By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Berlin and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program are teaming up to host a week-long environmental education project later this month as a part of Take Pride in Berlin Week.

For Take Pride in Berlin Week, Berlin Main Street is partnering with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program to debut a “Coastal Critter Crawl” from April 19 to April 26. The program boasts posters on storefronts, created by Buckingham Elementary School students, featuring 23 local animals found in the Coastal Bays watershed.

Berlin residents and visitors can participate in the “crawl” portion of the project by picking up a worksheet at the Berlin Welcome Center, scouring the downtown windows to collect the animal facts and names, and then returning the form to be included in a drawing for the chance to win a stuffed critter.

The program’s mission is to promote learning. The Critter Crawl aims to reach audiences that don’t often seek out or are aware of the environmental group’s educational projects.

“It would be remiss of our organization to think that all our community members are able to make it out to one of our programs or even know who we are and what we do,” MCBP Education Coordinator Liz Wist said. “Providing the Coastal Critter Crawl allows us to reach whoever may be strolling through Berlin, resident or visitor alike. This is a great example of passive interpretation; anyone who encounters one of the 23 critter images and posters can absorb the information any way they want.”

Wist added that to strengthen the goal of increasing the community’s knowledge of the coastal bays, bookmarks depicting the local creatures have also been created and will be available at the town’s visitor center upon the completion of their hunt.

“We hope [the bookmarks] will promote further learning and program engagement,” she said.

The project integrates seamlessly into Take Pride in Berlin Week. Wist noted the town is dedicated to supporting local initiatives and protecting “the place where we live.” The crawl highlights animals native to the Eastern Shore area that residents may have seen but do not know much about, fostering education in a subject vital to preserving Berlin and its surrounding waterways.

“We hope this project broadens people’s knowledge and understanding of our local ecology,” Wist said. “It provides more than knowledge about specific animals. It is also a fun opportunity for friends or families to involve themselves. It encourages outdoor time, movement, and familiarization to a historic downtown.”

The education coordinator said the idea for the Coastal Critter Crawl was developed in the fall, but moves were made in January. MCBP and the Town of Berlin met a few times during that month. Melissa Reid, an art teacher at BES, was then brought on to facilitate the students’ poster creation.

In February, the animals were chosen, and “fast fact” cards were made to familiarize the Buckingham artists with their coastal creatures. Berlin recruited businesses to participate in the event and offer their windows, and the town and MCBP worked together to market the endeavor.

Ivy Wells, Berlin’s economic and community development director, noted that Wist reached out with the idea to collaborate on a scavenger hunt-style project.

“The Critter Crawl is a fun way for families to explore downtown and learn about local wildlife during Take Pride in Berlin Week,” Wells said. “We love collaborations and working with our awesome partners at Maryland Coastal Bays.”

Wist added the Buckingham art students’ efforts made the program possible.

“The real stars of the show are the art students from BES who took time and energy to create the beautiful posters of the twenty-three animals found around the watershed,” she said. “They have really brought the animals to life with their clever depictions.”