Two powerful voices in the environmental movement received acclaim in May.

On May 7, W. R. “Nick” Carter, III became the second recipient of the ShoreRivers Award for Environmental Stewardship during the organization’s State of the Rivers presentation. The award recognizes an individual or entity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for their transformational accomplishments as a steward of the environment.

On May 11, Jeff Horstman, a Wye River resident and former executive director of ShoreRivers, was named an Ambassador of the Chesapeake Bay by Governor Hogan. Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio and Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles presented the award.

Ann Swanson, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission for the last 33 years, was tapped to speak on both occasions. Swanson was the first recipient of the ShoreRivers Award for Environmental Stewardship and considers it “one of the greatest recognitions of my life.” She went on to say that it was a special honor for her to present the award to her friend Nick and to sing his praises. “Nick is brilliant. He is a synthesizer—a complex thinker. His friends and colleagues liken him to E.O. Wilson; some even refer to him as the David Attenborough of the Chesapeake.”

After 35 years of service to Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Carter retired in 2000, but it can hardly be said his work came to an end. From his beloved “natural wonderland” on the Choptank River or his peerless jonboat, Swanson says, “Nick can take disparate pieces of information—biology, ecology, hydrology, sociology, history, and even politics—and weave them together into an understanding that becomes new knowledge, not just regurgitated facts.” In his distinctive Norfolk, Virginia drawl, “Nick can talk to anyone—including any age, education level, or political persuasion. He believes that everyone has an entry point [to environmentalism], you just need to find it.”

Jeff Horstman’s entry point to Eastern Shore conservation work at a professional level appeared nearly a decade ago when Tim Junkin invited him to join the Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy’s board. Horstman went on to serve as the organization’s Miles-Wye Riverkeeper, deputy director, and eventually succeeded Junkin as executive director. His vision expanded beyond the Wye River he had cherished since youth. Swanson remembers first working with Horstman around 2014 and seeing how well he “understood that each river of the Eastern Shore had its own cultural and ecological identity that should never be erased or ignored.”

When ShoreRivers was formed in 2017 by merging Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, Chester River Association, and Sassafras River Association, it was Horstman’s leadership as executive director that established the organization as a strong, united voice for the region’s rivers. “He simply was the right person at the right time,” Swanson reiterates. “He had the right disposition; he never commanded, he just listened.  And his deep connection to place—both the people and the resource—was apparent.”

In a surprise ceremony via Zoom, Horstman was presented the title Ambassador of the Chesapeake by Secretaries Haddaway-Riccio and Grumbles on behalf of Governor Larry Hogan and the State of Maryland. His award recognized “leadership within many environmental organizations including ShoreRivers, mentorship of the next generation of stewards, and inspiration to others to further the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.”

ShoreRivers is extremely grateful for the leadership and vision of these two local champions. To watch the presentation of Carter’s award and to learn more about the mission of ShoreRivers, visit www.shorerivers.org/2021-sotr-qa.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

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ShoreRivers works to identify and address all pollution sources, including discharge from boats with marine sanitation devices. Boat discharge, especially in marinas, high boat traffic areas, and sheltered coves, can lead to nutrient or bacteria pollution hotspots that pose serious health risks to humans and animals. The newly-designated Chester River No Discharge Zone and the Miles and Wye pumpout boat help to eliminate the chance of boat discharge entering the waterways.

As the result of a multi-year effort by ShoreRivers, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) designated the Chester River as the second No Discharge Zone in Maryland’s Chesapeake watershed. According to the DNR website, a No Discharge Zone “is an area of water where the discharge of all boat sewage is prohibited. This includes raw sewage . . . as well as sewage treated by Type I or II marine sanitation devices.”

In rivers without No Discharge Zones, it is legal to discharge treated sewage into the waters. While treated sewage (from a properly maintained and functioning marine sanitation device) does not contain bacteria pollution, it does contribute nutrient pollution. The Chester River NDZ will be marked with DNR buoys. Once inside the boundaries of the Chester River No Discharge Zone, all boats with marine heads must pump their waste at a discharge station (a list of pumpout locations can be found at shorerivers.org/programs/no-discharge-zone). Violators can face fines up to $1,000.

