Coastal Bay Heroes
This is the fourth in a series of articles celebrating our “Coastal Bay Heroes” – those who have contributed to the establishment and ongoing work of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program.
Dave Blazer - Moving the Program Forward
Dave Blazer was selected to fill the shoes of MCBP’s executive director when Steve Taylor left in 1999 and served the program until 2008.
We really wanted to caption this tribute to Blazer as the trail blazer for the program, but when we spoke about his leadership, anyone that knows Blazer, he is always first to give credit where credit is due. He credited Taylor as the trail blazer explaining, “My thought coming into the program when I was hired, was, I was so excited as the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) was done, and they told me here’s 538 actions of a 200-page plan. I love to follow a plan. And Taylor was the one that was instrumental in engaging the community and partners into creating the plan.”
Blazer however can be credited as the great navigator of the program. “I was with MCBP for only six months when we converted to a non-profit,” commented Blazer, adding “we had to set everything from the ground up. Dave Wilson and Kate Hults were an integral part of the process.”
He and his team enhanced and emphasize the mantra of the ‘Forgotten Bays.’ Referring to the fact that when most people think of bays in Maryland, they think primarily of the Chesapeake Bay, not our five coastal bays. “We have different issues to deal with than the Chesapeake Bay,” he explains “for instance, the fisheries for the Chesapeake Bay are completely different than the fisheries of the coastal bays.”
Check out our website to read more about Dave's impact on the Coastal Bays. |
2022 Calendar Photo Contest
The Maryland Coastal Bays Program is looking for your BEST pictures! We're looking for pictures of nature, people, landscapes, animals... whatever best exemplifies the beauty and allure of Maryland's Coastal Bays.
Winning photos will be included in our 2022 Coastal Bays Calendar and the winners will get a free calendar. The Grand Prize Winner will have their photo on the cover of the calendar and will receive a "bag of MCBP swag". Entries are due by July 1st, 2021and photos must be a minimum 300 DPI high resolution. Submit photos to Sandi through Dropbox.
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Living Local Educator Training
Registration is now open for the MCBP Living Local educator training! The overall goal of the Living Local project is to foster a greater appreciation of farming by educating students about the positive change’s farmers are implementing to protect our natural resources with the long-term goal of environmental stewardship. This Living Local educator training is available to both formal and informal educators.
While the curriculum is targeted towards 2nd-4th grade students, we encourage any interested educator to sign up for the training as the lessons and concepts are applicable to anyone seeking to engage their audience in topics like watershed health, water quality, soil health, agriculture practices, and more! All 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade WCPS teachers who attend the training will be compensated in full. To register, and learn more, please click here or visit our website.
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Island Signing
Some of the science team - Grace Hansen, Maddie Talnagi, Carly Toulan, and Roman Jesien (not pictured) recently completed putting restricted area signs on the colonial nesting bird islands in the bays. The islands will remain closed to the public until September 15th, so please stay off the designated islands until the birds can finish raising their young. As these islands erode away, habitat becomes limited for these birds - so the few that remain are very important for their breeding success.
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Cross Farms Living Local Tour
Our first Living Local community workshop was a huge success! A BIG thank you to Carol Cross at Cross Farms for teaching over 20 enthusiastic community members about her farm and her sustainable practices. All attendees were able to get down in the dirt and see some of Carol’s best management practices firsthand.
Thank you to all our partners and the EPA for making workshops like these possible. To learn more about the Living Local project please visit our website. Stay tuned for future Living Local opportunities!
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Save the Date! Movie Night to Benefit the Coastal Bays!
September 30, 2021
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Join us Thursday, September 30th from 5:00 to 10:00 PM as we celebrate our 25th anniversary with a Movie Night! We will be featuring The Biggest Little Farm along with a video introduction from John Chester, producer of the film. The event will be held at Windmill Creek Vineyard & Winery and will include food, wine, a silent auction, and activities for the kids! This will be a family fun affair to enjoy and learn more about MCBP! |
Terrapin Survey
June 1st through June 12th
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The Northern Diamondback Terrapin is a magnificent species of turtle that resides in the brackish marshes of the east coast and is in fact the only turtle in North America that lives exclusively in brackish water. The terrapin’s name is even derived from an Algonquin word meaning neither salt nor freshwater.
Lucky for us, the terrapin’s prime habitat is right here in our backyards! That’s right, you can find terrapins throughout the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed, which is why we need your help. Volunteer to be a citizen scientist and survey our bays for this terrific turtle.
This year, our annual terrapin survey will be held from June 1st through June 12th participants are welcome to survey by land or water! All ages and levels of experience are encouraged to participate, but attending a virtual training is mandatory.
Terrapins have a storied history and by participating you’re ensuring that this keystone species gets to write another chapter in our watershed.
The Terrapin Survey also serves as this month's Give A Day initiative, so join us as we survey for our State reptile!
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Explore the Estuary Program
June 2nd
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Wings on the Water: A Closer Look at our Coastal Birds
We hope you will join us for a conversation on the diversity and importance of coastal bird species found around the Coastal Bays watershed. This two part program features a webinar on June 2nd with guest speaker Dave Wilson, and limited capacity in-person boat tours through the Coastal Bays.
For more information and to register, please visit this link. If you have any questions, please email Liz Wist, at lwist@mdcoastalbays.org. |
Journey Up the Coast Program
June 21st & June 22nd
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MCBP and the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays are excited to announce a unique summer opportunity for the next generation of environmental stewards! Children ages 8-12 are invited to “Journey Up the Coast: An In-Person Exploration of the Inland and Coastal Bays” on June 21 and 22! This free education program will include a series of fun, interactive activities focused on topics such as watersheds, estuaries, and wildlife. It will take place outdoors at the James Farms Ecological Preserve in Ocean View, DE. To learn more and reserve your young learners spot, please complete the following registration form by June 1st. |
Discover Your Watershed
June 12th
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We hope you will join us for the 2nd installment of the 2021 Discover Your Watershed series at Lizard Hill on June 12th from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM! Our program is called Invasive Invasion, and will be working to remove invasive plants that have begun to encroach on the site. We will also be sampling freshwater fish and macroinvertebrates to discover what is living below the surface.
The day is a completely FREE event and will be filled with exploration of the beautiful restoration site. All ages are welcome, but be aware we will be doing some hard work!
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Bishopville Fish Sampling |
Carly Toulan measures water temperature as we finish the 2021 Bishopville fish passage monitoring. The project provides passage for our ocean migrating alewife to their freshwater spawning grounds. |
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