Sunday, a group of six swimmers ? Maureen Rohrs, Sue Megaw, Jack Frain, Edson Bastos, Richard Wallace and Joe Stewart ? will brave cold water, strong current and exhaustion to swim 4.4 nautical miles on the Patapsco River to raise awareness of the watershed and collect funds for urban watershed organizations.
This will be Stewart?s fifth swim across the Patapsco. To date, he has raised more than $20,000 for urban watershed organizations.
Stewart spent the 1990s organizing swim events that raised funds for the environment and for AIDS organizations for the state.
“I turned that over to some new people and wanted to concentrate on the river that was closest to home for me,” Stewart said.
“I always felt that I had ruled the Patapsco out and given up on it, and I wanted to see what I could do to help and call attention to the river.”
Stewart began exploring the watershed, which is 55 miles long, spanning Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll and Baltimore counties and Baltimore City.
He also began talking to people about conditions in the river and taking photographs all along the water.
He learned that the mouth of the river was the safest and cleanest.
“It?s taken me an average of three hours and 15 minutes, some years slower and some years faster,” Stewart said.
“The swim could not take place without the Chesapeake Paddlers, U.S. Coast Guard, Baltimore Maritime Exchange and the Chesapeake Bay Boston Whalers.”
The organizations make sure the swimmers are safe, provide food and drink on the swim and constantly feed information to the swimmers.
After the swim, The Patapsco/Back River Tributary Team will wade into the Patapsco River with anyone who wishes to join them to test the clarity of the water.
Afterward, a picnic celebration will take place, along with speeches, exhibits and cake to celebrate the tercentennial of Baltimore?s port.
The celebration will take place at noon Sunday at the North Point State Park on the Chesapeake Bay between the Patapsco and Back rivers. For more information, visit www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/tribstrat/patapsco/pat_back.html.
