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Recent News

March 5, 2020 In News

Restoration at Historic Waterfowl Building Begins

Steel framed windows getting preservation makeover

After eighteen months of preparation, Waterfowl Chesapeake (WC) is thrilled to announce that restoration of more than 30 or the original steel-framed windows in the historic Waterfowl Building has begun. In 2018, Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) awarded the organization $100,000 from its Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program for this project. WC was one of only seven award recipients from across the state.

“We are so thrilled to get this project underway and grateful to MHT for recognizing the historic relevance of our building and its value to the community,” says Executive Director Margaret Enloe. “Although we’d hoped to get started earlier on this restoration, the timing is perfect. 2020 is Waterfowl’s 50th Anniversary year and this work is a great way to show our commitment to the future.”

Waterfowl Chesapeake hired Architectural Window Restoration (AWR), a contractor specializing in historic windows, to do the project while meeting all MHT guidelines. This week and into next, AWR’s expert crew will be carefully removing each window and preparing them for delivery off site where they will be cleaned, repaired, repainted and re-glazed before being reinstalled. The project is expected to be done by summer and, in the meantime, Waterfowl offices are open for business they plan for this fall’s 50th Festival – a once in a century event.

The Waterfowl Building (a.k.a. the historic Easton Armory) was built in 1927 after several years of lobbying by local residents and elected officials. While its function was to serve as a training facility for Maryland’s state militia, the building’s drill hall, now called Festival Hall, also served as a community gathering place for everything from boxing matches and basketball games to flower shows, poultry exhibitions and art festivals over the decades. Waterfowl took ownership of the building in the 1980s, after a stint of ownership by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Town of Easton.

“We think the Waterfowl Building is a gem on this end of downtown and want to do everything possible to make it shine brightly as a gathering place on the mid-Shore for another fifty years,” says Enloe.

 

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Bay Street Ponds Cleanup
February 24, 2020 In Waterfowl

Community Steps Up to Restore Habitat and Remove Invasive Plants at Bay Street Ponds

Talbot County Master Gardener plant specialist leaders will be guiding Easton Utilities and Waterfowl Chesapeake volunteers on February 25, 2020 in a restoration and clean up project that will involve removal of the invasive plants already identified at the site – which is owned by Waterfowl Chesapeake and plays a major role in the outdoor activities of the organization’s Waterfowl Festival.

Master Gardeners have identified the invasive species which will be removed by cutting, pulling, pruning and digging and Easton Utilities equipment such as a bucket truck and front loader. Volunteers will be needed for trimming, cutting vines and pulling out invasive plants.

The site of the project is located along the north side of Bay Street in Easton, Maryland, between the 322 bypass and Washington Street, adjacent to and West of the Bay Street ponds.

Master Gardeners will guide the volunteers to preserve any native plants, as these will serve the important foundation when ultimately replanting the site.

Following the initial clean up, WC and Master Gardener leaders will work with volunteers over the next several years to keep the invasive plants at bay. Invasive species will continue to come back unless they are displaced by other vegetation. It is important these invasive plants be managed over a longer period so that ultimately, native plants can be planted to thrive. Once the area is cleared of the invasive plants, WC will replant it with native plants.

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May 18, 2018 In Waterfowl

Landowner’s Day Educates Local Stakeholders

Jerry Harris, a Board member of Waterfowl Chesapeake, hosted a variety of guests at his annual “Eastern Shore Landowners’ Get Together” on Thursday, April 19th. Of the landowners, conservationists and waterfowl enthusiasts, some faces were the same from previous years and many were new; all were piqued with interest as the group toured local wetland restoration projects in Talbot and Dorchester counties.

The first stop of the day included a walkaround of impoundments created in recent years in part by Ducks Unlimited at a personal property near Cambridge, followed by a look at the new impoundments of another personal property in Trappe.READ MORE

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