ShoreRivers’ 2024 summer interns gained hands-on experience in everything from soil sampling in farm fields to processing submerged aquatic vegetation using ShoreRivers’ turbulator. To learn more about what type of projects you’ll take on as a summer intern, visit shorerivers.org/jobs.

ShoreRivers is currently accepting applications from college students and recent graduates for two Easton-based summer internships: its Elizabeth Brown Memorial Internship and a Communications Internship.

The Elizabeth Brown Memorial intern will gain experience in a variety of activities including restoration, scientific water quality monitoring, outreach, and enforcement, while the communications intern will focus on organizational communication, public relations, and event promotion. By the end of these internships, each will have completed a Maryland boater safety certificate, gained experience and training in scientific water quality monitoring equipment and protocols, and developed a variety of other skills and experiences. Visit shorerivers.org/jobs for complete job descriptions.

“As an intern at ShoreRivers, I got to do a little bit of everything. I helped with tree plantings, spoke with and worked alongside community volunteers, assisted with bacteria and water quality monitoring, hosted education programs, and even testified at a county commissioners meeting. There are very few other internships out there that would allow so many different experiences in one summer,” said 2022 intern Maegan White, now ShoreRivers’ Senior Community Engagement Coordinator. “Interning at ShoreRivers gave me clarity and excitement to start my environmental career after graduation. I felt prepared and confident in the field, had hands-on experience, and found a new love for the area.”

The Elizabeth Brown Memorial Internship is supported by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund at ShoreRivers. Elizabeth Brown was ShoreRivers’ 2015–2016 Chesapeake Conservation Corps member. She 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. Contributions in honor of Elizabeth go toward her legacy of caring for local rivers by supporting the next generation of environmental stewards through this internship program.

Both the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Internship and a Communications Summer Internship run for a minimum of 10 weeks between May and August, and provide a $6,000 stipend. Programmatic work for each will be conducted primarily in the Choptank, Miles, and Wye river watersheds, with some travel throughout the entire ShoreRivers region.

Applicants should be rising college juniors or seniors, or recent college graduates, with majors in appropriate fields. To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to Doug Mayorga, Deputy Director of HR and Culture, by January 31, at [email protected] and include in the subject line which internship you are interested in. Interviews will be conducted by Zoom in February and an intern will be selected and notified at the end of the month.

Applicants are encouraged to visit shorerivers.org prior to applying to learn more about the organization’s programs. Internships available specifically for Washington College and University of Delaware students are also available — please visit shorerivers.org/jobs for details on those positions.

ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

shorerivers.org

With just two weeks left in his presidency, Joe Biden will prohibit future oil and gas drilling off the entire East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the remaining portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea.

Biden will sign two memoranda Monday to permanently ban offshore drilling over more than 625 million acres of ocean to advance his commitment to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, a White House statement said.

The orders come at the request of bipartisan state and local leaders in coastal areas, Biden said, and reflect that the paltry fossil fuel resources in those areas would not be worth the risks of environmental, health and economic harms that could result from oil and gas exploration.

“In balancing the many uses and benefits of America’s ocean, it is clear to me that the relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas I am withdrawing do not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling,” Biden said in the statement.

President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office Jan. 20, criticized Biden throughout last year’s campaign for moves Trump said lowered the country’s energy production. A temporary freeze on oil and gas leases, rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline and other environmental measures taken by the Biden administration were part of what led to increased costs for consumers, Trump argued.

Economists have said that connection is dubious, but Trump is expected to pursue policies to expand oil and gas production.

In a statement Monday morning, Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt strongly criticized Biden’s move. “This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill,” she said.

‘We do not need to choose’

Biden, though, described offshore drilling in the vast areas he is protecting as detrimental to long-term U.S. economic health, in part by protecting fishing and tourism industries.

“We do not need to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy, or between keeping our ocean healthy, our coastlines resilient, and the food they produce secure and keeping energy prices low,” Biden said. “Those are false choices. Protecting America’s coasts and ocean is the right thing to do, and will help communities and the economy to flourish for generations to come.”

