November 2020
Maryland Coastal Bays Program Newsletter
Marine Debris Update
Almost two tons of trash was removed from our watershed during the Inaugural Marine Debris Plunder held on October 10th. Over 100 volunteers participated in this clean up which focused on proper social distancing. As this was our first attempt, we experienced a few hiccups at the weigh-in and learned what we need to do for next year.

Hats off to two families and team members, the Ordachowskis and the Howells, who made three separate trips in one day. The Howells pulled 1213 pounds of trash out of the trash including a 450 pound piece of metal and the Ordachowskis pulled in the most abandoned crab pots. We plan on continuing this event next year and are look for folks to serve on a committee for a larger more successful event.

Please contact sandis@mdcoastalbays.org if you are interested in participating in a planning committee.
Oyster Gardening
The Maryland Coastal Bays Oyster Gardening Program hosted its annual oyster exchange this past October collecting over 3,000 oysters! These oysters were placed in the St. Martin River, where they will continue to grow and filter excess nutrients and algae from the Coastal Bays. We would like to thank Jim Spicknall for providing his boat to MCBP and give a special thanks to the Oyster Recovery Partnership for donating spat on shell and extra oyster gardening supplies for the 2020-2021 growing season. Lastly, thank you to all our oyster gardening volunteers who are actively helping to clean our bays one cage at a time! We look forward to another successful growing season! 
October Creature Feature
Check out our latest creature feature article for oceancity.com! This month's feature was on the anadromous alewife. To read this article, and others, click here.
October marks the end of another season for our largest fundraiser, Assateague Outfitters, the concession at Assateague Island National Seashore. Thanks to the tenacious creativity of our partners and staff, Assateague Outfitters was able to operate in a relatively COVID safe environment. COVID created public demand for outside activities which was overwhelming for our parks and our bays. We faced many challenges including having to close due to staff testing positive; but, thanks to the teamwork of partners and staff, we did okay. We do have used equipment for sale, so please call -410-656-9453.
November 7th
Discover Your Watershed
The second Discover Your Watershed event of 2020 will be held at the Lizard Hill Habitat Restoration Site on November 7th from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The morning will include habitat restoration work, such as invasive species removal and trail maintenance, as well as an environmental education activity! Every DYW is completely FREE and all ages are welcome. The entire event will take place outside, so we recommend wearing closed toe shoes you are comfortable getting dirty.

Social distancing perimeters will be in place and while registration is FULL, please email cjoiner@mdcoastalbays.org to be placed on the waiting list.
December 1st
Giving Tuesday
This year we will be celebrating Giving Tuesday on Tuesday, December 1.

Unfortunately we cannot celebrate in the traditional wine and oyster tasting; however, we are working on plans for something fun and unique for our 2021 25th Anniversary by launching a yearlong campaign to raise funds for initiatives to save our bay birds (SOBB).

So don’t get flighty and stay tuned for details to come. The early bird gets the worms you know (or in our case, the fish).
December 2020
Virtual Camp
STAY TUNED

Join Coastal Bays and the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays for a free young learner's virtual camp the first week of December. Participants will be shipped a box of materials to use during the activities!

Registration will be made available on the MCBP website mid-November. Follow us on Instagram at @mdcoastalbays and on Facebook at @coastalbays for the latest updates.
To Be Announced
Seal Steward Training
Typically we would be conducting our stewards training this month but due to this year’s challenges, we will not be hosting an in person training. We are working with the National Aquarium on program changes. We have received a multitude of requests over the past two years for a more elaborate education about our winter visitors so we are working on developing an online/virtual conversation on our local pinnipeds.
Monthly Bay Tip!
The weather’s getting colder and there is no doubt that we are starting to think more about evergreens than falling leaves and would rather sip on peppermint than pumpkin spice. As Halloween fun may begin to fade, there is no reason why your pumpkins should go to waste!

Pumpkins, cornstalks, and haybales are all considered natural waste and can serve a purpose even after you are done with them! Instead of tossing your pumpkin in the trash consider adding it to your compost instead! Don’t have a compost pile? Don’t worry! Pumpkins can be cut into small chunks and buried in your garden to naturally decompose and enrich the soil! If you would like to see your pumpkins enjoyed by others, consider feeding them to your barnyard animals or scattering chunks around your property for deer to safely munch on!

Let us not forget about our other decomposing decorations! Haybales and cornstalks can also be composted, and fed to barnyard animals without worry, and from November 1st-7th the town of Berlin will be composting all-natural Halloween decorations! Pumpkins, haybales, and cornstalks can be dropped off at the 16-yard JDog Junk Removal & Hauling dumpster at Heron Park, 10009 Old Ocean City Boulevard. Donors can even write their emails on their pumpkins for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Island Creamery!
Maryland Coastal Bays Program
410-213-2297
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