A celebration of the rebirth of the St. Mary’s River and the new oyster sanctuary will be the theme for a fundraiser event, A River Affair, to be held at historic Brome-Howard Inn on Sunday May 15th.
Oysters provide a natural filtering system for our waterways. But today the oyster population in St. Mary’s River is less than 5% of historic levels. The river’s waters are teaming with algae, the oyster main food supply, which significantly lower water quality. In fact, much of the deeper waters in the river’s main stem are oxygen-depleted due to the overgrowth of algae and can no longer support marine animals.
The St. Mary’s River Watershed Association is launching a five-year effort to rebuild the oyster bars and repopulate the waters with twelve million oysters. We have assembled a team of more than 250 volunteers who last summer grew and then planted over one million oysters into the tidal St. Mary’s River.
The May 15th event will feature fare from the river (including oysters) and libations, recognition of volunteers, silent auction, and entertainment from Gretchen Richie’s Jazz Cabaret—in the scenic setting overlooking Maryland’s Mother River. Auction items include a one week stay in a cabin in the woods in Colorado, sailing cruise on coastal piloting with Master Will Gates, one year supply of vegetables, rain garden installation, several works of art, ½-day charter aboard the 46-foot North Star, two-day retreat in Solomons, personal health and fitness consultation, and a whole lot more.
The event will run from 1 until 4 pm. Brome-Howard is located at 18281 Rosecroft Road in St. Mary’s City. Tickets are $50 per person. Proceeds will benefit the restoration of the St. Mary’s River. To purchase tickets, visit www.SMRWA.org. For more information, please email info@StMarysRiver.org or call 301-862-3517.
