Sharkfest Comes To MD Museum, Exhibit Will Feature Live Predators

MARYLAND — The Calvert Marine Museum will celebrate Sharkfest this Saturday. The exhibit will feature live sharks and life-size jaws. Attendees can also check out shark documentaries.

If sharks give you the heebie-jeebies, there are plenty of other upcoming environmental events around Maryland. Summertime cruises and concerts are scheduled throughout the state.

Patch recently partnered with several local organizations to bring you their latest news. This guest contribution comes from National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways and Chesapeake Conservancy. Here's what Jody Hedeman Couser submitted to help you explore the Chesapeake Bay:

"Latino Conservation Day

It’s Latino Conservation Day at Baltimore's Masonville Cove, so bring the whole family to enjoy free outdoor activities, including fishing, animal encounters, kayaking, hiking the Cove’s trails, and a tour of the innovative dredged material and containment facility. Registration is required for the kayaking only. https://www.masonvillecove.org/kayakregistration July 17, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Beautiful Parkers Creek Canoe Trips

The American Chestnut Land Trust has been dedicated to protecting, caring for, and sharing land within the Parkers Creek watershed, one of the last remaining pristine watersheds on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The Trust offers canoe trips through this very special area throughout the summer. Paddles are already booked up until August 14, leaving six more paddles available through October 20. These are not easy paddles, so be sure to read the description of trip challenges. More information and reservations.

A Celebration of Black Music

Join the Urban Choral Arts Society, Inc. – a nonprofit dedicated to improving the achievement and esteem of Baltimore area youth through choral music and cultural arts – for an outdoor, socially-distanced performance highlighting the important contributions of African-Americans. This series is made possible by the Maryland State Arts Council. Free, but advance registration is required at urbanchoralarts.org. July 10, 6:30 pm; Baltimore Museum of Industry's covered pavilion.

A Conversation and a Cruise

Enjoy summer breezes on a fun, educational and family-friendly morning of cruising on the St. Clement’s Island Water Taxi during their themed cruises. On the July 17 cruise, your water tour guide will read the "Giants of the Bay," part of the Chesapeake Mermaid series, and discuss environmental change. The event will begin at St. Clement’s Island Museum and start with an introduction to the book and what we can do to impact the environment in a positive way. On August 14 your water tour guide will discuss the different explorers that ventured up the Potomac River, including Leonard Calvert, the Piscataway, Father Andrew White, and even pirates. $15 for adults, $10 for kids, kids under 2 are free. More info and registration.

Sharkfest!

Celebrate the ultimate apex predator of the marine world during one of the Calvert Marine Museum’s most popular events. Live sharks will be featured in the Corbin Pavilion for viewing. The museum and grounds will be full of opportunities to explore the diversity of sharks and their remarkable history on planet Earth. Learn fascinating ‘sharktoids,’ examine evidence of prehistoric sharks, and take a picture with the life-size jaws of a Megalodon shark or in a real shark cage. Viewings of shark documentaries will take place in the Harms Gallery throughout the day. Take home a shark-themed craft kit to continue the fun. Regular museum admission applies. July 10, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. More information.

BioBlitz with the National Aquarium

Take a walk outside and discover the nation's first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership in the heart of Baltimore City during their eighth annual BioBlitz! Work together with wildlife experts and community volunteers to find, identify, and record plant and animal species that live at Masonville Cove as you explore 70 acres of water and 54 acres of restored wetlands and nature trails. Free, but registration is required. July 17, 9:00 am to 11:00 am; Masonville Cove, Baltimore. More information.

Lots of Great Webcam News!

It's been an eventful summer for our wildlifer webcam stars!

After several weeks of incubation, Tom and Audrey's egg hatched in the early morning hours of June 25. Welcome to the world little one!

The falcon family has had a fair share of attention over the past week due to one of the eyasses. In mid-June, one of the eyasses had become stranded on one of the ledges of the Transamerica building. After a few days, the eyas was located on the ground and safely captured by the building manager in consultation with USFWS. Apart from a suspected wing injury, the eyas was safely transported to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore where it received care and rehabilitation. The eyas was then safely returned back to the window scrape. We love happy endings!

The great blue heron chicks are also growing steadily and are beginning to fledge. Good luck!

Check out all the live webcam action here:
Great Blue Heron Webcam
Osprey Webcam

Safe Swimming Water Quality Guide

The Swimmable ShoreRivers bacteria monitoring program tests popular water access sites on Maryland’s Eastern Shore every week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Their findings are then posted on the Swim Guide app and website, which has weather and water quality for 8,000 beaches.

Explore the Current, Weather and Captain John Smith's Historic Voyage with CBIBS!

Head out on the water and learn firsthand the experiences of Captain John Smith's Voyage on NOAA's Chesapeake Bay interpretive Buoy System. CBIBS provides real time weather and environmental information, as well as a glimpse into living Chesapeake Bay History. You can also download the app for your Android or iPhone from the website. Note: some buoys may be offline with no data currently available.

Chesapeake Trail Riverview

Take a virtual tour of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail from your computer or mobile device! To help you plan your trip before you go, the Chesapeake Conservancy partnered with Terrain360 to bring you virtual tours of the trail’s great rivers. Sit back and virtually explore the Elk, James (sponsored by the James River Association), Nanticoke, Northeast, Patapsco, Patuxent, Potomac, Rappahannock, Sassafras, Susquehanna, and York rivers. Check out some of the Chesapeake’s special places like Werowocomoco, Fones Cliffs, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Mallows Bay. We hope to eventually bring you a virtual tour of the entire Chesapeake Trail! Explore the Chesapeake's great rivers on our website."

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play.

RELATED:

• Historic London Town Tells Revolutionary War Tales Around July 4
• Tall Ships Come To Annapolis For July 4, Skipjack Tours Available
• Save The Fireflies, Thank The Bees In MD: Pollinator Week Events
• Track Dolphins In Chesapeake Bay, Fish For Invasive Snakeheads
• Hike In Greenbelt, Paddle Board In Lothian On National Trails Day
• Antique Boat Show, Father's Day Cruise Come To MD Waters

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.