2024
Annual Report
Protecting the Land and Water that Matter to You
Our mission is to conserve and restore the natural and cultural resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations.
Our Vision
Our Vision
Our Vision
We believe the Chesapeake is a national treasure that should be healthy, accessible to everyone and its watershed a place where people and wildlife thrive.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our Mission
To conserve and restore the natural and cultural resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations.
We serve as a catalyst for change, advancing strong public and private partnerships, developing and using new technology and empowering environmental stewardship.
Our objective is to accelerate progress to conserve 30% of the Chesapeake watershed by 2030 by equitably connecting people to the Chesapeake while conserving and restoring priority lands and waters.
Our Community Committment
Our Commitment to the Communities We Serve
Our Commitment to the Communities We Serve
Chesapeake Conservancy recognizes that protecting and restoring the resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed requires a commitment to engage and work with the broad range of communities we serve.
Through our work, we celebrate the people and places that shape the region. We are dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, fostering partnerships and ensuring the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from a healthy Chesapeake Bay watershed.
By upholding these values, we can work together toward a future where people and wildlife thrive in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
What we do
Chesapeake Conservancy is the only watershed-wide organization focused on both land conservation and stream restoration to achieve a healthier Chesapeake Bay. We’re using and sharing the latest groundbreaking data and technology, including artificial intelligence, to determine where to focus conservation efforts to have the most impact using the least resources.
Conserve Land
Conserving 30% of the Chesapeake’s lands and waters by 2030 is critical for climate resilience, biodiversity and water quality. We also strive to make these conserved lands publicly accessible.
Restore Streams
Restoring the Bay’s 100,000 small tributaries is key to restoring the Chesapeake watershed. Our data driven and partnership approach creates a healthier environment upstream, for a healthier Chesapeake Bay downstream.
Empower with Data
Using cutting-edge technology, our Conservation Innovation Center empowers the Chesapeake restoration movement to practice data-driven precision conservation—getting the right practices in the right places at the right scale.
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Dear Supporters,
As I reflect on Fiscal Year 2024, I am filled with gratitude and admiration for all that Chesapeake Conservancy has accomplished in our mission to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Thanks to your unwavering support, we continue to ensure that the lands, waters and wildlife of this national treasure thrive for generations to come.
Together, we celebrate major milestones across the watershed in our three core focus areas: conserving land, restoring streams and empowering with data. Here are just a few standout achievements—but I invite you to explore our full annual report to see even more of the impact we’ve made together.
Conserve Land
In partnership with the Southern Maryland Conservation Alliance (SMCA), Chesapeake Conservancy played a key role in the establishment of the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge—the first new national wildlife refuge in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in over 25 years.
Restore Streams
Through collaboration with local conservation organizations and elected officials, we celebrated the removal of five impaired stream segments from Pennsylvania’s impaired waters list—a crucial step toward improving water quality throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and an example of what can be achieved together.
Empower with Data
Our Conservation Innovation Center (CIC) partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to update the state’s habitat connectivity map, a critical tool that tracks changes in natural landscapes and guides conservation efforts for wildlife health and ecosystem resilience.
These achievements would not have been possible without our dedicated supporters, partners and staff—and most importantly, you. Your belief in our mission fuels this work and makes a real, lasting impact on the Chesapeake Bay.
As we look ahead, Chesapeake Conservancy proudly celebrates its 15th anniversary and remains committed to bold action in the face of environmental challenges. We will continue to foster partnerships, drive innovation and champion conservation efforts to safeguard this extraordinary place. We are grateful to Joel Dunn whose visionary leadership guided this organization until he stepped down at the end of 2024.
On behalf of the board of directors, thank you for your passion, generosity and commitment to conservation. Together, we are ensuring a brighter, more resilient future for the Chesapeake Bay.
We will continue to foster partnerships, drive innovation and champion conservation efforts to safeguard this extraordinary place.
