SRA would like to announce the election of new Board President Ken Shumaker. Ken and his wife, Sue, are natives of Ohio who arrived on the banks of the mighty Sassafras in 2003 after working and living 5 years in Minnesota and 33 years in Pennsylvania. They live on a tree farm at the intersection of the Sassafras River and Coppin Creek where they built their home and planted 3100 hardwood trees (oak, walnut, and bald cypress) in addition to 19 acres of old forest. Ken’s hope is that as a Board Member he can influence, shape, and improve the environment for his six children, seven grandchildren, and future generations. Growing up in Ohio and seeing the death and resurrection of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River (the river that burned) gives Ken optimism that citizens, industry, government, and agriculture working together can improve the water quality of the Sassafras River and the Chesapeake Bay.
In addition to a new Board President, SRA would like to welcome Trey Hill and Kevin Wright to the Board of Directors.
Trey is a fourth generation grain farmer from Rock Hall, MD. He and his family till corn, wheat, and soybeans in Kent, Cecil, and Talbot Counties. He currently serves on the Young Farmers Advisory Board for the State of Maryland and the Kent County Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals. Trey is committed to improving agricultural sustainability and is leading the way in bridging the gap between environmentalists and agriculturalists. He believes that with the right farming practices, farmers can improve the quality of our land and waterways. Trey and his wife, Cheryl, recently purchased Colchester Farm on the Sassafras River and plan to continue using sustainable farming practices so that they and their children are able to enjoy the land and its tributaries.
Kevin is a third generation native of the waters of the Sassafras River. After spending a few years away, Kevin has returned to Galena. He now lives on the end-waters of the Sassafras with his fiancée, Katie Kemmerer. Kevin has a bachelor’s degree in history education from the University of Delaware and currently teaches at William Penn High School. “I have spent my entire life on the river. Many of my fondest memories involve days spent on the Sassafras. I look forward to helping preserve the river so one day future generations may have the same opportunity.”
SRA looks forward to a productive and successful year thanks to the leadership of our board of directors.
Thomas E. Taylor says
Suggestion for the editor: In future, explain what abreviations such as SRA are for. We locals can identify Sassafras River Association, but I have friends in England who subscribe to the Spy and may wonder. Thomas Taylor