Cindy Edson

The Chesapeake Bay Trust has a rigorous grant review process: every proposal submitted over $5,000 is sent to members of a Technical Review Committee (TRC) and is reviewed and scored quantitatively by at least three external peers who are experts in their fields. The Board of Trustees meets 4 times per year to review and approve all TRC recommended proposals. Proposals for $5,000 or less are reviewed by two or more technical experts on the Chesapeake Bay Trust program team.

Capacity Building Initiatives

May 2020

Consensus Building Institute, Inc.: to assess the capacity and identify strategic capacity-building opportunities for action in six targeted regions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to meaningfully advance progress toward water quality objectives. $200,000.

Chesapeake Conservation Corps Mini Award Program

May 2020

Accokeek Foundation: for an education campaign at Piscataway National Park to reduce the spread of invasive species. $1,250.
Accokeek Foundation: for invasive species removal at Foundation George’s Piscataway National Park. $1,068.
Allegany County Commissioners: for the creation of a used cooking oil recycling program and drop-off site. $1,250.
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: for the creation of an environmental Chesapeake education elective for 7th and 8th graders at the Summit School. $1,225.
American Chestnut Land Trust: for the restoration and protection of the nature trail system near Parker’s Creek. $1,250.
American Chestnut Land Trust: for the installation of a native edible garden to increase biodiversity and educate the public. $1,053.
American Chestnut Land Trust: for invasive species removal at Parkers Chestnut Land Creek and sustainable farming workshop. $1,500.
Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States, Inc.: for the removal of invasive species at Woodend Nature Sanctuary in preparation for a native planting. $1,250.
Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States, Inc.: for the restoration of a forested ecotone at Woodend Nature Sanctuary. $1,250.
C&O Canal Trust: for the expansion of the ‘Canal for All’ program to reach a more diverse group of youth. $1,250.
Chesapeake Conservancy: for support of the National Park Service’s first National Junior Ranger day in the Chesapeake region. $1,216.
Chesapeake Conservancy: for the development of an Open Space Preservation Opportunity Mapping tool to assist FEMA in identifying at-risk communities and assisting in flood prevention. $1,000.
ECO City Farms: for the installation of two self-sustaining keyhole gardens in Bladensburg. $1,250.
Environmental Concern, Inc.: for the installation of a drip-irrigation system at a nursery to reduce water usage. $1,250.
Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources: for signage to support tree planting in County Office of Creagerstown Park. $320.
Friends of Carrie Murray Nature Center, Inc.: for supplies and equipment to support the Carrie Murray Nature Center’s Maryland Green Center certification. $1,158.
Friends of Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary: for the implementation of a community science program identifying sources of trash at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary. $933.
Hood College: for research on nano-bubble technology as a solution to toxic algae growth across the watershed. $1,211.
Howard County Conservancy: for Howard County high school students to participate in “The Great Climate Change Challenge” which includes lessons, a field experience, and action project focused on the issue of climate change. $746.
Maryland Coastal Bays Program: for the creation of the “Living Local: Small-Scale, Large Impact” farming with sustainable practices initiative on the Eastern Shore. $1,250.
Maryland Coastal Bays Program: for the development of a groundwater network to monitor a restoration project at Ilia Fehrer Nature Reserve. $1,250.
Maryland Coastal Bays Program: for native species plantings and workshop at Assateague National Seashore. $1,500.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers Trainings. $1,096.
Maryland Environmental Services: for the study of the effects of riparian buffers on the temperature of the Loch Raven Reservoir to determine the likelihood of trout survivability.  $1,250.
National Aquarium: for outreach and engagement of the Dundalk community relating to a shoreline restoration project at Watersedge Park. $1,236.
Patuxent River Park: for a Bald Cypress tree planting and installation of educational signage along the Patuxent River to mitigate erosion. $1,250.
Severn River Association, Inc.: for the mapping and creation of a database to track submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) on the Severn River. $320.
ShoreRivers: for the creation of a mussel growing program for homeowners along the Sassafrass River. $1,250.
ShoreRivers: for the creation of the “Green Self-Esteem” program reaching underserved youth through an after-school program in partnership with Building African American Minds. $1,250.
ShoreRivers: for the repair of walking trails and updates to the educational center at Horn Point Laboratory. $1,500.
Sultana Education Foundation: for the installation of an educational exhibit for students at Sultana Education Centers’ Holt Lab. $1,247.
The 6^th Branch: for the expansion of Oliver Farm in East Baltimore, including the installation of raised garden beds to increase food security. $1,022.
The Community Ecology Institute: for construction of a demonstration plot of agrivoltaics to educate the public and specific groups about the benefits of land/solar energy generation in combating climate change. $1,250.
The Nature Conservancy: for research on the effects of Japanese Stiltgrass on the soil composition of a controlled burn area on Sidling Hill. $518.
The Nature Conservancy: for the study, analysis, and distribution of data on biological impacts of fires on oak and pine dominated forests of the Central Appalachian region of Maryland. $1,250.
Western Maryland Resource Conservation & Development Council (Inc.): for the removal of invasive water primrose and native planting. $1,250.

Anne Arundel County Forestry and Forested Land Protection Award Program

May 2020

Tidewater Colony Open Space Association: for an invasive species removal and reforestation project on five acres in the Tidewater Colony Community in Annapolis. $35,250.

Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3)

May 2020

Anacostia Watershed Society: for a community greening project addressing stormwater runoff in the Town Fairmount Heights. $32,878.
Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States, Inc.: for a permeable brick paver project at Woodend Nature Sanctuary in Chevy Chase. $13,243.
Baltimore City Department of Planning, Baltimore Office of Sustainability: for engineered designs to improve stormwater management at the Cab Calloway Legends Park in the City Baltimore.  $27,768.
Blue Water Baltimore: for planting 150 native trees in the Curtis Bay community in Baltimore. $49,892.
Borough of Marietta: to implement the design and permit drawings currently being completed for roadway and parking improvements along Furnace Road at Donegal Place. $237,515.
Capon Bridge Revitalization Group, Inc.: to redefine the civic core of Capon Bridge by upgrading the safety, environmental quality, and aesthetic appeal of Capon School Street. $28,880.
City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania: to improve pedestrian safety and slow traffic along Highland Avenue on the southern edge of Lancaster City. $100,000.
City of Portsmouth: to advance the conceptual design for Water Street Green Street and Park to design plans. $30,000.
City of Romney: to develop engineering designs for green infrastructure practices along West Birch Lane. $29,985.
Civic Works, Inc.: for three vacant lot greening projects in the Upton, Panway-Braddish, and Irvington communities in Baltimore City. $45,000.
Fauquier County: to construct wetland on the grounds of Fauquier High School. $30,000.
Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street Inc.: for a vacant lot revitalization project in Baltimore offering farmer’s markets, community activities, and green space. $30,000.
Joe’s Movement Emporium/World Arts Focus: for green street engineered design and art integration project in Mount Rainier. $30,000.
Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection: for construction of rain gardens and Filterra tree box filters in the Glenmont Forest community in Silver Spring. $200,748.
Nanticoke Watershed Alliance: for engineering design for green streets in Seaford, DE. $38,735
Parks & People Foundation: for engineered design drawings for the Cecil Elementary School campus revitalization in Baltimore. $30,000.
Prince George’s County, Maryland: for four bioretention projects at the Publick Playhouse in Landover. $100,000.
Ridge to Reefs: for urban agriculture expansion, ecological restoration, and implementing stormwater management practices at Baltimore Living in Sustainable Simplicity Meadows. $50,000.
ShoreRivers.: for a parking lot restoration and green infrastructure project at American Legion Post 91 in Cambridge. $97,084.
ShoreRivers: for the installation of six bioretention projects to treat stormwater at Washington College in Chestertown. $100,000.
The 6^th Branch: for a vacant lot greening project in the Broadway East community in Baltimore City. $50,000.
The Commissioners (Town) of Barnesville: to develop a green infrastructure concept addressing one inch of stormwater run-off. $14,960.
The Community Ecology Institute: to develop a green stormwater infrastructure concept plan for Atholton high school that takes a “walkable watershed” approach. $15,000.
Town of Colonial Beach: develop a green street engineered design for 1st street, spanning from Euclid Ave. to Jackson St. $29,935.
Town of Emmitsburg: to create a high-performing green street conceptual plan for North Seton Avenue to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and pollution while incorporating flood hazard mitigation. $17,538.

