Happy New Year! In 2023, the Environmental Committee plans to focus our education/outreach efforts on Bay issues while we continue our efforts for clean regattas, a green club, water quality monitoring and oyster restoration.
On December 2, we held a Holiday Event to celebrate the beginning of the 40th year of the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay.
In recognition of the 40th year following the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement (1983), we will have a bay-oriented presentation or special event every month during the year. January’s presentation will be by Hilary Falk, President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Our December Holiday Celebration was a special thank-you to our partners and EYC member volunteers. It began with oysters on the half shell and hors d’oeuvres on the aft deck. There we recognized our partners and local leaders in environmental stewardship who had joined us as guests.
The reception was followed by a program of featured speakers representing government leadership of the CBP: Dr Kandis Boyd, Director, EPA Chesapeake Bay Program; Sean Corson, Director, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office; and Ann Swanson, Director, Chesapeake Bay Commission. Virginia Tippie, Co-Chair, EYC Environmental Committee and first Director of the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program moderated the session.

After the program, our guests and EYC members joined the speakers for roundtable dinner discussions on six CBP goal areas: Sustainable Fisheries; Vital Habitats; Water Quality; Healthy Watersheds; Fostering Stewardship; and Leadership & Management. Oysters received special attention throughout the evening, with local oysters at the reception and dinner, a focus on CB oyster restoration during the program, and a visit by live Severn River oysters during dinner!

In the new year, our lecture presentations will further highlight the partners helping with Bay restoration and protection.

Our first speaker will be Hilary Falk, President and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) on January 25th. The Foundation is the largest nonprofit conservation organization dedicated solely to preserving, protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Hilary recently joined CBF having previously served as the Chief Program Officer of the National Wildlife Federation. She grew up on the bay and began her environmental career as an intern with CBF.
EYC has worked closely with CBF over the years, specifically by setting the spat on the concrete triangles that we have used to build the living oyster reef wave wall under our docks and by annually helping us assess the health of the reef. Join us on Wednesday, January 25 to learn more about CBF’s Bay-wide oyster efforts and its many other programs of restoration, education, and community involvement.
Please register for the event at https://conta.cc/3jiL5mV.
Stay tuned for upcoming Environmental Committee events and please feel free to join us for a committee meeting on any first Tuesday of the month. For more information contact: [email protected]. And don’t forget our first lecture of 2023: Hilary Falk, President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation!