Myrtle Point wade-in made a big splash

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Annual Bernie Fowler Wade-In for students at Myrtle Point Park was once again successfully performed on June 3. The host school, Chesapeake Public Charter School, provided lunch for all our guests as well as preparing their students for this scientific, celebratory and historical event.

CPCS Director Ange Funya and the three fourth-grade teachers, Debbie Gilligan, April Skinner and Adrianne Mathis, did an excellent job in instruction with the fourth-grade students. Performances of Tom Wisner's songs and poetry helped all to celebrate Tom's life and past with the wade-in. Kathleen Glaser, one of the founders of CPSC, also joined us.

The Friends of Myrtle Point Park who assisted in the day's numerous activities were Bev and Warren Walker, Bob Boxwell, Mary Roderick and Bill Lindsley. St. Mary's County Elms educational coordinator Margarita Rochow also participated. We were pleased to share our day with Sen. Roy Dyson and some of his staff as well as County Commission President Jack Russell.

As always, the St. Mary's recreation and parks people did a great job in maintaining the site and we welcomed maintenance head Dave Guyther this year. Former wade-in instructors Tina Callis and Tina Watts also assisted. We welcomed Lauren Webster, staff from the Patuxent Riverkeeper, who honored the park as an official member of the Patuxent Recreational Waterways.

There is no way an event of this size and scope could be undertaken without the tremendous help offered so generously from the parents of Chesapeake Public Charter School. They cared for the set-up, lunch as well as cleanup. Many of the above listed folks also helped teach or chaperone while seine netting, doing river watercolors, testing water quality and dip netting at the vernal pool. The students did a wonderful job preparing and learning at the day's events.

Above all, our most honored guest and the catalyst for change in protecting the Patuxent River was former senator Bernie Fowler. Sen. Fowler does lead us as we wade-into the river to informally monitor the turbidity each year to measure the progress of cleanup activities.

This year the CPCS was honored with a grant from PRAD Inc. which allowed us to purchase much-needed equipment for the river event and other waterside teaching fieldtrips. With the $1,000 granted us we were able to acquire safety equipment, a salinity refractor, wind-speed gauge, chemical testing water quality kits, large dip nets, a seine net, secchi disk, variety of thermometers, several outdoor aquariums and battery operated air pumps. We thank Melissa McCormack and Calvert Marine Museum for this funding.

And lastly, we were able to have posted a new sign at the Myrtle Point Park entrance recognizing the park and Bernie Fowler's Annual Wade-In event. We thank the Chesapeake Custom Embroidery & Screen Printing shop for the great sign they designed for us.

I will be working to prepare a children's book about the Patuxent River Wade-In and would enjoy contact from people who may have artwork, poetry or pictures from its rich past reaching back to 1988. Please contact me at blackbearmary@hotmail.com.

Mary Piotrowski, Mechanicsville

The writer of the coordinator of the student wade-in at Myrtle Point Park and a member of the education committee of the Friends of Myrtle Point Park.