Chesapeake Bay Program Goal Implementation Team Project Support

May 2020

Chesapeake Conservancy: to leverage experience with stakeholder outreach and engagement, landscape-scale data curation, and evaluation of effective methods and guidelines for implementing Landscape Impact Assessment Methods that are broadly applicable to multiple landscapes and geographies. $54,000.
Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council: for EPA GIT Scope #10: Correctional Conservation Collaborative: Achieving PA Forestry Goals through Workforce Development. $74,089.
Coastal Resources, Inc.: for the development of the “Maryland Stream Crossing Design Guidance: A Fish-Friendly Stream Crossing Design Handbook.” $48,038.
Green Fin Studio: for development of Technical Guidance Manual and Outreach Materials for small-scale submerged aquatic vegetation restoration in Chesapeake Bay and its Tidal Tributaries. $49,907.
Green Fin Studio: for scope 12: for cross-outcome watershed educational materials for local governments. $49,503.
Local Concepts LLC: for scope 9: developing a regional outdoor learning network to support MWEE implementation. $50,000.
SKEO Solutions, Inc.: for scope 7: targeted local outreach for green infrastructure in vulnerable areas. $64,817.
SKEO Solutions, Inc.: for targeted local outreach for green infrastructure in vulnerable areas. $14,973.
Tetra Tech, Inc.: Scope 11: Implementation of Chesapeake Healthy Watersheds Assessment in Maryland’s Tier II Watersheds. $54,974.
The RAND Corporation: Scope 2: Building a Bay-Wide Scorecard to Track Climate Resilience for Watershed Communities. $75,000.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, School of Marine Science, College of William & Mary: for scope 3: Chesapeake Bay striped bass nursery habitat assessment. $84,989.

Community Engagement Mini Grant Program

May 2020

Baltimore Green Space: for 15 educational workshops regarding the many benefits of forest patches including stormwater, human health, and wildlife topics. $5,000.
Knox Presbyterian Church: for the installation of a native, pollinator-friendly plant garden with workshops on the benefits of native plants for watershed health and the impacts of pollution. $4,903.
Maryland Stadium Authority: for 15 community engagement maintenance events and installation of educational signage for the Oriole garden. $5,000.
St. Pius X Church: for a native planting and signage installation at a bioretention facility with information sessions. $3,603.
Town of New Market: for a residential rain barrel program to include education on water quality and the positive impact of utilizing rain barrels to reduce stormwater runoff into local watersheds. $2,400.
Town of Thurmont: for a residential rain barrel program to include education on water quality and the positive impact of utilizing rain barrels to reduce stormwater runoff into local watersheds. $1,250.

Anne Arundel County Watershed Protection

May 2020

Chesapeake Rivers Association, Inc.: for correcting a drainage problem on an existing sod farm. $242,567.
Loch Haven Civic Association: for the installation of a living shoreline, sand replenishment for beaches, and a planted shoreline. $129,034.
Severn River Association, Inc.: for the restoration of an eroding riverbank adjacent to the West Severna Park Community Association beach through the implementation of a living shoreline and the creation of intertidal marsh habitat. $32,277.
Arundel Rivers Federation: for implementation of a 1,300 linear foot stream restoration project at the Girl Scout’s Camp Woodlands in Annapolis.  $43,198.
Arundel Rivers Federation: for implementation of approximately 2,118 linear feet of stream restoration in the Beards Creek sub-watershed of the South River.  $349,312.
Arundel Rivers Federation: for the restoration of approximately 3,760 linear feet of actively eroding stream as well as provide opportunities to enhance forested riparian buffer in Broad Creek Park. $364,225.
Ulmstead Club, Inc.: for implementation of the three rain gardens along a parking area fronting the Magothy River at Ulmstead Point. $18,900.

Environmental Education Mini Grant Program

May 2020

Anacostia Watershed Society: to engage 250 DC students to participate in a shad restoration program. $5,000.
Anacostia Watershed Society: for 125 4th graders from Prince George’s County Public Schools to participate in Anacostia Watershed Society’s Rice Ranger Program. $5,000.
Annapolis Elementary School PTA: for 30 K-3rd graders students to participate in field experiences at Nature Park at Back Creek and to conduct a self-selected action project to take place at their local park. $4,315.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: for 20 teachers to participate in a summer training program facilitated by Anne Arundel County Public Schools Office of Environmental Literacy and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. $5,000.
Baltimore City College: for 49 11th and 12th graders to participate in a NorthBay field experience investigating biodiversity and stream health at Herring Run park. $1,700.
Baltimore Lab School: for 131 1st-12th graders to participate in field experiences with NorthBay and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in support of their Watershed Stewards of the Chesapeake Bay program. $5,000.
Belvedere Elementary School: for a project for students to explore how food choices impact the Chesapeake Bay watershed. $4,880.
Capital City Public Charter School: for 10th and 11th grade Environmental Science students to participate in oyster farm research projects and conduct water quality testing on the Potomac River. $5,000.
Catonsville Middle School: for 268 6th graders to investigate natural resources and wildlife population at Camp Puh’tok and how to improve biodiversity in the schoolyard. $5,000.
Church Hill Elementary School: for 54 4th graders to identify areas in and around the school yard that could be improved, such as erosion control, bird box replacements, cafeteria waste, and native plant plantings. $750.
County of Blair on behalf of the Fort Roberdeau Association: for students to remove growth of privet from a woodlot adjacent to a Revolutionary War era fort and prepare a series of STEAM based classroom learning experiences. $3,679.
Cross Country Elementary School: for 65 6th graders to participate in a field trip with NorthBay and complete an action project on campus. $5,000.
Dance Exchange: for the delivery of an Arts Integrated Approach professional development training for 30 Prince George’s County Public School teachers. $4,955.
Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation: to engage 4th graders to become active environmental stewards by helping to actively reduce AMD pollution in their waters. $5,000.
Grasonville Elementary School:  for an outdoor field experience for 71 4th graders at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center
and raise oyster spat. $2,589.
The Green School of Baltimore: for 132 1st-5th graders to participate in a field experience and complete an action project at their school. $1,350.
Hamilton Elementary Middle School #236: for 110 7th graders to participate in a NorthBay Educational Experience and plant a rain garden on campus. $3,488.
Hanover-Caroline Soil and Water Conservation District: to provide a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience Field Day for sixth graders at the five public middle schools of Hanover and Caroline Counties. $4,139.
Hanover-Caroline Soil and Water Conservation District: for a professional development training program to prepare teachers to carry out the Waste and Recycling, Environmental Quality, and Water Investigations. $2,536.
H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program: for a micro-plastic mosaics: using art to advocate for recycled materials $988.
Henrico Education Foundation: for professional development training for elementary science teachers in Henrico County Public Schools. $5,000.
Hillcrest Elementary School (P.T.A.): for 125 3rd graders to participate in stream health and water quality educational experiences at Patapsco Valley State Park. $500.
James River Association: for a boat trip and wildlife data collection by 5^th graders. $5,000.
James River Association: for watershed health investigation and a stormwater project by 5^th graders. $5,000.
Kent School: for 59 4th graders to participate in several field experiences and complete an action project at their school. $2,500.
Lacawac Sanctuary: for an Advanced Water Ecology program including classroom visits and a field experience providing in-depth water quality investigation. $4,900.
Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School (LAMB): to support curriculum covering environmental stewardship, watershed issues, sustainability, and the role humans play in impacting the environment. $1,570.
Living Classrooms Foundation of the National Capital Region: to provide 3^rd-5^th graders a deeper opportunity to investigate environmental issues affecting Kingman Island. $1,969
Living Classrooms Foundation of the National Capital Region:  for 5th graders to investigate human impact on D.C. waterways, as well as the larger Chesapeake Bay watershed. $2,847.
Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission: for 60 10th-12th graders from Prince George’s County Public Schools to participate in the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional-Associate training and plant a conservation landscape in their community. $5,000.
Maymont Foundation: for project-based learning professional development for Chesterfield teachers. $4,820.
National Center for Children and Families: for 20 youth from Greentree Shelter to participate in a field experience at Sandy Point State Park and install rain barrels. $1,931.
NatureBridge: to engage 40 students from KIPP DC Honor Academy in an intensive watershed awareness field experience. $5,000.
One Montgomery Green: for 50 8th-12th graders at Northwood and Blair High Schools to participate in the Clean Headwaters program on the impact of plastic waste. $5,000.
Payne Elementary School PTSA: to educate over 300 students from a Title 1 elementary school in Washington DC about the health of the Anacostia River. $4,983.
Prince George’s County Public Schools, Williams S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center: for 30 high schoolers who receive special education services to attend Teen Adventure Camp with Schmidt Center. $3,125.
Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy: for 30 7th graders to participate in an Oyster Recovery Project with Living Classrooms Foundation. $2,525.
Severna Park Elementary School: for the installation of an outdoor classroom. $5,000.
Southeast Community Development Corporation: for 15 students from Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle School to explore the impact of solid waste disposal on the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the greater environment. $4,550.
St. Martin of Tours: for 16 3rd graders to participate in an outdoor experience at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center and participate in a school-wide action project. $614.
Stemmers Run Middle School: for 225 6th graders to participate in an outdoor field experience and complete an action project on campus. $5,000.
Sudlersville Middle School: for 118 6th graders to participate in a field experience with NorthBay and complete an action project on the school campus. $5,000.
Wilderness Leadership & Learning, Inc. (WILL): for 36 9th-11th graders to participate in a field experience at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to learn about sediment, nutrients, and toxins, climate change and erosion, the important filtration and habitat benefits of the marsh. $5,000.
Wind Dance Farm & Earth Education Center: to develop water monitoring skills, explore rivers by canoe, and develop habitats for bird and insect species, install rain barrels, and enhance the riparian zone of Iden Run. $5,000.
Wisdom Projects, Inc.: for 60 K-8th graders to participate in Baltimore City’s White Oak Nature summer camp to attend field trips. $5,000.
YMCA of the Chesapeake: for 20 middle school students to participate in the YMCA Take the Helm after school program and complete a project focused on submerged aquatic vegetation. $4,995.

