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 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 and is open to the public.
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Recent News & Events
State of the Magothy
Annually each Spring, the Magothy River Association delivers a “State of the Magothy” address. This program is open to the public and provides the community an opportunity to learn about the health of the Magothy and what MRA volunteers are doing to protect and preserve the river for generations to come.
This year’s event was held on April 5th at Anne Arundel Community College. Dr. Sally Hornor presented on the Magothy River Index, and Caitlin Sporik, of Bayland Environmental Designers, spoke on the multi-faceted restoration projects for Mill Creek.
To download the 2023 report click here.
For questions or more information, please contact president@magothyriver.org
Oyster Restoration Program
Did you know? A single adult oyster can filter pollutants from 50 gallons of water per day! They also provide critical habitat for many critters that live on the bars. A typical oyster bar has at least 15 different invertebrates and small fish that live within the crevasses of the bars. This is why oysters are so important to the health of the Magothy River and the Chesapeake Bay.
MRA is one of the few organizations in the Chesapeake that runs a comprehensive oyster program. The program includes an oyster nursery, reef restoration and dive monitoring.
Due to the collapse of the Key Bridge, oysters from Port Covington Marina that were destined for the reefs surrounding Fort Carroll in the Patapsco River, have been relocated to a sanctuary in the Magothy River. The Magothy Oyster Sanctuary consists of 5 major oyster restoration sites, which include: Chest Neck Point, Ulmstead Point, Rock Point, Dobbins Hill and Persimmon Point. MRA volunteers will begin ferrying out the bushels of oysters from Port Covington to the Rock Point sanctuary in late May.
Last summer the MRA partnered with the Jolly Dolphin in the 4th annual Great Chesapeake Bay Virtual Schooner Race to raise money for the 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. We are also looking for CORPORATE SPONSORS. For more information on this project please contact president@magothyriver.org. For information on our Corporate Sponsorship Program, please contact Nick Spadaro at nicholas.b.spadaro@gmail.com
Thank you for your support!
Noah’s Reef
This spring, the Magothy River Association was part of a large effort to add 200 additional reef balls to Noah’s reef off Dobbins Island! Reef balls help restore fish habitat in the Magothy. Thanks goes to these groups for making it possible to deploy the reef balls within a short window of opportunity: Coastal Conservation of Maryland, Cossentino Contracting, Maguire Marine Construction, Cypress Marina, and Twin Harbors Marina. Special thanks to MRA volunteer, Mike Maquire for coordinating the effort and getting the job done.
The MRA is proud to support the Coastal Conservation of Maryland reef ball project and now has a special MDE permit to deploy these reef balls off Dobbins Island. This permit will allow MRA to partner with local schools, giving students the opportunity to build reef balls and get involved HANDS ON with Bay restoration activities.
Arbor Day 2024
On April 26th, the Magothy River Association celebrated Arbor Day with students from St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Severna Park by planting 6 trees at Lake Waterford Park. MRA donated 3 Virginia Pines and 3 Virginia Sweet Spire trees to replace a number of Champion trees that were recently lost along the park’s “Champion Trail.” One tree was planted in remembrance and honor of long time MRA volunteer, Steve Troy. MRA hopes to expand this event by inviting more schools to participate and become champions of saving the earth, one tree at a time.
The first Arbor Day was held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, where more than a million trees were planted. The idea “grew” from state to state and on April 15, 1907 President Roosevelt issued an Arbor Day proclamation to the school children of the United States, brining Arbor Day to the classroom. It was not until 1970 that Arbor Day was recognized nationally, thanks to President Nixon. Today Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April as a day to promote environmental awareness and conservation efforts.