River-friendly boaters in other ShoreRivers waterways can help to eliminate this pollution source by always utilizing pumpout services. On the Miles and WyeRivers, the ShoreRivers pumpout boat will begin its 2021 season May 21. Boaters are encouraged to take advantage of this free service and do their part to keep our waterways clean and healthy. Pumpout boat Captain Jim Freeman states, “Both transient and local boaters rave about the convenience of using the pumpout boat. We can serve any boater on the Miles and Wye rivers, and can carry up to 300 gallons of waste.”

Now in its fifth year, the pumpout boat program is funded by DNR and ShoreRivers in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The vessel has disposed of more than 74,000 gallons of waste from 1,270 vessels, giving boaters a more convenient way to keep this pollution from potentially entering the Miles and Wye rivers.

Pumpout boat service is available Friday evenings and weekends (including holidays) during the summer and early fall. To arrange service, boaters can contact the pumpout boat by calling 410-829-4352 or on VHF channel 9. To contact Captain Jim with specific questions or to schedule a regular pump out, email POBCaptJim@gmail.com. Please adhere to social distancing guidelines when interacting with the pumpout boat. Visit shorerivers.org for more information on the pumpout boat and the Chester River No Discharge Zone.

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.

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Do you have a passion for photography or just like to capture special moments with your phone? Do you love your local waterways and want to promote and preserve them? ShoreRivers is pleased to announce its 2021 Photo Contest from May through October, so snap a picture and send it our way! Shore rivers are your rivers, and we want to see how you engage with the natural resources that we all strive to conserve. ShoreRivers is especially interested in photos that reflect the organization’s mission of protecting and restoring our waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

Contest winners will be announced December 1 by email, social media, and the photo contest webpage. Categories include Wildlife, Waterways, Human Interaction with Nature, and Agriculture/Restoration (e.g. farm fields, restored streams, wetlands, shorelines, rain gardens, river-friendly yards). ShoreRivers will use winning photos in publications and outreach, such as:

• community presentations and events, which reach over 500 people annually
• emails and social media accounts, which have thousands of followers
• Semiannual Advocate newsletter and River Report Card, which are mailed to over 3,000 people.

Photographers will be credited for their photos and may submit up to four images for consideration. Images must be taken within the four watersheds that comprise ShoreRivers’ geographic area: Chester, Choptank, Miles-Wye, and Sassafras. To learn more about the contest rules and how to submit photos, please visit shorerivers.org/photo-contest.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

Beginning on the Summer Solstice (Sunday, June 20) until June 26, ShoreRivers will host a new kind of Solstice Celebration that offers something for everyone. Instead of one evening under the tent, the week-long celebration will include small-group expeditions, an online auction, and a free livestream concert with Philip Dutton and the Alligators. ShoreRivers is grateful for support from local partners and the Raymond James Charitable Foundation. Become a sponsor, reserve your ticket, and find more information at shorerivers.org/event/solstice.

Solstice Celebration Expeditions are extraordinary experiences with local experts that give participants a closer look at how science, advocacy, restoration, and education combine for cleaner water and a safer future for all. Edible plant foraging with Permaculture Educator Shane Brill, a dive into dragonflies with Biologist John Gillespie, and a chance to harken through a storied history at The Hermitage property are just a few examples of more than a dozen opportunities available. From paddling to pollinators, aquaculture to agriculture, environmental justice to ecopoetry, don’t miss the chance to register for these meaningful, informative, and interactive opportunities! Tickets are limited to ensure safety, as well as to give participants an insider’s experience.

Another way supporters near and far can contribute to ShoreRivers’ work is through an online auction, which will offer a custom oil painting by Chestertown’s own Marcy Dunn Ramsey, a secret adventure sail with Captain Andrew McCown, a vacation in Hilton Head, a cottage in the Berkshires, bourbon, books, bracelets, a hot air balloon ride, and a boatload of other exciting items. Bidding will open online June 14.