The protections “have no expiration date, and prohibit all future oil and natural gas leasing in the areas withdrawn,” according to a fact sheet from the White House.

The orders protect 334 million acres of coast along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, stretching from the Maine-Canada border to the tip of Florida.

Nearly 250 million acres of Pacific coastline that is the habitat for “seals, sea lions, whales, fish, and countless seabirds” off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington will be protected. Governors of the three states had asked for the protections, according to the fact sheet. The last federal lease sale off the mainland West Coast was in 1984.

And 44 million acres of the Northern Bering Sea will be protected. The protections were sought by many Alaska Native communities, the White House said.

“This is an area where oil and gas development would pose severe dangers to coastal communities, and where the health of these waters is critically important to food security and to the culture of more than 70 coastal Tribes, including the Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Inupiaq people who have relied on these resources for millennia,” the White House said.

Last updated 7:47 a.m., Jan. 6, 2025

by Jacob Fischler, Maryland Matters
January 6, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

ShoreRivers is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its Governing Board: Jack Broderick, Ann Swanson, and Loribeth Weinstein. As a grassroots nonprofit organization, the hard work and support of board members is imperative to the organization’s efforts for thriving rivers on the Eastern Shore. ShoreRivers extends deep gratitude for the wise counsel, encouragement, and vision of these exceptional community members. See the full list of Board members at ShoreRivers.org/leadership.

These new voices will bring a wealth of expertise to ShoreRivers, including equal opportunity and civil rights, social and economic justice, grantmaking and local governance, and environmental policy and conservation. Paired with a deep commitment to clean water and healthy Eastern Shore communities, these new members will strengthen the organization’s robust science-based advocacy, restoration, and education efforts.

Jack Broderick is a retired federal manager and long-time community activist and leader on Kent Island who serves on numerous local and state boards and committees, including the Maryland 250 Commission and the Bay Bridge Reconstruction Advisory Group. A former Captain in the U.S. Army, he retired in 2021 as the Director of Equal Opportunity for the National Guard Bureau, U.S. Department of Defense, after 34 years of combined Federal military and civilian service. Broderick lives on Cox Creek and enjoys crabbing, fishing, hunting, and generally spending time on the water.

The former Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, Ann Swanson, has spent four decades as a leader in Chesapeake Bay restoration and been recognized for her work on a regional, national, and international scale. Swanson was the catalyst for the early formation of the Chester River Association and the Sassafras River Association — two of ShoreRivers’ legacy organizations. In recognition of that, and her tireless efforts on behalf of the Bay, and its landscapes and communities, she was the winner of ShoreRivers’ inaugural Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2019.

Loribeth Weinstein spent her career at the helm of non-profit and philanthropic organizations addressing issues of gender parity and social and economic justice. Now retired, she served for two decades as the CEO of Jewish Women International, an organization committed to protecting the rights of women and girls, and is a founder of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, a philanthropic organization that has provided more than $16 million in grants to organizations in the Washington D.C. region since 1999. She has a love of Eastern Shore waterways that inspired her to deepen her commitment to environmental stewardship, and is also a Master Gardener.

In addition to its new members, the Board also recently elected its Executive Committee for 2025, which consists of Marian Fry, Chair; Barbara Boyd, Vice Chair; Frank Lewis, Treasurer; Maura Bollinger, Secretary, and Gene Lopez, At-Large.

ShoreRivers also celebrates several long-time Board members whose terms end this year: Meta Boyd, Bruce Abel, Ron Rothman, and Philp Webster. The organization is incredibly grateful to each of them for their years of dedicated service and invaluable contributions.

ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

The Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, a nonprofit that provides hands-on environmental education through its traveling marine science program, is this year’s recipient of a $6,000 grant from the Easton Village Charitable Fund.

The center, located right across the river in Easton Point Park, engages children and adults about the importance of environmental sustainability through its “Fishmobile,” an aquarium on wheels equipped with hands-on activities, educational displays, and 13 tanks featuring live animals native to the Chesapeake Bay.

