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May 18, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

Ecosystem Eco Notes

PWEC’s Phillips Cox Named Executive Director, Emerita

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The Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Board of Directors has recently accepted the resignation of Kelley Phillips Cox, with Cox citing medical reasons for the move. The Board has named Cox Executive Director Emerita to honor her role as the nonprofit’s founder and first director.

Cox continues to volunteer for the nonprofit that carries her family name, helping with grant writing and administration, among other operational support.

“I’m very much still involved,” said Cox. “Right now, I need to make my health my priority, especially during the COVID pandemic. All the work Phillips Wharf does is still at my heart, and I am continuing to work with our community partners and assist with grants—all which will help to expand their aquaculture and education programs.”

“We are extremely grateful for Kelley’s leadership and service to the nonprofit that will always carry her family’s name,” said Phillips Wharf Board President Matt Albers. “Because of Kelley, we can continue to grow in the services provided as we educate more children and adults about Chesapeake Bay aquaculture and more.”

Kelley Phillips Cox

Albers says the Board is now overseeing PWEC’s limited operations due to the COVID pandemic, and plans to begin a new executive director search by spring 2021.

Cox is a Tilghman Island native who founded Phillips Wharf Environmental Center in 2005 on property that once served as a seafood packinghouse as part of Cox’s family lineage. Cox’s family includes multi-generations of Chesapeake Bay watermen, with Cox receiving her marine biology degree from Salisbury University in pursuit of her passion for science. Her research and expertise are focused on estuarine aquaculture and the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem, with experience as a project WET certified instructor.

Cox continues to be actively involved with numerous regional organizations, including the Maryland Association of Outdoor and Environmental Educators, Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association, National Marine Educators Association, National Science Teachers Association, and the Maryland Oyster Advisory Commission. She is the recipient of MAEOE’s 2014 Robert Finton Maryland Environmental Educator of the Year Award and its 2018 Heritage Heroes Award. Talbot County’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism recognized Cox with its2019 Community Impact Award.

Phillips Wharf’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences highlighting the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants, with more at phillipswharf.org.

Learn to Grow Your Own Oysters This March 21

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Phillips Wharf Environmental Center on Tilghman Island, Md. is offering a course on growing oysters from your own dock on Sat., Mar. 21 from 10 to 3 p.m., with oyster farmer Lawrence Rudner of St. Michaels, Md. leading the course. The event includes a shuck-your-own lunch of a dozen oysters, with participation limited, and advance registration needed.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center on Tilghman Island, Md. is offering a course on growing oysters from your own dock on Sat., Mar. 21 from 10 to 3 p.m., with oyster farmer Lawrence Rudner of St. Michaels, Md. Participants will learn about all the steps of oyster growing and harvesting off your private dock, while taking advantage of a Maryland tax credit for growing your own oysters. Participation is limited, with advanced registration needed.

“You can grow healthy, delicious oysters for your own use off your dock with minimal effort, all while helping to clean the Chesapeake Bay,” said PWEC Executive Director Kelley Cox. “The state of Maryland is offering a tax credit of up to $500 per person for the purchase of new floating oyster cages. This course will help folks to use that credit, while teaching the practical aspects of oyster gardening.”

The oyster gardening workshop will cover information on oyster history, biology, and regulations; gardening and equipment options and sources; seed types; processing and harvesting techniques; ways to safely shuck an oyster; and more.

PWEC’s oyster gardening workshop takes place on Sat., Mar. 21, and will cover information on seed types, like these shown here, along with oyster history, biology, and regulations; gardening and equipment options and sources; processing and harvesting techniques; ways to safely shuck an oyster; and more.

Lawrence Rudner has been growing oysters dockside for more than 10 years, and has recently applied for two aquaculture leases to raise and commercially sell oysters under the Oyster Girl Oysters brand.

The cost of the workshop is $99 and includes lunch. To reserve, please send a check made out to ‘PWEC,’ along with your phone number, email address, and postal address to: PWEC Oyster Gardening Class, 6129 Tilghman Island Rd, Tilghman, MD 21671.

PWEC’s Mar. 21 oyster gardening workshop includes a shuck-your-own lunch of a dozen oysters, in addition to detailed instruction on how to grow oysters from your private dock. The program takes place in PWEC’s classroom from 10 to 3 p.m. with participation limited, and advance registration needed.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences highlighting the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants.

For more information, visit phillipswharf.org.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

March 22 Oyster Growing Workshop at Phillips Wharf

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Phillips Wharf Environmental Center on Tilghman Island, Md. is offering its second course on growing oysters from your own dock on Sun., March 22 from 10 to 3 p.m. Oyster farmer Lawrence Rudner of St. Michaels, Md. will lead the workshop, which includes a shuck-your-own lunch of a dozen oysters. Participation limited, with advance registration required.

“We’re offering this workshop again, after our March 21 session filled quickly,” said PWEC Executive Director Kelley Cox. “This workshop will help you learn to grow oysters for your own use, off your dock, and with minimal effort, all while helping to clean the Chesapeake Bay. Plus, Maryland is offering a tax credit of up to $500 per person for the purchase of new floating oyster cages. This course will help folks use that credit, while teaching the practical aspects of oyster gardening.”

The oyster gardening workshop will cover information on oyster history, biology, and regulations; gardening and equipment options and sources; seed types; processing and harvesting techniques; ways to safely shuck an oyster; and more.

Lawrence Rudner has been growing oysters dockside for more than 10 years, and has recently applied for two aquaculture leases to raise and commercially sell oysters under the Oyster Girl Oysters brand.

All participants must pre-register, with the cost of the workshop at $99, which includes lunch. To reserve, please send a check made out to ‘PWEC,’ along with your phone number, email address, and postal address to: PWEC Oyster Gardening Class, 6129 Tilghman Island Rd, Tilghman, MD 21671.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences highlighting the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants. For more information, visit phillipswharf.org.

Blue Crabs and the Bay at Phillips Wharf Feb. 22

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Blue crabs and the Bay will be the topic for the Sat., Feb. 22 Sip & Socialize speaker event at Phillips Wharf Environmental Center on Tilghman Island. Phillips Wharf’s newest staff member and marine estuarine scientist Dr. Kristen Lycett will lead the discussion on the reasons for the blue crab’s population fluctuations over the years, along with the crab’s life cycle and the impact of disease.

The event starts at 5 p.m. in Phillips Wharf classroom, beginning with wine, refreshments, and light snacks served before the presentation. Following the speaker presentation will be time for discussion.

“The blue crab, Callinectessapidus, is an important crustacean species along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America. In the Chesapeake, it serves as prey for a variety of other species and serves as an important fishery,” said Lycett. “In fact, the U.S. blue crab fishery brought in $197 million in 2017, $48 million of which came from the state of Maryland. However, blue crab populations along the eastern coast of the United States have seen major fluctuations and even declines in recent years.”

Lycett received her Ph.D. from the Marine Estuarine Environmental Science program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where she studied the parasite Hematodiniumperezi, which infects blue crabs and other crustaceans.

Bring your curiosity and questions to the Sip & Socialize, as Dr. Lycett has a wealth of knowledge to share.Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series is free, with donations gratefully accepted.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series features volunteers, experts, and Chesapeake Bay industry professionals on topics pertinent to the Chesapeake Bay, wildlife and environmental changes, with more in the series posted at phillipswharf.org.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Learn about Chessie at Phillips Wharf Feb. 15

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Phillips Wharf Environmental Center on Tilghman Island, Md. is inviting the public to its Sat., Feb. 15 Sip & Socialize Speaker Series for a talk on the Chesapeake Bay’s Chessie, and the story of the legendary serpent’s rise and fall, and the many ways in which the creature’s career intersected with life on the shores of the nation’s largest estuary.

The event starts at 5 p.m. in Phillips Wharf classroom, beginning with wine, refreshments, and light snacks served before the presentation. Following the speaker presentation will be time for discussion.

Sip & Socialize speaker Eric A. Cheezum, PhD will share the story of the legendary sea monster that surfaced in 1978 out of the Potomac River’s waters. Cheezum is a Preston, Md. native, where he operates a family farm and researches, writes, and teaches history. He received his PhD in U.S. History from the University of South Carolina in 2007.

Chesapeake Bay serpent Chessie.

“Initially reported in rural Virginia, the serpent was propelled to stardom by newspapers looking for stories to offset the August news doldrums,” says Cheezum. “By 1980, the creature—now dubbed “Chessie”—had migrated into the Chesapeake Bay’s northern section. Reputed to be friendly and non-threatening, the estuarine serpent quickly became a major pop culture sensation in Maryland.”