The celebration will culminate with a FREE livestream concert from ShoreRivers board member Bob Ingersoll’s Silver Barn studio, featuring local favorites Philip Dutton & the Alligators. All funds raised during this event directly support healthy, accessible waterways.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

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ShoreRivers proudly presents its annual State of the Rivers online via Zoom on Friday, May 7, from 5:00-6:15 pm. Nancy Cordes, CBS News chief White House correspondent, will emcee the live presentation, which will include the official release of the 2020 River Report Card and a Q&A session with the Choptank, Miles-Wye, Chester, and Sassafras Riverkeepers. The evening will also feature a presentation of the second annual Award for Environmental Stewardship to Nick Carter, who has been called the Druid of the Chesapeake. The event is free and does not require a Zoom account; register at shorerivers.org/events.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways are negatively impacted by excess nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment runoff from residential, commercial, and agricultural properties. Seasonal flares of bacterial contamination pose risks to human health. ShoreRivers conducts the only comprehensive water quality testing and monitoring of these and other pollutants in our local waterways. The 2020 Report Card reflects the results of these tests throughout four watersheds that span more than 1,650 square miles of the middle and upper Eastern Shore. With data collected by four professional Riverkeepers and citizen scientist volunteers, the Report Card provides a science-based approach to water quality analysis that fuels action.

“The state of our rivers is in our hands,” says ShoreRivers Executive Director Isabel Hardesty. “Good water quality and equitable, easy access to our rivers depend on the actions of our communities; the science tells us where to start. The State of the Rivers event is designed to welcome everyone to the conversation.” Headline topics for the event will include tributary and overall river grades, regional river health trends, strategies to clean local waterways, and a discussion of equitable accessibility. Participants will be able to ask questions of their Riverkeeper in breakout rooms.

In a special highlight of the event this year, ShoreRivers is proud to honor Nick Carter with its Award for Environmental Stewardship in recognition of his transformational accomplishments. After 35 years of service to Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, Carter is renowned for his spectrum of influence on Bay policies and his singular, moral voice for all woodland and wildlife of the Chesapeake.

ShoreRivers gratefully acknowledges scientific testing support from LaMotte Company. For more information, visit ShoreRivers.org/events or contact Connor Liu at cliu@shorerivers.org or 443.385.0511 ext. 210.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

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Trash is everywhere throughout our watersheds—floating in ditches and streams, littering roadways, dirtying parks, and fluttering through farm fields. In April, ShoreRivers and volunteers will host community trash cleanups to help rid our towns, streets, and parks of litter before it reaches our waterways.These events are part of the annual Project Clean Stream, a Bay-wide cleanup organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Thousands of people across the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed—six states and the District of Columbia—will work together to clean our shared water resource. This is a great way to get outside and make a tangible difference in for own rivers while being a part of the larger effort all across the Bay.

Join a Project Clean Stream cleanup near you:

• Saturday, April 3 at 9:00am: Unionville Road on the Miles River
• Saturday, April 10 at 8:30am: Fox Hole Landing on the Sassafras River
• Saturday, April 10 at 9:30am: Turners Creekon the Sassafras River
• Sunday, April 11 at 1:30pm: Wye Mills on the Wye River
• Saturday, April 17 at 9:00am: Sassafras Natural Resource Management Area on the Sassafras River
• Sunday, April 18 at 9:00am: Greensboro Community Park on the Choptank River
• Sunday, April 18 at 1:00 pm: Chestertown rail trail on the Chester River
• Saturday, April 24 at 9:00 am: Easton Point Marina on the Choptank River

If you are interested in volunteering to take part in any of these cleanups, please contact Laura Wood at lwood@shorerivers.org.Trash bags and gloves are provided; volunteers are encouraged to bring water, a mask, and wear appropriate attire. To plan your own Project Clean Stream event, visit www.allianceforthebay.org/project/project-clean-stream/

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

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ShoreRivers has received grants to work with two regional organizations to better manage and treat stormwater runoff from urban parking lots. Urban stormwater runoff is one of the most damaging threats to urban waterways because it contains nutrients and other harmful pollutants, and can contribute to localized flooding.