With gratitude,
Stephanie Meeks
Board Chair, Chesapeake Conservancy
2024
Board of Directors
2024
Chesapeake Council
2024
Chesapeake Conservancy Staff
"Supporting the creation of the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge—Maryland’s first new refuge in over 60 years and the Chesapeake Bay’s first in 25 years—has been an incredible honor. This refuge will help protect vital East Coast migratory habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds and endangered species like the dwarf wedgemussel, Atlantic sturgeon and northern long-eared bat. This achievement was made possible through the dedication of the Chesapeake Conservancy and its committed conservation partners, who worked tirelessly to make this vision a reality. Their efforts not only help safeguard wildlife and water quality but also enhance climate resilience and expand recreational opportunities. I encourage others to support their work to protect our region’s most important landscapes—because the time to conserve is now."
- Stephen Schuyler, Focus Financial Partners senior wealth advisor and managing director and board member of National Park Trust
Federal and nonprofit partners celebrate the establishment of the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge in December 2024. Photo by the Department of the Interior
Organizational Achievements Since Our Founding
Chesapeake Conservancy is prominent among the land conservation partners who secured appropriations totaling over $45 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund during fiscal years 2015-24. These funds were used to protect over 10,000 acres of lands and waters on national wildlife refuges, parks, forests and recreation areas across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
We remain committed to conserving 30% of the Chesapeake by 2030, and with your continued support, we can make it!
Your gift today
Supporting our work directly supports the Chesapeake you love
More than 18 million people call the Chesapeake home and have fallen in love with its awesome landscapes and rivers. So much so that thousands of acres of open space disappear each year. We are in a race against time to conserve, protect and restore what makes the Chesapeake so special before it is too late. Thank you for supporting our work. No amount is too small or too large to help us achieve great things together.
“Chesapeake Conservancy's work at all levels ensures the protection of places in the Chesapeake that I love, which is why I made a charitable bequest to the Conservancy in my estate planning.”
– Rick Scobey
Learn more about making a planned gift through your estate.
Your tax-deductible contribution of any amount is truly appreciated. Our tax ID number is 26-2271377.
2024
Highlights
Virtual Connections
Webcams
We are grateful for our partnerships with explore.org, the Crazy Osprey Family, Corporate Office Properties Trust and the owner of the great blue heron rookery for the generosity that makes these webcams possible. Millions of viewers from all over the world watched the cams in 2024.
Champions of the Chesapeake
Since 2014, Chesapeake Conservancy’s annual Champions of the Chesapeake awards have recognized individuals and organizations from across the region for exemplary leadership and dedication to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake’s natural systems and cultural resources.
In 2024, Chesapeake Conservancy proudly presented the Champions of the Chesapeake awards to U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, U.S. Representative John Sarbanes, Defensores de la Cuenca Co-Founder and Executive Director Abel Olivo and Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn who accepted a new position in international conservation after 14 years of leadership at Chesapeake Conservancy.
Courtesy Photo
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin
Courtesy Photo
U.S. Representative John Sarbanes
Courtesy Photo
Defensores de la Cuenca Co-Founder and Executive Director Abel Olivio
Photo by Jess Lombardi
Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn
Financial Report
October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024
Here’s how your investment in our work was spent.
For more detailed information on our financials and governance, visit our website.
Donors
Our sincere appreciation to the individual, foundation and corporate donors who have made our work possible. We truly appreciate your generosity.
William L. & Victoria Q. Adams Foundation, Inc
Angela and Christian Chabot
Anonymous (2)
Blue Waters Foundation
Bryan Martin
Bunting Family Foundation
Farvue Foundation
Foundation for PA Watersheds
Grayce B. Kerr Fund
Jim and Sylvia Earl
John G. & Jean R. Gosnell Foundation, Inc.
Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment
Marc Bunting
Mary C. Bunting Founodation
Merrill Family Foundation
Randall Larrimore
The 1994 Charles B. Degenstein Foundation
Shared Earth Foundation
TeraWulf Foundation
Conservation Alliance
Wilton Corkern
Ed Hatcher and Angie Cannon
Stephanie Meeks
Roemer Foundation
Virginia S. Warner Foundation
William L. & Victorine Q. Adams Foundation, Inc
Ad Hoc LLC
American Chestnut Land Trust
John Angle
Blaxall Fund for Economic Growth
Bradley and Kathryn Callahan Family Foundation
Greg Gershman
Barbara Moulton
Carolyn Marshall
The Quisel Snyder Family
Peter and Jeannine Alexandro
Becky Anderson
Burtram Anderson
David Anderson
Anonymous (3)
Bay Paddle
Joy and Michael Avery
Baltimore Community Foundation
Curtis and Barbara Backus
Michelle Bailey Hedgepeth
Edward Barnidge
Bellese Technologies, LLC
Beveridge and Diamond, P.C.
Don and Vicky Birch
Ann Bissell
Brandywine Foundation Inc
Sue Buyaskas
Astrid Caldas
Corrigan Sports Enterprises
Cho-Packer Giving Fund
Kevin and Katie Cooke
Ann Copeland Rose
Leslie Cronin
John and Mary Dean
Leslie Delagran
Brian and Lisa Devincentis
Lisa Dickinson Mountcastle
ECS Mid-Atlantic
Elinor Farquhar
Robert and Janellen Frantz
Richard L. Franyo
Bob Friend
Bartley and Denise Griffith
Adam Gronski
Thomas and Loretta Guise
Paul Hagen
James and Victoria Handa
Jay and Tara Joseph
Anne Gordon Keidel Trust
Laura Kelm
Lolita and Gus Kiorpes
Steve Lafferty
Dale and Patricia Larrimore
Rick Lincicome
Robert and Connie Loarie
M&T Bank
M&T Charitable Foundation
Pamela Marks and Michael Mininsohn
Thorton Matheson
Joseph McCauley
Patrick McGeehin
Daniel Meeks
Heather Murren
John Neely
Keith O'Connor
Faye Offett
Anna and Leonard Pfeiffer
John and Pat Potvin
Ann Powers
Edward and Meghan Quinn
Edward Quinn
John and Barbara Reynolds
Bill and Donna Roberts
Kristin Rowles and Paul Ferraro
Jeffrey Sabot
Stephen and Megan Schuler
Richard Scobey and Bruce Ragsdale
Ava Shivers
Nick and Annie Shreiber
Marc Siegel
Sanford and Doris Slavin Foundation Fund
Doug and Lynn Smarte
Charles Stek
Sarah Stolte
George Strawbridge, Jr.
Ann and Eric Swanson
Phil Tabas
Linda Teare
John and Kimberly Thacker
Meghan Tieff
Paul Tuffy
David and Laura Urban
Stephanie Vaughn
David and Maria Vershel
VFW E.E. Streets Memorial Post 5118
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation
Weis Markets
Alice and Hill Wellford
Jeffrey Wright
Ziger Snead Architects LLP
($500-$999)
Ben Alexandro
Anonymous
Peggy Barlett
Joan Barton Sundheim
Rich Batiuk
Marc Bendick
Blackwater Conservation Association
Hannah Brenner
Elizabeth Buck
Margaret Bursaw
David Castro
Caitlin Ceryes
Stephen and Jane Coley
Jody Couser
Sally F. Davidson
Elizabeth Edmonds
Dorry Emmer
Frederick Galloway
General Paving and Contracting Inc
Kyle P. German
Colin Harrington
Maria Heyssel
David Hilgers
Joe and Martha Janney
Kovitz Investment Group Partners
L'Aiglon Foundation
