Fourth Annapolis Wade-In Set For June 9 At The Annapolis Maritime Museum

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Fourth Annapolis Wade-In Set For June 9 At The Annapolis Maritime Museum
ANNAPOLIS – Roll up your pants and lace up your sneakers with volunteers from the Weems Creek Conservancy, Friends of College Creek, Spa Creek Conservancy, the Back Creek Conservancy, and the City of Annapolis on June 9, at 10 a.m., as they host the 4th Annual Annapolis Wade-In at the Annapolis Maritime Museum on Back Creek. There is no fee for this event and it will take place rain or shine.
This year’s event will feature wade-ins at each of the four creeks which flow into the Severn, starting at 9 a.m., including the Second Annual Wade-In at Spa Creek at Truxtun Park Beach in Eastport. The day’s activities will culminate with a group wade-in at 10 a.m. into Back Creek with Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer, several City Council members and an army of local watershed champions.

In what has become an annual event for each of Maryland’s 10 Tributary Teams, the Wade-Ins were 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 (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.

In the words of former Severn River Association President Jimmy Martin, "There’s nothing finer than to be wading into Back Creek in search of your white winter toes on a fine spring day. So join us down at the spiffed up new Annapolis Maritime Museum for some wet and wild fun."

As a highly-urbanized, full-service municipality, Annapolis stands as a model for environmental preservation and enhancement; however, the city faces unique stormwater challenges which require eternal vigilance. With the help and support of the many watershed volunteers who live in the state’s capital city by the Bay, the Tributary Teams hope to raise public awareness about the troubles of harmful discharges rushing into our fragile local waterways and preserve our environment for future generations.

DIRECTIONS: Take I-97 to Aris Allen Boulevard (MD 665) to Forest Drive. Make a left on Hilltop Lane and continue to Tyler Avenue. Make a left on Bay Ridge Avenue and a right on Chesapeake Avenue. Make a right on Second Street, and go to the end or park along the street. The Wade-In will take place at the beach to the left, at the Annapolis Maritime Museum.

On the day of the event, please call City Information Officer Ray Weaver at (410) 693-8391 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 4, 2007
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 t www.dnr.maryland.gov