In Dorchester County, the existing parking lot at the American Legion Post 91 in Cambridge will be upgraded with vegetated bioswales and native trees to manage and treat stormwater runoff, and native grass plantings along the shoreline to stabilize the eroding bank. Post Historian Richard F. Colburn writes, “Five years ago we had a fire at the American Legion Post 91 that closed our post and necessitated an overwhelming amount of repairs and restoration, including to the riverside parking. Fortunately, with the help of ShoreRivers, services from Rauch Engineering, and grants from Chesapeake Bay Trust and a Maryland State Bond Initiative, the community came together on the final leg of the project. We are now able to retrofit our waterfront parking lot in a way that protects and enhances the water quality of the precious Choptank River.”

This project meets many of the action items in the Cambridge Clean Waters Advisory Committee’s report “Moving Toward Clean Waters: A 10-Year Plan.” The parking lot will be resurfaced in part with porous asphalt and sloped toward a bioswale to redirect stormwater runoff. The bioswale will be constructed along the edge of the parking lot with a channel of native plants to help increase biodiversity and wildlife in that area. The bioswale will slow and absorb the stormwater runoff and the vegetation will help filter the water before it drains into the Choptank. Native grasses planted between the parking lot and the water’s edge will stabilize the bank.

Similarly, in Kent County, a collaborative project between ShoreRivers, Washington College, and the Town of Chestertown proposes to retrofit a stormwater detention pond and associated drainage on the northern edge of the college’s campus. This project is part of a comprehensive stormwater management plan that ShoreRivers is preparing for the historic waterfront town. Both the stormwater management plan and the Washington College retrofit designs were funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with a match from a private donor to complete engineered designs for the campus retrofits.

ShoreRivers recently installed several of these retrofits as mini bioretention basins in the college’s North Commons parking lot, with funds from Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs grant program. These mini practices were designed to capture and hold water so biological activity can remove nutrients as well as pollutants coming from asphalt and vehicles before draining into the stormwater pond that eventually discharges to Radcliffe Creek, a tributary of the impaired Middle Chester River. Implementation funding proposals are in progress for the remaining practices, which are the first of a number of improvements the college hopes to make on its campus that will have water quality and habitat benefits and serve as demonstration projects to the large audience the college serves.

The Cambridge and Chestertown projects are examples of using the “Dig Once” concept to leverage private investments to increase water quality protections. American Legion Post 91 and Washington College each invested in the gray infrastructure components of the upgrades—resurfacing and curb placement—providing the required matching funds for the green infrastructure components paid for by grants from Chesapeake Bay Trust.

By installing the projects’ green components at the same time as the gray infrastructure elements, upgrades cost less than if the parking lots were later retrofitted with green infrastructure. According to Chester Riverkeeper Annie Richards, “Leveraging private investments to help tackle urban runoff is a strategy that will likely become more powerful as we get closer to the 2025 deadline for the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup.”

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

ShoreRivers seeks applicants for an exciting, hands-on, 10-week summer internship experience in the environmental field. This internship for a rising college junior or senior or recent college graduate is supported with a $2,000 stipend by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund.

ShoreRivers is a nonprofit organization that protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. With offices in Easton, Chestertown, and Galena, Maryland, the organization serves as an advocate for the health of our rivers and the living resources they support. Programs promote environmental awareness of the essential role local rivers and streams play in the community, the issues that threaten their health and vitality, and solutions that must be implemented to preserve them.

The summer intern will provide programmatic support for our Midshore region and participate in a variety of activities including restoration, water quality monitoring, outreach, and education. By the end of the program, the intern will complete a Maryland boater safety certificate and become familiar with handling a boat; gain training in scientific water quality monitoring equipment and protocols; and develop a variety of other skills and experiences.

Photo: Elizabeth Brown was dedicated to clean water, engaging others with their rivers, and serving as an environmental steward in every way. She brought enthusiasm and joy to every task as an esteemed colleague and a beloved friend, and we miss her dearly. 

