Annapolis, MD – Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn issued this statement following the passing of former Maryland State Senator C. Bernard (Bernie) Fowler:

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“On behalf of Chesapeake Conservancy, I would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the Fowler family for the passing of Bernie Fowler.“Senator Bernie Fowler was as much a part of the Chesapeake Bay as a person could be. His path to politics, beginning in 1970 as a Calvert County Commissioner and then in Maryland’s State Senate, literally began in his beloved Patuxent River when he noticed that seagrass and aquatic life were disappearing from the river.

“In public service for his community and for Maryland, Bernie Fowler championed the health of the Chesapeake Bay. He served as Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas, and throughout his 11 years in the Senate, he supported legislation to protect the Bay and Maryland’s natural resources.

“But Bernie Fowler was much more than a legislative champion for the Chesapeake Bay. With his annual ‘wade-in’ to the Patuxent River, which began more than 30 years ago in 1988, Bernie became a guide to the Chesapeake. Like the pull of a magnet, Bernie shepherded us all into the waters of the Patuxent – politicians, environmentalists and everyday Marylanders alike – to see with our eyes and to feel the Bay’s waters, to experience the immediate and deep connection we have with this treasured resource.

“Chesapeake Conservancy salutes Bernie Fowler’s many years of dedicated service to the Chesapeake Bay. Like the sands beneath our sneakers during those summer wade-ins into the Patuxent River, Bernie will always be a part of the Bay, and his legacy will continue to inspire and lead us wading into the water.”