Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER® acknowledges that we protect land, water, sensitive species, and communities in the traditional territory of many nations including the Algonquin speaking Susquehannock, and Delaware peoples.
First and foremost, we wish all of you and your family members continued good health and peace. Thank you for supporting our efforts! Clean water is everyone’s right and is a shared resource that must be protected for all.
We need your financial support to maintain and enhance our education, outreach, environmental monitoring, advocacy, and litigation programs.
Your support in 2025 resulted in expanding our capacity, education, and monitoring efforts:
Growing Our Capacity: We welcomed Outreach Specialists Brady Bayne and Joe Ottomano to the Sparks Bank Nature Center from the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps (CCCC) and Maryland Corps Department of Service and Civic Innovation Service (DSCI), respectively. Chichedo Duru, a PhD candidate from Morgan State, continued her fellowship by providing scientific monitoring and lab support on Bacteria, source tracking, PFAS and microplastics. Continuing with their work remotely are Sophie Zuckman from Skidmore College and Tristan McGregor from Towson University. We bade farewell to interns Aidan Darling and Will Boyce from Skidmore College. Both Damien Emory and Tage Sylvan finished their DSCI Service Year Options, and Zakoi Basim-Brown completed their CCCC service year.
Increasing our Educational Impact: In 2024 we awarded the Terry Newendorp Environmental Scholarship for the Gunpowder River to Morgan Watson who is studying Biology and Environmental Science at the University of Virginia. Special thanks to the Newendorp family for providing continued funding and guidance and to Carol Metzger from Joppa Women’s Club for their generous donation of $500 towards the scholarship fund! Several students also signed up to participate in the Youth Climate Institute (YCI) through Sparks Bank Nature Center to participate in live workshops, networking opportunities, to support their journey toward becoming a climate ambassador.
Expanding Environmental Water Quality Monitoring: To protect water quality in the Gunpowder, Bush, and Middle Rivers, we collected over 400 data points this summer. We monitored E. Coli to inform the public where it was safe to swim in Baltimore and Harford Counties. We measured water quality conditions in Days Cove including testing for PFAS, PCBs, metals, and other pollutants of concern to inform our comment letter to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) because the permit application did not contain meaningful sampling data to characterize Days Cove.
Monitoring the Days Cove Rubble Landfill Permit Process: We want to acknowledge the support of the Widener Delaware Law School’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. The Clinic and, in particular, student Kate Schiller, provided expert legal research and analysis that aided us in our opposition to the Days Cove Rubble Landfill discharge Permit. We supported and informed both Baltimore and Harford County Councils who passed unanimous resolutions in opposition to the permit. Additionally, both County Executives sent letters to MDE to voice their constituents’ opposition to the weaker permit.
You can help us do more in 2026 to address environmental threats through advocacy and litigation:
Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project: Third year Law students, Lauren Wieder, Kathryn Hastings, Nicholas Wolf, and Zachary Shank, at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law Environmental Clinic Law, under the supervision of Professor Jon Mueller have been providing legal research and support on the MPRP. Students recently filed a Motion to dismiss the PSEG application before the Public Service Commission in support of a Motion filed by the Farm Bureau that indicated the contract with PJM would time out before required Environmental review of the project could be completed. RIVERKEEPER® staff met with the students in the proposed right-of-way to provide first-hand information of the environment this project will impact.
Ridgeley’s Reserve: We are still in litigation as an intervenor in the State Complaint against Ridgeley’s Reserve that was prompted by our Notice of Intent to Sue filed under the Clean Water Act in order to protect and restore the Tidal Gunpowder and Foster Branch from alleged sediment pollution from the site.
The State SW-20-A Industrial Stormwater Permit Challenge: As a result of major flaws in the MDE final Industrial Stormwater Pollution Permit in 2022, Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER® and other nonprofits were forced to appeal the permit. Our challenge asserts that the permit fails to account for Climate Change which will only exacerbate runoff of toxic stormwater: damaging local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.
Please consider a year-end donation of support so we can continue protecting water quality, sensitive species, and community environmental interests for 1.5 million Baltimore-Metro residents.
You may donate at: https://gunpowderriverkeeper.networkforgood.com/projects/130365-everyday-giving or by sending a check to Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER®, P.O. BOX 156 Monkton, MD 21111.
Thank you for your support,
Theaux M. Le Gardeur
Please consider a year-end donation of support to amplify our advocacy in celebration of #GivingTuesday.
Gunpowder Riverkeeper has 488 supporters in 17 states, and is comprised of an Executive Director/RIVERKEEPER, up to nine board members and 27 committee members. Please let us know if you’d like to be more involved at gunpowderriverkeeper@gmail.com
GRK is a 501(c)(3) non-profit categorized by the IRS under Natural Resource Conservation and Protection. Your charitable contribution is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. A copy of the current financial statement of GRK is available by writing P.O. BOX 156 Monkton, MD 21111 or calling 410-967-3526. Documents submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from: The MD Sec. of State, State House, Annapolis MD 21401 (410) 974-5534.