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Md. Environmentalists Undergo Journey To Raise Awareness

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Five hundred miles in 30 days---that's the journey a group of Maryland environmentalists are taking. It's all in the name of raising awareness.

Amy Yensi has more.

A classroom of students will be following the expedition. The goal is to give them real world experience and create future environmental leaders.

For some in the crew, the journey is about retracing their steps. For others, it's a voyage to discovery.

"We're trying to capture them in their hearts and in their minds," said Don Baugh.

To do that, Don Baugh and Tom Horton embarked on a 500-mile voyage. Their fleet of kayaks are traveling the Delmarva and Chesapeake waterways for 30 days.

"Kayaks can visit almost any square inch of the bay and yet when you've got to cross a big, open piece of water, a kayak can handle that," said Tom Horton.

The crew will be taking the same journey in these waters that Baugh and Horton took 10 years ago.

A few aspiring conservationists were also along for the ride.

"I'm really looking forward to learning more about the bay," said Stephen Eren.

Thousands of students will follow the Upstream Alliance's inaugural trip through social media, including the eighth graders learning about marine life at Old Mill Middle School in Millersville.

"The ecosystem and all the laws; you can see how it translates to real life and why it matters to us," said student Abigail Ward.

And with a blessing of the fleet and crew, these nature-lovers are off to explore, inspire and preserve these waters for future generations.

"In their hearts, we want them to be passionate about trying to protect these waters for future generations," said Horton.

The crew will be at Sandy Point around October 8. Their schedule will be determined by weather conditions.

A boat will follow the crew for most of the journey to provide support.

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