Cheezum says in 1982, a couple filmed what they thought was the monster, beginning a serious scientific debate over the existence of what zoologists and video analysts termed the “Chesapeake Bay Phenomenon.”

“Three years later and now at the zenith of its celebrity, Chessie was nearly protected under state environmental law, and for the second half of the decade its image was appropriated for use in environmental advocacy,” continued Cheezum. “Then, after fifteen years of fame, sightings stopped coming in.”

Bring your curiosity and questions to the Sip & Socialize, as Eric has a wealth of knowledge to share.Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series is free, with donations gratefully accepted.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series features volunteers, experts, and Chesapeake Bay industry professionals on topics pertinent to the Chesapeake Bay, wildlife and environmental changes, with more in the series posted at phillipswharf.org.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Mallows Bay Ghost Fleet Explored at Phillips Wharf Feb. 8

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Phillips Wharf Environmental Center on Tilghman Island, Md. is inviting the public to its Sat., Feb. 8 Sip & Socialize Speaker Series for a talk on Mallows Bay, Beyond the Ghost Fleet.

Each Sip & Socialize speaker event begins at 5 p.m. in Phillips Wharf classroom, with wine, refreshments, and light snacks served. Following the speaker presentation will be time for discussion.

Mallows Bay—known as a ship graveyard—is located along the Potomac River in Charles County, Md. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently designated an 18-square mile stretch of the area as the Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary.

Mallows Bay is most renowned for its “Ghost Fleet,” the partially submerged remains of more than 100 wooden steamships that were built in response to threats from World War I-era German U-boats that were sinking ships in the Atlantic.

Photo Attribution: F Delventhal from Outside Washington, D.C.

Susan B. M. Langley, PhD will present the history of the largest fleet of wooden shipwrecks in the world. Langley will also speak on Mallow Bay’s most prominent vessels and its recent designation as a National Marine Sanctuary. The history of Maryland’s other maritime heritage resources, and the integral role the fleet now plays in the environment will also be explored.

Dr. Langley has been the Maryland State Underwater Archaeologist for more than 25 years directing the Maryland Maritime Archaeology Program within the Department of Planning’s Maryland Historical Trust. She is an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities, where she teaches underwater archaeology and the anthropology of piracy.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series is free, with donations gratefully accepted.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series features volunteers, experts, and Chesapeake Bay industry professionals on topics pertinent to the Chesapeake Bay, wildlife and environmental changes, with more in the series posted at phillipswharf.org.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Falconry & Red-Tailed Hawks at Phillips Wharf Feb. 1

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Eastern Shore Experience Owner and falconer Eric Werner kicks off Phillips Wharf’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series on Sat., Feb. 1, at Phillips Wharf’s classroom on Tilghman Island, Md. The speaker sessions are free, with donations gratefully accepted.

Werner will share details of the 4,500-year-old sport of falconry with a red-tailed hawk. As a falconer for more than 20 years, Eric is one of 3,400 licensed falconer’s in the United States.

“Falcons are brilliant birds and have been trained for thousands of years to work with hunters in the field,” said Werner. “Now, you have an opportunity to get up-close and personal with one of the Eastern Shore’s top predators, a Red-tailed Hawk.”

Falconer Eric Werner kicks off Phillips Wharf’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series.

Each Sip & Socialize speaker event begins at 5 p.m. in Phillips Wharf classroom, with wine, refreshments, and light snacks served. Following the speaker presentation will be time for discussion.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s Sip & Socialize Winter Speaker Series features topics focused on the Chesapeake Bay, its wildlife and environmental changes.Future Speaker Series events will be posted at phillipswharf.org.

Based on Tilghman Island, Eastern Shore Experience provides wildlife and adventure educational experiences, and relies on Werner’s experiences as a local hunting and fishing guide, federally licensed falconer, and wildlife rescuer. More is at easternshoreexperience.com.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s programs and services support the nonprofit’s mission to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences showcasing the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

Phillips Wharf Announces 2020 Fishmobile Program

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This spring, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center is bringing the Chesapeake Bay to area schools, summer camps, and private events, with its Fishmobile. The non-profit is now accepting 2020 reservations for the traveling aquarium, with dates beginning Apr. 13 and continuing through Nov. 1.

“Our traveling aquarium provides students with hands-on learning experiences that help us better understand the Chesapeake Bay’s creatures and science,” explained Phillips Wharf Estuarium Manager Sarah Moffat. “Imagine comparing your arm span to an osprey’s wingspan, or seeing the differences between a turtle and a terrapin, or touching a horseshoe crab for the first time.”

