EVENT CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER FORCAST

We're sorry to report that this planned walk for Sunday, Dec 20th has been canceled due to concerns about the weather.  IPC will be hosting an online Solstice program via zoom.  If you are interested in joining the online program, please email Matt Heim at [email protected].

Join IPC, the Lower Shore Land Trust, and the Wicomico Environmental Trust for a Winter Solstice Nature Walk at Furnace Town Historic Site in Snow Hill, MD along the Nassawango Creek.  Our walk will be led by Joe Fehrer of the Nature Conservancy and will explore the forests around Nassawango Creek, one of the last pieces of true wilderness left on the East Coast.   Joe will lead participants along the Ridge Trail which features beautiful zeric dune formations overlooking the cypress swamp and the Old Furnace canal and upland forest.

The walk is fairly flat and will cover approximately 1.5 miles.    

We will be gathering at the Furnace Town Visitor Center at 1pm on December 20th for the walk. 

RSVP required. 

We are capping attendance at 25 people in accordance with local Covid 19 restrictions. 

All participants will be asked to wear masks and maintain 6ft of social distancing throughout the walk.  

Joe Fehrer, Jr. grew up on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore along the Pocomoke River in Snow Hill. Days spent canoeing on the Pocomoke River, Nassawango Creek and Maryland’s coastal bays permeated his childhood. The eldest son of Worcester County’s first environmental advocates helped shape and refine his view and understanding of the natural world and our place in it.

Early in his career Joe ran a research vessel, operating from NASA’s Wallops Island offshore for a consortium of colleges and universities. Engaged in oceanography, fisheries research and marine biology, Joe earned a 100-ton offshore captain’s certificate. The majority of his profession, however, was spent in the field of historic restoration and custom woodworking. He owned and managed a successful business for 24 years, working across the Eastern Shore and with clients in Baltimore, Annapolis and the DC area.

In 2006, he transitioned to working full time for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Previously he worked contractually for the organization, assisting with botanical surveys and other research. Much of his work with The Conservancy focuses on land management, climate change, sea level rise, community outreach and renewable energy policy. Joe was recently presented the USCG’s Distinguished Public Service Award (their highest civilian honor)for leading a workgroup that developed the first “geographically specific” response guide for oil and hazardous material spill response on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

With years spent wandering across the Lower Shore of Maryland and Virginia, Joe’s deep-felt appreciation of the region’s culture and natural and environmental history has instilled a profound sense of place and endearing respect for the people and environment.