VIENNA — The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance invites the public to “celebrate the sturgeon” at its annual Holiday Dinner, which will be held on Thursday, December 11 at Salisbury University. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and presentations following at 6:30. The $40 ticket includes dinner, one drink ticket, and the opportunity to learn more about the mature Atlantic sturgeon discovered in one of the Nanticoke River’s major tributaries—the Marshyhope Creek—this past summer.

Live, juvenile sturgeon will be present for attendees who wish to take a closer look at these endangered prehistoric fish.

This was the first documented capture of a mature Atlantic sturgeon in the upper creeks of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay watershed in over 40 years. Chuck Stence, head of anadromous fish restoration at Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Erin Markin, researcher with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, will serve as guests speakers on this exciting topic.

For more information, to register, or to purchase tickets, visit www.nanticokeriver.org/events.

This event is sponsored by the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance. Which is a consensus-building organization that builds upon partnerships to conserve the natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Nanticoke River watershed. Partnership representation includes academia, industry, agriculture, development professionals, conservation groups, government and more.

— Lisa Baird is the communications specialist for the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance.