CHESTERTOWN — Andrew R. “Capt. Andy” McCown is the 2025 recipient of ShoreRiver’s award that recognizes “transformational accomplishments” as a steward of the environment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
He received a standing ovation when presented the award at the organization’s annual Solstice Celebration in Wilmer Park on June 28, which was attended by more than 340 people.
As a teacher, leader, oysterman, musician and storyteller, McCown has provided environmental education and astonishment to thousands of students over nearly five decades at Echo Hill Outdoor School and played a pivotal role in forming the Chester River Association in 1986.
His ability to endear students of all ages to a natural resource — from the small minnows swept into a marsh on a rising tide, to the food chain, economy, culture and history they sustain — is a testament to the devotion and admiration he has for the Chesapeake, a news release states.
McCown is “one of the best people I know at connecting people’s hearts to our rivers,” ShoreRivers’ Executive Director Isabel Hardesty, who fondly noted her own time spent learning from McCown at Echo Hill 30 years ago, said when presenting the award.
Hardesty said it is because of McCown’s unparalleled ability to inspire and connect that he is the recipient of the Award for Environmental Stewardship this year.
According to the news release, McCown also embodies the value of optimism ShoreRivers embraces by lifting up success stories and highlighting the abundance of life that exists in the river despite the challenges it faces.
“When I started at Echo Hill Outdoor School, which was five years old at the time, it was 1977. And in the world of environmental education there was a lot of despair … but we decided that we weren’t going to do that. That what we were going to do was promote wonder and find ways to connect people to the environment, to endear them to it,” McCown said when accepting the award.
As part of the presentation, McCown was given a handcrafted, mosaic buoy adorned with salvaged and unique treasures that recognize his history and connection to the Chesapeake Bay. This bespoke piece of art was created and donated by Ann Swanson, the inaugural winner of the ShoreRivers Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2019.
Swanson also is a former executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and a current governing board member for ShoreRivers.
The mission of ShoreRivers is to protect Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education and engagement, according to its website.
For more information about ShoreRivers and the Award for Environmental Stewardship, see shorerivers.org/leadership.
