The fireboat Chief Seattle on the Seattle waterfront

A great blue heron in a tidal pond

An egret fishing in a tidal pond

An egret fishing in a tidal pond

Mating pair of horseshoe crabs

Mating pair of horseshoe crabs

Dead, half-shed horseshoe crab.

Dead, half-shed horseshoe crab.

Notice the large black rat snake to the right of green marsh grass.

A large black rat snake crossing a tidal inlet in the marsh grass.

Mute swan. Mute swans are an agressive invasive species along the East Coast. There are now over 3,000 mute swans in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Mute swan nest. Mute swans are an agressive invasive species along the East Coast. There are now over 3,000 mute swans in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Pair of mute swans with cygnet following. Mute swans are an agressive invasive species along the East Coast. There are now over 3,000 mute swans in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Female Canada goose setting on nest. Trying desperately to stay out of sight.

Muskrat hut

Mass mortality of young diamondback terrapins. Probably drowned in fish traps.

Mass mortality of young diamondback terrapins. Probably drowned in fish traps.

4 diamondback terrapins about to be released in wild.

Old rockfish ( striped bass) caught by young fishermen.

Emptying a crab pot. Passing on knowledge of the bay from generation to generation.

A middle school field trip to Kings Landing. Dragging seine net to determine kinds and variety of organisms present in the river at this time of year.

A middle school field trip to Kings Landing. Inspecting content and sorting the catch of a seine net after dragging.

Searching for "critters" with a small net in a side creek to the Patuxent River.

Searching for "critters" with a small net in a side creek to the Patuxent River.

An elementary school outing at Flag Pond Marsh, a wetlands nature park.

Small hands helping do a big job. Taking water samples at a water quality station.

Water quality testing equipment.

Water quality testing equipment and a "live box" for crabs.

Kayakers observing the marsh flora and fauna on a fall afternoon.

Kayaker observing the marsh flora and fauna on a fall afternoon. A huge flock of redwing blackbirds rising from the marsh over the marsh grass.

Marsh vegetation on the Patuxent

A quiet passage through marsh vegetation on the Patuxent

Phragmites, or common reed - although scenic, can be invasive nuisance species.

Phragmites, or common reed - although scenic, can be invasive nuisance species.

The beach at Port Isobel looking towards the Chesapeake Bay.

A sand bar in the marsh at Port Isobel.

Flag Pond covered with green algae.

Which way is up? The leaves are in the water and not on the trees. Reflections on a fall afternoon.

Trees have fallen into the marsh - victims of erosion.

Groundsel bushes displaying silver-bristled seeds following flowering in late summer.

Canoers and kayakers enjoying an idyllic early fall afternoon on a quiet tree-lined stretch of the upper Patuxent River.

Sunset over the marsh at Cardinal Cove

Marsh at Port Isobel

Muddy shoreline next to an abandoned shack

Looking east away from the sun during a sunset along the lower Patuxent River.

Pleasant homes grace the shoreline

A spring storm brewing near the mouth of the Patuxent River

NWS employee Sarah Roy faces an onslaught of cabin cruisers and an impending storm as she nears the end of a 25-mile trek down the Patuxent River.

Crab pot on the dock at the end of the day

Clam dredging - although maintaining the tradition of the Chesapeake waterman, this harvesting method further stresses submerged aquatic vegetation.