The bright blue-and-green “Fishmobile” bus is a regular visitor to schools, community centers and area events from spring through late fall. In 2024, there were 23 Fishmobile programs across 32 days, including several multi-day festivals and fairs such as the Waterfowl Festival, the Talbot County Fair, and the Wicomico County Fair. Each year the bus serves approximately 10,000 guests, giving them an up close view of live Chesapeake Bay animals and their habitats.

Since moving to Easton in 2022, the Phillips Wharf Environmental Center has hoped to bring back its adult education program, in addition to offering school field trips and the Fishmobile. “Thanks to funding from the Easton Village Charitable Fund, we’ll be able to bring a new sustainability workshop series to life,” says Dr. Kristen Lycett, Executive Director of Phillips Wharf. “Adult education is something that we’ve always planned to bring back into our offerings after our COVID related shut down but we’ve been limited in what we can do because our organization is much smaller these days. This funding will provide us with the resources to develop brand new material on relevant topics, make these new workshops hands-on and engaging, all with the goal of helping people make informed decisions that support a healthy Chesapeake Bay. We’re currently planning for topics to include sustainable seafood, native and invasive species, pollinator gardens, and Chesapeake Bay oysters.”

The Easton Village Charitable Fund was founded in 2006 by the developer of the Easton Village community, Elm Street Development, as a way to give back to Talbot County. It was seeded through a small closing cost fee on first-time home sales in the community.

In 2021, the developer passed the responsibility for distributing grants from the fund to the Easton Village HOA Board of Directors, which established the Charitable Fund Committee to administer the program. The fund is managed by the Mid-Shore Community Foundation.

Each year the Charitable Fund Committee selects an area of importance in Talbot County that it believes is deserving of funding. A request for proposals is sent to all pertinent Talbot County nonprofits through the Mid-Shore Foundation. Easton Village residents serve as grant readers and decide which program to fund.

Past recipients of the grant have included the Talbot Interfaith Shelter to support mental health among the homeless; Building African American Minds (BAAM) to address the needs of vulnerable young people; and the St. Michael’s Community Center to help reduce the number of Talbot County residents who routinely don’t get enough to eat.

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) recently celebrated two new conservation easements on the farms of Donald and Susan Harris, and their sons Dustin and Daniel. Officially closed on the week before Veteran’s Day, the conservation easements will forever protect and honor the prime farmland and agricultural heritage once stewarded by Donald  Harris’s father, Lloyd Benson Harris, a World War II veteran who survived D-Day in 1944 and later returned home to take care of the family farm. 

Over the course of many generations, the Harris family has produced sweet corn, peas, lima beans,  tomatoes, dairy, eggs, hogs, and now grain. When asked what led him to put the farms under easement with ESLC, Don Harris immediately recalled his hardworking father, who asked him to  keep the farm forever. “If you get rid of it, it’s gone forever. Don’t you get rid of this ground,”  Lloyd told his son, “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.” Lloyd turned down large offers from realtors and developers as far back as 1982, providing Don the opportunity to farm the family’s property for more than 50 years. ESLC’s conservation easement will now continue to keep the farm in production in perpetuity.  

The 137-acre conservation easement at Emerson’s Green Close, the Harris’ Caroline County farm,  protects 124 acres of prime agricultural soils as well as scenic road frontage all within the Tuckahoe  Rural Legacy Area. 1,915 acres of protected land are located within one mile of the farm, with several thousand more in the nearby vicinity including ESLC’s conservation easement at the historic  Daffin House. This contiguous conservation creates a strong corridor of green space and wildlife  habitat surrounding the Tuckahoe.  

Also located within the Tuckahoe Rural Legacy Area, the 45-acre conservation easement on the  Harris’ Talbot County farm protects prime agricultural soils used for grain production as well as  more than 21 acres of woodlands depended upon by increasingly rare forest interior dwelling bird  species. Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program preserves large, contiguous tracts of land to enhance  natural resource, agricultural, forestry and environmental protection.  

ESLC would like to thank Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Donald and Susan Harris,  and their sons Dustin and Daniel for their support and contributions to regional conservation on  Maryland’s Eastern Shore. To learn more about conservation easements and Maryland’s Rural  Legacy Program, including whether your property may qualify, please contact ESLC’s Director of  Land Conservation David Satterfield at [email protected].  

