CAMBRIDGE, MD (August 6, 2012)—The second annual "Spat Dash" race at the Horn Point Laboratory on Saturday, October 13, 8 a.m. to noon, will benefit environmental education programs for the community. Part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the lab is home to the largest oyster hatchery on the East Coast.
The "Spat Dash" is named after the baby oysters that are raised in the hatchery and planted in the Chesapeake Bay as part of Maryland's oyster restoration program. The race takes place on the Horn Point Laboratory campus along the Choptank River and is expected to draw more than 250 runners. It includes a 5K and a 10K race, as well as a “race” for walkers. The entry fee for the 5K race is $30 and $40 for the 10K race.
Proceeds go to community environmental education programs like 'Chesapeake Science Investigator' running August 6-9, 2012, a hands-on program for seventh, eighth, and ninth graders filled with canoeing, hiking, campfires, experiments, field trips—and an appreciation of the Chesapeake Bay.
All participants will receive a hooded sweatshirt, with roughly 25 local sponsors listed on its back.
"You don’t have to run to participate in the races," said Rebecca Fox, Spat Dash coordinator and post-doctoral scientist at the Horn Point Laboratory. "You can be a 'sleepwalker' by simply making a contribution and you receive a sweatshirt.”
The Spat Dash will offer day care as well as medical support. Participants may register for the race at www.active.com or 410-221-8316 and the day of the race.
The race will be followed by the Horn Point Laboratory's annual community Open House from 10 am. to 3 p.m.
The Horn Point Laboratory, located on more than 800 acres on the banks of the Choptank River on Maryland's Eastern Shore, has advanced society’s understanding of the world’s estuarine and ocean ecosystems. Horn Point scientists are widely respected for their interdisciplinary programs in oceanography, water quality, restoration of sea grasses, marshes and shellfish and for expertise in ecosystem modeling. With ongoing research programs spanning from the estuarine waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the open waters of the world's oceans, Horn Point is a national leader in applying environmental research and discovery to solve society’s most pressing environmental problems.