Page 21 - Port of Baltimore - Issue 5 - 2022

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Joins Celebration
at Masonville Cove
On September 24, which marks National Public Lands Day, community members gathered at Masonville Cove for a celebration hosted by the Masonville Cove Partnership (National Aquarium, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Living Classrooms Foundation and the Maryland Port Administration).
Families had the opportunity to explore the site, which includes 70 acres of water and 54 acres of restored wetlands and nature trails in the heart
of Baltimore City. The attendees engaged in fun activities such as kayaking, bird banding, monarch butterfly tagging and tours of the Masonville Dredged Material Containment Facility.
“With 80% of Americans living in cities, these programs and places encourage new generations to connect to the land, water, and wildlife. Building connections to nature and wildlife also enhances the social and economic vitality of urban communities,” said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Director
Martha Williams. 
MPA Deputy Executive Director Robert Munroe, Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Martha Williams and USFWS Conservation Program Manager Angelina Yost observe a National Aquarium staff member handling wildlife.
A boy makes friends with an owl, as animal experts informed children and adults of the vast wildlife diversity of the Masonville Cove. Families learned how Captain Trash Wheel at Masonville Cove stops trash from reaching the ocean.
DNR Chesapeake and Coastal Services Team Visits Masonville Cove
In early September, a team from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake and Coastal Service Unit (DNR/CCS) had the opportunity to visit Masonville Cove and the adjacent Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF) and learn more about the nation’s first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership.
According to Maggie Cavey, Natural Resource Planner for Beneficial Use at DNR Chesapeake Coastal Services, “the CCS team takes excursions to see the progress of our projects as well as other environmentally related projects/sites.” Additionally, Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Program Manager for Education & Stakeholder Engagement Katrina Jones presented attendees with an overview of the Masonville Cove project as well as information on the MPA’s role in the community and about the state’s dredged material management. 
Top: Attendees had the opportunity to see Captain Trash Wheel in action and collect 73 pounds of debris in a shoreline clean-up. Photo by Katrina Jones / MPA
MAGGIE CAVEY / DNR, CCS
PHOTOS BY AMIRA M. HAIRSTON / MPA
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