Established in 1990, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s mission is to conserve, steward, and advocate for the  unique rural landscape of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, forever a special place of diverse and abundant natural  resources and thriving rural communities.

After 40 years and $20 billion (and yes, that is a “B” for billions) it is clear that only some of the 2025 Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint goals will be achieved.   A recent independent scientific report, Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Chesapeake Bay, A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response, known as the CESR Report, is a gold mine of what works, what doesn’t, and options going forward.

A panel discussion hosted by Temple B’nai Israel’s “ENGAGE” Life Long Learning Adult Education Program, in cooperation with ShoreRivers will be presented November 14 at 7:00 PM. Facilitated by Matt Pluta, ShoreRivers’ Choptank Riverkeeper & Director of Riverkeeper Programs, key scientists will discuss the CESR report. They will also present recommendations for what’s next in protecting and improving the Chesapeake and its tributaries beyond 2025. A 7-minute video about the CESR Report will help set the stage for the discussion.

Will climate change influence future Bay plans? Will recommendations for the Chesapeake Bay Agreement beyond 2025 affect our access to the Bay? Will any current restoration efforts be dropped? And will new restoration efforts be able to keep pace with more people moving to the Bay and the development and land-use changes that come with it? 

The expert panel is drawn from the Chesapeake Bay Program‘s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) drawn from 20 academic research intuitions. The CBP is a partnership set up by the EPA including the EPA itself, States and local governments in the Bay watershed, non-governmental environmental organizations, and the academic research institutions. The formal goals and agreements of CBP influence and fund the programs of the numerous environmental organizations and programs around the Bay.

The presenters include:

Dr. Larry Sanford – Professor at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and the Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) which oversees the evaluation of Bay restoration progress and recommendations for developing a new Chesapeake Bay Agreement beyond 2025.

Dr. Bill Dennison – Professor and Vice President for Science Application at UMCES and Vice Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s STAC. Dr. Dennison oversees the analysis, development and presentation of the annual Chesapeake Bay report Card.

Dr. Tom Fischer – Professor Emeritus at UMCES who spent the majority of his career studying the Choptank River watershed and how land use and human activities influence water quality.

Matt Pluta with ShoreRivers will moderate the panel. For the last decade as the Choptank Riverkeeper Matt has been monitoring water quality trends and engaging with local communities for the purpose of advocating for advanced solutions, partnerships and resources to protect our local rivers on the Eastern Shore. 

Everyone can learn about the future of the BAY and be part of the discussion. 
November 14, 2024, 7:00 PM. 
All are welcome to this free event. 
Registration is required: bnaiisraeleaston.org/event/chesapeake
Temple B’nai Israel,  7199 Tristan Dr., Easton 21601

 In July 2014, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), the Girl Scouts  of the Chesapeake Bay (GSCB) Council, and Maryland DNR worked together to protect 170 acres of the  Camp Grove Point Girl Scout Camp in Cecil County through a permanent conservation easement. In 2022,  the GSCB council made the difficult decision to sell Camp Grove Point. GSCB approached ESLC for help,  wanting to sell to someone who would preserve the entire camp. 

ESLC formally purchased the camp last month and will assist DNR in its restoration of the property to a  more natural state. Ultimately, ESLC will transfer the camp to DNR as an addition to Grove Farm Wildlife  Management Area (WMA). Grove Farm WMA is managed by the Wildlife and Heritage Service, whose  mission is to “conserve and enhance diverse wildlife populations and associated habitats while providing for  public enjoyment of the State’s wildlife resources through hunting and other wildlife-dependent recreation.” 

Once transferred to DNR, ESLC will continue to steward the property’s permanent conservation easement.  “That was so instrumental for us—to be able to share our Camp Grove Point with someone who would take  care of it and preserve the camp as green space in perpetuity,” said GSCB CEO Claudia Peña Porretti.  “That’s why we made this decision to sell to Eastern Shore Land Conservancy because we knew that you all  would love the property just as much as we do. It’s a win-win. We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.” 