Location: Virtual and in the field in the Choptank, Miles, Wye, and Easterns Bay watersheds, with occasional travel throughout the ShoreRivers region. Office based in Easton, MD.

Dates: Minimum of 10 weeks between May and August; start and end dates are flexible.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30; with occasional evening and weekend work.

Stipend: $2,000 provided by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund.

To Apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to Ann Frock, OfficeKeeper, at afrock@shorerivers.org no later than February 26, 2021. Before applying, please visit ShoreRivers.org to learn more about ShoreRivers and the requirements of this position.

Interviews will be conducted by Zoom in March and an intern will be selected and notified no later than March 15, 2021.  

ShoreRivers believes that swimmable, fishable, clean, and safe rivers are for everyone in our communities. ShoreRivers is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all applicants.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

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In late January, ShoreRivers formally challenged the issuance of the Trappe East Groundwater Discharge Permit for failing to adequately protect local groundwater and surface waters from the spray irrigation of wastewater. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) issued a final determination to issue the permit on January 1 for a wastewater treatment facility that will serve the proposed 2,500-building development known as Trappe East (since renamed Lakeside at Trappe), which is said by its investors to be the largest proposed mixed-use development on the East Coast of the United States. Under the MDE permit, sewage from this massive development will be sprayed on 87 acres of farmland that surround the headwaters of Miles Creek, a Choptank River tributary. However, according to ShoreRivers’ review, the final permit fails to verify that nutrients in the wastewater will be fully taken up by the vegetation, and therefore could end up polluting groundwater or the nearby river.

“The permit requires the wastewater treatment system to use what is called enhanced nutrient removal technology, but that will not ensure that all nutrient pollution is taken up by crops, not discharged into the Choptank,” says ShoreRivers Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta. “We are not satisfied that the language in the final permit issued by MDE ensures that the system will actually meet the standards required by state and federal law. The Choptank River is already designated by MDE as impaired by nutrient pollution,” he emphasizes. “This permit, as it’s written, will further degrade the river’s water quality.”

ShoreRivers conducted a close review of the final permit with numerous experts, including hydrologists, agricultural professionals, and an environmental legal team headed up by the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, a nonprofit organization working for the Chesapeake Bay watershed and its communities. The team concluded that there are numerous deficiencies in the draft permit and several instances where the water quality protections were weakened between the draft permit and the final permit. In addition, the nutrient management plan that is critical to ensuring the safe disposal of sewage sprayed onto nearby fields was not released to the public until after MDE closed the comment period, thus depriving ShoreRivers and the public of the right to comment on the full permit.

As a result, ShoreRivers has filed a petition for judicial review in the Talbot County Circuit Court. ShoreRivers hopes the permit will be remanded back to MDE with a requirement to reopen the comment period. It is imperative the permit fully complies with state and federal law to ensure no increase in pollution for the Choptank.

Groundwater discharge permits (which are required when wastewater is spray-irrigated onto farmland) are becoming a more popular choice for managing wastewater from municipal and industrial sources on the Eastern Shore. ShoreRivers has monitored the compliance record of these discharge permits in the region for the past several years; very few of them are in full compliance with their permit conditions. “If the water quality protection deficits and the procedural issues with this permit are not addressed, it will set a damaging precedent for these permits moving forward,” says Pluta. “If the practices in this permit are allowed, we can expect our groundwater and surface waters to get more polluted.”

Another oversight in the permit noted by ShoreRivers is the lack of consideration for impacts from the climate crisis. The years 2018 and 2019 were two of the wettest on record on the Eastern Shore, but the permit fails to consider the impact of increased intensity and volume of storms. “We are setting these permits up for failure from the start if they don’t consider how rainfall and weather patterns will be different in the future. The uphill battle to meet water quality standards will undoubtedly get steeper if we continue to ignore how climate change is affecting precipitation patterns,” says Pluta.

The permit challenge was submitted prior to the February 1 deadline and will be reviewed by the local circuit court.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

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