Hunt Leavitt
James Lighthizer
Bruce Lowry
Suzanne Macdonald
Amanda Mahoney
Brian and Janalee Malikian
Laurence and Sue Manlove
Dominic Moffa
Daniella Moiseyev
Michael Molloy
Sky and Liza Morehouse
Joel and Thonya Nelson
Joel Nelson
Octoraro Native Plant Nursery
Lloyd E. Oliver
Chesapeake Conservancy Development Team
Team Participant Pennsylvania Programs team
Cheryl Paschall
Mark and Karen Perreault
Bethany Phillips
Chris Hankin and Margrethe Ravnholt-Hankin
Stephanie Rigler
Gail Ross and Peter Haas
John and Ellen Rowlson-Hall
Diane Shafer
Lisa Sherwood
Kevin Sottak
Susan Stalick
Matthew and Eliza Steinmeier
Amy Stolarski
Amy Stump
Eric Tazelaar
Alex Thibau
Frazier Thomas
Shannon Thomas
Michael Tollefson
Gordon and Christine Trapnell
Matthew Trotta
Richard Tull
Robin Vaughn
Les Vinney
The Wallace Family
Harrison and Sue Wellford
Robert Westbrook
Laquetta Williams
Laura Alexandro
Nick Alexandro
The Alliance, Cedar Lane Unitarian Church
EJ and Sarah Amyot
Joseph and Mary Angle
Anonymous
Kenneth and Connie Baker
Laura Barraclough
Patricia P. Baum
Jacquelyn Beattie
Murray Berstein
Cheryl Bishop
Jim and Marcia Borel
Deborah Brown
John and Linda Buyaskas
Kevin Campion
Jessica Carlson
Caitlin and Brent Ceryes
Tom Colberg
Carly Dean
Mary Clare Duffy
Kathleen Felmey
Marianne Follingstad
Zoe Fried
Samantha Gagnon
Linda Gaydos
Crista Hajiantoni
Mary Hamel Denick
Barbara Hannula
virginia hartman
Jodi Hillmar
Paul Janes
Betsy Kirkpatrick-Howat
Lisa Kownurko
Amy Meyer
Mary Much
Brett Munson
Daniel Murphy
Kate and John Mustain Giving Fund
Office Images
Glynn Owens
Baltimore Magnet Fishers
Scott Phillips
Sue and Tom Phipps
Matthew Provost
Jeremy Rechtien
River Crescent Communities
Dan Sakura
Jimmy Slaughter
Matthew Spong, RLA
Wendy Thomas
Carol Urbanski
Amy Vaughn
Stafford and Sue Warren
Jay and Kim Weitzel
Nancy Whittier
Bill and Joan Woodward
Judith Acosta
Chip and Sally Akridge
Lynn Alcock
Jay Aldridge
Floyd Alexander
Scott and Kathy Allan
Scott Allam
Anonymous (4)
Bryan Ashby
George Badenoch and Olga Melbardis
Stacey Bailey
Greg Basiliko
Anne Baumanis
Susan Bedwell
Susan Benac
Betsy Bender and Brian Lewbart
Gordon Binder and Michael Rawson
Sherry Bird
Jim and Shirley Blackwell
Paul Bollinger
Gregory Bowen
David and Suzanne Boyd
Carl Brooks
Warren Brown
Bruce Bugbee
Alex Bullington
Delace Burch
Ann Burchard
Joseph Burgess
Laura Burke
Rebecca Byrd
Tania Caballero
Brad Carlson
Bruce and Lorrie Carlson
Elizabeth and Clark Carter
Carter-Minnemeyer Family
Bill and Missy Cassidy
David and Anna Castle
Amy Clark
Tara Clifford
Patrick Coady
Walter and Suzanne Cochran-Bond
Jerry Conner
Michael Crall
Jennifer Crews-Carey
Mary Ann Cronin
John and Charlotte Dean
D. Cameron DeHeer
Jennifer DeLancey
Nancy Dentz
Vicki Dyson
Michael Eckenrode
Beverly Edgell
Lynda Eisenberg
Eva Elmore
Sherri Flaks
Gino Freeman
Kathy Fried
Larry and Pamela Friedman
A Friend
From God's Blessings - We Share
