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Tangier watermen see Bay in a new light
Business for the Bay honors winners of Bay Excellence Awards
Retracing Smith’s voyage reveals power of man, nature to change Bay
The Chesapeake Bay Trust has presented Ilia J. Fehrer with its 2002 Ellen Fraites Wagner Award, which honors individuals who have promoted public awareness and involvement in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Fehrer’s involvement with the Bay began in the 1970s when her tenacity and diplomacy with local landowners led to the Pocomoke’s designation as a Wild and Scenic River. She then initiated the Pocomoke’s water quality testing program.
Fehrer also led the effort that stopped a proposed dam and created the Nassawango Creek Preserve in Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore. More than 41,000 acres in southern Worcester County, MD has been permanently preserved as a result of her efforts.
The 75-year-old resident of Snow Hill, MD has helped to share her love of the watershed with others, and has led hundreds of canoe trips and wetland, forest and beach activities for local organizations, school groups and the media.
Outside the watershed, Fehrer has helped to preserve Assateague Island and Maryland’s coastal bays, and has served on more than a dozen task forces and advisory boards.
The Honorable Harry Hughes, former governor of Maryland and a member of the Trust’s board, praised her work, stating “Ilia Fehrer has changed minds by speaking her mind. Her leadership has inspired and convinced so many people over the years.”
The award, which was presented at the Sixth Annual Maryland Tributary Team Conference in Adelphi, MD, is a bronze statue of a great blue heron, the CBT logo found on its “Treasure the Chesapeake” license plates.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust, established by the General Assembly in 1985, is a private, nonprofit, grant-making foundation. Proceeds from private donations, the Line 37 Maryland Income Tax Checkoff and its license plates have allowed the Trust to fund 4,500 grants to 2,200 schools, community associations and public agencies since 1985.
