Free Public Presentation on Thursday, September 27, 6:00 PM, at Sultana Education Foundation

Join Director of Watershed Restoration and former Pennsylvania Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Matt Ehrhart, for a free discussion on the Stroud Water  Research Center, a Pennsylvania non-profit that is leading the effort to help farmers use best management practices for whole farm restoration—preventing fresh water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay at its source.

Through extensive public and private partnerships as well as intensive outreach and education for farmers in the Chesapeake’s Pennsylvania freshwater tributaries, the Stroud Water Research Center helps landowners secure the best program funding to suit their farms and properties.

This talk is free to the public, with no registration required.

Sultana Education Foundation connects people to the Chesapeake Bay’s history, ecology, and culture, inspiring them to preserve and restore America’s largest estuary through land- and-water-based experiential education.  To learn more about Sultana Education Foundation’s public or school programs, visit sultanaeducation.org.

About the Sultana Education Foundation

Founded in 1997, the Sultana Education Foundation is a private nonprofit dedicated to providing unique, hands-on educational opportunities that promote stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay’s historic, cultural, and environmental legacies.   The Foundation is a two-time recipient of the National Maritime Historical Foundation’s Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Maritime Education.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is celebrating National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 22, by hosting its annual volunteer litter cleanup day and offering free admission to the refuge. The public is invited to work with staff, Friends of Blackwater members and other volunteers as we clean up refuge roads to promote the health of the forest and wetlands. This year’s event is being held in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup, a worldwide effort by the Ocean Conservancy to keep litter from entering our oceans. In addition, the usual entrance fee for Wildlife Drive will be waived so that everyone has an opportunity to enjoy their wonderful public lands!

Blackwater NWR’s annual litter cleanup will be held on September 22 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  Trash will be collected from the roads around Blackwater NWR, beginning at the Blackwater Visitor Center, located on Key Wallace Drive near Cambridge.  Snacks and drinks will be supplied by the Friends of Blackwater for everyone who comes.  In addition, the first 30 people who register for this event will receive an appreciation gift.  Individuals and groups of all ages are invited, and low-traffic litter areas will be set aside for those with young children.  Participants are encouraged to bring gloves and wear brightly colored clothes for working along the roads.  If you, your family, or your organization is interested in registering for the Litter Pick-up please contact Tom Miller or Michele Whitbeck at 410-228-2677. Information about the refuge can be found at www.fws.gov/refuge/Blackwater.

More information about National Public Lands Day can be found at www.neefusa.org/npld.  If you wish to learn more about the International Coastal Cleanup, please visit www.oceanconservancy.org .

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, protects over 29,000 acres of rich tidal marsh, mixed hardwoods and pine forest, managed freshwater wetlands and cropland for a diversity of wildlife.  To learn more, visit our website at www.fws.gov/refuge/blackwater or follow us on Facebook @BlackwaterNWR.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Join ShoreRivers, an environmental nonprofit, and Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC), a faith-based advocacy group, for a Spiritual Nature Walk on Sunday, October 7, from 3-5 p.m. at the beautiful Bolingbroke Park in Trappe. ShoreRivers’ Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta and IPC’s Religious Educator Kolya Braun-Greiner will guide a two-mile walk through the secluded forests that meander beside Bolingbroke Creek. All denominations and ages are welcome to join and learn more about the health of the Choptank River and the call to action that congregations can make to protect Creation.

Bolingbroke Park is a pristine, little known gem of the Eastern Shore, owned by the Izaak Walton League Mid-Shore Chapter. The park has bathrooms, walking trails, and a small boat launch. Join us for an afternoon of inspiration, fresh air, fall foliage, and connecting with your local environment and faith.

A view of Bolingbroke Creek from the Izaak Walton League Park in Trappe. Photo Credit: Izaak Walton League Mid-shore Chapter

This spiritual nature walk is offered through the Stewards for Streams: Faith-Based Conservation program funded by Chesapeake Bay Trust and Delaplaine Foundation. Through Stewards for Streams, local congregations have planted native rain gardens and trees that filter and clean rain water before entering local waterways, hosted rain barrel workshops, and engaged adult and youth groups in the importance of environmental stewardship.

Visit shorerivers.org and interfaithchesapeake.org for more information about these community organizations.

