Isabel Hardesty, Executive Director of ShoreRivers; Fred Pomeroy, winner of the ShoreRivers Award for Environmental Stewardship; and Matt Pluta, Choptank Riverkeeper and ShoreRivers’ Director of Riverkeeper Programs, are pictured at the organization’s inaugural Riverboat Rendezvous & Race on November 5.
On November 5, Fred Pomeroy was named the third recipient of the ShoreRivers Award for Environmental Stewardship during the organization’s Riverboat Rendezvous & Race. The award recognizes an individual or entity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for their transformational accomplishments as a steward of the environment.
The founding President of Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth, Pomeroy serves as a watchdog and protector for his community. He is a conservationist when it comes to farming and, in addition to working with ShoreRivers on a wetland project, he has implemented acres of buffers, additional wetlands, and quail habitat on his farmland.
"It’s our responsibility as citizens who want to leave a better world to the coming generations to forsake the easy path of cynicism and apathy. In doing so we need to broaden our coalitions by reaching out to underserved folks and those whose political persuasions are different from our own," Pomeroy, a lifelong waterman, Century Farm owner, poet, former teacher, and courageous citizen activist, said while accepting his award. “[Let’s] resolve to keep speaking up for the environment with a glad heart and a generous spirit.”
Pomeroy also brings a conservationist mindset to the water where he operates several acres of oyster leases near Stoney Cove in the Little Choptank River and from where he gets many of the oysters he's donated for ShoreRivers' events. He has also served as an advisor and mentor for ShoreRivers staff on major issues related to Chesapeake Bay fisheries, nutrient pollution, irresponsible development, and other threats that undermine a fundamental right to clean water.
“Fred’s ‘leave it for the next generation’ attitude inspires us all to work harder to ensure that generations to come are able to enjoy fishable, swimmable, boatable rivers on the Eastern Shore,” said Matt Pluta, ShoreRivers Director of Riverkeeper Programs, who presented the award. “He’s an invaluable asset to our region, and someone I’m proud to call a mentor, and a friend.”
ShoreRivers—and the 250 supporters in attendance at the event—were proud to recognize Pomeroy, a true renaissance man and champion of the environment, with this year’s award. After the reception, attendees boarded two turn-of the-century paddlewheelers at the Choptank Riverboat Company and raced to a photo finish where expert helmsmen encouraged more than $44,000 in gifts to support the Riverkeeper program. Visit shorerivers.org to learn more.