The Federation has some significant restoration plans in the works for Church Creek and I had been hoping for weeks to get a look at Bywater Branch from the water.  Up that high into the creek, the water is incredibly shallow, even at high tide, and the bottom is comprised of 5+ feet of muck (we couldn't probe down to solid ground with the boat hooks that we had on board).  Below is a photo of the creek. 

The plant below was a somewhat encouraging find. It's the first SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) of the year that we've come across: floating strands of horned pondweed (Zannichellia palustris). Recall that last year we had zero acres of SAV on the river.

 The horned pondweed will begin to give way in late June or early July as water temperatures increase, but if you happen to see some floating in your creek or on the river, please take a picture and send it on into the Federation office.

The trip up Church Creek was part of our regular weekly monitoring effort.  In the photo below, Diana and Riverwatcher John Gambel sample the mainstem under threatening skies.