Phillips WharfThe Fishmobile is equipped with 13 estuarine tanks, two touch tanks, and interactive displays and exhibits focused on the Chesapeake Bay and its inhabitants.

“It’s an unforgettable experience,” continued Moffat. “It’s great to see children’s faces light up as they explore our oyster reef tank with blennies, gobies, toadfish, grass shrimp, and more.”

Other animals include the Chesapeake’s diamondback terrapin, horseshoe crab, northern pufferfish, lined seahorse, American eel, flounder, snapping turtle, blue crab, spider crab, and more.

Phillips Wharf also offers customized, age-appropriate educational programs in school classrooms, with K – 5th grade students learning about critters of the Chesapeake Bay, and 6th – 12th grade students learning the science behind oyster restoration, aquaculture, and nurseries by utilizing a simulated oyster set.

Horseshoe

horseshoe crab

The Fishmobile’s operations are made possible through the generous sponsor support of its sponsors, including Perdue, Choptank Electric Cooperative, Christmas in St. Michaels, and the Mid-Shore Community Foundation.

For pricing and more information about Phillips Wharf’s Fishmobile and classroom programs, go to bit.ly/fishmobile, or contact Missy Cannon Helgason at missy@phillipswharf.org or at 410-886-9200.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences showcasing the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants. For more information, visit phillipswharf.org.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here. 

Tilghman’s Boat Parade, Tree Lighting is Dec. 14

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Tilghman TreeOn Sat., Dec, 14, the residents and businesses of Tilghman Island invite the public to an evening of cocktails and Santa visits, before the annual Great Crab Pot Tree Lighting ceremony and Lighted Boat Parade at Knapps Narrows.

The event kicks off at Character’s Bridge Restaurant with a cocktail party at 5:30 p.m. Then, Santa will be on Tilghman Island from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in the Phillips Wharf classroom to greet guests while they enjoy hot cocoa and cookies.

The Great Crab Pot Tree Lighting takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, followed by the lighted, Knapps Narrows boat parade beginning at 7:00 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs, with free parking and space for parade spectators at Phillips Wharf.

Immediately after the boat parade will be a live auction and awards ceremony at Character’s Bridge Restaurant, with auction proceeds benefiting the Tilghman Island Volunteer Fire Department. Auction items include an original painting by a local artist, a custom oyster knife, NFL tickets, and more.

“This has become a highlight of the Christmas season for the island,” explained Kelley Phillips Cox, executive director of Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, the organization that started the Great Crab Pot Tree celebration.The event is made possible by a committee of community members working together to create a fun event for all ages.“While it’s a local tradition, we welcome everyone to come enjoy the beauty of the season.

“And, we’ve coordinated our date this year with Christmas in St. Michaels, to give people more reasons to enjoy all of the Bay Hundred area this holiday season.”

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences showcasing the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants. For more information, visit phillipswharf.org.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here. 

Juvenile Terrapins Released on Tilghman Island

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Phillips Wharf Environmental Center staff recently released four juvenile diamondback terrapins along Black Walnut Cove on Tilghman Island. The baby terrapins were rehabilitated at PWEC over this past year, after being rescued from harmful conditions in the local area.

Native to the Chesapeake Bay region, diamondback terrapins are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Newly hatched terrapins are roughly the size of a quarter, and are often preyed upon before they have the chance to reach adulthood. Other threats include habitat loss, and impacts from human recreation such as drowning in crab traps. Hatchlings are also susceptible to a number of health issues such as respiratory infections and an occasional eye infection.

“Phillips Wharf was able to treat these conditions in the juveniles and rehabilitate them to a size that would be favorable for their survival in the wild, which is approximately three times the size of when they were brought in,” said PWEC Aquaria Manager Sarah Moffat. “Another juvenile terrapin release is planned for fall 2020 for the five hatchlings still in our care.”

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center is currently accepting donations and sponsorships for their Terrapin and Turtle Rehab efforts. These donations help fund the care needed for the terrapins while at the center—including medical treatments and prepared diets—as well as for habitat improvement projects, including PWEC’s outdoor terrapin and turtle habitat center.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences showcasing the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants. To become a supporter of PWEC’s Terrapin and Turtle Rehab program, contact PWEC Aquaria Manager Sarah Moffatat 410-886-9200 or at sarah@phillipswharf.org.