Outdoor Learning Network

May 2020

Cacapon Institute: to support the continuation and sustainability of the Outdoor Learning Network Initiative work in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. $40,000.
Conestoga Valley School District: to provide environmental literacy professional development to south central Pennsylvania. $40,000.

Pooled Monitoring Initiative’s Restoration Research Award Program

May 2020

Tetra Tech, Inc.: to research the vertebrate community response to stream restoration efforts that will inform future management decisions. $189,248.
University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.: to research the use of two-dimensional hydrodynamic models in assessing and predicting stream restoration outcomes to better design these practices in the future. $299,534.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: for research effort to determine the watershed effects on success of stream restoration for excess nitrogen reduction. $213,857.

Anne Arundel County Community Planting Mini Grant Program

February 2020

Hillsmere Shores Improvement Association: for the implementation of 65+ native trees and shrubs in the community. $2,500.

Community Engagement Mini-Grant Program

February 2020

Chesapeake Education Arts Research Society: for six hands-on, educational workshops regarding vegetable and native tree sapling gardening and seed saving. $4,873.
Cottage City: for a community clean-up and information session on the impacts of trash and litter pollution. $500.
No One Left Unhelped, Inc.: for a series of clean-ups, storm drain stenciling events, and environmentally focused educational workshops. $5,000.
ShoreRivers: for the production and distribution of the State of the Rivers Report Card and for five events related to the state of the rivers. $5,000.

Environmental Education

February 2020

Accokeek Foundation: for the development of a Countywide 1st grade program “Tiny Seed, Global Impact.” $31,717.
Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park: for the expansion of professional development and the Countywide 2nd grade environmental program “Chesapeake Champions.” $25,839.
Camp Puh’Tok for Boys and Girls, Inc.: for the enhancement of a countywide 6th grade “Ecosystem Investigation” program. $40,000.
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s Sassafras Environmental Education Center: for the enhancement of Countywide 4th, 5th, and 9th grade Agro-Ecology programs. $23,977.
Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education: for professional development trainings to Maryland educators incorporating student-led action projects. $39,999.
Montgomery County Public Schools: for 10th grade teacher professional development “Citizen Science: Chemistry of Nitrogen Cycling.” $70,000.
REAL School Gardens (dba Teach Out): to design and pilot a new, Environmental Science-focused Professional Learning Community for teachers from five Prince George’s County elementary schools. $36,000.
ShoreRivers: for the development of an Eastern Shore Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience Academy for teachers. $39,857.
YMCA of the Chesapeake: for countywide expansion of an Environmental Literacy for 6th graders. $39,906.

Montgomery County Watershed Restoration and Outreach

February 2020

Anacostia Riverkeeper: to reduce trash in the Anacostia River watershed through the design, fabrication and installation of one Bandalong Litter Trap in the Lockridge Drive Tributary. $250,000.
Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States, Inc.: to implement a Stormwater Pavers project for the Audubon Naturalist Shop parking lot. $68,125.
Bannockburn Community Club: to implement conservation landscaping, dry wells and rain gardens. $48,596.
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church: for the replacement of 4,000 sq. ft. of impervious blacktop with permeable pavers at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church. $119,200.
Friends of Cabin John Creek (and) Watershed: for community‐based public engagement, watershed stewardship, and stormwater management installations including residential rain planters. $64,191.
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: to design and deliver a Green Team Leadership Development Program training, developing successful green teams at 3-5 places of worship. $8,944.
National Wildlife Federation: to expand the understanding and practices of stormwater management through residential lawn replacement with native plants to reduce stormwater and create wildlife habitat. $50,000.
Rock Creek Conservancy: to expand Rock Creek Conservancy’s existing Stream Team Leader program by recruiting and training 20 Leaders to lead litter cleanups for about 450 community members. $21,444.

Prince George’s County Stormwater Stewardship

February 2020

Alice Ferguson Foundation: for two stormwater retrofit practices within the barnyard area of the Hard Bargain Farm Environmental Center. $140,000.
Anacostia Watershed Society: to support a Watershed Stewards Academy and Maryland Master Naturalist program that trains 60 watershed residents. $11,510.
Anacostia Watershed Society: to improve habitat and water quality along the Anacostia River using mussels, floating wetlands, and trees. $23,453.
Central Kenilworth Avenue Revitalization Community Development Corporation, Inc.: to plant 300 trees in the Greater Riverdale/Bladensburg neighborhoods. $134,031.
City of Hyattsville: to promote the importance and benefits of trees by implementing a Tree Canopy study and providing resources to residents to plant trees. $60,762.
City of Mount Rainier: to develop 11 green infrastructure practices to reduce stormwater runoff impacts and support making the City of Mount Rainier a model “green city.” $196,000.
EcoLatinos, Inc.: for an outreach campaign to increase awareness of stormwater runoff and its impact on water quality among Spanish-speaking residents. $18,993.
EcoLatinos, Inc.: in support of the “Festival del Rio Anacostia 2020,” where more than 800 attendees can participate in environmental related activities. $23,694.
End Time Harvest Ministries: to engage residents in a clean water initiative educating surrounding neighborhoods on stormwater problems and possible solutions. $31,163.
Global Health and Education Projects, Inc.: to plant 200 trees through the Family Tree Adoption Program in high-priority areas of Prince George’s County that have low tree canopy. $115,969.
GreenTrust Alliance, Inc.: to add 5.5 acres of forested and warm season grass/ pollinator-focused headwater buffer to an existing stream and wetland restoration project at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. $50,000.
Town of Cheverly: to design and implement a rain garden in the Cheverly Town Park. $54,954.
Town of Edmonston: to implement the fourth industrial “green street” located in the district of Lafayette Place. $68,527.
University of Maryland College Park: to develop a water quality action framework and outreach campaign for homeowner/community association boards, property managers, and residents. $50,000.

Sponsorship

February 2020

City of Annapolis: for an architectural visualization plan to address sea level rise and resiliency at City Dock. $3,000.

Anne Arundel County Community Planting Mini Grant Program

November 2019

Tidewater Colony Open Space Association: for the removal of invasive plants and planting of native trees in the Tidewater Colony community in Annapolis. $2,500.
Whitehurst Residents Club Association, Inc.: for the removal of invasive species in the Whitehurst community in preparation for native planting. $500.

Community Engagement Mini-Grant Program

November 2019

Asbury Foundation: for the installation of conservation landscaping and two educational workshops regarding stormwater issues and solutions. $5,000.
Edgewater Beach Citizens Association, Inc.: for the removal of invasive species using goats and community engagement. $5,000.
Plastic Free QAC, Inc.: for a series of informational events regarding the effects of plastic pollution on waterways and reusable bags as a better alternative to plastic bags. $4,420.

