Free Copy of "My Life As An Oyster" Book For Each Child Visitor through Jan. 4

The holidays are a great time to visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with your family, friends, out of town guests, and/or kids. And if you make your visit to the Museum on or before January 4, 2009, any children ages 17 years old or younger will receive a free copy of the children's book, "My Life As An Oyster."

"My Life As an Oyster" was written and illustrated by CBMM staff as part of the Museum's Oystering on the Chesapeake exhibition and has been popular and requested by many Museum visitors. The book playfully outlines the life cycle of the storied Bay oyster. Though conceived as a children's book, the publication's humor and message are accessible to children and adults. It was published in the fall of 2004 and made possible by the Jack English Memorial Fund. "My Life As an Oyster," is 28 pages with color illustrations throughout.

Bring your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and visit CBMM this holiday season. The offer applies to CBMM members and non-members and is good through January 4, 2009. The Museum's hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CBMM is closed to the public on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Md. Sea Grant's Jack Greer to Kick Off CBMM's "Chesapeake Futures" on Jan. 15

ST. MICHAELS, MD—What does the future hold for the Chesapeake Bay? Get a better idea at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum on January 15 at 7 p.m. Author and scholar Jack Greer of Maryland Sea Grant College will kick-off a series of discussions on challenges facing the Bay in the 21st century.

Greer is well qualified to lead such a discussion. He is the co-author and co-editor of "Chesapeake Futures: Choices for the 21st Century," a book that was published by the Chesapeake Bay Program, a unique regional partnership that has coordinated the restoration work on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed since 1983.

Greer has written numerous articles on the health and people of the Bay and launched Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's magazine-style journal. He was tapped to help lead the multi-state/federal Chesapeake Bay Program, serving as key facilitator for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Blue Ribbon Finance Panel and overseeing the production of the final report.. Greer is assistant director for communications and public affairs at Maryland Sea Grant College.

Greer is known for his ability to reach across audiences and synthesize research and viewpoints from different disciplines. His approach dovetails perfectly with the Maritime Museum's new initiative. "Chesapeake Futures" is a discussion that CBMM is facilitating among national scholars in the historic, scientific, cultural and environmental fields; regional policy-makers; and innovative exhibit and media planners and designers. The result of this 18-month planning and research effort will be a conceptual design for a major new exhibition, programs, and publications.

"This represents a major new initiative for the Museum," said CBMM President Stuart Parnes. "Our mission to inspire stewardship of the Bay's culture and environment depends on our ability to relate our shared history to our present lives and to the future of the Bay. With funding from the National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program, and the Maryland Historical Trust, this process is designed to engage the Bay's stakeholders in a discussion about how to make informed decisions about the future of the endangered watershed. The Museum will provide a forum for driving this dialogue and will turn it into a number of products and programs that the public will be able to see and experience."

Greer's kick-off presentation on the planning and research phase of "Chesapeake Futures" makes a lot of sense-he literally wrote the book on it. His talk will outline the likely consequences of some of the choices we are now making for the Bay. He'll look at potential outcomes in the form of three scenarios for the year 2030. The first is based on recent trends, without a major change in behaviors and actions. The second scenario looks at changes that are set forth in existing multi-jurisdictional Bay agreements. The third choice examines alternatives if a series of additional innovative programs and new technologies are put in place.

Greer earned his PhD from the University of Maryland and his bachelors degree from the University of Virginia. He has been awarded the APEX award for excellence in journalism, has published a number of poems and short stories and has won two awards from the Maryland Humanities Council for his writing. A hardcover collection of short stories about the sea, "Abrahams Bay & Other Stories," will be published by Dryad Press in January 2009.

The "Chesapeake Futures" program will take place on Thursday, January 15, at 7 p.m. in the Museum's Steamboat Building Auditorium. The cost is $12 for CBMM members and $15 for non-members and includes light refreshments. Pre-registration is required. For more information, please call the Museum at 410-745-2916.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Inc.
Navy Point, P.O. Box 636, St. Michaels, MD 21663
Phone: 410-745-2916 | Fax: 410-745-6088

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