Discover stories from Anne Arundel’s beginnings, in a new archaeology lecture series starting Tuesday, Sept. 11! In the kickoff lecture, Jim Gibb, head of SERC’s volunteer Environmental Archaeology Lab, will highlight discoveries from archaeological investigations of two 17^th-century plantations: Shaw’s Folly and Sparrow’s Rest. Both families belonged to the Quaker community that formed around the Rhode and West Rivers in the 1600s. All are welcome. The event is free and there is plenty of parking.

"Archaeological Secrets of Anne Arundel County" will hold lectures every second Tuesday of the month at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, now through December. Thanks to the Anne Arundel Chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland for cosponsoring the series!

Photos: SERC Environmental Archaeology Lab

On Sunday, Sept. 16, SERC will host Tri For The Chesapeake, a swim, bike and run triathlon, or optional duathlon (run-bike-run).

See what your body is capable of doing, as you push your personal limits for a good cause! Participants will experience Chesapeake Bay ecosystems firsthand by taking part in a 1/2-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride, and 3.1-mile (5k) trail run, OR a 5k run, 10-mile bike ride and 5k run through the forested campus. This is a great beginners race, as the scenic course provides enough of a challenge without pushing athletes onto open roads where they must compete with cars and other large traffic. (There is one small stretch of the bike course on Muddy Creek Road. Other than that it's all closed for the event.) All proceeds benefit SERC.

Sign-in begins at 6am at the Schmidt Conference  Center. All participants must be present by 7:30 for a mandatory pre-race meeting. T-shirts guaranteed to everyone registered by August 15.

View registration and full course details (outside link to active.com)

Photos: Meng Lu

Get inspired by stories of Bay Optimism this year! Learn what's working in conservation in the Chesapeake and around the world, and how we can do more of it. SERC's monthly Bay Optimism lectures run every third Tuesday of the month, March through October. Lectures start at 7pm; light refreshments at 6:30. Free and open to all—curiosity is the only prerequisite.

September Lecture:
Little is known about how often dolphins come into Chesapeake Bay, how long they spend here, what areas they’re using and why. Yet marine biologist Helen Bailey and her team frequently detect dolphin calls in the Bay, and last year citizen scientists reported more than 900 dolphin sightings on Helen’s newly launched Chesapeake DolphinWatch website. In this talk, Helen will highlight what she has learned about the Bay’s dolphins so far and show how you can participate in this research effort.

View more Bay Optimism lectures