nanticoke currents · for this planting project near greenwood, delaware, the homeowner’s goals...
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Nanticoke currents
CO NS E R V I NG T H E N AT U R AL , C U L T U R AL , A ND R E CR E AT I O N AL R E S O U R CE S O F T H E N A NT I C O K E R I V E R W ATERSHED
Fall Plantings
Check out all our fall planting projects! Read
more on pages 4-9.
WatersEdge Kayak Club
FALL | 2020
Creekwatchers Update
The Creekwatcher season has wrapped up
but we are looking for 2021 volunteers! Read
more on page 2.
Are you looking for something to do next summer?
Consider joining a kayak club! Read more on page
10.
CreekWatchers Update
By the time you read this, we’ll have wrapped up our thirteenth full
season of Creekwatchers. (This is also my—Beth’s—tenth year
managing the program.) No doubt, this has been an odd year, but we
made adjustments as we went along and ended up with a pretty solid
data set.
Big thanks to all of our Nanticoke Creekwatcher citizen scientists for
their work this season. Also, thanks to the Delaware Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental Control and to Chesapeake
Monitoring Cooperative for their support.
In Memory of Bob Kijewski
Veteran Creekwatchers likely remember Bob Kijewski (and his wife, Bonnie),
who held down the Secchi in Laurel for many years. Bob was an OC (Original
Creekwatcher). He retired after ten years in the program a few years ago, but
we still saw him from time to time to check in for the season and at various
programs.
Even once he was no longer an active Creekwatcher, Bob allowed us to
continue to monitor on his property and to use his home as our Laurel drop-off
site. He and Bonnie were always very generous and cared very much about
the James Branch, Broad Creek, and the Nanticoke River itself.
We will miss him. Condolences to Bonnie and to the rest of his family.
Bob and Bonnie back when Abbott's was still Georgia House
in Laurel.
This fall, Nanticoke Watershed Alliance has kept busy installing
residential native plantings! A native plant is a plant that has
occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat
without human introduction. Not only are native plants a beautiful
and low-maintenance way to spruce up your yard, but they also
help the local environment. Native plants provide many benefits to
the environment, wildlife, and people. The advantages of native
plants include:
• Native plants save water. This is because native plants have
adapted to local climate conditions where they naturally occur
and are better able to store water.
• Native plants provide vital habitat and food for local wildlife.
• Native plants can help reduce air pollution.
• Native plants promote biodiversity and stewardship of our local
environments.
Check out some of our native plant projects we installed this fall. If
you are interested in a native planting for your own yard, you can
fill out our Site Visit and Planting Interest Form. Site visits will resume
in late Winter 2021.
Fall Plantings
Pictured on this page is a floating wetland we installed in early
October at the Rivers End HOA. The floating wetland is made of two
floating rafts that hold 42 plants total. Cliff and Gaye, who live in the
community, were excited about improving fish habitat in the
community pond. The plants in the floating wetland improve aquatic
habitats by absorbing excess nutrients in the water, which helps
manage algal blooms.
Carla and G.A. of Laurel, Delaware wanted an environmentally
friendly garden that conserved water and attracted wildlife.
Nanticoke Watershed Alliance installed a pollinator garden to
attract and support our native pollinators by providing food in the
form of pollen and nectar. We also removed 30 bags of invasive
plants on a waterfront section of the property. We replaced the
invasive plants with native plants, which included: soft rush, lurid
sedge, tussock sedge, lizard’s tail, cardinal flower, and great blue
lobelia.
In Laurel, homeowner Tedi,
wanted to improve water quality
and provide woodland habitat.
We removed 10 contractor bags
worth on invasive plants and
planted over 600 native plants!
Kim, who lives near Phillips Land-
ing, wanted to delete as much
lawn as possible, and we were
happy to help! Pictured to the
right is a small pollinator and
songbird garden. We also in-
stalled a pocket meadow. It is a
great way to help out our native
bees, butterflies, and other polli-
nators in a smaller space.
For this planting project near Greenwood, Delaware, the
homeowner’s goals were to increase biodiversity and provide food for
songbirds and pollinators. Nanticoke Watershed Alliance worked with
Teddy to plant 70 shrubs which will provide flowers for native pollina-
tors and fruit for songbirds. Additionally, we seeded almost 2/3 of an
acre of dry and wet meadow areas. In a couple of years, these areas
will provide habitat, food, and shelter for pollinators, birds, and other
wildlife.
