Best Education and Outreach Project in the Bay! |
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An update from the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (GVC)'s award-winning Clear Creeks Project. Our innovative work at the Miramar Landing community in Middle River was awarded the 2021 Best Education and Outreach Project at the Best Urban BMP in the Bay Award ceremony, affectionately known as the BUBBAs. Our project success was a result of exceptional leadership from Purnell Glenn, the President of the Miramar Landing Homeowners Association (and now a member of GVC's Advisory Council), as well as Miramar Landing residents, GVC staff, and nearly 400 volunteers.
The Chesapeake Stormwater Network hosts the BUBBAs to "recognize innovators in the field who are using new and innovative techniques for facing the challenges of stormwater management." This is an exciting win considering the BUBBAs evaluate projects from across the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Best of all, we are now in the running for the $5,000 grand prize! Voting is open to the general public through Wednesday, March 24th. Visit this website to cast your vote for the "Clear Creeks Bay-Wise Project at Miramar Landing." Your vote will help GVC expand our work promoting healthy lands, healthy waters, and healthy communities within the Gunpowder watershed.
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Since 1989, GVC has planted over 32,000 native trees throughout the Gunpowder watershed. But that's not enough. We are dedicated to tripling the number of native trees planted by 2023 in order to combat climate change.
GVC is seeking property owners to help plant the future at NO COST! All native tree plantings are 100% covered by our grant funding from Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The ideal locations would be:
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If you are interested or wish to learn more, please contact Peg Perry, Program Director of Restoration and Education at pperry@gunpowdervc.org or (443) 415-7969. Our Planting the Future campaign is in collaboration with the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition.
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Help us Grow More Gardens in 2022 |
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GVC has designed conservation gardens since 2009 as part of watershed restoration projects. Rain gardens feature beautiful native plants that can improve water drainage issues, filter pollutants from stormwater runoff, and provide important pollinator habitat.
Through the years, the demand for our Clear Creeks Project rain gardens has grown so much that we now maintain a wait list for homeowners, businesses, and organizations interested in receiving a free rain garden assessment. An average-sized Clear Creeks Project rain garden only costs between $450 - $500 thanks to our 80% cost-share program.
We are in the process of submitting grant applications for another two years of funding (2022-2023) for the Clear Creeks Project. It's important for us to gauge how much interest there is within the Gunpowder watershed for rain gardens.
Fill out our pre-assessment form to be added to our 2022 Wait List for a Clear Creeks Project rain garden assessment. Our staff will confirm that your address is within our project area. We will then notify you when the 2022 funding is secure and inform you of the next steps. Together, we can stem the tide of pollution one garden at a time.
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Get Involved - GVC Calendar of Events |
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It's official. The GVC's volunteer season has gotten off to a great start! We've already filled up several tree planting dates so make sure you save your spot today. Visit our online calendar of events for the most current schedule. Our Tree Maintenance events will be announced at the end of March.
The GVC highly values the safety of our staff and volunteers. All participants must wear a face mask at all times and maintain social distancing. Should you feel ill, please do not attend the event and let the event leader know as soon as possible so we can recruit additional volunteers.
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Special Event for GVC Members - April 15th |
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You're invited to our GVC Member Appreciation Speaker Series! Our first event will be Thursday, April 15th at 7 PM on Zoom. The presentation will be approx. 30 minutes long and includes a Q&A session afterwards. Let us help you deepen your appreciation of Brood X when it appears in May.
Periodical cicadas, Magicicada spp, remain a mystery to biologists. The public becomes aware of their existence only when vast numbers emerge from the ground synchronously, every 13 or 17 years. While their presence is hard to ignore when they are out and about, what they are doing the rest of their lives and why they are doing it is only partially understood. Emerging broods consist of more than one species and different broods are emerging in different regions of North American almost every year. Dr. Jane Wolfson will be discussing periodical cicadas and their development, how they sing, their impact on wildlife and the threats they face.
It’s not too late to become a 2021 GVC member. It’s easy!
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Make a tax-deductible donation of any amount to GVC. You can donate online or send a check payable to: Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, P.O. Box 9733, Towson, MD 21284.
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Volunteer for a minimum of 5 hours with GVC. Visit our online calendar of events for upcoming environmental stewardship opportunities.
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Virtual tour of the Gunpowder |
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We just completed our virtual tour of the Gunpowder watershed on Facebook and Instagram. Designed to evoke nostalgic postcards, each post featured a nature-based image from a section of the Gunpowder with an accompanying map, as well as watershed facts and destinations. You can also view the images as a brief slideshow for inspiration, "Postcards from the Gunpowder Watershed."
We hope you enjoyed this feature and perhaps learned more about where you live or work within the boundaries of the beautiful Gunpowder watershed.
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