Watershed Assistance Grant Program

November 2019

Arundel Rivers Federation: for design and permitting of the Quiet Waters Park Caffrey’s Run stream restoration project. $102,807.
Baltimore County Soil Conservation District: for design and permit submission of the Western Run and Deadman Run stream restoration project. $161,600.
Cecil County, Maryland: for design of a stream restoration and sand filter project at Cecil County Public Schools Administrative Services Center and design of a tree planting at Bayview Elementary School. $183,890.
Chesapeake Rivers Association: for design of the Anne Arundel SPCA ecological restoration project, including stream restoration, wetland, marsh, and living shoreline components. $120,000.
City Neighbors Foundation: for the design of stormwater management practices at City Neighbors Charter School. $38,850.
The Community Ecology Institute: for the development of an ecological master plan and design of stormwater management practices at the Community Ecology Institute’s farm. $65,000.
Eden Korean United Methodist Church: for design of stormwater management practices on the church’s grounds, including a bioretention, rain gardens, a rainwater harvesting system, and an infiltration berm. $22,203.
Harford Soil Conservation District: for design and permitting of the stream restoration and riparian buffer components of the Broad Creek headwater restoration project. $110,000.
Prince George’s County, Maryland: for design and permitting of the Carey Branch headwater restoration project. $75,000.
ShoreRivers: for the development of the Wye Mills Action Plan to identify prioritized stormwater management and green infrastructure opportunities within the Wye Mills Community. $30,818.
ShoreRivers: for design and permitting of a stream restoration project at Foster Farm in Church Hill, Maryland. $44,927.
ShoreRivers: for design and permitting of a stream restoration project at Hickman Farm in Kent County, Maryland. $95,000.
Southeast Community Development Corporation: for the design of stormwater management practices at Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle School. $29,163.

Outreach and Restoration Grant Program

November 2019

Gunpowder Valley Conservancy: for the removal of asphalt, the installation of two micro-bioretention practices, the installation of an outdoor teaching area, and educational workshops. $75,000.
ShoreRivers: for a two-year program to engage and activate faith organizations of any denomination in environmental education to their congregations, and ultimately environmental stewardship action. $74,958.
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: to educate local Harford County residents, community groups and faith-based groups about the importance of trees and forested landscapes for water quality and quality of life. $74,901.
City Neighbors Foundation: for the implementation of four stormwater Best Management Practices, the removal of impervious surface, and the development of associated environmental education curricula. $74,741.
The Church of the Redeemer: for the removal of an asphalt parking lot to be replaced with bioretention, pervious paving, and native plants, trees, and shrubs. $74,043.
Lower Shore Land Trust: to develop an invasive species management model program within Wicomico County that will be transferrable to other counties building a framework for mapping invasive species on County property and extending outreach to landowners and community groups. $72,069.
Urban Ecosystem Restoration, Inc.: to convert approximately 3,838 square feet of turf to conservation landscaping in the Lakelands HOA and provide multiple modes of educational outreach to 465 members of the Gaithersburg community. $66,629.
Baltimore Tree Trust: for the Fells Point Gateway Tree Project to plant a “gateway” of trees along Eastern Avenue and Fleet Street in Baltimore to create a green corridor running parallel to Patterson Park and the waterfront. $66,331.
Howard EcoWorks: for planting trees and shrubs and associated educational events to encourage homeowners to convert turf grass to more functional systems. $50,856.
Port Tobacco River Conservancy: for the construction of an outdoor classroom shelter and the enhancement of stormwater control best management practices. $51,000.
Gunpowder Valley Conservancy: to conduct formative social marketing research for motivating businesses to install rain gardens and microbioretention practices on their properties. $50,000.
The Ocean Foundation: expand our successfully pilot tested social marketing campaign in Chesapeake Bay tributaries throughout Maryland to improve recreational boating practices in the presence of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). $49,979.
Canton Canopy: for creating tree pits, planting trees, and maintaining trees in the sidewalks along Fait and Linwood Avenues, as well as community volunteer events in Baltimore City’s Canton neighborhood. $38,900.
Institute for Local Self-Reliance: for support of the Baltimore Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders Composter Training Program. $30,000.
Civic Works, Inc.: for support of a certification-based stormwater management training for 10 Baltimore City residents from historically marginalized communities. $30,000.
Patterson Park Audubon Center: for support of the Audubon’s Avian Ambassadors for Baltimore, Birds, and the Bay program. $30,000.
University System of Maryland Foundation- The Environmental Finance Center: for support of the Stormwater Management Residential Action Framework and Outreach project. $30,000.
Gunpowder Riverkeeper: for a countywide outreach campaign to curb stormwater pollution using online/print communications, social media, and events. $30,000.
Friends of Patapsco Valley Heritage Greenway, Inc.: to conduct at least 10 stream cleanups, 4 invasive plant removals, 2 native shrub and tree plantings, and storm drain labeling to reduce the amount of pollution and increase the native tree canopy in Elkridge. $29,998.
Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Inc.: for support of the revival of the Harris Creek Connected group to utilize their collective actions to inspire a cultural shift of environmentalism as it relates to cleaner water and neighborhoods in Baltimore City. $29,995.
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: to assist in restoring BMP projects as well as educate 6 to 8 congregations to maintain these BMPs. $29,943.
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: to facilitate restoration projects at congregations in Salisbury through a multi-session workshop.  The course will foster greater understanding of local water-quality challenges. IPC will work with Lower Shore Land Trust on restoration projects. $28,347.
Anacostia Riverkeeper: for a microplastic monitoring and outreach program in the Anacostia watershed. $27,819.
Howard County Conservancy: The Howard County Conservancy will work with county partners to reduce pesticide use, encourage planting of native plants and become a certified Bee City. $27,816.
Nanticoke Watershed Alliance: for an outreach campaign with poultry farmers about alternatives to mowed grass for improved stormwater management. $26,695.
Alice Ferguson Foundation: to provide training for Charles County residents and organizations to monitor and provide detailed data on the waste entering the Charles County waterways. $22,784.
Lower Shore Land Trust: for support of the project “Engaging Faith-Based Communities in Stewardship and Restoration” for rain barrels, cisterns, native garden, and educational workshop supplies at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church of Salisbury. $20,207.
United Workers Association (United Workers): The core of this program will be developing and disseminating a citywide Zero Waste Plan in collaboration with Baltimore Office of Sustainability and Zero Waste Associates. $20,000.
Clean Water Fund: for support for the Testing Methods for Communicating Best Practices for Living on Septic project. $19,927.
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: to train congregations within the City of Gaithersburg to educate 60-100 people about watershed restoration. $15,038.
Wicomico Environmental Trust: for a water quality testing program that engages the citizens, is led by trained scientists, and supports the City of Salisbury and Wicomico County watershed restoration goals. $15,000.
Columbia Association: for invasive species removal, native perennial plantings, 300 tree planting, and to install 500 live stakes along eroded stream banks. $15,000.
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: for a leadership development program to increase the impact of the faith community on Chesapeake Bay Watershed improvements. $14,466.
Nanjemoy-Potomac Environmental Coalition, Inc.: school students will design a reusable bag to distribute throughout the community at grocery stores and community events and present their reusable bag program to government and non-governmental representatives. $13,510.
Department of Natural Resources: for native trees and shrubs planting, workshops, and signage at a publicly accessible location at Bloomfield Farm. $9,499.
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: for support of the Green Team Leadership Development Program, educating 100 people about watershed restoration in Baltimore City. $9,298.
Wicomico Public Library: to create a StoryWalk along the Riverwalk in Salisbury to increase childhood physical and ecological literacy. $7,853.
Baltimore Community ToolBank: for the education of business owners and property managers in Baltimore City on sustainable stormwater practices. $4,500.
Stone Gate Town House Community Association: for workshops covering stormwater management and bay-wise Gardening in the Association. $4,255.

Anne Arundel County Community Planting Mini Grant Program

September 2019

Annapolis Landing Homeowners Association: for native tree planting, invasive species removal, and increased tree canopy. $2,500.
Arundel Rivers Federation: for planting in West Shoreham community to aide runoff and water filtration. $1,465.
Magothy Meadows Homeowners Association: for removal of invasive species diseased trees and native tree planting. $2,500.
Olde Severna Park Improvement Association, Inc.: for spraying of invasive phragmites on community property. $800.

Community Engagement Mini-Grant Program

September 2019

Chestertown Garden Club: for a native pollinator garden and tree planting with community volunteers. $2,793.
Cross Keys Condominium #1: for Baltimore City waterways workshops and the value of native pollinator plants and engagement of volunteers in a conservation landscaping project. $4,908.
Riva Trace Council: for the installation of a native plant pollinator garden and education regarding the value and function of native plants and treating stormwater runoff. $4,910.
Town of Emmitsburg: for the distribution of 117 rain barrels and two educational workshops regarding the challenges and solutions associated with stormwater runoff. $5,000.
Town of New Market: for a rain barrel education workshop and distribution of 40 rain barrels to workshop participants. $2,400.
Volunteering Untapped Incorporated: for a community clean-up in Druid Hill Park and the Druid Heights neighborhood. $4,700.

