July 2022 Newsletter
It Takes a Village To Grow a Forest
There is perhaps no better time to appreciate trees than summer! While it will likely take decades before the trees YOU helped plant can provide adequate shade, just knowing their potential to support clean air, clean water, and healthier communities (for humans and wildlife) is satisfying.
During April and May, over 360 volunteers joined GVC to plant 905 native trees within the Gunpowder Watershed. Their hard work greatly enriched the forested habitat at private residences in Monkton and Sparks, Bee Tree Preserve, Loch Raven Skeet and Trap Center, and Pine Ridge Golf Course.

Healthy forests, however, don't just grow overnight. It takes dedicated people, like our Tree Maintenance volunteers, to make sure our newly planted trees have an increased chance of survival. This spring alone they maintained 2308 trees by removing 1850 pounds of invasive plants, such as autumn olive, japanese stiltgrass and oriental bittersweet, from the base of the trees.
We are especially thankful for the many volunteer groups who gave their time on weekends AND weekdays this spring to lend many hands to get the hard work done!
Last, but certainly not least, we'd like to give another round of applause to our inaugural group of Non-Native Invasive (NNI) Management volunteers. They gladly got their hands dirty last month to remove NNI plants that had established at our May 2021 tree planting site at Jerusalem Mill. Thanks to their help, GVC will continue to grow happy trees. Stay tuned for our next NNI training later this summer.
Time to Buy Your Tickets!
We all know how quickly summer turns into fall. Don't forget to buy your tickets to our annual fundraiser, An Evening Among the Trees, before prices go up! Tickets are $75/person now through August 31st.

The event is shaping up to be a lovely get together where guests can:

  • Celebrate our 2022 Hero of the Green, Corey Johns
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  • Bid on our unique art raffle, silent auctions, and Wagon of Cheer

  • Purchase GVC merchandise with our new logo!


Special thanks to our Featured Sponsors for their continued support of healthy lands, healthy waterways, and healthy communities within the Gunpowder watershed.
Gunpowder 2050: Our Shared Vision
Thank you to the 60+ people who made our Gunpowder Watershed Forum a success! While we are still putting our heads together to envision next steps, we wanted to share an inspirational outcome from our first workshop, Gunpowder Watershed in 2050.

During this time, people self-selected a group to work collaboratively on a worksheet focused on a shared vision for a healthy Gunpowder Watershed and what it will take to get there. Each group discussed their answers within the context of a specific topic, including climate change and clean water, agricultural best management practices, city-county cooperation, and increasing stakeholder diversity. The infographic below captures what was expressed as our shared vision for The Gunpowder in 2050.
Buy a Rain Barrel from GVC
You can still benefit from adding a rain barrel to your property this summer! Reserve your spot today for:

Saturday, August 6th (10 am - 12 pm)
Jerusalem Mill, 2813 Jerusalem Rd., Kingsville 21087

Anyone is welcome to attend our workshops for FREE to learn more about the benefits of rain barrels and how to properly maintain them. If you are interested in purchasing a rain barrel (or two), you'll just need to provide the number and color of rain barrels you'd like, as well as your mailing address when you register. This allows our staff to determine whether you are eligible for our Clear Creeks Project 50% discount, which is based on your property's location within the Gunpowder Watershed.