Leaders in Stormwater: ADAM LINDQUIST

This month’s Leader in Stormwater is a co-creator of Mr. Trash Wheel who also recently jumped into the Baltimore Harbor to demonstrate how much cleaner the water is - Adam Lindquist, Vice President of the Healthy Harbor Initiative, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. 

Adam grew up surrounded by water in the finger lakes of upstate New York, and the gorges and ravines of Ithaca and Watkins Glen, where he found a deep affinity for the health and accessibility of our waterways that has followed him into adulthood. In 2010, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore launched an initiative to make the Baltimore Harbor safe for swimming and Adam found this compelling! Recently having finished his graduate degree in Community Planning with a focus on watershed planning, he reached out to see how he could help and now works for the organization. 

Adam explains that the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore is a small nonprofit doing a lot of great work. Adam oversees Baltimore’s Mr. Trash Wheel and says there is always a lot of humor as new ways to use Mr. Trash Wheel are discussed - ways to engage people and encourage them to support the restoration of the Harbor. Adam stresses the importance of community involvement and explains that the health of a community is reflected in the health of its stormwater - that you must reach out across the watershed and work together to make a difference to solve stormwater problems. Adam shines a spotlight on Tim Beatley, author of such great books as Biophilic Cities, The Bird-Friendly City, and Blue Urbanism, and says these points of reference have inspired him tremendously and provided him with a guiding framework for carrying out his important work. Some days Adam can be found installing habitat features similar to the Waterfront Partnership’s Turtle Island project; or growing oysters - something he is largely familiar with as he is credited with launching the Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership which contributed 1.3 million oysters to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay! Other days include creating new public access points around the Baltimore waterfront as part of the new Baltimore Blueway water trail network, connecting the community to the water and bringing an appreciation for the view our city has to enjoy. 

In his spare time, Adam lives in Towson, Maryland, with his wife and 4-yr old son and enjoys exploring the outdoors in the seat of a kayak. In an effort to protect the natural systems of Baltimore’s waterways, Adam also devotes his time as a chairman on the Citizen Advisory Committee for the Maryland Port Administration where he represents the interests of Marylanders impacted by the dredging of shipping channels in the Baltimore Harbor and Chesapeake Bay.