What Is a Watershed?	How You Can Help	Survey Pictures
The Problem	News & Events	Survey Celebration Pics
Derelict Boats	Read The Survey	Links

THE HERRING BAY CLEAN WATERSHED INITIATIVE What Is A Watershed? It is a region or area bounded by ridges so that groundwater and surface water drains into a particular body of water. Where Is The Herring Bay Watershed? It is the land that water flows across, under or through on its way to Herring Bay. The Herring Bay watershed is 25 square miles, a relatively small watershed within the Lower Western Shore watershed, which itself is in the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Herring Bay Watershed extends from southern Anne Arundel County into a small portion of northern Calvert County. It stretches from Owensville in the North, Lothian to the West, Curtis Point in the East, through to Deale and ultimately Holland Point in the South. What Is "The Clean Watershed Initiative?" Your local Lower Western Shore Tributary Team (volunteers from Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties along with State and local government representatives) recognizes the uniqueness of the Herring Bay watershed and the importance of citizen stewardship. The Team is committed to working with the citizens of the Herring Bay Watershed to develop and implement a Clean Watershed Initiative to ensure a healthy place to live, work, and enjoy the Chesapeake Bay. The Herring Bay watershed is home to productive farms and thriving marinas. Primarily rural, it is now starting to experience increased suburban development. The impacts of these activities can be seen in Herring Bay and its creeks and streams. Once a rich area for shellfish harvesting, the Bay's oyster beds have been closed due to pollution. The Clean Watershed Initiative will bring a wide variety of area residents together to conserve and restore these valuable natural resources. Everything we do in the Herring Bay watershed affects the soil, water, air, plants and animals. Let's work together to keep our watershed healthy. (Back to Top)

The Problem The water quality of Herring Bay and its tributaries is a product of what happens along the stream banks and shoreline throughout the entire watershed, as well as what is applied to the land. Potential pollution sources must be identified and corrected so that Herring Bay and its tributaries can continue to provide healthy habitat for fish and other wildlife, and recreational opportunities for local residents. The Great Herring Bay Stream and Shore Survey is a joint effort of local citizens and Maryland Save Our Streams (SOS). On Saturday, October 16, 1999, over a hundred volunteers from dozens of local community groups surveyed up to 65 miles of stream banks and shorelines in just three hours! Our Objective The survey's aim is to identify and locate factors in Herring Bay and its tributaries which may be degrading the water quality or otherwise causing problems to your local Bay. Our findings will alert local residents about potential pollution sources so that corrective action can be taken. Our data and findings will also help local and state agencies with their efforts to improve water quality in your community. What We Are Looking For exposed sections of sewer lines sewage overflow points pipe out-falls fish migration barriers channelized stream sections in-stream construction activity unshaded stream sections trash and debris areas of erosion unusual conditions (such as gasoline or chlorine bleach odors) How You Can Help To get involved in your local Tributary Team, call 410-260-8710 or visit Maryland's Tributary Strategies site at: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/Bay/tribstrat.html. To see a pamphlet prepared by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Tributary Teams and the Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Office of Planning and University of Maryland: Cleaning Up The Chesapeake Bay . . . (Back to Top)

Members The members of the team are: Doug Barber, doug@dougbarber.com, phone: 301.855.2295; Peg Burroughs, phone: 410.867.0366; E. Steuart Chaney, hhs@chesapeake.net, phone 301.855.8299; Wes Copeland, wesleyc299@aol.com, phone: 301.855.2123; Eleanor and Bob Dickmann, bdick39202@aol.com, phone: 301.855.0746; Terry Lehr, phone: 410.969.0087; Debi Osborne, deb.osborne@tpd.org, phone: 410.286.8182; Michael Shay, phone: 301.261.9267; Doug Sisk, sisk@chesapeake.net, phone: 410.257.6533; Vivienne Trawick, vtrawick@aol.com, phone: 301.855.0914; Susie Wills, susie@chesapeake.net, phone: 301.855.7991; Randy & Robert Ware, randyware@starpower.net, phone: 301.261.5718; Ron Wolfe, rwolfe@arablex.com and Ann Wolfe, ahwolfe@pkwy.com, phone: 410.867.0900; and Melinda Zimmerman, mzimmerm@skadden.com, phone: 301.855.0529. After the Survey Once the pollution sources are identified, Save Our Streams will help community groups and local residents correct the problems which are degrading our streams and Bay. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL MARYLAND SAVE OUR STREAMS AT 1-800-448-5826 or 410-766-9445

News and Events Next Meeting: The next meeting for the Herring Bay Clean Watershed Initiative will be (TO COME) 2000 at the Schwartz/H.T. Brown Century 21 office, 5801 Deale-Churchton Road, Deale, MD 20751. Phone: (301) 261-5200. Although the physical survey has been completed, we have much to do. We are in the process of checking the results and trying to determine how we can implement fixes for the problem areas, such as: removal of derelict boats plantings for shore erosion, trees. cleaning up areas of trash and debris. Results of the survey will be formally presented on September 19, 2000, at 6:30 p.m. at Herrington Harbour South. To view preliminary results, click on this link: SURVEY RESULTS DNR Press Releases Tributary Team Is Busy Planning Activities To Spread Clean Water Message — May 12, 1998 Tributary Team Launches Clean Watershed Initiative, Seeks Communities' Help — July 1, 1998 Tributary Team Seeks Volunteers To Assess, Survey Herring Bay Watershed, September 22, 1999 Herrington Harbour North Is A Certified Clean Marina — March 21, 2000 (Back to Top)

Pictures of the Herring Bay Watershed

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS: Page One Page Two Page Three

PRISTINE AREAS

NOT-SO-PRISTINE AREAS

DERELICT BOATS & PIERS

Read the Washington Post article, September 14, 2000

Pictures of the September 19, 2000 celebration of the Herring Bay Clean Water Initiative Results Celebration at Herrington Harbour Marina in Rose Haven, Maryland Click on any small picture for a larger version. Use the arrows to navigate. The Up Arrow will take you back to the main list.

			Environmental & Bay Links Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake Bay Commission Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Chesapeake Bay Foundation Chesapeake Bay Home Page Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Chesapeake Bay National Estuary Chesapeake Bay Network Chesapeake Bay-Net Chesapeake Bay Observing System Chesapeake Bay Trust Chesapeake Bay Watershed Landmarks of the Chesapeake Bay Md. Dept. of Natural Resources Save Our Streams The Chesapeake Bay Terrene - Environmental site

Back to top of HERRINGBAY SURVEY page

This page last updated Wednesday, January 3, 2001

Welcome | Live Web Cam | Concerned Citizens Committee Rose Haven Civic Association | Herring Bay Survey | Rose Haven Park Community News | North Beach| Wildlife | Planting | History | Holland Point Oyster Page| Map | Guestbook | Latest World News | United We Stand Page To Come |Site Index For Comments, Criticism, Concerns or Suggestions about this site, please e-mail: michael@rosehavenmaryland.com