Undeterred by the hardships that they endured during last year’s Island to Island trip, Whit Overstreet, Communications Manager for Potomac Riverkeeper, and Joe Hage, Caretaker for the Sycamore Island Club, set off yet again on a paddling odyssey down the Potomac. The goal of this year’s Island to Island trip was to highlight the work and impact of Potomac Riverkeeper along the river, to promote recreational use of the great...
Updates
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 - 7:03pm
Friday, August 24, 2012 - 3:59pm
Day 09 - 14 miles til land ho!
Last night, Whit and Joe went to sleep utterly aware that they had their longest crossing to conquer in the morning – 14 miles! Smith Point Marina to Point Lookout State Park: this is the widest stretch on the Potomac, right at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. I guess it was a good omen that a pelican flew over them this morning.
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Friday, August 24, 2012 - 2:49pm
Incinerator foes protest
Fraction of attendees heard at waste-to-energy project hearing
By Pete McCarthy, News-Post Staff , August 23, 2012
Ed Merrifield, president of Potomac Riverkeeper, a group focused on stopping pollution and restoring clean water in the river, said allowing a water permit for this project will allow "a new polluter the right to create a new toxic mixing zone into the Potomac."
The permit being considered would allow up to 400,000 gallons of water a day to be dumped into the Potomac River.
(Note: Potomac...
Friday, August 24, 2012 - 9:39am
Day 08 - Surf’s up on the Potomac!
Winds were so bad today that Whit and Joe encountered 2ft waves on their paddle! No worries, Joe will just surf them.
Tomorrow, Whit and Joe will undertake their longest river crossing on the widest part of the Potomac River from Smith Point Marina to Point Lookout. A couple of nights ago, Joe confessed that he was a bit nervous about it. ...
Thursday, August 23, 2012 - 11:26am
Day 07 - Eagles, Osprey and Herons, oh my!
Wow, it’s already Day 7 of the Island to Island Journey with Whit and Joe and to say the least, these guys are tired. Their daily routine thus far is getting up by 4 in the morning (can you do that?), breaking down camp, dragging the kayaks to their launching point, re-packing their gear appropriately and setting off into the dawn light for a two-digit mileage paddle.
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Thursday, August 23, 2012 - 12:00am
1. Answers sought for drop on Shenandoah's North Fork
WTOP,8/18/2012, 5:36pm ET
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Officials are trying to figure out what caused water levels to drop twice in a four-day span this summer along the Shenandoah River's North Fork.
2. MDE considers proposal by local dairy farmer to draw water from Antietam Creek for crops
By DAVE McMILLION...
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 - 12:00am
My name is Ed Merrifield, I am the Potomac Riverkeeper as well as President of Potomac Riverkeeper, Inc. I am here representing our organization and its 3,000 members. Our mission is to stop pollution and restore clean water in the watershed and that is the reason I am here today.
We will be submitting written comments and if anything I say here is confusing compared to the written comments, please respond to the written comments. I say this because the last two days have been a little unusual for me.
On Monday I attended a funeral for my father-in-law...
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 - 12:35pm
Day 06 - Who’s That Chick?
Hello everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Shelley and I’m the Education & Outreach Coordinator for Potomac Riverkeeper. As some could imagine, it’s hard to paddle and write a blog. I’m surprised that Whit is pulling off all of the tweets without dropping his phone in the river! (@PotomacRiver). That’s why I’m here to be the voice on behalf of Whit and Joe from our DC...
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 - 12:00am
Hagerstown, MD -- For years, residents of Walnut Point West Road have lived with foul smells and polluted well water. Today, their plight was finally recognized and action was taken to stop the ongoing sewage discharges from Deer Lodge Mobile Home Park. Potomac Riverkeeper filed a Notice of Intent to Sue Deer Lodge Mobile Home Park for violations of the Clean Water Act. If no action is taken within 60 days to resolve the pollution violation, Potomac Riverkeeper will file suit against the mobile home park for the ongoing discharge of sewage. The discharge contains fecal...
Monday, August 20, 2012 - 12:00am
Day 05 - Getting a Tideful
Remember when I said that Whit and Joe’s newly improved model to paddle with the tide was proving to be a big success? Well, it’s effective in theory, but when it’s not practiced that’s another story.
Whit and Joe missed the tide this morning and were left fighting the tide for the rest of the day. Like Whit told me, “It’s like being a hamster on a wheel.” Yikes. ...
