LETTER OF SUPPORT TO HARRIS, VAN HOLLEN AND ALSOBROOKS IN REFERENCE TO EASTERN NECK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Attached are three (3) Letters of Support for the Future of the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge to Andy Harris, Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks. Please print them out, sign and return them to the Town Office at 21447 Rock Hall Avenue. We thank you for your help in this matter.

SAMPLE LETTER BELOW:

April 28, 2025

The Honorable Andy Harris

U.S. House of Representatives

1533 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Harris,

We respectfully request your continued support to safeguard the future of Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, an essential recreational, ecological, and economic asset to Kent County and Maryland's Upper Shore.

The Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Eastern Neck and Blackwater, is experiencing unprecedented staff reductions by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Staffing has declined from 23 full-time employees in 2007 to just 11 today. Eastern Neck, once staffed by five, now has none on-site. This has placed an unsustainable burden on Blackwater staff, who must make weekly four-hour round trips to maintain the refuge.

Eastern Neck welcomes over 70,000 annual visitors, students, hunters, anglers, birders, photographers, and nature lovers, while supporting local restaurants, shops, and lodging, particularly in the slower winter months. As you noted in 2019, Eastern Neck is "a significant economic engine for Kent County." We wholeheartedly agree.

Without action to ensure adequate staffing, public access may be limited, the Visitors Center closed, habitat management halted, and community programming lost. Volunteers from the Friends of Eastern Neck have long filled the gap but cannot replace trained federal personnel.

We urge you to once again raise your voice, just as you did in 2018, to help prevent further staffing cuts. Eastern Neck is far too valuable to risk closure or neglect.

Sincerely,