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Beach Cleanups and Walks
ANNUAL ILIA FEHRER / JUDY JOHNSON MEMORIAL BEACH WALK
HOSTED BY ASSATEAGUE COASTAL TRUST, JANUARY 1 ON ASSATEAGUE ISLAND
Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) will once again host their popular New Years Day outdoor walk on Assateague Island January 1st, now known as the Ilia Fehrer / Judy Johnson Memorial Beach Walk.
The beach walk was started 32 years ago by Ilia Fehrer, an ACT founder and well known advocate for the protection of Assateague Island and the watersheds of Worcester County. Ilia and her family loved to take an afternoon stroll on the beaches of Assateague Island every New Years Day as a meaningful way to start the New Year.
The family tradition quickly grew into an ACT community activity, often drawing hundreds of people even in bitter cold, or rainy weather.
The first Assateague Beach Walk was held on January 1, 1970. The newly formed Committee to Preserve Assateague Island hosted the inaugural event to draw attention to Assateague's wild beauty. The committee was created by Ilia Fehrer, Judy Johnson and a few friends who had organized to rally against early plans for a park at Assateague, which included a 25-mile highway and a number of commercial enterprises. Prior to the establishment of a park on the island, Assateague was slated for development as the resort of Ocean Beach, MD. Roads had been built and lots had been sold when a series of 1962 nor'easters interrupted construction. The island was declared a National Seashore in 1965.
After the national and state parks at Assateague were established in a manner compatible with sustaining wildlife and natural barrier island processes, the Committee focused their attention on the land and water of Maryland's coastal bays. The Committee later became the Assateague Coastal Trust, which is recognized today as the oldest environmental education and advocacy organization on the Delmarva Peninsula.
The Beach Walk will begin at 1pm on Saturday, January 1. Members of the Board of Directors of Assateague Coastal Trust will greet participants at the Assateague State Park concession stand and National Seashore Ranger/Naturalist Chris Seymour will lead the beach walk participants north from the State Park while talking about the dynamics of the ocean beaches and dunes.
Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and to bring their family and friends. After the Beach Walk, they will be greeted with hot cocoa and cookies on the deck of the State Park concession stand.
For more information, contact Steve or Kim at Assateague Coastal Trust by calling 410-629-1538.
Copyright 2012, Assateague Coastal Trust
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