Vote on Name for Chesapeake Bay Trust's Heron

Officials at the Chesapeake Bay Trust are looking for input to help name its blue heron mascot.

The heron, which also currently adorns "Treasure the Chesapeake" Maryland license plates, is nameless at the moment. But through April 26, the organization is asking Marylanders to vote on its website for one of three finalists: Hattie the Heron, Seemore D. Bay and Wade.

More than 550 names were submitted to the organization's contest, according to a press release.

"Submissions ranged from names that rhymed with heron, to ones that represented famous Marylanders, to others that held a personal story or connection the submitter had with the bay," Molly Alton Mullins, director of communications at the trust, said in the release. "It was incredibly hard to narrow it down, but we think we found three great name ideas for the public to choose from.”

A winning name will be announced on April 29. Two grand prizes will be awarded—one to the name's submitter and the other to a random voter who selected the winning name. The prize will include Southwest Airlines vouchers, a Chesapeake Bay license plate and tickets to a Chesapeake Bay Trust gala, according to the release.

The Annapolis-based trust, launched in 1985, is primarily funded by sales of Chesapeake Bay plates, along with private contributions.