June 18, 2023
The Bacon Brothers visit Arundel Rivers Restoration
On Saturday, June 17, Michael and Kevin Bacon of The Bacon Brothers and SixDegrees.Org joined forces with Arundel Rivers Federation (Arundel Rivers) and local scouts to plant hundreds of native plants for the Chesapeake Bay at a newly completed stream restoration project near Annapolis.
The event was held at the recently completed Broad Creek Park stream restoration project managed by Arundel Rivers and made possible by funding from Anne Arundel County’s Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Part of the broader Chesapeake Bay restoration strategy, the project reconnected 3,700 feet of degraded stream channel to its historic floodplain to prevent 25 dump truck loads of sediment from entering the South River and the Chesapeake Bay each year.
The Bacon Brothers stopped by the project to lend a helping hand between concerts at Annapolis’s Rams Head on Stage.
“It’s always nice to take a break in between shows to get involved and learn more about projects that are happening in the local area. Annapolis is one of our favorite stops each year, and learning more about the unique ecosystem of the Bay from our new friends was really inspiring,” said Michael Bacon.
Local scouts and leaders of Arundel Rivers handed Michael and Kevin shovels and invited them to get their hands dirty and feet wet helping to restore the stream valley and the Chesapeake Bay.
“Through my charity, SixDegrees.Org, we actively champion Youth Empowerment, Equity & Justice, and Sustainability. The remarkable efforts undertaken by Arundel Rivers resonate with the core missions of our respective organizations. We had a great time learning about the organization’s admirable work and being shown the ropes by the young people that will ensure this planet has a bright future,” said Kevin Bacon.
“Every project at Arundel Rivers is an opportunity to reconnect people to their lands and waters so they can become a part of the Chesapeake Bay restoration story,” said Arundel Rivers Executive Director, Matt Johnston. “We were delighted to have the Bacon Brothers and SixDegrees.Org join that restoration story today. The plants they added to this floodplain with the help of our local scouts will join nearly 6,000 others planted by Arundel Rivers and volunteers over the last few months. Those plants will soon start filtering nutrients, holding sediment in place, providing habitat, and protecting the Chesapeake Bay.”
According to Johnston, fast-moving stormwater runoff carries sediment and other pollution to our waterways, smothering aquatic vegetation and destroying aquatic habitat. The restored floodplain is now filled with slowly moving waters and wetlands: the perfect habitat for native plants and animals and the perfect system to filter sediment and pollution out of the stormwater long before it reaches the Chesapeake Bay.
“At SixDegrees.Org, our mission is rooted in fostering connections with grassroots nonprofits to create an immediate and tangible impact,” shared Stacy Huston, Executive Director of SixDegrees.Org. “We believe in the power of collaboration and actively seek out partnerships with organizations at the forefront of change. By bridging the gap between communities and causes, we aim to amplify the voices of local initiatives, empowering them to make a lasting difference. We were thrilled to connect with Arundel Rivers and fund today’s project, to help strive to build a world where every individual has the opportunity to thrive, and where collective action brings about transformative change.”
SixDegrees.Org is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by Golden Globe Award-winning actor, musician, and philanthropist, Kevin Bacon. It was born out of a small world phenomenon that we are all connected to one another by six degrees or less. With a mission rooted in connecting people to necessary resources, SixDegrees is dedicated to creating dialogue, raising awareness, understanding and empathy around causes that our communities care most about. SixDegrees programs include Basic Kindness resource bags, content production for social good amplification, and campaign activations. Their core areas of focus are Youth Empowerment, Equality and Justice, Sustainability and Emergent Issues important to our communities.
The Bacon Brothers got their start over two decades ago. Refusing to be pigeon-holed, the brothers call their sound Forosoco, which is short for “Folk, Rock, Soul, Country.” They’ve been featured by the BBC, Associated Press, SiriusXM, Paste Magazine, Americana Highways, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Ditty TV. They’ve served as judges in the American Songwriter Lyric Competition, participated in the 9/11 Memorial for The Grand Ole Opry’s 20th Anniversary September 11th tribute, performed in ZZ Top – America Salutes You, and hosted Love Rocks NYC. The Bacon’s have released 11 albums to date, most recently the 2022 release, Erato. Every summer, the 5-piece outfit winds its way across the U.S. playing to sold-out houses of enthusiastic fans It’s little wonder that Americana Highways declared “The entire band is precise and honed, you can tell they have been together more than two decades, and that adds to their ability to electrify the audience.
Arundel Rivers Federation is an environmental nonprofit based in Edgewater, Maryland working to protect, preserve, and restore the South, West, and Rhode Rivers in Anne Arundel County while fighting for clean water everywhere. Arundel Rivers is a member of the broader Waterkeeper Alliance, a group of hundreds of waterkeeper organizations who serve as the guardians of our waters across the world. The Broad Creek Park stream restoration project is just one of dozens of stream, shoreline, and wetland restoration projects completed by Arundel Rivers in recent years to reduce pollution to our rivers and assist in the broader Chesapeake Bay restoration effort.
Visit www.arundelrivers.org to find out more and support Arundel Rivers Federation’s restoration efforts.