EJJI Gets Feet Wet in the Middle Branch

Rona Kobell • March 21, 2023

EJJI Gets Feet Wet in the Middle Branch

When we started our organization two years ago, we envisioned having a place on the water where we could reconnect young people to the rivers that had been cut off from their communities. With a lot of help from our partners, we have secured a spot at the Middle Branch Marina where we are doing just that.

Yesterday, we learned we received a grant from Forever Maryland to make getting out on the water a reality. The grant will provide funds to purchase safety equipment and a couple of canoes.

Eventually, we would like to take groups out from our marina and offer it as a place for other environmental groups to do water testing and get out to areas of the river to look at conditions. We will need more than two canoes for that, but it’s a start.

A trip from our marina on the Middle Branch offers a panorama of the city. There are the low-slung World War II-esque apartments that many Black soldiers found themselves relegated to after fighting fascism. There is a gleaming downtown, an industrial underbelly, a still-spewing incinerator and many shuttered factories. There is also a city yet to be built, that includes the promise of inclusion that has so often failed to materialize. And you can see it all from a canoe.

We’re so grateful for this support. We hope it will allow us to open our beautiful marina to more human visitors, as we are already blessed with many avian ones. Thank you to the Maryland Environmental Trust, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Forever Maryland for the support.

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Reel Rewards Returns for 2026 Season with New Bounty Tiers

By Laura Quigley • March 24, 2026

Baltimore, MD – The Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative (EJJI) is excited to announce the return of Reel Rewards , a community-powered program that promotes sustainable fishing practices and helps control invasive species in the Baltimore Harbor. The 2026 season will run from April 25 to July 18, 2026 , and brings with it updated bounty tiers and continued opportunities for community engagement and environmental impact. This season, Reel Rewards features bounty tiers that support local anglers while providing gut content data that can be used by scientists and environmental managers. Participants are encouraged to catch invasive species like Northern Snakehead, Blue Catfish, and Flathead Catfish within the program boundaries, and bring the fish to designated drop-off locations on specific days. In return, fishers receive $10 for each fish head turned in, $10 for logging a picture of what’s inside the fish’s stomach, and $10 for each cleaned fish filet per fish to be re-used as bait. Reel Rewards is hosted by EJJI, funded by South Baltimore Gateway Partnership and the Maryland Whole Watershed Program , and in partnership with Reimagine Middle Branch and the Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland . This unique collaboration brings together community voices, environmental researchers, and conservation advocates to tackle real ecological issues while uplifting Baltimore’s fishing communities. Registration is now open at: https://www.ianglertournament.com/ejji-reel-rewards-2026 For updates, official drop-off days and locations, and more details about participating, visit: https://www.ejji.org/reel-rewards . If you are with a community group or organization who would like to plan a joint event or educational engagement, contact EJJI at: veronica@ejji.org About EJJI The Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative (EJJI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental justice and community empowerment. Through storytelling, collaborative outreach, and hands-on programming, EJJI connects Baltimore communities with the researchers, policymakers, and advocates working on environmental justice issues in their neighborhoods. Contact: Veronica Malabanan Lucchese Environmental Science Program Manager, EJJI veronica@ejji.org ###