Residents and visitors are encouraged to take part in Celebrate Trails Day by exploring their favorite trails.

Queen Anne’s County is gearing up for Celebrate Trails Day on April 27. This event highlights the natural beauty and recreational opportunities offered by the county’s extensive trail network.

Trails are an integral part of Queen Anne’s County’s landscape, providing residents and visitors alike with opportunities for outdoor exploration, exercise, and relaxation. From winding woodland paths to scenic waterfront trails, the county’s diverse landscapes offer something for everyone to enjoy.

Celebrate Trails Day is a time for the community to come together and celebrate the importance of trails in promoting physical and mental well-being, fostering a sense of community, and preserving natural spaces for future generations. It also serves as a reminder of the need to protect and maintain these valuable assets.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to take part in Celebrate Trails Day by exploring their favorite trails. It’s a chance to connect with nature, appreciate the beauty of the outdoors, and support environmental stewardship efforts in Queen Anne’s County.

Some trails we would like to highlight:

• Blue Heron Nature Preserve: Located off Route 8 near the Blue Heron Golf Course, this 300-acre nature preserve offers many miles of natural surface hiking and equestrian trails.
• Kent Island South Trail: This 6-mile hiker/ biker trail extends from Matapeake Park to Romancoke along Route 8.
• Terrapin Nature Preserve: This 276-acre nature park features a 3.25-mile oyster chaff walking trail that connects to the Cross Island Trail.
• Cross Island Trail: This trail is 6.5 miles long and extends from Terrapin Nature Preserve to Kent Narrows at the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center.
• Cross County Connector Trail: This trail connects the Cross Island Trail expanding the system around 1.2 miles to Long Point Park.
• Conquest Nature Preserve: Over 750-acre farm features shorelines on both the Chester and Corsica rivers and is located a few miles north of Centreville. This preserve features miles of natural trails that are perfect for biking or bird watching.

“We are excited to Celebrate Trails Day and showcase the incredible trails that Queen Anne’s County has to offer,” said Steve Chandlee, Director of Parks and Recreation. “These trails play a vital role in promoting health, wellness, and community engagement, and we encourage everyone to get out and enjoy them on April 27th.”

Join us in celebrating Trail Days on April 27th and discover the natural wonders of Queen Anne’s County’s trails. For more information about our parks and trails, visit www.qac.org or follow us on social media @QACParksNRec.

ShoreRivers is inviting the public to get out in their communities and explore their local waterways through a series of expeditions around the region.

On the schedule are:

• A walking tour of Chestertown centered on environmental justice on Wednesday, May 1
• A paddle with the Choptank Riverkeeper of Tuckahoe Creek on Thursday, May 2
• A family wetland exploration day at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) on Saturday, June 8
• A Corsica River paddle with the Chester Riverkeeper on Wednesday, June 12
• A farm-to-table tour of Oksana’s Produce Farm on Thursday, June 20
• A morning paddle on Granary Creek with the Miles-Wye Riverkeeper on Thursday, June 27
• A tour of Wye Farm with wildlife artist Jonathan Shaw on Wednesday, July 17
• A family paddle at Tuckahoe Lake on Saturday, July 20
• A farm tour (featuring edible flowers) at Wildly Native Flower Farm on Wednesday, July 24
• A paddle among the lotus blooms with the Sassafras Riverkeeper on Thursday, July 25
• A tour of Chesapeake Culinary Center and a lesson on cooking with invasive species on Thursday, August 8
• An evening of pizza and permaculture with the Eastern Shore Permaculture Institute on Tuesday, August 20
• An afternoon lesson on fly fishing near Mill Creek on Wednesday, September 18
• A paddle on Kings Creek with the Choptank Riverkeeper on Thursday, October 3
• A tour of Ferry Cove Oyster Hatchery on Thursday, November 7

These expeditions are small group experiences offering learning and fun, and are a wonderful way to support ShoreRivers’ work for clean water on the Eastern Shore. From paddles to tours of restoration sites, to hands-on adventures, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!

