Gunpowder Riverkeeper

Theaux Le Gardeur

Gunpowder Riverkeeper 16928 York Rd.  Monkton, Maryland 21111 United States of America 410-967-3526 info@gunpowderriverkeeper.org http://www.gunpowderriverkeeper.org

Region North Atlantic

Gunpowder Riverkeeper, (GRK) is a grassroots, advocacy based membership organization charged with protecting, conserving and restoring the Gunpowder river and its watershed. GRK also strives to create partnerships among existing non-profits in the watershed that share its goal of protecting, conserving and restoring the Gunpowder River Watershed for all users.

As the 18th WATERKEEPER program in the Chesapeake region, GRK takes responsibility for protecting, conserving and restoring the Gunpowder river and its watershed for the benefit of the public. The organization works to strengthen ties within the community that benefits from this vital water resource by engaging in outreach activities which have an inherent stewardship message that transcends economic, social and educational boundaries.

The Gunpowder river is an important resource for the state of Maryland. The river and its reservoirs, Prettyboy and Loch Raven, provide the primary source of Baltimore City’s drinking water supply to over 1.5 million area residents. It is a nationally recognized tail-water trout fishery and an important tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

As a member of the WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE, GRK takes a proactive role in safeguarding the river from threats to the health and stability of the watershed by conducting scientific monitoring of the river to ensure that it is being properly regulated by the county, state and federal entities charged with enforcing Clean Water Act regulations.

Recent Accomplishments

--Theaux has been a member of a steering committee that focused on user group conflicts and issues within Gunpowder State Park.
--He has testified before the Maryland State House of Representatives and the Maryland Sport Fish Advisory Committee on various resource based issues.
He has commented on the Maryland Park Service, (MPS) draft of the Woody Debris Removal Policy that now characterizes woody debris as habitat instead of a hazard and has fostered a collaborative environment among Park Managers, Fisheries biologists and representatives from the boating and fishing community.

His comments were also featured prominently in an Acid Mine Drainage Remediation study on the North Branch Potomac River that was prepared for the Maryland State Water Quality Advisory Committee.