By Caley Breese
"Chesapeake BaySavers is a great organization that raises a lot of money for Chesapeake Bay restoration projects.”
When a high school senior finishes their required internship credits early, you’d think they would
want to eeze through the rest of the year to graduation with ease. Erin Krauss, however, was ready to take on more.
Krauss, who resides in Severna Park, is a very active member within her community and high school. She attends Severna Park High School, where she is a member of the varsity volleyball team, National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and is the Recording Secretary for her class. On top of all of that, Krauss volunteers with Chesapeake BaySavers.
Krauss became involved with the nonprofit organization as an intern back in September 2017. Her sister had previously interned there, which prompted Krauss to reach out as well. “I met with Marisa Sames, our Outreach and Education Coordinator, on an oyster gardening excursion in Baltimore where we discussed an internship for the fall,” Krauss says. “We hit it off and I have
been interning with the BaySavers ever since as an Advocacy Intern.”
Although Krauss initially became involved with Chesapeake BaySavers as an intern
in order to gain credit hours for graduation, she completed those early and she
stayed on as a volunteer to learn more and help her community.
“I wanted to stay on as a volunteer in order to continue restoring the Chesapeake Bay for future generations,” she says.
Chesapeake BaySavers’ mission is to help revive, improve, and protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay, as well as ing awareness and education to the public through community outreach and hands-on environmental projects.
“Chesapeake BaySavers is both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4) organization, which means we are able to not only [make an impact by] community outreach and education, but we can also make a legislative impact and help push laws to protect the Bay,” Krauss explains. “We do a lot of fundraising and hands-on work to restore the oyster population that naturally filters the water and helps the animals that inhabit the Bay.”
Krauss has several roles with BaySavers, including oyster cleaning and planting projects, helping ainstorm fundraising ideas, participating in weekly water monitoring throughout a few different Annapolis locations, community outreach efforts, joining in on organization meetings, and researching and working on presentations for the organization to assist with community outreach.
“The Bay is a worthy cause that needs our help as citizens of the Chesapeake Watershed to restore its health and wellbeing,” Krauss states. “Chesapeake BaySavers is a great organization that raises a lot of money for Chesapeake Bay restoration projects.”
Being involved with Chesapeake BaySavers has made a very positive impact on Krauss and what she’d like to accomplish in her future. In the fall, she will be attending St. Mary’s College of Maryland to study political science and English, as well as continue her volleyball career. After she graduates college, she plans on attending law school.
“I like the fact that Chesapeake BaySavers is also a 501(c)(4), which means we can help the Bay through legislation, which is what I’m really interested in,” Krauss explains. “I love learning how local legislation is passed.”
Krauss also says she hopes to continue to volunteer with Chesapeake BaySavers throughout her time in college and wants to make a positive impact in her community through legislation.
For more information on Chesapeake BaySavers, visit chesapeakebaysavers.org