Capacity Building Initiatives

September 2019

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: for the enhancement of communications systems in place and increasing management capacity. $15,778.
Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park: for technical capacity building to support upgrades at the Eastport and Back Creek campuses. $11,307.
Anne Arundel Watershed Stewards Academy: for consultant support to devise a strategic plan. $17,490.
EcoLatinos, Inc.: for the enhancement of adaptive and technical capacities to support diversity, equity and inclusion work. $12,000.
Gunpowder Valley Conservancy: to increase leadership capacity and develop a financial plan to diversity revenue sources. $15,293.
Harford Land Trust, Inc.: for developing communications and database upgrades to support the technical capacity. $17,180.
Havre de Grace Maritime Museum: for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Alliance to create an adaptive development plan. $13,000.
Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, Inc.: for work with a development consultant to create a sustainable and robust plan. $16,500.
National Wildlife Federation: for technical and leadership support for the Young Professionals of Color program through the Choose Clean Water Coalition. $29,960.
Northern Virginia Conservation Trust: for technical capacity support to upgrade multiple systems for donor relations and employee use. $14,541.
Potomac Conservancy: for diversity, equity, and inclusion capacity building through a local consultant. $25,000.
Rock Creek Conservancy: for technical capacity enhancements relating to volunteer outreach and engagement of a broader audience. $7,750.
West Virginia Rivers Coalition: for capacity building support to increase revenue and leadership capacities. $15,000.

Environmental Education Mini Grant Program

September 2019

Anacostia Watershed Society: to remove invasive plants and plant native wildflowers to restore 1 acre of meadow habitat along the river. $5,000.
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute: “Canoe and scoop” water quality field experience. $2,500.
Baltimore Urban Debate League: for native plant and tree installment and pollution outreach for 8^th graders in 2 schools. $5,000.
Bethesda Green: for student participation in the Bethesda Green Environmental Leaders Program. $5,000.
Broadway High School: for investigation of water quality and user issues by doing a bottom grab invertebrate investigation and a qualitative measurement study. $290.
Catonsville Elementary School: for field trips on the Patapsco River. $2,375.
Cecil County Public Schools: for a Cecil Manor Elementary School outdoor experience at North Bay. $5,000.
Diakon Child, Family & Community Ministries: for field trips including the Kings Gap Environmental Education Center, Wildwood Park Nature Center, the Susquehanna River and the PA State Legislature. $3,260.
Dunloggin Middle School: to establish a better riparian buffer with tree plantings. $4,020.
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s Sassafras Environmental Education Center: for elementary grades to participate in stream cleanups and create artwork. $4,537
Easton High School: for AP Environmental Science students to research and implement capstone projects with industry mentors. $3,700.
Edward M. Felegy Elementary School: for a comprehensive program engaging students about meadow restoration along the Anacostia Watershed. $2,653.
Elk Neck Elementary School: for an outdoor experience at North Bay. $4,154.
Friends of Deckers Creek: to hold a four-part education event for the Mountaineer Boys and Girls Club and kayaking field trip. $4,921.
Green Muslims: for the “Our Deen (Faith) is Green” youth outdoor education program, taking place at Hard Bargain Farm in Accokink, MD, and Whitehall Farm in Clifton, VA. $5,000.
The GreenMount School: for garden and wildlife habitat study with trash clean-up in area stream buffers and streets. $5,000.
Henrico Education Foundation: to provide field trips with the James River Association for 150 students. $5,000.
Immaculate Conception School: for watershed research and field experience with Prigel Family Creamery and Conowingo Dam. $5,000.
James River Association: for participants of the Tuckahoe YMCA and Quioccasin Middle School’s STAR program to explore and understand their local watershed through field trips. $5,000.
James River Association: Elizabeth Redd Elementary School’s 5th grade will participate in an in-class lesson, field trip to Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, and a Paint Out Pollution stewardship project. $5,000.
Kent Island High School: for implementation of an outdoor classroom. $5,000.
Key School: for the creation of an environmental sculpture on plastic pollution. $5,000.
Lacey Spring Elementary School: for professional development training for up to 25 teachers about the Chesapeake Bay and restoration. $3,750.
Live It Learn It: for Audubon Naturalist Society field trips by right 5th grade classes with a garbology-focused action project. $5,000.
Loch Raven Technical Academy: 6^th grade biosystems field investigation at Camp Puh Tok. $5,000.
MacArthur Middle School: for 330 8th graders to visit Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary and install a rain garden. $2,250.
Mary Moss @ J. Albert Adams: for construction of a green house, grow native plants, and expand a rain garden on campus. $4,750.
Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education: to develop teacher training program for Project Learning Tree. $5,000.
Montpelier Elementary School: for student participation in a field experience at Patuxent Research Refuge and install a rain garden on their school grounds. $3,975.
Mountainside Education and Enrichment, Inc.:  for stormwater mitigation education activities for Friends Meeting School. $3,530.
One Montgomery Green: for student participation in the Clean Headwaters Program. $5,000.
Park School of Baltimore: for students to study poultry farming and soil ecology. $4,996.
Park School of Baltimore: for student study of plankton, false-dark mussel filtration rate and efficiency and comparison to oysters in varying Inner Harbor conditions. $4,968.
Rivanna Conservation Alliance: for 200 students to investigate local water pollution issues, monitor water quality, and implement an action project. $4,985.
Skyline High School: for water quality field trips and monitoring by 150 9th-12th graders. $5,000.
Spring Grove Area School District: for a wetland and watershed field trip by 8th grade science students. $2,864.
The Summit School: for sixth through eighth grade students to participate in a Roedown Farm field experience. $4,240.
University of Mary Washington: for professional development training of 20 4th-6th grade teachers on watershed curriculum development and integrating science and literacy. $5,000.
Viers Mills Elementary School: 4^th grade field experience and action project on school grounds. $5,000.
Village School: to take student pollinator gardens from concept to fruition, by designing, and installing pollinator gardens for the dual purpose of improving water quality and providing a diverse habitat. $1,178.
Wicomico County Board of Education / Public Schools: for 130 middle schools to engage in outdoor experiences leading to on-campus projects. $2,085.

Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Program

September 2019

Lancaster Farmland Trust: to catalyze the adoption of farm conservation practices, document the current state of conservation plans on farms, and assess any barriers to the implementation of those plans. $100,000.

EPA Conowingo

September 2019

University of Maryland College Park: for the establishment of a Watershed Implementation Plan innovative financing system. $309,814.

The Treasure the Chesapeake Celebration has been a highly anticipated event for over 21 years. While we are all currently navigating uncharted waters, The Trust is reviewing every option in hopes of continuing the festivity for 2020. While we know for sure that our celebration will not look the same as in the past, we are committed to designing an exciting, enjoyable, and meaningful program to continue the tradition in 2020.

We could not do this alone. Our sponsors have remained stalwart in their support of our work and are a pivotal part of our ability to successfully continue our mission during unforeseen and challenging times. We invite you to read on and learn more about these exemplary industry enterprises.

Oyster Sponsors

Known for their remarkable environmental and health benefits, oysters are considered a keystone organism contributing to the habitat, water quality, and economy of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim (GCBS) has been a supporter of the Trust and our event for over 20 years. Held the second Sunday of June, the GCBS is one of America’s premier open water swim challenges traversing 4.4 miles across the Chesapeake Bay. While this year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19, it is confirmed for June 13, 2021 and spectators are encouraged to watch from Sandy Point State Park or the beach adjacent to Hemingway’s Restaurant on the Eastern Shore.

The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment is a family foundation believing in strategic infusions of funding and dedicating nearly 100% of grant dollars to the environment. “As citizens of the planet, we are compelled to participate in the protection of natural resources in the communities where we live.”

Osprey Sponsors

Top of the food chain, the Osprey is considered a good indicator of the health, abundance, and changes in the quality of the environment.

Founded in 2017, Elm Street Development has grown into one of the Baltimore-Washington region’s largest privately owned residential and mixed-use developers. Elm Street’s mission is to create communities where residents can thrive, play, connect, and grow. “We consider ourselves fortunate to operate in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We recognize the enormous stewardship responsibility that goes along with the spectacular location. It is an honor to be a sponsor of the Chesapeake Bay Trust since 2017.”

Rockfish Sponsors

Also known as Striped Bass, the Rockfish is prized by Chesapeake sport fisherman for their size and are Maryland’s most important commercial and recreational species.

Meadville Land Service, Inc. is considered one of the front running contractors in ecological restoration. For over 20 years, their sole focus has been to return balance to the natural environment. Core services include construction, restoration and mitigation of streams and wetlands, erosion control applications including bioengineering installation, reforestation through the installation of native trees and shrubs, and seeding with specialty mixes.