Ellen Fuller
Sarah Gallen
Gerald Gallwas
The Garay Family
Karin Geiselhart
Rachel Geist
Jennifer and Harvey Gershman
Laurel Giacolone
Carolyn Goddard
Dede Godstrey
Bill Gourgey
Pamela Gregory
Steven Grinberg
Sharon Gustin
Aidan Hahn
Kerry Halloran
Laurel Halloran
Robert Halloran
Neal and Linda Halsey
Tammy Hardy
Anne Harrington
William Harris
Verna Harrison
Kathleen Harvey
Mary Jo Heck
Robert Henry
Maria Herold
Carolyn Hill
Nancy Hisky
Rochelle House
Cynthia Hull
Thomas Hunter
The Iversen Family
Cacky Janssens
Steven Jawetz
Cynthia Jensen
Mini Johri
Rajive Johri
Sonali Johri
Betty Ann Jones
Rob Kansler
Carolyn Kennedy
Bill and Phyllis Kilby
Sarah Killian
Sue King
Aaron Kingsley
Miles Kiorpes
Ellen Klene
Lily Kleppertknoop
Phyllis and Marc Koenings
Theodore and Lillian Koons
Denise Kossuth
Steve Kover
Philip Krone
Jim Levitt
Vincent Lewis
Steve and Ann Lindblom
Fred and Jean Lucas
John Lupton
M. Elliot and Lynda Lord
Jacquelyn Mace
Larry Malone
Nicky Manna
Mary Margaret Nousek
Joseph Maroon
Jana Maser
Kennedy Mauche
Betsy McCaul
Bob McIntosh
Ed and Sherry McMahon
Gina Menditto Amos
Cheryl Milberry
Cyndy Miller
Ronald Milone
Jerry Mitchell
Rachel Molloy
Alison Moore
Sally Moulton
Jeff and Paula Mumford
Christopher Myers
Eric Nelson
Lisa Neubaumer
Anuradha Norton
Jonathan Olmsted
Rosalind Owen
Kent and Phoebe Palcanis
Mary Palmer
Ethan Peck
Reed Perry
Sheldon Pitterman
Nancy Plaxico
Judy Postmus
Suzanne Prentice
James Prescott
Don and Lucy Reithlingshoefer
Richard Remmer
Ruth Robinson
Letitia and David Robson
Lynne Rockenbauch
Mrs. Roger Doyel
Barbara Rogers
Bonita Rohrer
Phil and Linda Roof
Barbara I. Rooney
Dorothy and Frank Rosenthal
Dylan Ross
Kathy Roush
Zarmina Said
Sallie Sarelas
Jeremy Schneider
Michele Schoonmaker
Cody Schulte
Donna Scott
Emily Scranton
Edwin Semans
Tracy Shannon
Jean Shaughnessy and Noah Simon
Bob and Jenny Shields
Bob Shields
Debby and Greg Shields
Richard Shrum
Michael and Catherine Shultz
Simon Sidamon-Eristoff
Helen Sieracki
Sheryl Sieracki
Stacia Skinner
Stephanie Sloman
Robert Smith
Virginia Smith
Nicole Smutny
Marc Sonnenfeld
Daniel Spack
Rick and Jill Springer
John and Anne Stalfort
Patricia Stallings
Carol and David Stern
Roger and Sally Stobbart
Dana Stoffregen
Linda and Donald Tatro
Donald Thomas
Laura Thorpe
De Teel Tiller
Jeffrey Trent Newman
Sharon Tucker Brown
Alexandra Valsamakis
Marcia L. Verploegen
Charles Vickers
Carol Wald
Robert Waldman
Susan Wallace
Diana K. Weatherby
Jason Weisberg
Margaret Whelihan
Ann and Bob Whitcomb
Sharee Williamson
Barbara L. Winner
Heather Worthley
Steven and Linda Wright
Cynthia Yeatman
Mark Young and Rachel Carren
Donna and Bob Zellers
Caleb Zimmerman
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Anne Arundel County (MD)
Baltimore City Recreation and Parks
Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation
Bureau of Land Management Eastern States
Center for Watershed Protection, Inc.
