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Welcome to the MRA

The Magothy River Association (MRA) is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the water quality, plants, and wildlife of the Magothy River and its watershed. Founded in 1946, the MRA is an all-volunteer group, incorporated as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charitable organization representing over 300 individual members and 30 community associations within the Magothy River Watershed. The organization designs and executes projects that restore and protect the welfare of the river and its watershed.

Monthly Meetings

The MRA Executive Board meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7:30 pm. Please check our Facebook Page for up-to-date announcements and other timely information or contact president@magothyriver.org. Meetings are held via Zoom or at the Berrywood Community Clubhouse, 2nd Floor, at the intersection of Berrywood & Hartman Drives, Severna Park. Public welcome.

Recent News & Events

Special Event

This Wednesday, March 20th YOU are invited to attend a Magothy River Association special event. The MRA is pleased to host a speaker from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) for a virtual tour of the campus and an inside look at the important environmental research happening there.

Headquartered on the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary, SERC’s 2,650-acre campus spans forests, wetlands, marshes, and 15 miles of protected shoreline. The site serves as a natural laboratory for long-term and cutting-edge ecological research.

The MRA will play a role in one of those projects, Chesapeake Water Watch. Along with other local river organizations, MRA volunteers will collect water quality data. These measurements will be used by researchers to help “train” NASA satellites to accurately monitor the Bay.

Click here for a link to the webinar, March 20 at 7PM!

State of the Magothy

Annually in March, the Magothy River Association delivers a “State of the Magothy” address. Save the date for March 31, 2024. The event will be held in person at Anne Arundel Community College in the Health and Life Sciences Building (HLSB). Doors will open at 6:30 pm for viewing of displays in the lobby and presentations will begin at 7:00 pm in the adjacent lecture hall.

Presentations this year include the Magothy River Index given by Dr. Sally Hornor and an overview of stream restoration sites in our watershed given by Nasrin Dahlgren of AA Co Dept of Public Works, Watershed Protection and Restoration.

The program typically runs from 7-9 pm. Park in Lot D (https://www.aacc.edu/…/maps/ArnoldCampusMap_8.5×11.pdf)

For questions or more information, please contact president@magothyriver.org

Oyster Restoration Program

The MRA was proud to partner with the Jolly Dolphin in the 4th annual Great Chesapeake Bay Virtual Schooner Race to raise money for our Oyster Restoration Program. We sailed over the finish line in second place, doubling our race goal! However, we still have a long way to go in order to fund restoration of all our reefs. Please consider donating to our Oyster Restoration Program today! Click on the donate button on our homepage. For more information on this project please contact president@magothyriver.org. Thank you for your support!

Latest MRA Living History Video

In September 2023, MRA released its latest Living History video. This video was written and narrated by historian and preservationist Rick Striner. This is the story of the Corwell’s Store, an old country store from a time when life was different. The narrator gives us a glimpse of not only the life of the owners and staff, but also of the customers.

We are proud to highlight this Severna Park/Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd landmark as part of THE LIVING HISTORY PROJECT of the Magothy River Association. Click here to watch!

Additionally, MRA will be working with Rick Striner to help classify RT 648 as a Historic Road.

Next up Asbury Church. Working together, we can preserve and protect the Magothy for generations to enjoy.

You can find links to our other Living History videos under Projects>Living History

Working to Preserve and Protect the Magothy River Watershed