“We know that access to our waterways fuels environmental stewardship,” says ShoreRivers’ Membership Manager Courtney Leigh. “It’s our hope that participants in these annual expeditions—in addition to taking in the natural beauty of our rivers, learning from partners who share our vision of thriving communities, and engaging with vibrant team members who lead the charge for clean waterways—will also develop a stronger connection to the bays, rivers, and creeks we all cherish on the Eastern Shore.”

To register and for individual event details, visit shorerivers.org/events.

Earth Day Adkins at Adkins Arboretum in Ridgely MD, 22 April 2023. Photo by Mike Morgan.

A full day of outdoor fun is planned for Adkins Arboretum’s Earth Day Adkins event on Sat., April 20. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, April 21, noon to 4 p.m.

The whole family is invited for a native plant sale, tree giveaways (while supplies last), dip netting in the wetland and hands-on nature activities with local environmental organizations, including ShoreRivers, Tuckahoe State Park, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Talbot Master Gardeners, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, Anne Arundel County Rec and Parks, Bartlett Tree Experts and Pickering Creek Audubon Center.

Refreshments from local food trucks will be available for purchase. Bring your spare seeds to participate in our seed swap, engage in living history with Native American historian Drew Shuptar-Rayvis and take a selfie with Mother Earth! There will also be live entertainment all day by Fine Times, Choptank Little/Big Band, The Naturalists, the Parsons Family and Improv Easton.

Thanks to the generosity of the Arboretum’s sponsors, Earth Day Adkins admission is just $5 per person when purchased in advance at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 100. Children ages 3 and under are admitted free of charge. Only 400 admissions will be sold, so early registration is advised. Admission increases to $10 on the day of the event. For more details, visit adkinsarboretum.org.

This spring, the community is banding together for a vital environmental initiative aimed at beautifying our local ecosystems and contributing to the health of the Chesapeake Bay. On April 7th, Matapeake Park will become a hub of activity as volunteers gather for a significant trash cleanup event. This effort is part of Project Clean Stream, a Bay-wide initiative organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and coordinated locally by groups including ShoreRivers.

The Event Details

Where: Matapeake Park, 1112 Romancoke Road, Stevensville, MD, 21666, United States.
When: Sunday, April 7, starting at 10 am.

In a collaboration that spans across Queen Anne’s County, the cleanup event, dubbed Clean Anne’s Day, aims to mobilize the community for a day dedicated to environmental service. By focusing on removing trash from our roads, parks, and rivers, volunteers play a crucial role in preserving the natural beauty and ecological health of the area.

For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please contact [email protected].

On Thurs., April 4 at 1 p.m., Adkins Arboretum will launch The Diversity Around Us, a series of free talks and walks offered in partnership with the Maryland Biodiversity Project. Jim Brighton, co-founder of the Maryland Biodiversity Project, will introduce the series and provide insight into his project’s efforts to catalog Maryland’s living things and build a vibrant nature study community. Understanding biodiversity is the first step toward conserving wild species, habitats and a healthy ecosystem.

Over several months, The Diversity Around Us will bring experts and citizen scientists together to learn about and observe the plants, animals and fungi of Maryland’s Coastal Plain. The general public is invited to participate in some or all of the series. Lecture topics include birds, plants, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fungi and lichen of the Coastal Plains. INaturalist Walks, led by experts, will build on the information presented in the lectures and take place on third Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. from April through October.

The Diversity Around Us will culminate in a Community Bioblitz at the Arboretum in early September. Experts will be on hand to help identify and confirm sightings. Data gathered will contribute to a comprehensive list of species at the Arboretum and be added to the Maryland Biodiversity Project website.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and plant preserve that strives to be a model for land stewardship. Biodiversity is an integral indicator of healthy and resilient landscapes. Through its Diversity Around Us series, the Arboretum will create a more complete picture of the biodiversity of Maryland’s Coast Plain and empower community members to contribute to resilient, biodiverse ecosystems.

For more information and to register for the series, visit adkinsarboretum.org.