The annexation of Grove Point to the Grove Farm WMA is yet another preservation success for greater  Grove Neck. Approximately 5,953 acres of the 6,158-acre peninsula are currently protected, including 1,716  acres conserved by ESLC. Camp Grove Point is connected to the larger conservation area by the 242-acre  Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity property purchased by ESLC and subsequently transferred to  the State as an addition to the Grove Farm WMA in 2021. “Thanks to ESLC’s close relationship with the  Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake, we were well poised to assist their leadership in finding a conservation minded solution for the sale of Camp Grove Neck,” commented ESLC’s Director of Land Conservation  David Satterfield. “We are excited to have worked with the Girl Scouts and DNR to ensure that many  generations can enjoy the natural beauty of this spectacular property.” 

ESLC President and CEO Steve Kline added, “Increasing and improving public access is a priority for  Eastern Shore Land Conservancy across our region. Grove Neck is a great opportunity to work with key  partners like Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake to bring  hundreds of additional acres to the public, to enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.” 

Originally called Double Goose Farm, Camp Grove Point was purchased in 1948 and opened to campers the  following year. Since then, the camp has served not only thousands of Girl Scouts, visitors, and volunteers,  but thousands of native flora and fauna throughout its freshwater wetlands, woodlands, and beaches. One hundred-foot vegetative buffer strips on the property protect the water quality of the Sassafras River and the  Chesapeake Bay. Open meadows and 85 acres of upland forest full of sassafras and beech trees provide  habitat for numerous migratory bird species. The camp also protects 2,500 feet of scenic waterfront including  rare sand and clay cliff beaches home to federally endangered Puritan tiger beetles, whose declining  populations exist only along the Connecticut River Valley and the Chesapeake Bay.  

Established in 1990, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s mission is to conserve, steward, and advocate for the  unique rural landscape of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, forever a special place of diverse and abundant natural  resources and thriving rural communities.

ShoreRivers — thanks to new funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Environmental Education Grant Program — is expanding their work as a certified Maryland Green Center to Dorchester County by partnering with the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Educators (MAEOE) and Dorchester County Public Schools (DCPS) to build the school district’s capacity to obtain its first Green School certifications.

To be certified as a Maryland Green School, schools must demonstrate and document a continuous effort to integrate sustainable environmental management practices, environmental education curriculum, professional development opportunities, and community engagement into their daily operations. The award signifies their commitment to developing stewards of the earth and reducing the school’s environmental impact.

While DCPS does not have any schools that currently hold formal Green School certifications, Dr. Paula Turner-Coleman, DCPS’ Supervisor of Science, Health, P.E., & STEM, and ShoreRivers look forward to having county schools recognized for their work. ShoreRivers is working directly with passionate teachers from three schools to get certified this year: Choptank Elementary, North Dorchester Middle, and South Dorchester School.

“Dorchester County Public Schools already has a strong environmental literacy continuum in place across the elementary and secondary grades. Finally taking that leap to achieve the Maryland Green School status will give our schools the recognition they deserve for the work they are already doing,” said Dr. Turner-Coleman.

As a certified Green Center since 2020, ShoreRivers has supported several K–12 schools across the Eastern Shore, including Matapeake and Easton elementary schools and Queen Anne’s County High School, in elements of the Green Schools certification (or recertification) process. The Maryland Green Schools Program is aligned with environmental literacy and school sustainability goals outlined in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and supports Maryland State Department of Education graduation requirements and standards. This recognition underscores ShoreRivers’ unwavering commitment to protecting and restoring our rivers while educating the next generation of environmental stewards to do the same.

“Being a Green Center allows us to support our school systems regionally, not just the schools we have program partnerships with,” said Suzanne Sullivan, ShoreRivers’ Director of Education. “This program has introduced us to so many amazing teachers and students who are passionate about the environment. We love being a Green Center because we get to combine our education work with our other departments, helping schools with sustainable landscaping, citizen science, and community outreach.”

ShoreRivers encourages schools interested in being certified to reach out to their local Green Center for support.

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ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

shorerivers.org