Canvasback Sponsors

One of the most striking of the waterfowl species, Canvasbacks are important members of healthy, aquatic ecosystems

Bayland shares the Trust’s mission to preserve and restore natural resources throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. A proud sponsor of our event since 2009, Bayland appreciates restoration’s positive effect on the environment, local community values and individual citizen stewardship. Providing a complete array of engineering and environmental services focused on ecological restoration and development of essential infrastructure projects located at the land-water interface, they are dedicated to smart and sustainable development.

EcoTone is an ecological restoration firm that designs and builds sustainable ecological solutions. ​Providing full-delivery ecosystem restoration, mitigation, design, construction, and consulting solutions, their areas of expertise include stream design and construction, wetland restoration, stormwater management, reforestation, wildlife habitat management, and mitigation credit banking. ​​As the industry’s preferred one-stop solution for ecological restoration projects they help navigate the regulatory process, minimize project costs, and deliver sustainable restoration solutions.

The Hatcher Group is a women-owned, full-service communications and marketing firm dedicated to inspiring social change for good. For nearly 20 years, we have developed and executed effective communications strategies for major national foundations, nonprofits, government agencies, and other mission-driven organizations. We proudly work with them to restore the environment; build healthy, sustainable communities; advance social justice; support working families; and improve education. We have been pleased to support the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s TTC event for eight years—their dedication to improving the natural resources of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay region through environmental education, community engagement and local watershed restoration is critical now more than ever.

Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates is a full-service CPA and consulting firm serving the complete financial needs of Mid-Atlantic area nonprofit organizations, businesses, and families. We are happy to support the Trust’s efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay and local watersheds by supporting the Treasure the Chesapeake event.

Textron Systems Corporation is part of the Textron Inc.’s family of powerful brands including Cessna, Beechcraft, Bell and E-Z-GO, we’re best known for innovative defense, government and aerospace technologies and services. Having been in the industry for more than 50 years, their business is all about people – the customers who rely on them and the exceptional team that brings their mission to life. Textron Systems is committed to the communities where they live and work and is proud to be a part of The Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Treasure the Chesapeake event.

Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., a Davey Tree Company, focuses on providing a full range of natural and cultural resource services to support client’s needs.  With an excellent reputation in the industry and representing a variety of disciplines, they are located in five office locations in Millersville, Maryland and Gainesville (headquarters), Richmond, Roanoke, and Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Their experience is extensive: since 1991 WSSI has worked on ±8,250 projects across ±310,200 acres creating and restoring over 1,000 acres of wetlands and designing ±282,000 linear feet (±53 miles) of stream restoration.

Did you know that wild rice is more than just a side dish found at dinner time? Native to the Chesapeake Bay region, wild rice is an annual grass found in freshwater marshes and has been declining in reproduction due to the increase of non-migratory waterfowl, invasive plants, and water pollution.

In 2015, Prince George’s County Public Schools Department of Curriculum and Instruction began collaborating with the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center to engage seventh-graders from 15 different schools in restoring the wild rice growing along the Patuxent River. Educators saw an opportunity to develop a meaningful watershed educational experience (MWEE) for understanding watershed water quality issues and the decline of native species.

The MWEE model of education focuses on investigations into local environmental issues that lead to action and civic engagement. One major goal of the MWEE model is to increase student’s academic achievement, engagement, 21st Century skills (learning, digital literacy, and life skills), and stewardship. Teachers play an important role in presenting unbiased information and assisting students with their research and exploration and all lessons meet Environmental Literacy standards (ELS), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). MWEE essential elements include an issue definition, outdoor field experiences, action projects, and sharing student-developed synthesis and conclusions in coordination with the school and the local community.

With funding provided through the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Environmental Education Grant Program, students used their schoolyard to gather data related to habitat use and degradation within their watershed. Data was collected in the form of a habitat report card developed by curriculum writers and Schmidt Center staff. The report card was used by students to develop a plan for restoring habitat on school grounds and in the community as it relates to migratory birds.

Students propagated wild rice in the classroom using grow stands and/or wet beds outside on their schoolyard throughout the winter. They maintained an optimum growing environment for the plants and collected data, such as germination rates, blade length, and plant density. Students took part in investigating the environmental impact and relationship between humans and the earth’s resources while researching the characteristics of wild rice and the role it plays in benefiting wetlands and reducing pollution. During early spring, students planted their wild rice at Patuxent River Park and Accokeek Foundation and worked to develop habitat restoration awareness signage used off-site or on their school grounds.

Through this program, students were a part of an on-going restoration project of wild rice in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. They also learned about other related issues, including invasive and non-invasive species, water quality, and the Bay ecosystem. A one-day professional development session on wild rice was provided by the Schmidt Center staff to the participating schools/teachers.

These partnerships increased opportunities for students to engage in environmental action projects, moved PGCPS towards a distinguished level in establishing state partners, supported grade level thematic approaches that enhanced the implementation of Environmental Literacy standards, and integrated social studies and science content areas. As the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Education Workgroup states, “The well-being of the Chesapeake Bay watershed will one day rest in the hands of its youngest citizens.”

BEFORE: The Riviera Beach Community’s overgrown areas of land.

It is a problem faced by many homeowner associations; community common areas overtaken by invasive plant growth which seem to invade faster and cover more ground in a shorter amount of time than that spent maintaining our yards! This was the case for the Riviera Beach Community (RBC) subdivision in Pasadena, Maryland.  The land is owned by RBC and this tight-knit community is governed by two different community associations, Riverbea and Riviera Community Improvement Association.

Valuable community public space had essentially become unusable because of overgrowth, neglect, drainage issues, and trash. With an award through the Anne Arundel County Forestry and Forested Land Protection program, Riverbea was able to replace invasive foliage with native trees and plantings along the pathway to the shoreline, a semi-forested location within the watershed critical area. This project demonstrated the ability of neighbors to take an uncared-for lot and turn it into a beautiful and ecologically friendly environment.

Members of both organizations volunteered with clean-up and planting activities, working alongside local contractors and nurseries to ensure proper protection and support were in place for a successful project. Part of the project award includes a maintenance requirement to ensure upkeep management.

“We have come a very long way with invasive species control. Phragmites and bamboo have taken over a large portion of the site and it has been challenging keeping them from growing back,” said Michael Vaccarino, Riverbea’s vice president. “Support from neighbors has grown. We have removed over 5 truckloads of trash ranging from glass bottles to tires, bed frames, batteries, even bowling balls. There is a large pile of bamboo that has been cut as well as a pile of lumber and branches/ivy.”

AFTER: Riviera Beach Community regains use of a beautiful part of the neighborhood.

The goal of the Anne Arundel County Forestry and Forested Land Protection program is to implement cost-effective reforestation and greening projects and increase the number of acres of protected forested land in the County. By increasing tree cover and expanding green areas, erosion can be reduced; water and soil quality can be improved; airborne pollutants such as particulates, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide can be filtered; and summer temperatures and resulting ozone pollution and energy use can be reduced.

By protecting forested land, valuable ecological services such as habitat, water quality, and flood control can be ensured for the future. And for Riverbea, regaining the use of a beautiful community area adds to the neighborhood quality of life, engages residents in their ability and desire to support healthy environmental habits, and reduces damaging toxins entering waterways.

Are you one of the 260,000 recreational boaters chomping at the bit to get on the Chesapeake Bay this year? It is purported that everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is six degrees away from a boat owning friend with the promise of sunset sails, crab house cruises, and weekend raft-ups.

But there’s an economy behind the recreation as well; Maryland fisheries and watermen, all rely on strong fish populations that keep seafood healthy, economies strong, and ecotourism flourishing. At the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s January Legislative Reception kicking off the 2020 Maryland General Assembly, Senate President Bill Ferguson reminded the room that “the (Chesapeake) Bay is the most important thing we have in the state of Maryland. It is the commerce hub and is where we have the birth of our future experiences.” This all takes a toll on the ecosystems working to keep the Bay healthy and habitable for underwater life.

One such ecosystem partner is submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) providing benefits such as carbon sequestration (removing excess carbon from our waterways), erosion prevention through sediment stabilization (keeping sediment in place due to their strong root system), buffering from land-based sources of pollution through runoff filtering, and provision of food and habitat for marine and aquatic species. The Chesapeake Bay is reliant upon flourishing and healthy SAV; however, it is negatively impacted by excessive boat traffic. Propeller scars from traveling in shallow banks, bursts that excavate sediment creating holes, and displaced sediment choking the shores and washing over SAV, are the typical types of damage wreaked underwater.

Since 2016, The Ocean Foundation (TOF); dedicated to restoring, conserving, and financing natural coastal infrastructure by cultivating social entrepreneurs and working with decision-makers to affect systemic change, has partnered with several Chesapeake Bay communities including ShoreRivers to study and implement behavior change campaigns with the boating population. Through the Trust’s Outreach and Restoration and Community Engagement grant programs, they’ve conducted extensive surveying and studying of the attitudes and ideals of boaters to determine the values and social thinking that influence behavior to maximize the outreach messaging to create and affect behavioral change. Through online/phone surveying, intercept studies, and observation operations at high volume recreational boating areas, TOF developed a social marketing campaign, trainings, and messaging collateral to inform and offer solutions to boating practices. Examples of nondestructive behaviors include turning off motors and using poles to navigate shallow seagrass beds and waiting for high tides to enter low areas.

Evaluating pre- and post-campaign SAV health is the best determination of project impact utilizing monitoring program data specific to grasses. The success of this replicable data-driven project has led to further upcoming campaigns in other Chesapeake watershed areas this summer with partners such as Arundel Rivers Federation, Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, Magothy River Association, and Severn River Association all of whom will monitor for the health of SAV near participating marinas and positive attitude and behavior changes. “We hope that this reminder of the importance of grasses to a healthy bay inspires boaters to boat responsibly in shallow waters,” says Ocean Foundation grants and program manager, Alyssa Hildt.

The Chesapeake Bay Program has a target to sustain and increase SAV presence, with the ultimate goal of reaching 130,000 acres, a 40,000-acre improvement from 2017. With continued education, partnership monitoring, and community engagement, utilizing the full boating season with the expansion of signage, and messaging materials, the future looks greener for life under the sea.

The Trust has a vision that the Chesapeake Bay and local watersheds are healthy and safe, our waters are fishable and swimmable, local communities benefit from healthy resources, and everyone participates in restoring and protecting natural resource treasures.

You may have seen the recent Cornell University article touting the benefits of stress reduction from spending time in nature. Further research shows a positive link between time spent outdoors and human health, as evidenced by such efforts and programs as the ParksRx program in Washington D.C. where doctors prescribe time in parks to patients; by the construction of green spaces and courtyards in hospitals nationwide; and by outdoor time as part of anti-obesity programs for children.  While there are numerous studies (e.g., the Japanese study of shinrin-yoku, or the study of the impacts of greening on crime and mental health in housing projects), sometimes anecdotal evidence is more powerful.  Here are examples of projects the Trust has funded modeling holistic health alongside environmental improvements.

MedStar Harbor Hospital:  Green Infrastructure in Protecting Public and Environmental Health (South Baltimore, MD)
Medstar Harbor Hospital – with the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Trust partners – the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program, and Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources – designed nine bioretention facilities identified in a green infrastructure master plan. Bioretention systems are planted depressions that collect, filter, and slow stormwater runoff while enhancing the natural beauty and environmental health of the campus. These systems will collectively treat almost five million gallons of stormwater runoff every year and adding natural green space to improve the physical and mental health of hospital patients, employees, and the community.

Waterfront Partnership: Healthy Bodies and Clean Water: Canoeing and Kayaking with Baltimore’s Premier Environmental Stewards (Baltimore, MD)
Baltimore City’s Recreation and Parks Department partnered with three of Baltimore City’s premier environmental advocacy groups, Blue Water Baltimore, The Parks and People Foundation, and The Waterfront Partnership, to provide a tangible connection to local waterways in a fun, active activity (kayak/canoe) with the Baltimore City Recreation and Parks’ Summer Kayak and Canoe Program. The program increased citizen ownership and responsibility of local waterways by engaging a wide and diverse audience in the effort and conveyed to participants the benefits of personal health, such as exercise, are connected to and inform us about the overall health of the Bay. 

Talisman Therapeutic Riding, Inc:  Talisman TheraBay Trails Program  (Grasonville, MD)
The Talisman TheraBay Trails program supports veteran’s therapeutic programs and an annual Veteran’s Victory Garden.  The Talisman Therapeutic Riding’s “Talisman TheraBay Trails” program has helped to increase stewardship of land and water resources by incorporating watershed education curriculum into year-round programs, summer camp initiative, volunteer training materials, and annual Veteran’s Victory Garden.  The objectives were to increase understanding of Talisman’s Farm location within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and how the agricultural, conservation, human and horse behaviors that occur on the Farm impact the watershed. 

Channel Marker, Inc.:  Rain Garden and Rain Barrels at a Mental Health Wellness Center (Talbot County)
Channel Marker, a mental health services organization, installed a rain garden, rain barrels, and informational signage at their new Regional Wellness Center for youth and adult clients to treat stormwater runoff from the building that flows into the Miles Watershed; engage clients in an environmental action project promoting environmentally conscious behaviors, and create a positive connection between watershed health and human health.

After

Before

University of Maryland Medical System Foundation:  Druid Heights Green Space Project (Baltimore, MD)
The University of Maryland Medical System Foundation, in coordination with the Druid Heights Community Development Corporation, renovated a vacant property in the Druid Heights community of Baltimore City.  The renovated space now serves as a public green space helping to improve neighborhood health and well-being while also providing much-needed wildlife habitat.  The objectives of this project were to form meaningful partnerships and engage community residents in a restoration project that will decrease stormwater pollution and educate community members about the connection between environmental and human health.

Global Health and Education Projects, Inc.:  Communities Organized for Health and Environment (Washington, D.C./Metro Area)
Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. established the “Communities Organized for Health and Environment” project which included a tree adoption program, Anacostia Trail cleanup, outdoor physical activity, and a health and environment day workshop. This program provided outreach to minority and underserved residents fostering involvement in environmental solutions and natural resources restoration. This effort connected individuals with how outdoor activities can improve both environmental and personal health.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Green Team (Baltimore, MD)
The Johns Hopkins Hospital Green Team, in conjunction with The Living Classrooms Foundation and an East Baltimore Community, completed a storm drain stenciling project and a litter reduction effort to beautify the neighborhood and to prevent trash from entering local waterways. This project brought awareness and education to the community about environmental issues, sustainable living, and making better choices to create a healthier lifestyle.

The Trust works with many funding partners to collaboratively support natural resource projects in several key topic areas: education, restoration, community engagement, and science and innovation. One of our key goals is to reach under-engaged audiences: people who might not realize they are connected to healthy natural resources but are.  We want to give these audiences the voice and power to protect and restore what will ultimately care for them. Find out more about all the grant opportunities we offer here and make an excuse to get outdoors!

This blog was originally submitted by Dr. Jana Davis, executive director for the Chesapeake Bay Trust, to the Capital Gazette newspaper where it ran as in the opinion column on February 16th.

It may sound impossible, but I can say, as a (somewhat) normal person, it’s very possible to reduce buying plastic by 90% with very limited impact on lifestyle. Why did I try this? I looked down one day at my dollar-store plastic flipflop

s and thought: “These Ridiculous. Pink. Things. Will be in a landfill for billions of years.” I had also heard that there is almost more plastic in the oceans than fish and saw an image of a starved albatross on a deserted island with a stomach filled with plastic. I decided I could do something.

I, perhaps like you, am not a “super greenie.” I am not only not a vegan, I’m not even a vegetarian (gasp!). I don’t drive an electric car; I don’t even drive a hybrid (shame!). I don’t do yoga, though I respect people who bend that way. I love the dollar store, despite that it is filled with plastic. I’m just a normal person (except for the dollar store thing).

So, if I can do this, so can you. Over the last year, I kept using plastic I already owned, but I didn’t purchase new plastic.

Here’s how:

Easy: You can still buy many items in regular stores with little extra effort. Examples: eggs (cardboard), yogurt (Oui brand in glass), ice cream (Turkey Hill doesn’t have a plastic layer lurking inside), produce (some groceries offer Brussel sprouts and mushrooms loose, not in packaging), spinach (frozen in cardboard). Cleaning supplies: Even regular stores, if you search, offer one brand of powder detergents in cardboard boxes.

Hard but not impossible: Cheese, meat, fish. Dust off your negotiating skills. You’ve got to order from the counter and gently convince them to wrap your stuff in paper. Some like the challenge. Some think you’re crazy. If they don’t have paper, offer them a container you brought from home or tinfoil.

You may have to get creative with toiletries. The store Lush sells shampoo bars with no packaging (work great), conditioner bars (work less great), and some kind of beeswax product for those of us who need mane taming (works OK, but my standards have lessened). For those who can’t wrap their minds around rubbing a bar on their heads, Plaine Products online ships liquid stuff in metal containers.

Tooth care is tougher. Apparently, it’s pretty easy to make your own toothpaste, but I don’t cook so I’m certainly not going to try some chemistry experiment I can’t eat. Nelsons Naturals ships glass toothpaste jars that don’t cost that much more than college tuition. (The taste takes some getting used to.) For other items, try packagefreeshop.com.

Impossible to date: Super processed snack stuff. (It isn’t good for you anyway.) A few brands have a paper or foil outside packaging and paper inside (e.g., Pepperidge farm Milano cookies). Hair dye (the Henna stuff just doesn’t cover grays. If I needed that sort of thing). Clothes (much of the microplastic in the oceans comes fr

Photo for this blog provided by Plastic Free QAC: a grassroots, non-profit organization committed not only to beautifying Queen Anne’s County, but also in changing behavior and empowering residents and businesses to make more environmentally friendly choices day to day. Click on picture to enlarge.

om synthetic fabric). Look for cotton.

Eating out: I can’t count how many times I have said: “May I please have a water with no straw” in the past year. (Let’s be honest: It was “Vodka cran, no straw.”) I carry around with me a little set of bamboo utensils, and yes, it feels weird. You get to know which restaurants serve sides in unnecessary plastic containers and which you can ask to refrain from that, and how to still eat out but not result in an albatross stomach’s worth of plastic trash. For leftovers, ask for a piece of tinfoil.

If you want to start with just one thing, start with grocery bags. Plastic grocery bags are the worst; they really don’t get recycled, and they blow all over and end up in rivers.

Yes, I know: You left your reusable bags in the car. One day, as I was lamenting this great conundrum at the checkout line, I realized: Wait a minute. I walked into the store from my car in less than a minute. It isn’t a hike along the Appalachian Trail. But – someone might – steal my cart! Someone could look at my cart’s contents and realize “Holy cow! What an amazing shopper! This selection is SO much better than my own! I’m taking this cart!”

But you know, it’s not actually my food yet anyway. So, you could — just a suggestion — go BACK to your car to get your reusable bags.

This really isn’t as hard as you might think: It just takes a little getting used to and some changing of habits.

But my year is up, and I think there is only one thing I am adding back in: Hair dye.

Plastic Free QAC, Inc. let no grass grow under their feet when awarded a Community Engagement Mini-Grant last November through the Chesapeake Bay Trust for a series of informational events regarding the effects of plastic pollution on waterways and reusable bags as better alternatives to plastic.

Plastic Free QAC (PFQAC) is grassroots, non-profit organization committed not only to beautifying Queen Anne’s County but also in changing behavior and empowering residents and businesses to make more environmentally friendly choices day to day. Only in existence for 2 years, they started with a handful of trash cleanups along county roads and waterways and grew to reusable bag distribution events throughout the County and partnerships with environmentally friendly businesses, other local non-profits. PFQAC conducted 16 monthly cleanups, each 1/4 mile in length, adding up to 4 miles. A total of 944 plastic bags were collected and counted from the 8 most recent cleanups.

Their award through the Chesapeake Bay Trust Community Engagement Mini-Grant program (their first-ever grant-supported project) gave PFQAC the chance to build an outreach plan committed to raising awareness of the detrimental impacts of single-use plastics and sustainable options available through supermarket events; tabletop presentations at churches, libraries, and community centers; trash clean-ups; and hands-on art activities to engage children. All of the educational and tabletop materials produced through this grant provide the foundation for the organization’s future efforts throughout the County.

One of the big issues to be addressed when applying for this Trust grant program is the replication or interpretation of a project in other areas of the watershed to enable other groups in other areas to leverage ideas. PFQAC strongly noted already valuable lessons learned including the importance of strong partnerships with local nonprofits, use of powerful visuals such as pictures and videos, sound research on purchasing costs, messaging tailored to specific audiences, methods for recruitment of volunteers, expanded outreach using social media and a variety of other communications tools, as well as effective record keeping and data collection.

PFQAC is experienced in organizing and completing environmental projects and you may have seen them at 2019 Kent Island Day, 2019 Sea Glass Festival at Chesapeake College, Rotary Club presentations, the Kent Island Federation of the Arts, or the Chester Safeway.

PFQAC also participated in the Community Engagement Mentorship Program working with ShoreRivers in defining project goals and capacity, organizing project budgets, and working through the Trust’s online grant portal system.

And they aren’t stopping there! This small but mighty group have outlined 10 initiatives for 2020 which include tackling heavy issues like surveying and researching boat shrink-wrap recycling and marina practices; expanding partnership opportunities with environmental clubs and area schools; working with the Maryland Department of the Environment to encourage businesses to join the Green Registry; and encouraging restaurants to adopt straw-upon-request platforms and install biodegradable product practices.

We are pleased to share their promotional video, created by PFQAC creative videographer Julie Shaeffer, here.

Learn more and to get involved with Plastic Free QAC here.

The evening’s speakers are pictured from left: Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, Department of Natural Resources; Gary Jobson, Chairman of the Board of the Chesapeake Bay Trust; Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.; Jana Davis, Trust executive director; Senator Pam Beidle; Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo; and Superintendent of the Chesapeake Bay Office for National Parks Service, Wendy O’Sullivan.

The start of January marked the convening of the 441^st session of the Maryland General Assembly and with that, the annual Chesapeake Bay Trust Legislative Reception. This year’s event was a special celebration honoring the 10^th anniversary of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps program.

The evening brought together the 10^th cohort of Chesapeake Conservation Corps members, Corps alumni, Maryland State Delegates and Senators, grant program partners, supporters, and friends to network, celebrate, and acknowledge the importance of the work both the Trust and the Corps do.

Guests were reminded by Senate President Bill Ferguson that “The Bay is not political. The Bay is the most important thing that we have in the state of Maryland. It is the commerce hub and is where we have the birth of our future experiences.”

10th cohort Corps members networked with alums, mentors, and host sites as well as Trust leadership and elected officials.

The Trust featured its newly released annual report for FY 2019 highlighting the over $11 million granted out to organizations throughout the watershed to fund almost 400 projects collaboratively supporting natural resource projects through education, restoration, community engagement, science and innovation, and capacity building. Board of Trustee member, Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo spoke about the Trust’s reputation for transparency and operational excellence noting “The Chesapeake Bay tag is the … piece that allows the Trust to leverage so much more. If you think about when you go to the MVA and pay that little extra money for that Bay tag and you encourage all of your friends and you encourage all of your family members to get that bay tag. That equates to about $3.5 million to the Trust. But the great thing about that is that the $3.5 million because the Trust is run so well, is leveraged to more like $12 million dollars. Which is absolutely incredible when it comes to the amount of work that needs to be done to restore the Bay.”

And speaker Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio reminisced about her involvement in protecting the Trust as a member of the Maryland General Assembly. “Before I was Secretary of Department of Natural Resources (DNR), I served in the Maryland House of Delegates and at that time I learned that the Bay plate program was a pilot program that was going to expire. Senator Astle and I got together and made a joint decision to co-sponsor legislation to make it a permanent program. And I’m still really proud of the fact that we were able to accomplish that and have the support of the entire Maryland General Assembly to make that happen because the Chesapeake Bay Trust is so important. At DNR, we firmly believe that cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay takes participation from a variety of stakeholders and it takes every citizen in Maryland to be a part of the process. And I think that is really one of the great and unique things about Chesapeake Bay Trust is that your programs and your grants are getting projects done on the ground in our local communities and really engaging citizens in the process. And we’re really proud to partner with the organization.”

Senate President, Bill Ferguson welcomes the crowd.

One way the Trust continues to engage is through the operation of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps program (CCC). Each year, the CCC places young adults (ages 18-25) with nonprofit or government agencies to work full-time in the environmental field for a one-year term of paid service in the Chesapeake Bay region. The Corps Members receive hands-on green job and leadership experience through on-the-ground experience leading and assisting with projects and programs for their host sites, extensive training hosted by the Trust and other service-learning opportunities including grant writing and project management.

Since its inception, the program has partnered with over 117 host sites and graduated 265 corps members, many who were in attendance representing the environmental agency they went on to work for after graduation.

Guests included Delegate Dana Stein, Corps Advisory Board member Delegate Anne Healey, and Maryland Secretary of the Environment, Ben Grumbles.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust partners with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, BGE, and the National Park Service to run each cohort of, on average, 35 members. Founding advocate, Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. Mike Miller told the crowd “it’s very easy for me to support this program… We want to protect the Chesapeake Bay; we want to protect Maryland… it takes young people like this with some enthusiasm to make things happen.”

National Park Service Superintendent of the Chesapeake Bay Office, Wendy O’Sullivan, added “I stumbled into the National Parks Service through a youth corps program, right out of grad school. So all of you that are here … you are on a path and you are part of a family now of the champions of the Chesapeake of Ambassadors for our environment and the Park Service couldn’t be more proud to add and be part of that leveraging of the bay plate money for the corps program.”

The Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program is open for application! Learn more about the program and how to apply to join the 11th cohort here!