Join Sassafras Riverkeeper Zack Kelleher and local vets for a virtual workshop to learn about harmful algal blooms and how to keep yourself and your pets safe. Additionally, stay tuned for an in-person workshop event coming this fall.

Every summer, news articles show up around the country about toxic blue-green algal blooms. People and pets getting sick or dying from exposure to the toxic blooms makes headlines. The Eastern Shore is no exception: in the summer of 2020, the Sassafras River experienced its largest, most toxic, and longest-lasting algal bloom on record, rendering much of the river un-swimmable for 12 weeks during the height of water recreation activities.

The ShoreRivers Harmful Algal Bloom program will educate pet owners and veterinarians throughout the mid and upper Eastern Shore about the causes of blooms, the negative health impacts on pets and livestock, and actions people can take to reduce the excess nutrient loading and runoff that triggers major blooms. ShoreRivers will partner with local veterinarians to distribute essential information about the health risks and how to respond when a pet has potentially been exposed to algal toxins.

If you are a local pet owner or interested community member and want to learn more, please contact Zack Kelleher at zkelleher@shorerivers.org.