On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Conowingo Dam held its third annual Eagle Day from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to educate people about wildlife photography, the local wildlife, and the dam’s environmental benefits.

The Conowingo Dam is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River and is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the country, supporting a 9,000 acre reservoir. Since its creation in 1928, the dam’s reservoir and the nearby Susquehanna state park have been visited by people from across Maryland for the many recreational activities like swimming, fishing, and perhaps the most popular: bird watching.

Eagle Day featured bird watching and photography opportunities, lectures from licensed falconers, food provided by a local food truck, a wildlife photography contest, and visits from organization representatives like the Plumpton Park Zoo, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc., and Harford Land Trust.

The Plumpton Park Zoo is located in Rising Sun, Maryland and is one of the State’s most popular zoos. Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, inc. was founded in the winter following the 1976 oil spill of the Liberian Tanker Olympic Games by the late Lynne Frink. Tri-State opened The Frink Center for Wildlife in 1982 and is internationally recognized for its excellent oil spill response team and is one of only a few organizations in North America that was able to both establish and maintain a professional wildlife response following a major oil spill.

Peg Niland, a volunteer for Harford Land Trust explains that “We are a non-profit organization committed to the preservation of land for its natural resources and public enjoyment. Since we were first established, we have preserved over 13,000 acres of land.” The Trust identifies and protects farmland and natural areas for conservation by either purchase or donation.

The Dam is open to the public and is located at 2569 Shures Landing Road, Darlington, MD. If you would like to donate to or learn more about the organizations that were present at Eagle Day you can visit their websites at www.plumptonparkzoo.org, www.tristatebird.org, and www.harfordlandtrust.org.