Values Chart

ACTIVITY VI: Current Oyster-Related Issues

Events-Problems-Issues Chart

Stakeholders-Beliefs-Values Chart can be found in IEEIA 

Appendix C

EXTENSION: Historical Oyster Harvests and Laws Graph
ACTIVITY III:

How Do We Distinguish Between Environmental Events, Problems, and Issues?

(NOTE: See Appendix C for IEEIA Issue Investigation: Definition of Terms)

1. What is an Environmental Event? Name (2) CURRENT or RECENT environmental events (local, 

national, or global).

Definition:

a.

b.

2. What is an Environmental Problem? Name (2) environmental problems that may be 

associated with the examples you listed above.

Definition:

a.

b.

3. What is an Environmental Issue? Name (2) environmental issues that may be associated

with the examples you listed above.

Definition:

a.

b.

4. What, if any, solutions/actions were listed to solve the problem(s)?

5. Evaluate the Oyster Wars: The Historic Fight for the Bay's Riche article, and complete the 

Oyster Wars: The Historic Fight for the Bay's Riches, Event-Problem-Issue Sequence –

Student Page to illustrate your findings. The first two listed in the sequence are practice for 

you as your teacher reviews the procedure.
 ACTIVITY III: Oyster Wars - Event-Problem-Issue Chart – TEACHER PAGE

Oyster Wars: The Historic Fight for the Bay's Riches (Kimmel, 2008)

Approximate 

Year The Event Environmental Problem Environmental Issue

Mid-1800s

Industrial Revolution –

better methods for food 

preservation and 

transportation by trains 

led to...

(INFERENCE)... increased 

fishing pressure on the 

Eastern oyster. 

No issues were identified 

by stakeholders

Post-Civil 

War, 1865

After the Civil War, 

businessmen had large 

amounts of capital 

available, and turned 

subsistence harvesting of 

oysters into mass 

harvesting resulting in...

(INFERENCE)... increased 

fishing pressure on the 

Eastern oyster. 

No issues were identified 

Post-Civil 

War

New England states 

depleted their own 

oyster population, and 

moved to Chesapeake 

Bay to harvest oysters. 

VA and MD fought over 

territory, as well as 

counties within MD and 

VA.

Greed led to violent 

behavior between 

watermen from different 

states and/or counties 

within states.

Should the states limit 

who and where 

watermen can harvest 

oysters in Chesapeake 

Bay?

1868

Legislation was passed 

to limit who, when, and 

where watermen could 

fish, legal harvest size, 

and what kind of gear 

they could use. Laws 

were not enforced 

because of political 

concern over antagonizing watermen. Sufficient 

funds were not allocated 

to the Oyster Navy by 

the legislature.

Watermen ignored the 

laws. People were killed 

in pursuit of the 

resource.

Should Maryland fund 

the Oyster Navy and 

enforce oyster harvest 

laws to prevent violence 

and protect the oyster 

resource in Chesapeake 

Bay?
Teacher Note: There may be other issues that you and your students identify in this 

article. Feel free to interpret the list as you work with your students.

Kimmel, Ross M. (Winter 2008) Oyster wars: The historic fight for the Bay's riches. MD Department 

of Natural Resources. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/naturalresource/winter2008/oyster_wars.pdf 

OR See APPENDIX D.

1878

Scientific research by 

Winslow Homer 

indicated that the 

current rate of oyster 

harvest is unsustainable.

Winslow’s warnings 

were ignored.

Why doesn’t the 

scientific data guide 

management of the 

resource in Chesapeake 

Bay?

1884

The harvest of 15 million 

bushels in 1884, declined 

by 1/3 within 5 years; 

science was beginning to 

show that current 

harvest was not 

sustainable.

The public was beginning 

to feel the loss of this 

valuable resource; loss 

of economic benefits.

How do stakeholders 

ensure economic 

viability of the oyster 

population in 

Chesapeake Bay?
STRONGLY

AGREE
AGREE
NEUTRAL
DISAGREE
DIS

STRONGLY 

AGREE
ACTIVITY V: Oyster Wars – Identifying Stakeholders, Beliefs, and Values – TEACHER PAGE

Oyster Wars: The Historic Fight for the Bay's Riches (Kimmel, 2008)

ISSUE: Should there have been regulation of the oyster industry 

during the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Wars?