The Waterfowl Festival is excited to match resources with environmental needs across the region through its annual “Community in Conservation” funding program. These grants, supported by proceeds from annual Waterfowl Festival weekend, annual donors, and the Conservation Dinner Series, offer non-profits and community entities the chance to receive monies for projects and initiatives at the intersection of conservation and community.

“We are pleased to offer this grant opportunity for our mission-aligned organizations here on the Delmarva peninsula,” remarked Eric Milhollan, President, Waterfowl Festival Board of Directors.  “Now more than ever, it is critical that we provide support and encouragement to those organizations who are working hard to celebrate the natural environment and preserve it for future generations.”

Over the past five decades, dozens of organizations have been supported by the Waterfowl Festival, creating a legacy of education, leadership, and engagement in the conservation space. Recent projects and grantees include Ducks Unlimited, the Wellington Wildlife Management Area, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center,  University of MD Center for Environmental Science – Project: Enhancing the Horn Point Nature Trail Experience, and the ShoreRivers – Project: Underwater Grasses Restoration.

“The Waterfowl Festival has been a long-time conservation partner of Ducks Unlimited,” said Regional Biologist Ed Farley. “Right now, we are restoring a 40-acre wetland that was historically drained for row crops at Wellington Wildlife Management Area. The work could not have been done without funding from the Waterfowl Festival.”

Maryland, Virginia, or Delaware organizations are encouraged to reach out to the Waterfowl Festival with their unique projects needing crucial funding through this grant program. The 2024 grant cycle will begin April 1, 2024 and continue through July 31, 2024. Grantees will be announced and funds distributed by November 7, 2024 in advance of the 53rd Annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD.

The 2024 Conservation Dinner will be held in June in Easton, MD. Those interested in sponsoring or attending this dinner are encouraged to reach out to the Festival via marketing@waterfowlfestival.org.

Guidelines to apply:

Please submit your application via our online portal (mailed copies will not be accepted)

Application portal: https://waterfowlfestival.org/conservation/community-in-conservation/

Deadline: July 1, 2024

With this focus on connecting our financial resources to local environmental needs we now support projects in these four priority areas:

1. Initiatives at the intersections of waterfowl conservation and community

2. Education programs on Delmarva focusing on current and future generations of conservationists, enthusiasts and educators

3. Research and scientific work of graduate students, volunteer groups
   and non-profits on Delmarva

Restoration and conservation of projects that benefit waterfowl and
regional habitat enhancement in ways that connect with larger bay habitat
restoration goals

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Join us on select dates in April to clear trash from our roads, parks, and rivers! ShoreRivers and volunteers are once again hosting community trash clean-ups as part of Project Clean Stream, a Bay-wide trash clean-up effort organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and coordinated by local groups like ShoreRivers. Project Clean Stream is an opportunity for citizens across the entire watershed to work together to clean our shared water resource.

This year, we are also excited to be partnering with a variety of community organizations for Clean Anne’s County Day—a day of environmental service throughout Queen Anne’s County. A variety of trash pick-ups are scheduled for Sunday, April 7, to help keep the county and its waterways clean.

Join a Project Clean Stream cleanup near you:

• Sunday, April 7, at 10am: Romancoke Pier with Kent Island Rotary Club
• Sunday, April 7, at 10am: Matapeake Park with Plastic Free Queen Anne’s County and Four Seasons
• Sunday, April 7, at 1pm: Millstream Park in Centreville with Centreville Rotary Club
• Sunday, April 7, at 1pm: Centreville Wharf with Corsica River Conservancy
• Sunday, April 7, at 1pm: Gibson’s Grant (meet at clubhouse)
• Tuesday, April 9, at 10am: Oyster Shell Pile Clean-up at Grasonville Disposal Area with Oyster Recovery Partnership (rain date: Thursday, April 11)
• Saturday, April 13, at 8:30am: Fox Hole Landing in Kent Island
• Saturday, April 13, at 9am: Sassafras Natural Resource Management Area

To volunteer for any of these clean-ups, please contact Maegan White at [email protected] or visit shorerivers.org/events for individual event details. Trash bags and gloves will be provided; volunteers are encouraged to bring water and wear appropriate attire.