Waterfowling on the Chesapeake: Historical Perspective on a Maryland Tradition, March 28

Chestertown, MD, March 13, 2006 — Washington College's Center for Environment and Society and the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies present "Waterfowling on the Chesapeake: Historical Perspective on a Maryland Tradition," a talk by C. John Sullivan, author of Waterfowling on the Chesapeake, 1819-1936 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), Tuesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall, John S. Toll Science Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Author of numerous articles about the Chesapeake region, Sullivan is also a widely recognized expert on decoys. He has served as a consultant to the Maryland Historical Society, the Ward Museum of Waterfowl Art, the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. His latest book-and topic of this lecture-Waterfowling on the Chesapeake, 1819-1936, is part documentary, part nostalgic history, and part informational catalogue. In it he explores a century of hunting on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, from the heyday of gun clubs and market shooting to the rise of conservation laws.

Drawing on oral histories and period documents and artifacts, Sullivan looks at the effects of technological change, the relationship between hunter and dog, the recognition of decoys as folk art, and the long history of hunting. He also introduces us to famous and lesser-known carvers and others who share an enthusiasm for this aspect of the Chesapeake's rich cultural life. His previous book, Old Ocean City, is also available from Johns Hopkins University Press.

Launched in 2000, Washington College's Center for Environment and Society brings significant new perspectives to the study of natural and human-influenced systems and their mutual interdependence globally and in the Chesapeake Bay region. Through programs such as the Rural Community Leadership seminars and its Geographic Information Systems lab, the Center seeks to provide a neutral academic forum for addressing difficult policy issues and to promote interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to solving environmental and quality-of-life issues. Throughout its varied projects, the Center encourages and supports the active involvement of Washington College students from all majors.