Arundel Rivers Federation

10/04/2026

Arundel Rivers Marylanders Grow Oysters (MGO) program has really grown over the years!

Check out these photos showcasing the same event, baby oysters being delivered to nurseries before they will be picked up by volunteers, ten years apart: 2016 and 2026. 📸🗓️

We are incredibly proud of the 90 MGO volunteers that will grow baby oysters over the next nine months until they’re ready to be planted at the sanctuary reef in Glebe Bay, South River 🦪

Thanks for all you do to make our oyster reefs, rivers, and communities a beautiful place. Also, a huge thanks to the Oyster Recovery Partnership for delivering this year’s spat-on-shell! 💙💚

10/01/2026

Did you know that this Saturday, October 3rd, is the FREE Galesville Maritime Heritage Festival!? ⛵🌊🧭🗺️

We are so excited to be a Community Sponsor for this wonderful event, full of live music, delicious food, historical exhibits, and fun for the whole family. Arundel Rivers will be at the festival providing Children’s Activities throughout the event, and our Pumpout Boat captains will be showing the Honey Dipper (our Pumpout Boat) at the River Boat Parade. You certainly won’t want to miss this one, there’s no better way than to spend a day on the beautiful West River! 💚💙

After the festival, on Sunday, October 4th, we will be hosting The Great Galesville Garbage Grab, where we’ll come together to keep the West River clean. Reach out to [email protected] for more information about this volunteer event!

09/29/2026

Last call for this awesome open swim event to benefit our rivers!🏊🏼‍♂️🌊

Registration for Swim & Paddle the South River closes THIS WEDNESDAY, September 30 at 5:00 PM. Swimming with friends? Create a Pod or have them join yours — or just pick your pace and join in; you'll make new swim friends out there! Sunday, October 4 in Riva, MD. https://runsignup.com/Race/MD/Riva/SwimtheSouth

⚠️ Last call!

Registration for Swim & Paddle the South River closes THIS WEDNESDAY, September 30 at 5:00 PM. Swimming with friends? Create a Pod or have them join yours — or just pick your pace and join in; you'll make new swim friends out there! Sunday, October 4 in Riva, MD, benefiting Arundel Rivers Federation. Can't swim but still want in? Volunteer spots are open too. Register before the deadline —https://runsignup.com/Race/MD/Riva/SwimtheSouth
Arundel Rivers Federation

09/28/2026

Let's come together and keep the West River clean! Join us on October 4 at 9am for The Great Galesville Garbage Grab, connect with your community, and keep Galesville litter-free. Meet at the Galesville Wharf; gloves and trash-bags provided! To register and for more information, email [email protected].

We can't wait to see you!

09/27/2026

Check out a day in the life at Arundel Rivers 🌊🌱

From our restoration department to our riverkeeper department, and everything in between, the work is ever changing and ALWAYS rewarding!

09/25/2026

Last week, the Chesapeake Bay restoration community lost a true champion.

Dr. Walter Boynton was an extraordinary scientist, mentor, and advocate whose work helped shape our understanding of the Chesapeake Bay and inspired generations of people working to protect it. He was also an incredible friend to Arundel Rivers.

Over the years, he generously shared his time, knowledge, and passion, attending events, speaking with our members, supporting our work, and reminding us all why this effort matters so much.

Our hearts are with the Boynton family and all those who knew and loved him.

Walter’s legacy will live on in the the people, and the waters he devoted so much of his life to protecting. We promise to carry that work forward. 💙

09/23/2026

Our work on a living shoreline project doesn’t end when the last marsh grass is planted. 🌱

This September, our restoration team (including Cara our Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps member pictured here) has been busy checking in on our living shoreline projects. As part of our permit with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Arundel Rivers monitors newly planted marshes for five years after construction. During these visits, our team evaluates marsh survival, looks for signs of stress and non-native species, and identifies any maintenance or replanting that may be needed.

Our team regularly visits these sites to make sure the marsh is establishing successfully and addressing problems early when we can. MDE requires at least 85% of the planted marsh area to survive—and careful monitoring and replanting help us get there.

These follow-up visits are an important part of making sure our living shorelines continue protecting our rivers, creating habitat, and building resilient shorelines for years to come. 💚

09/22/2026

Our Riverkeeper, Elle, had the privilege of attending the 2026 Waterkeeper Alliance Global Conference in Quito, Ecuador. She had the opportunity to experience and celebrate Ecuadorian culture and history, participate in a minga, a collective community cleanup event, and visit the Mitad del Mundo - the Middle of the World! Best of all, she networked and learned from waterkeepers across the globe, bringing new ideas, strategies, and partners to our own watersheds in the South, West, and Rhode.🩵💚

09/21/2026

Summer is wrapping up on the South, West, and Rhode Rivers with the start of cooler evenings and longer nights, and the end of the 2026 Arundel Rivers Bacteria Monitoring Season!

🦠: 500+ samples taken from Memorial Day to Labor Day
👥: ~30 volunteer samplers
📍: 33+ sites tested across the South, West, and Rhode Rivers

This wouldn't have been possible without the help of our almost 30 AMAZING volunteer samplers! Thank you all so much for your incredible work this summer!☀️🤗

We would love to keep growing our volunteer cohort so we can continue to monitor the places you care about most. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer with us, or sponsor a site for our 2027 Bacteria Monitoring season, please let us know! We’d love to have you.

If you'd like to learn more about our bacteria monitoring program, check out our website (https://www.arundelrivers.org/bacteria-monitoring). If you’d like to learn more about the preliminary data deep dive, check out our recent Riverkeeper blog post (https://www.arundelrivers.org/post/september-riverkeeper-report-2)!

09/16/2026

Exciting news! Join us for our first Garden Gang meeting TOMORROW!!🌱

Arundel Rivers welcomes gardeners, plant lovers, and the garden-curious to join our new Garden Gang club! Reach out to our Community Engagement and Education Manager, Mairin, to learn more about this fun and connective event. We hope to see you there!🌞🐝🌸🪴🐌