The Stakeholder & Position Historical Accounts/ Belief 

Statements may be "Inferred" Value(s)

John Crisfield/ Business Investors 

(No management)

With large amounts of capital 

available, businessmen contrived 

ways to turn the subsistence 

harvesting of oysters into a 

rapacious industry.

Economic

New England watermen 

(Management was not a 

consideration)

Depleted oysters in their local 

waters, sailed to the Chesapeake 

Bay to harvest oysters in MD & VA.

Economic, Egocentric

MD and VA watermen 

(There was no management of 

where to harvest in the Bay, and 

by whom. Watermen took 

problem into their own hands -

like the "Wild West").

Considered Bay off limits to 

watermen from out-of-state. 

"Shots were fired, people were 

killed... MD & VA went to war with 

each other."

Political, Economic 

(unstated), Legal

Individual Counties 

(There was no management of 

where to harvest in the Bay, and 

by whom. Watermen took 

problem into their own hands -

like the "Wild West").

"... individual counties went to war 

with watermen of rival counties, 

each poaching in the others' rivers 

as the oyster supplies dwindled."

Legal, Economic

Government Officials 

(Pro-Management, Harvest 

Regulations)

Fearing the oyster supply would 

not last forever,officials began 

regulating harvests.

Legal 

Watermen 

(Against Regulations and 

Management)

"... ignored the laws" Economic, Egocentric

Elected Officials 

(Against

Regulations/Management)

"... realized that antagonizing 

watermen was political suicide." Political
ACTIVITY V: Oyster Wars – Identifying Stakeholders, Beliefs, and Values – TEACHER PAGE

Oyster Wars: The Historic Fight for the Bay's Riches (Kimmel, 2008)

ISSUE: Should there have been regulation of the oyster industry 

during the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Wars?

The Player & Position

Historical Accounts/ Belief 

may be Statements 

"Inferred"

Value(s)

Hunter Davidson, Commander 

of Oyster Navy 

(Pro-Management)

"... Charged with enforcing 

oyster laws, but gave up 

because of lack of skills by his 

men and resources. Moved out 

of the country."

Legal

Oyster Navy 

(Pro-Management)

"... was dominated by political 

forces sympathetic to the 

oyster industry."

Political, Legal

Boat Captains 

(Management was not an 

issue; finding workers was)

"... were so desperate for labor 

that a form of slavery continued 

on the Bay long after the Civil 

War." 

Economic, Moral

Otto Mayher 

(Management was not an 

issue for this person)

"... eager to find employment 

he voluntarily signed onto an 

oyster boat with two fellow 

countrymen."

Economic

Francis Winslow 

(Pro-Management/ 

Regulations)

"... was able to demonstrate 

scientifically that oysters were 

being taken from the Bay at a 

rate greater than natural 

replenishment could replace."

Scientific

Public Citizens 

(Pro-Management/ 

Regulations)

" Social forces, including 

religion... vigilantism... sought 

to stem oyster piracy... the 

outrages of oyster pirates were 

turning public opinion in favor 

of law enforcement..."

Moral, Social, Legal

Kimmel, Ross M. (Winter 2008) Oyster wars: The historic fight for the Bay's riches. MD Department 

of Natural Resources. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/naturalresource/winter2008/oyster_wars.pdf 
This exercise is based on the IEEIA Environmental Education Model: 

Hungerford, H.R., Volk, T.L., Ramsey, John M., Litherland, & Ralph A., Peyton, (1996). 

Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions: Skill Development Program. 

Stipes Publishing L.L.C., Champaign, IL.

 
 NOTE: The original chart (Kennedy and Breisch, MD Sea Grant) has been modified using information from Kimmel (2008). Pre-1700s - Nippers 1700 -Tongs with water to get into deeper long shafts invented 1960 - pushboats power with dredge under Skipjacks Pre-1600s - picking... hand wading and collected by oysters were 1865 - by sail Dredging 1854 - scrape the oyster legalized MD Early 1900s - engine Combustion 

- cheap 

and reliable

1891 -inventedtongs Patent 

(*Data 

– Kennedy and Breisch; Graph MD Sea Grant

http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/ (See References Section)