Spa Creek Conservancy
Volunteers with Spa Creek Conservancy and Back Creek Conservancy followed in Bernie Fowler’s footsteps on June’s second Sunday, wading into Annapolis area creeks to check clarity in four locations.
“We definitely were inspired by Bernie’s wade-in,” said Kevin Haigis of CapitalSUP and a former board member with the Spa Creek Conservancy. “We want to get people onto the water, and this is a good way to engage the public.”
The goal of the wade-in was to see how far one can walk into a creek and still see your feet. “Getting in the water is the best way to get people to ask questions about water quality,” Haigis says.
Wade-ins for each creek were staggered throughout a cool overcast afternoon so that people could participate as often as they wanted.
A Secchi disk was used in lieu of white sneakers to record water transparency. The clearest water was on Back Creek near the Ellen Moyer Nature Center, with 43-inch visibility.
“We can probably credit the living shoreline at the park for the clarity of the water here,” Haigis said.
The wade-ins coincided with Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, a time for all Bay residents to think about our connections to the watershed.