ShoreRivers Hosts First Annual State of the Chester, Wye, and Eastern Bay

ShoreRivers will host its first annual State of the Rivers presentation focusing on the Chester and Wye Rivers and Eastern Bay on Wednesday, May 16 at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC), located at 600 Discovery Lane in Grasonville. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:30 pm for a reception with beer, wine and light fare. Mingle with representatives and learn about other local organizations, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, CBEC, Kent Island Beach Clean Up, Corsica River Conservancy, Gunston School, and Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society. The formal presentation will begin at 6:00 pm. Chester Riverkeeper Tim Trumbauer, Miles-Wye Riverkeeper Elle Bassett, and other ShoreRivers staff will present the 2017 Chester River and Midshore Report Cards and discuss the latest water quality trends.

This is a new location and the final in a series of five ShoreRivers State of the Rivers events conducted in April and May, unveiling the results of extensive water quality monitoring. Other presentations took place in St. Michaels, Cambridge, Chestertown, and Cecilton, detailing water quality results for the Miles, Wye, Choptank, Chester, and Sassafras Rivers. If you weren’t able to attend any of the previous four presentations, the May 16 event will be the last chance to attend this year’s events.

The data for the Chester River Report Card and the Midshore Report Card was collected by a combination of experienced ShoreRivers water quality scientists and dedicated volunteer teams of Midshore Creekwatchers and Chester Testers citizen-scientists. In addition to learning about tested parameters and grades, attendees will also gain insight on ways to lessen their yard’s impact on our rivers through the River-Friendly Yards campaign and Marylander’s Grow Oyster program.

ShoreRivers is a newly-formed entity resulting from the recent merger of Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, Chester River Association, and Sassafras River Association into a unified region-wide organization. ShoreRivers is now one committed voice for Eastern Shore rivers with greater influence on policy, increased capacity to enact programs, and more potential to undertake large restoration projects. For more information about ShoreRivers, please visit shorerivers.org.

For more information about the May 16^th State of the Rivers event, please contact Elle Bassett at 443.385.0511 or ebassett@shorerivers.org.