The Mid-Shore Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) has provided conservation and outdoor recreation activities for local residents since it was founded in 1949. The chapter maintains a 50+ acre nature area, Bolingbroke Park, in Trappe where it holds its meetings and provides opportunities for hiking, kayaking, archery. At the Park there is a pavilion used for dinners, weddings, and other types of social events. Its capacity readily accommodates up to 80 persons for events.
Since its inception the Mid-Shore Chapter has demonstrated its commitment to resources conservation by operating a recycling program in Easton and St. Michaels for over thirty years. Tons of newspaper, cardboard, and packaging materials have been recycled rather than sent to county landfills. As a conservation project, recycling has reduced deforestation and landfill acreage. Also, the chapter collected and recycled aluminum cans; another form of conservation.
In recent years we have been providing introductory target archery instruction for youth and adults and participated in the Waterfowl Festival. We regularly make Bolingbroke Park available to local boy and girl scout troops for meetings, campouts, and Eagle Scout projects. Currently we are investigating opportunities for new long-range conservation programs.
In this anniversary year, the Mid-Shore chapter is planning some public participation events. Specific dates and times are yet to be determined. Some events being scheduled:
- May — Trap Shoot at Salisbury facility
- June – Mountain Laurel Festival at Bolingbroke Park
- July — Orienteering Course at Bolingbroke Park
- Aug. – Family Bike Ride thru Trappe countryside
- Sep. – AUCE Crab Feast at Bolingbroke Park
Also, we will be holding our monthly dinner meetings from April thru October with speakers or other program content. The dinner meetings will be posted on Facebook and the Chapter website, https://www.iwla.org/mid-shorechapter Guests are welcome to sign-up for the dinners.
As the chapter moves forward into IWLA’s second century, Mid-Shore will identify and implement a long-term conservation project that will be of service to local counties. For over 30 years we operated a recycling program for aluminum cans and newspapers. The goal being the reduction of material sent to the landfill, conservation of landfill acreage, and the re-use of natural resources. In 2021, we terminated our Easton and St. Michael’s recycling programs due to competition from the municipal program and commercial haulers.
The chapter maintains a comprehensive website: https://www.iwla.org/mid-shorechapter and has a page on Facebook.
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