SRA intern Annie and Restoration Manager Ben test the aparatus that will deploy oyster larvae directly onto an oyster reef

Summer is winding down, and we are saying goodbye to seasonal interns who worked diligently on a myriad of projects, and looking forward to some cooler weather. Next week we will plant 10 million oysters thanks to the generous support of pur donors during the 2024 GreenGive fundraiser in June (THANK YOU!!), and we are also using the device our summer interns helped us build to directly deploy oyster larvae on one of our sanctuary reefs later this month.

On land, we are excited to begin construction next month on the stormwater management project in the Georgetown East community in Annapolis. We are also pleased to report that the bioretention (rain garden) at the Giant on Bayridge Road is now at 30% in the design stage.

Even though it is still August, the rumblings of the next legislative session have started, and environmental advocates are starting to formulate the next crop of river-friendly legislation for January. The team at SRA hopes you enjoy the rest of your summer and don't forget that even after the equinox comes, it's your river--get out and enjoy it!

Jesse Iliff

Executive Director

Jesse@severnriver.org

Our water quality monitoring teams tracked some rather good conditions in the Severn River this week. It seems that hurricane Debby's howling winds and flooding have flushed out and diluted many areas that were starting to develop hypoxic zones (areas with very low oxygen levels).

For example, in recent weeks, our Palisades monitoring station (outside Brown's Cove) had been consistently exhibiting levels of dissolved oxygen well under 2 mg/L. This hypoxic area was on the bottom 1/3 of the water column, but today, there was only a single layer of anoxic water (0.5 mg/L) and then the oxygen levels jumped to 4.2, then 5.1 mg/L and kept rising to a whopping 10.0 mg/L at the surface. A big thanks to Grady, Ashley, Capt. Steve and Tom for recording this great news!

SRA's water quality monitoring teams will continue tracking water quality through the end of October. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact our Program Officer, Tom Guay.

Photos by James Ronayne

There was a lot of flooding over the weekend from hurricane Debby. If you took any pictures, send them in to our Restoration Manager Ben!

Student volunteer Josh Maze is heading back to school soon, but enjoyed his work on the Severn so much he sent our Program Officer Tom Guay this message:

“Hey Tom I just wanted to reach out again to thank you for a great experience this summer. Thanks for being a great guide and educator. I felt like I learned more in one tour than I did in an entire semester. Being on the water with SRA definitely assured my passion for environmental conservation. It was a pleasure assisting you and listening to your great stories and history lessons. If my schedule allows, I will help certainly be out again this season!"

Thanks Josh for all your work on the Severn and good luck in your future career.

Phragmites Removal at Arlington Echo

Come help cut down and treat a phragmites patch as we work to erradicate this invasive species.

10-12pm on these dates:

Aug 19 and Sep 16

975 Indian Landing Rd, Millersville, MD 21108

Water Quality Monitoring

Help SRA conduct our weekly data gathering on the Severn River to monitor the water quality. Volunteers go out on a boat to measure oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, and clarity.



Weekly tours April-October Training is "on-the-job"

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