Laura, a homeowner in Seaford, Delaware wanted to help out
local pollinators. In partnership with the Nanticoke Watershed
Alliance we put in a pollinator garden that extends around her
driveway. The pollinator garden will serve as a buzzy buffet for
years to come!
The WatersEdge Kayak Club, Baltimore’s Sea-Kayaking Club!, was
founded in 2007. Our motto is “Fun, Adventure, Safety” and we
kayak all over MD and DE, including many trips to the Eastern Shore.
We have over 1600 members and focus on sea-kayaking day
touring trips, typically 10-15 miles in a day, and evening "laid-back"
shorter paddles during the week. We use sea kayaks with flotation
fore and aft and either skeg or rudder. We often car-camp and
kayak on weekend trips around the state. This was our Third annual
trip to the Nanticoke/ Vienna area, exploring Marshy Hope Creek,
Barren Creek and of course the Mighty Nanticoke itself and it many
smaller tributaries. We camped at Camp Henson and enjoyed it
immensely! We are very safety conscious and no one is allowed on
our trips without proper equipment, including a PFD (“life vest”) at
ALL times, and in the time of Covid-19, a mask is required at all
launches and landings. We are very proud of our affiliation with
groups like Shore Rivers and the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance and
hope to do more with such groups in the future!
Dr. Gregg
Aka, “Wudder-Dawg”
Organizer, WatersEdge Kayak Club, http://www.meetup.com/
watersedgekayak/
ACA Certified Level 2 Kayak Touring Trip Leader
For more paddling opportunities on the Nanticoke visit our
website PaddleTheNanticoke.com!
CO NS E R V I NG T H E N AT U R AL , C U L T U R AL , A ND R E CR E AT I O N AL R E S O U R CE S O F T H E N A NT I C O K E R I V E R WATERSHED
STAFF
Avery Hall Insurance
Company
Bank of Delmarva
Bath Fitter
Chesapeake Bay
Foundation
Crystal Steel Fabricators, Inc.
Chesapeake Utilities
Corporation
Chicone Ruritan Club
Commissioners of Bridgeville
Delmarva Poultry Industry,
Inc.
DNREC
Dorchester Citizens for
Planned Growth
Dorchester Soil Conservation
District
Doug Stephens, Coldwell
Banker Real Estate Agent
Envirocorp Labs
First Shore Federal Saving &
Loans
The Forestland Group
The Franklin P. and Arthur W.
Perdue Foundation
Friends of Blackwater
National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of the Nanticoke
River
George, Miles, and Buhr, LLC
Hebron Savings Bank
Laurel Redevelopment Corp.
Layton’s Chance Vineyard &
Winery
Mid Atlantic Farm Credit
Nanticoke River Arts Council
NRG
Procino Enterprises
Ridge to Reefs
Trap Pond Partners
Trap Pond State Park
Tri-Gas & Oil
Salisbury University
University of Maryland, Center
for Environmental Science
Weisner Real Estate, Inc.
William Russ, CPA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Richard Ball, President
Dorchester Citizens for Planned
Growth
Bill Giese, President Elect
Dorchester Soil Conservation Dis-
trict
Joe Layton, Past President
Dorchester Co. Farm Bureau
Stephen L. Marsh, Secretary
George, Miles & Buhr,
Alan Girard, Treasurer
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Christina Darby
Friends of the Nanticoke River
JoJo Wingrove
Envirocorp Labs
Brittney Sturgis
Delaware Department of Natural
Resources
Tami Ransom
Salisbury University
Russ Brinsfield
Town of Vienna
Richard E. Hall
New Castle County
Doug Marshall
Marshall Auction Company
Matt Holloway
Carol Dunahoo
Lisa Wool
Executive Director
Beth Wasden
Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator
Sydney Williams
Education Coordinator
Max Horan AmeriCorps Member
2020 PARTNERS IN CONSERVATION
Now, more than ever,
your donation is urgently
needed.
To donate to the NWA
please visit:
www.NanticokeRiver.org
or go to our Facebook
and click “Donate.”
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