The Spiritual Nature Walk is limited to 25 people. Registration closes Thursday, October 5. To sign up, please call Suzanne Sullivan at 443-385-0511 or email ssullivan@shorerivers.org.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. We work collaboratively with our community yet maintain an uncompromising and independent voice for clean rivers and the living resources they support.

shorerivers.org

The Talbot County Council has proclaimed 2018 as the Year of the Bird in Maryland. The declaration celebrates native and migratory birds making their way through Maryland this time of year and the Free State’s remarkable landscapes and water resources that support them.  The proclamation was delivered at the Council’s September 11^th meeting at the Talbot County Public Library in Easton.

Audubon works with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland State Department of Education on Governor Hogan’s Project Green Classrooms as well as with a host of local, state and federal agencies on important bird area protection, environmental literacy and sea level rise adaptation.

Home to 42 Important Bird Areas and more than 400 observed species, the declaration recognizes that Maryland and the Eastern Shore’s natural resources provide important habitat for birds. Within Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay watershed serves as an important breeding and stopover area for millions of migratory birds each year.

Pickering Creek Audubon Center Trustees David Bent and Tom Sanders, Audubon’s Mark Scallion, and County Council member Dirck Bartlett with the Talbot County Council’s Year of the Bird Proclamation.

People around the world are celebrating 2018 as Year of the Bird. This year marks the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, one of the oldest wildlife protection laws in the United States. In honor of this milestone, National Geographic, Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdLife International, and dozens of other partners around the world joined forces to celebrate 2018 as the Year of the Bird.  This year’s Harvest Hoedown at Pickering Creek Audubon Center on October 14^th will be themed after the Year of the Bird and feature bird activities as well as native plants for people to take home and install in there own yards.

“Year of the Bird is an easy way people can take small everyday actions to help birds along their journeys,” said David Yarnold, president and CEO for National Audubon Society. “Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay provides wintering grounds for approximately one-third of the Atlantic coast’s migratory population including iconic waterfowl species like the Tundra Swan, Canada Goose, Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal for centuries.”

Many conservation organizations, agencies, businesses and academics have been instrumental in protecting birds and the places they need in Maryland. In celebrating 2018 as the Year of the Bird, there is great appreciation for the efforts of many organizations, including local Audubon chapters and centers, the Maryland Ornithological Society, the Department of Natural Resources, waterfowl associations and duck clubs, and many others. For more about Year of the Bird visit www.birdyourworld.org.

Contact: Mark Scallion, National Audubon Society, mscallion@audubon.org, 410-822-4903

Anglers seeking a unique experience on the Chesapeake Bay should register now for the second annual Rod & Reef Slam on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

The fishing tournament taking place Saturday, Sept. 22, on six oyster restoration sites near the mouth of the Choptank River, is meant to highlight the diversity of fish that thrive near oyster reefs. So rather than be rewarded for catching a specific large fish, anglers in this catch-and-release fishing tournament are tasked with trying to catch as many different species of fish to win prizes such as Engle coolers, Costa Sunglasses gift cards, Lyon Distilling Rum, and fishing tackle. If anglers tie on the number of species caught, the size of their fish will determine the winners.

Last year, anglers caught dozens of fish from 10 different species such as rockfish, white perch, weakfish and spotted seatrout.

“Historically the live bottom provided by three-dimensional oyster reefs produced an amazingly diverse fishing community,” said John Page Williams, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s senior naturalist and a seasoned angler. “Our aim here is to bring that rich diversity back to our recreational and commercial fisheries. We are starting to see that return in the reef ball field in the Choptank River and other oyster restoration areas.”

The tournament takes place from 6:30 a.m. until fishing lines will be required to be out of the water at 2:30 p.m. An after party and awards show will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Lowes Wharf Marina Inn in Sherwood. There are three divisions—powerboat, kayak, and youth. The entry fee is $50 for the powerboat and kayak division and youth can participate for free if they have a Coastal Conservation Association youth membership, which is $10 per year. The registration price covers the entry fee, after party food, giveaways, entertainment, and access to a cash bar. Tickets for just the afterparty are $10 and include food and entertainment.

The tournament is being co-sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.The title sponsor is Curtis Stokes & Associates, Inc.

Participating anglers in this tournament will fish on their choice of six oyster restoration reef areas—Tilghman Island Reef just outside of Knapps Narrows, Clint Waters Reef at Cooks Point, reef balls at the Bill Burton Fishing Pier near Cambridge, and three different oyster sanctuaries in Harris Creek, the Tred Avon River and the Little Choptank River. Before releasing the fish they catch, anglers will use the iAngler app to record the size and location of their catch.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation in partnership with groups such as Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and NOAA have worked to preserve and grow oyster reefs in the Bay to improve water quality.  Oysters are a keystone species in the Chesapeake. They filter water and the crevices between the groupings of bivalves provide habitat for other critters such as small fish, crabs, and grass shrimp.

Small fish, such as blennies, gobies and skillet-fish that feed on the reef are natural bait for much bigger fish such as rockfish and perch as well as blue crabs.

The locations chosen for the fishing tournament are all places where conservation groups have planted hundreds of thousands of oysters over the past decade.  For example, this summer the Chesapeake Bay Foundation planted more than 120 reef ballsin the Choptank River, while more than 1,500 reef balls have been planted at Cook’s Point.

The Harris Creek oyster sanctuary is a productive example of restoration efforts. Since 2011, 350 acres of water bottom have been planted with oysters. A NOAA study released last year found that the vast majority of planted oysters were forming into stable, healthy reefs.

The Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, a group of more than 40 local and regional conservation groups, aquaculture businesses, and academic partners, is working to expand oyster populations in the Chesapeake by adding 10 billion new oysters in Virginia and Maryland waters by 2025.

However, more needs to be done to draw attention to the important water quality and recreational benefits oysters provide to the Chesapeake Bay. The Rod & Reef Slam is meant to remind people about the ecosystems oyster reefs create and the recreational fishing opportunities they can provide.

More information here or at 443-482-2097 or hgibson@cbf.org.

On Sunday, September 16, ShoreRivers will host the 14^th Annual Ride for Clean Rivers. Ride the beautiful back roads of Talbot and Queen Anne’s Counties in support of ShoreRivers’ work for clean water. This is a great way to bring summer to a close surrounded by friends, family, and fellow community members. Register at rideforcleanrivers.org before September 8 to receive discounted pricing and guarantee an event tee-shirt!

Cyclers of all ages and levels are welcome to register for 20-mile, 35-mile, or 63-mile (metric century) routes. All routes begin and end at Chesapeake College, and include SAG support and rest stops with food and drink. The metric ride will kickoff at 8:00 am and the 35-mile and 20-mile rides will follow at 10:00 am.Upon returning to the college campus, riders and volunteers will enjoy a BBQ lunch and live music by Fog After Midnight. For the first time, every rider will be entered into a raffle to win a Garmin Edge 1030 cycling computer. A second cycling computer will be awarded to the team that raises the most money.

Cyclist prepare to leave at the Ride for Clean Rivers start line.

ShoreRivers looks forward to continued support from the community for this year’s event. Whether enjoying a Sunday bike ride, riding with friends, or promoting a business, this event is about coming together. It is not too late to create a team or sign up to join ShoreRivers in support of cleaner, healthier rivers.

Thank you to event sponsors Dock Street Foundation, KELLY Benefit Strategies, Agency of Record, Bay Imprint, Bay Pediatric Center, Bike Doctor, Blessings Environmental Concepts, The Brewer’s Art, Chesapeake 4-H Club, Chesapeake College, Dr. Computer, Easton Family YMCA, Ecotone Ecological Restoration, S.E.W. Friel, Resource Restoration Group, Sprout, and Shore Orthopedics.

All proceeds go toward ShoreRivers’ ongoing education, restoration, and water quality monitoring programs. For more information, please phone 443.385.0511 or contact KristanDroter at kdroter@shorerivers.org or Julia Erbe at jerbe@shorerivers.org.

ShoreRivers will also host the Chester River Challenge in Chestertown during Downrigging Weekend. Participants may walk or run a 5K or run a half marathon to support ShoreRivers. The event will be held on Sunday, October 28, 2018 from 9am-12pm at Wilmer Park in Chestertown, MD. Register online at TriSportsEvents.com or on the day of the race.

5K Run/Walk: $20 before October 21: $25 after
Half Marathon: $50 before October 21; $60 after

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. We work collaboratively with our community yet maintain an uncompromising and independent voice for clean rivers and the living resources they support.

shorerivers.org