Fox tracks in the snow. Photo by Board Member Ted Delaplaine

It's a new year on the river, and here at SRA we are excited about the year ahead.

The end of year HASI Foundation matching donation was a huge success. With the help of our donors we raised a record amount for the final days of the year, and were able to meet the full match. THANK YOU!

Phase 1 of the Severn River Action Plan is complete and we have our list of prioritized locations in the most need for restoration work. Keep reading to see the top 10. Phase 2 consists of identifying specific restoration projects that will improve stormwater treatment, reduce nutrients from entering the river, and help with climate change resiliency.

You may have heard us announce the award of a grant for innovative oyster projects from Chesapeake Bay Trust. We will be utilizing a direct setting approach for oyster larvae which has recent success rates from multiple trials. If the approach works for the Severn, we will drastically cut our costs involved with oyster restoration (shells for oyster larvae are expensive and increasingly hard to obtain), and increase our annual plantings to 30 Million oysters a year.

Check out our upcoming events as well. Here is to an exciting new year full of new endeavors to invest in our beloved Severn River.

This year's Maryland General Assembly session opened on January 10, and already over 300 bills have been introduced in each chamber. On the environmental front, bills ranging from the source and direction of restoration project funding to oyster poaching penalties, to environmental justice in permitting, to transportation and climate change are already on the table with hearings in both chambers getting scheduled at a rapid clip. The Severn River Association will be weighing in on lots of bills that bear on the Severn River over the next three months, and we hope that if a piece of environmental legislation of interest to you comes up, you will feel free to reach out about it. In the meantime, please stay tuned to our newsletters and social media as we provide updates on the bills we testify on, so you can see how we continue to protect the Severn in the State house.

If you are particularly interested in legislation, check out the Facebook event for the 2024 Maryland Environmental Legislative Summit on January 31st.

Yours for the Severn,

Jesse Iliff

Executive Director

[email protected]

SRA Board Member Jack Turner displays one of his amazing photographs

"We are rocking and rolling. That organization has completely taken off in the last 2-3 years. Pretty directly as a result of not only Jesse's leadership but some of our board members, including our treasurer, who have helped to transform the organization from this all volunteer, kind of small grass roots watershed based environmental group to a professional organization." - Jack

Date: February 27th 7-8:30pm

Location: Cafe Mezzanotte, Severna Park

Speaker: Gary Jobson

Bio: Gary Jobson is a former All-American collegiate sailor. He won the America's Cup in 1977 as tactician for Ted Turner. As a broadcaster/producer (he is ESPN's Sailing Analyst), lecturer, and writer (he is an Editor at Large for Sailing World and Cruising World magazines), Jobson is the pre-eminent ambassador for sailing in the U.S. Gary has authored 23 sailing books and is Editor at Large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. He is President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame, and former chair of the Board of Trustees for the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

Thanks to a grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Severn River Association, with partner Center for Watershed Protection, have been working on a watershed-wide analysis of all subwatersheds to rank their need for restoration. Phase 1 has been complete, with the areas of greatest need identified. Phase 2 will be identifying specific projects that will improve the quality of the river.

Own a business? Love the Severn?

Businesses have the ability to demonstrate their support for a restored and protected River by making a financial investment towards a Thriving Severn River by 2050 through our Business Sponsorship Program.

Benefits include logos in the newsletter, special sponsor social media posts, and more. Questions? Email Sarah Winchester.

Our important work is only possible due to the generous support of people like you. If you are a current donor - THANK YOU! We welcome your support any time of the year. If you are not yet a member, please consider joining the movement today. Any size donation makes you a member.

HELP RESTORE AND PROTECT THE SEVERN RIVER