Charles County (MD)
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Legal Alliance
Chickahominy Tribe
Choose Clean Water Coalition
City of Annapolis
Conservation Foundation of Lancaster County
Corrigan Sports Enterprises
D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI)
Department of Defense REPI Program
Duke University Nicholas School for the Environment
Environmental Protection Agency - Chesapeake Bay Program
Forever Maryland Foundation
Friends of the Rappahannock
Gunpowder Valley Conservancy
Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology
Herbert, Rowland, & Grubic, Inc.
Indigenous Conservation Council of the Chesapeake Bay
James River Association
Jefferson County Parks & Recreation Commission
Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Nansemond Indian Nation
Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy, Inc
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Nature Serve
NPS -Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail
NPS -Chesapeake Gateways
NPS -Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Oyster Recovery Partnership
Partners for Open Space
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Piedmont Environmental Council
Potomac Conservancy
Rappahannock Tribe
Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission
Severn River Association
Susquehanna University
The Conservation Fund
US Department of Agriculture
US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Forest Service
US Geological Survey
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Virginia Forever
Virginia's United Land Trusts
We Be Walkin'
West Virginia Land Trust
West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Fund
Wildlife Management Institute
Barbara Anderson
Thad and Renee Bench
Serena Boyd
Anna Capetanakis
Janice Davis
Christine Hayes
Matthew Hunley
Anthony Ostuni
Simone Parrish
Andrea Penaloza
Sara Ramotnik
Kevin Sottak
Mary Wigginton
David Wye
Mayer Brown
M & T Bank
REI
Sakura Conservation Strategies, LLC
WilmerHale
Jean Andrews Richards
Carol Augustine
James W. Bailey, Jr.
Mary Bruce Batte Corkern
Lonnie D Byrd III
Myra Pool Cunningham
Christopher Thomas Fagan
Susan Garner Neely
Wayne Griffith
Terry R Harris
Richard Hartman
Robert Hutton
Robert W Jackson
Jonathan Lahm
John Moser, MD
Nancy R. Oliver
Kathleen Schisler McConnell
John Aldridge Sr
Lauren Bailey and Her Sharp-Eyed Daughter
Dirk and Ellen Brouwer
Laura Calvert
Emily Clifton
Nicholas Moffa & Merijke Coenraad
JT Dean
Leslie Delagran
Joel Dunn
Jeremy Elliott
The Gagnon Family
Stormy Gibbons-Neff
Debby & Allan Kover
Randy Larrimore
Mark Neucollins
Patrick Noonan
John Reynolds
The Riggs Family
Erin Shannon
Tom and Audrey (the ospreys)
Contact us
Chesapeake Conservancy is a nonprofit organization based in Annapolis, Maryland. We are conservation entrepreneurs. We believe that the Chesapeake is a national treasure that should be accessible for everyone and a place where wildlife can thrive. We use technology to enhance the pace and quality of conservation, and we help build parks, trails, and public access sites. Chesapeake Conservancy works in close partnership with Indigenous Tribes, the National Park Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management Eastern States, as well as other federal, state and local agencies, private foundations and corporations to advance conservation.
Earl Conservation Center
1212 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
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Additional Photo Credits
Board Chair: Courtesy Photo
Cover Image: Michael Weiss
Chair and the President: Jody Couser
Organizational Achievements: “Brown Pelican Rookery” Michael Weiss
Your Gift Today: “Kayaker” Yazan Hasan
Virtual Connections: “Peregrine Falcon” Peter Turcik
Closing Photo Montage (clockwise): “Bay Paddle Team”J.T. Dean, “Mallards” Jennifer Crews-Carey, “Bilingual Rangers at Es Mi Parque event at Gunpowder Falls State Park” Courtesy Photo, “Kayakers” J.T. Dean, “Osprey” Jack Anderson, “Frank Roher” Courtesy Photo, “Great Blue Heron” Jennifer Crews-Carey and “Watermen” Sue Buyaskas