2005 Lower Western Shore Wade-In Set For June 9 On The Magothy River

---

SYLVAN VIEW, MD (June 7, 2005) -- Roll up your pants and lace up your sneakers with members from the Lower Western Shore Tributary Team on Thursday, June 9, as they host the 3rd Annual Magothy River Wade-In on the north shore of the river in Sylvan View. This year’s free event is being held in conjunction with a Magothy River Association (MRA) sponsored Bay grass planting that will take place from 4 to 7 P.M. just off the Sylvan View beach. The Wade-In will happen at 6 P.M.

In what has become an annual event for each of Maryland’s 10 Tributary Teams, the Wade-Ins are inspired by former State Senator Bernie Fowler, who began wading into the Patuxent River 17 years ago with family and friends to highlight concerns about declining water quality in Maryland’s tributaries and the Chesapeake Bay. Senator Fowler remembered that, as a child, he could wade into the Patuxent and easily see his shoes. The event became known as a Wade-In and is characterized by participants wading into a stream, river, or the Bay, and measuring the point at which they can no longer see their shoes, commonly known as the Sneaker Index. Fowler challenged the other nine Tributary Teams to host Wade-Ins or similar water quality awareness events of their own.

The Lower Western basin drains approximately 270 miles of land, including portions of Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Large water bodies in the basin include the Magothy, Severn, South, West, and Rhode Rivers. The Lower Western Shore Tributary basin is a varied landscape, and includes the highly developed areas of Annapolis, and the Route 2 corridor along with miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline and farmland stretching into Calvert County.

Directions to the Wade-In in Sylvan View: By way of Route 100, merge onto Mountain Road heading toward Gibson Island. (If you have not experienced the reversible center lane, be aware of the lighted lane signs). Turn right onto Hickory Point Road. Turn right on Gray Drive. Turn left on Sylview Drive. Follow the bend to the right and you will see the beach on the left.

On the day of the event, please call (410) 703-4589 for directions or if you have questions.

Since 1995, Maryland’s Tributary Teams have assisted with the implementation of the state’s watershed-based plans to reduce nutrient pollution to Maryland’s rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Support for the Tributary Teams is provided by staff at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR); however the members are volunteers whose tireless energy results in invaluable contributions to restoration efforts. The Wade-Ins are just one of the ways the Teams highlight local water quality and get their communities involved.

---

June 7, 2005

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 18,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov