Trip Ideas

Chesapeake Insider

Trystan Sill

by Jody Couser March 9, 2021

A native of Arlington, Virginia, and current resident of Baltimore, Maryland, Trystan has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master's Degree in Conservation Biology.  Since 2010 she has worked for DNR primarily as an environmental educator/trainer, where she taught about the health of the Bay’s marshes and helped people connect to the environment. Outside of DNR, Trystan participates in Baltimore's first LGBTQ+ Commission, volunteers with Thread to support Baltimore youth, and is on…

Chesapeake Insider

Deanna Mitchell

by Yazan Hasan February 26, 2021

Deanna Mitchell is the current superintendent of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. A native of Maryland, she has been dedicated to ensuring that the rich history of the Eastern Shore is not forgotten, and that the African American heritage of the region is not only recorded, but also cherished.

What piece of African American heritage do you wish more people knew of in the Chesapeake region?

At this time,…

Chesapeake Insider

Leonard Harmon

by Carly Sniffen February 22, 2021

Leonard Harmon is a Native artist and citizen of the Lenape Tribe of New Jersey and the Nanticoke Tribe of Delaware. He currently resides in Virginia. Leonard has sung and given dance performances at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. He has a passion for food, music, art, and dance. Later in his career he started creating art, and he has made pieces for several museums.…

Chesapeake Insider

Bernie Fowler

by Yazan Hasan by Michael Bowman by Kelsey Everett December 30, 2020

Former Maryland State Senator, Bernie Fowler, is one of the Chesapeake Bay’s greatest heroes and champions. Fowler served, in various capacities, as a member of the Calvert County Board of Education, a Calvert County Commissioner, and as a State Senator. In these positions, Fowler was a champion for the health and environmental quality of both the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay. Beginning in 1988, Fowler hosted the first Patuxent River…

Chesapeake Insider

Imani Black

by Jody Couser December 24, 2020

 Shellfish aquaculture biologist Imani Black is the founder and president of Minorities in Aquaculture, a nonprofit that seeks to create a more diverse aquaculture industry by educating minority women on the restoration and sustainability efforts that aquaculture provides for our local and global seafood industries.

Tell us a bit about yourself! Where did you grow up?

I’m from Chestertown on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I went to Queen Anne’s County High School and then went to Old Dominion…

Chesapeake Insider

Tig Tillinghast

by Jody Couser October 22, 2020

Jody Couser, senior vice president of communications at Chesapeake Conservancy, recently caught up with Tig Tillinghast, a Vermont resident whose in-laws live on the Rappahannock River by Fones Cliffs in Virginia. Tig put a previously broken DSLR camera into duty on their property for a new exciting purpose. He hooked up an external battery and a device that automated the camera to take a picture every few seconds. As a…