Environmental Stewardship Through Programming and Partnerships
Environmental stewardship is at the heart of Watermark’s mission to immerse guests in the history, culture, and fun of the Chesapeake region. The Bay is our home, and we want to ensure that guests can enjoy all that it has to offer for years to come. Watermark takes conscious steps to reduce our footprint, protect our environment, and foster environmental literacy in future generations. Watermark relies on two tools to achieve this: Programming and partnerships.
Going Green fits hand in hand with another core pillar of Watermark: Youth Education. Watermark offers three student programs in partnership with the Annapolis Maritime Museum to connect youth with the environment and teach the importance of conservation.
- Chesapeake 101 is an environmental literacy program offering indoor and outdoor hands-on activities, including team building, crabbing, oyster ecology, and more.
- The Chesapeake Eco Cruise gets students on the water up close and personal with the wildlife of Chesapeake Bay. They learn about the unique ecosystem of the Bay through this hands-on learning cruise.
- The Oyster Education Program combines environmental science and maritime history providing hands-on learning and immersive field experiences. The program begins with two in-classroom sessions, during which students learn about oyster anatomy through model building and dissection and have the opportunity to speak with a local Chesapeake Bay waterman. The program culminates in a boat ride field trip to a local sanctuary oyster reef to plant baby oysters.
Launched in 2025, Watermark’s Annapolis Explorers Summer Camp features a Bay Day in partnership with the Severn River Association. Bay Day offers campers an opportunity to get on the water to enjoy oyster shucking demonstrations, live oyster observations, food web explorations, osprey nest scouting, and more.
In Baltimore, Watermark offers an Aquatic Adventure through its partnership with the National Aquarium, whose mission is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. Students and groups explore the Aquarium and then connect their learnings of the local waters with a cruise through the Inner Harbor.
In addition to youth programming, Watermark connects people from near and far to the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways with a wide variety of experiences. This creates an appreciation for natural surroundings and an aspiration to keep the environment healthy for generations to come.
Making Green Choices on the Boats and in the Office
Watermark strives to find green initiatives and ways to reduce its footprint. The following are just a few of many ways that we have made green choices on the boats and in the office:
- PVA Green Waters Participant: As a voluntary participant of this green business practices program by the Passenger Vessel Association, Watermark is committed to “cleaner, greener business operations”.
- Vessels Footprint Reduction:
- Compliant with the EPA’s Vessel General Permit
- Fuel conserving policies managed by vessel RPM control
- Energy analysis to improve energy efficiency
- Oil/water separators to ensure petroleum products do not end up in the water
- Recyclables:
- As much paper and plastic as possible
- Engine oil and anti-freeze used by our vessels
- Printer cartridges
- Scrap metal
- Other Green Initiatives:
- Reducing paper usage
- No Balloon Policy: Balloons are a threat to the marine environment we are intimately a part of and are not allowed on Watermark vessels. We are proud to take this small but important step in supporting the Bay’s fragile ecosystem.
Proudly going green to make the Bay blue. Watermark. Making our mark.