SRAs Assembles River Monitoring Fleet by Tom River Rat Guay This December marks an exciting new step forward for the Severn River Association (SRA) and the Severn River watershed. SRA is finally on the water! Thanks to some kind and thoughtful donors – Lynda Gallagher, Lloyd Abbot and Jan & Jerry Rapkin – SRA has assembled a small-boat fleet to get our volunteers out on the water to patrol and protect the Severn River and educate citizens about the rivers cliff-lined creeks and meandering tributaries. Some of the duties of the SRA water patrol will include: - helping collect and distribute oyster spat and cages to the 400-plus SRA oyster grower network. - assisting in efforts to resupply SRAs oyster sanctuary on the Severn River - visiting and networking Severn River communities - creating fun events for the entire Severn River community to celebrate our river - providing from-the-water educational tours of challenges facing the Severn River - inspecting damage caused by Rt. 97/32 stormwater outfalls that pollute the Severn River headlands - inspecting and attack various phragmites infestations - identifying possible cleanup sites for Operation Clean Stream - assisting in water quality monitoring efforts, and - providing a platform to create photo essays of the beauty that is the Severn River. But a major initiative when the SRA River Rat fleet launches in Spring 2015 will be to assist in enforcing Critical Area regulations, particularly the illegal clear cutting of vegetation along waterfront buffer zones. Clear cutting properties right down to the waterline creates a serious environmental threat to the Severn River because it exacerbates stormwater pollution that is the number one threat to water quality throughout the Watershed. The need to create an SRA presence on the water arose in late summer when SRA responded to reports of two ugly clear-cut violations, one on Chase Creek and another on Hopkins Creek (see reports posted in September on SRAs Facebook page). During many follow-up phone calls with inspectors with Anne Arundel County Inspections and Permits (I&P) Division, we realized that AACountys I&P inspectors dont have any boats or access to any boats to respond to these types of violations. Without water access, its difficult for AACounty inspectors to inspect private property from the road. Reason: County inspectors are prohibited by law from inspecting violations – unless perpetrators invite them onto their property. A neighboring property owner also has to give permission to inspect a property and many neighbors are reluctant to be witness or part of an ugly fight with a neighbor. This greatly hinders the countys ability to enforce zoning, grading and stormwater violations. Without easy access, AACounty I&P inspectors have a difficult time gathering evidence they need to properly prosecute violations. So SRA decided it was time remove this enforcement handicap. We decided to create a River Patrol to help AACounty enforcement officials get to a violation site and view events from the water. But SRA didnt have the means to quickly respond to reports of ongoing violations. Thats when some gracious supporters came to the rescue. When SRA announced it was in need of a boat, three donors quickly raised their hands to help protect the Severn River. They are: – Lloyd Abbot, on Spa Creek. Lloyd donated a 10 HP Mercury outboard to SRA in October. Lloyds outboard will be paired up with an inflatable dinghy to patrol the shallows of Severn River creeks. – Lynda Gallagher on St. Leonards Creek. Lynda graciously donated her familys beloved 1968 Boston Whaler and a 25 HP outboard motor. It just needs a bit of TLC and the SRA team is convinced that with some scraping, painting and a lot of elbow grease, well have Lyndas Whaler back on the water this Spring. The Whaler will be instrumental in creating a photo essay of the waterline of the entire Severn River Watershed. – Jan and Jerry Rapkin from Heritage Harbor. The Rapkins donated their faithful Achilles inflatable and 6 HP outboard to the cause of protecting the Severn River. Jan and Jerrys dinghy is ready to roll, so SRA could make a few winter patrols as the need arises. There are more thank yous to be made, especially to Board Members Mark Lister and Bob vom Saal, who were instrumental in picking up Lyndas Boston Whaler and setting it up for the needed commission work this spring. Mark and I spent a day in early December to meet up with Lynda on St. Leonards creek. We had quite an adventure launching the Whaler from its lonely perch on Lyndas dock. The 600-lb Whaler was slow to respond at first, but with a bit of leverage, Mark and I got her into the water, and what a transformation! Suddenly, the Whaler sprang to life, nimble as ever once she was in her element. Mark and I paddled, Lewis & Clark style, around the creek to a boat-ramp hideaway at the bottom of a long and winding, single lane drive thats invisible to the causal observer. Buried under leaf cover, the drive snaked through a 30 ft. tall bamboo grove. With a lot of back and forth in a tight spot, we finally married up boat and trailer and headed home. But that was just the start of the days work. The real magic was performed by Bob vom Saal when we finally got to his Ben Oaks home in late afternoon. See Bobs sidebar and pictures for the “fun” we had transferring Lyndas Whaler to her winter home. As spring commissioning season approaches, Ill be knocking on Bobs door to start work on restoring the Whaler. Her hull is in good shape, but the seats and cockpit need a bit o work. Were confident we can get her back in the water with sandpaper, varnish and gobs of elbow grease. Over the winter, Ill be working with renowned marine electronics guru, Andy Fegley, of Yes Electronics Systems (YES) to refurbish the Johnson outboards. A big shout out of thanks goes to Andy for sharing his time and knowledge. And, once we get on the water this spring, well need volunteers to join our River Rat crew to help patrol the river. So, stay tuned, the SRA fleet will be coming to a shore near you in 2015. Give us a shout and encourage us on!
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 16:15:59 +0000
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