Events

ENERWA Board of Directors invited all the volunteers who collected water samples on the North East and Elk Rivers in 2025 to join us for a picnic on a beautiful morning on Saturday, September 13, 2025. At the Pembry Pavilion on the Elk River, approximately 20 samplers and board members gathered for the traditional summer cookout fare. It was a wonderful opportunity to say a hearty THANK YOU to all who donate their time to gather the data to create the annual Water Quality Report Card!

For the second year in a row, the Elk and North East Rivers Watershed Association volunteers conducted 8 dry weather outfall inspection screenings in the late summer/early fall of 2025. These inspections were conducted as part of the Town of North East Illicit Discharge and Detection and Elimination (IDDE) program. These inspections are required as part of the Town’s MS4 permit and also help the Town locate potential unwanted discharges into our local waterways. These potential types of discharges could be caused by a broken underground sewer line, a leaking water main, or even an illegally hooked up sump pump discharging into a storm drain. All the inspections are conducted following the Town of North East IDDE Program Standard Operating Procedure protocols.

On June 14th ENERWA participated in the 16th Annual Cecil County Wade-in held at Veterans Park in Charlestown. Despite some smoke from the New Jersey wildfires in the morning and some drizzle throughout the day, the event was a great success. Nearly 300 guests came through the event. Our table was visited by many guests, and people took great interest in what we do at ENERWA and how they can get involved.

With their white sneakers on, Katie Bagri of the Cecil County Stormwater Management Division and our very own Sean McCandless led the Wade-in participants (approx. 50 people) into the North East River. The official “sneaker measurement” was 23.25 inches deep. The water was a bit more turbid this year compared to the 27 inches achieved last year. This is likely due to recent rainfall events.

There were a lot of activities for the guests to participate in, which made it hard to choose what to do next. Participants could go through and visit the 37 exhibitors’ tables, walk through the Charlestown Icehouse Museum, sign up for a raffle for a free rain barrel, go canoeing, participate in seine netting with DNR in the river for aquatic creatures, and do yoga on the beach. The band called “The Pick-Ups” led by Don Shappelle sang great songs related to the Chesapeake Bay.

Congratulations to the Cecil County Stormwater Management Division for hosting another great Wade-in! All in all, this was a great event, and we look forward to seeing you at the 17th annual Wade-in!

The ENERWA Annual Meeting was held on Tuesday May 13^th at Hances Point Yacht Club and, what seems like it has become an annual tradition, it was another cold and rainy day but that didn’t slow down the great food and fun. The Board of Directors was joined by approximately 25 ENERWA members and supporters. We would like to extend our gratitude to our very gracious hosts at the Hances Point Yacht Club as well as all the supporters who came out in the unpleasant weather to attend!

Project Clean Stream 2025 was held on Saturday, April 5th. The Cecil Soil Conservation District’s staff members, Mari and Sean assisted in the clean up. There were a total of 13 volunteers who came out and recovered 570 pounds of trash and debris before it could make its way to the bay. Great job volunteers!

ENERWA was pleased to once again participate in the 15th Annual Cecil County Wade-In at the beautiful North East Beach in Elk Neck State Park on June 15, 2024. Visitors and participants enjoyed good food, good music, and a wide variety of exhibitors on a sunny, cloudless day in Elk Neck State Park.

Sean McCandless once again led the Wade-In as we waded into the North East River to measure the water clarity. We were able to see our sneakers at 27 inches this year, only a couple of inches off the record of 2022! Thanks and kudos to the Stormwater Management Division of the Cecil County Department of Public Works for hosting this event for the 15th year!

The ENERWA Annual Meeting was held on a cold and rainy Tuesday, May 14th. The Board of Directors was joined by approximately 30 ENERWA members and supporters at the Hances Point Yacht Club. Much gratitude to our gracious hosts as well as all the supporters who braved the unpleasant weather to attend!

Our speaker for the event was Laura Hannan, Executive Director of the Fair Hill Nature Center.  Laura shared the varied and extensive educational work supported and performed by the Nature Center. Children ages 5-13 can enjoy Summer Camps when school is out in the summer.

Project Clean Stream 2024 was held on Saturday, April 6th.  ENERWA members were joined by North East Isles residents and the town of North East staff on a clear and crisp morning for a clean-up of the banks of Stony Run and the Route 7 roadside.

Working together, we removed 280 pounds of tires and 400 pounds of trash and debris, preventing it from making its way downstream to the Chesapeake Bay. A heartfelt thank you to the town of North East for their partnership and donating the staff time and truck to dispose of all the debris!

Thanks to everyone who joined us on a beautiful day and a great turnout for the 14th Annual Cecil County Wade-In at Foot Log Park in Charlestown! The sneaker index was 28.5 inches……only 1 inch away from last year’s record! Good food and good music was enjoyed by all. Thanks to the Cecil County Department of Public Works Stormwater Management Division for another excellent Wade-In this year!

Join ENERWA on May 16, 2023 from 6–8pm at the Hances Point Yacht Club (39 Weaver Rd, North East, MD 21901). Special guests and presenters are Sean McCandless “Backyard Birds: Understanding What They Need” and Mayor Michael Kline “North East Preserve“. There will be Hors d’oeuvres and a Cash Bar.

This Project Clean Stream project was sponsored by the Town of North East and ENERWA (Elk and North East Rivers Watershed Association). The public was invited to participate on Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 8:30-11am. We met at the North East Preserve located off Route 7 and North East Isles Drive. The town supplied garbage bags, gloves, water and donuts. Parking for this event was available on North East Isles Drive.

ENERWA was pleased to join Cecil County Department of Public Works Stormwater Management Division at the 13th Annual Wade In! Continuing the tradition of the late Maryland State Senator Bernie Fowler, attendees waded into the North East River to measure the depth when they could no longer see their shoes…….the sneaker index was 29.5 inches!

ENERWA held our first Annual Meeting in May at the beautiful venue of the Hance’s Point Yacht Club. Approximately 30 attendees enjoyed presentations and the hospitality of the Yacht Club. Eric Buehl, Watershed Restoration Specialist with the Maryland Sea Grant Extension, provided a primer on Climate Change Resiliency as well as a number of resources available to the public Bill Kilby, President of the Cecil Land Trust, provided an overview of the history and activities of the organization as well as an update on current projects.

ENERWA was joined by the Town of North East Staff and North East Isles residents on Saturday, April 9th to clean up the North East Preserve, located at the intersection of Route 7 and North East Isles Drive and bounded by the North East River and Stony Run. Working together, over 20 people removed 2,040 pounds of tires and 1,500 pounds of trash and debris!