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.”