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Engaging area residents is part of the Horn Point Laboratory's environmental research mission. A world-class research facility located right on the Eastern Shore; HPL strives to take what we learn in the lab into our local community.
By volunteering at the lab, visiting our campus and oyster hatchery for tours and open houses, or inviting an expert from our Speakers Bureau to speak at your event, area residents go behind the scenes and learn from some of the best and brightest in the environmental research field.
Horn Point Laboratory also fosters the community's involvement in restoring the Chesapeake Bay through its Chesapeake Champion award and an oyster shell-recycling program.
Open House
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Horn Point Laboratory opens its facilities to the public every year during October. Horn Point faculty and students have exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on-exhibits for all to learn about the research being conducted at the Lab. The oyster hatchery is highlighted with activities to demonstrate how they raise oyster larvae and their role in restoration efforts throughout Chesapeake Bay. This is a great family event and FREE to all! Come explore the Chesapeake and more with the Horn Point Lab.
Bay 101 with The Horn Point Laboratory
Bay 101 with HPL is a series of virtual seminars hosted by Horn Point Laboratory faculty to shed light into the mysteries of the Bay. Highlighting HPL programs working to improve the health of the Bay and its aquatic life, from sea grasses to oyster genetics, we dive into science to see the Bay in a whole new way.
The Chesapeake Bay and its rivers are the lifeblood of the Eastern Shore, defining the region like no other water body in the world. While many easily recognize the natural beauty Bay country offers, the Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) offers Bay 101 with HPL, Science of the Chesapeake for Non-Scientists, to make the science of the Chesapeake Bay as accessible as its beauty.
Chesapeake Champion
At Horn Point Lab, we do research year after year to increase our understanding of the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and what we need to do to restore and protect this great natural resource. This knowledge alone is not enough. Within our community, there are people who show through their example how to sustain our wildlife, landscapes and water. They are the motivating force from which our desire to identify and honor local Chesapeake Champions was born. All proceeds from Chesapeake Champion benefit the scientific research of Horn Point Lab, helping to ensure the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Horn Point Laboratory Seminars
Horn Point Laboratory offers our virtual seminar series to explore the science of our environment through the lens of scientists leading their field of research. These virtual seminars are free, open to the public and held at 11 a.m. Wednesdays, spring and fall. Registration is required to provide you a link to the zoom webinars.
We invite you to learn more about our environment by exploring past seminar recordings and participating in the current seminar series.
Horn Point Newsletter
The Horn Point Laboratory sends out a monthly e-newsletter regarding lab news and upcoming events.
Recycling Oyster Shells
You can now bring used oyster shells to a recycling station at the Oyster Restoration Partnership site at the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge. Station hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. The drop-off location is about a half-mile down the driveway of the Horn Point Laboratory campus. Bins are located on the left. For more information, call 410-228-9250.
Speakers Bureau
Horn Point Laboratory has a variety of faculty conducting research that is of interest to everyone, and our lab has a list of faculty interested in presenting at community events or for civic organizations about their research. If your organization would like to have one of our faculty as a speaker for an event, please contact Claire Otterbein at 410-221-8408 or cotterbein@umces.edu.
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Tours
Horn Point Laboratory invites the community to visit the fascinating world of a world–class scientific research laboratory. Our 90-minute walking campus tour will give you a new perspective on how our scientists are conducting research to restore the Chesapeake Bay and how individuals and families can take action as stewards and co-restorers of our “national treasure.”
The Horn Point Oyster Culture Facility also offers weekday tours during the spawning season, which runs from March through September. Tour groups during the season may have the opportunity to see oysters spawn, baby oyster larvae, and see a working production facility giving the best experience possible. Tours are open to kids of all ages- from preschool on up and usually last 30-60 minutes.
Join Hatchery Manager Stephanie Alexander for a behind the scenes hatchery tour.
Volunteering
Horn Point Laboratory provides a unique volunteer experience for individuals and groups, who like the outdoors, care about the bay, want to increase their knowledge about our Chesapeake environment, like to use their skills to help others, and want to be a member of a congenial and welcoming community.