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ATTENTION!!!!!!!!
The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) asks that individuals who see an accumulation of dead fish in waters of the state report it through any of the contact numbers below:
Maryland Department of the Environment
Science Services Administration
Fish Kill Investigation Section
416 Chinquapin Round Road, Annapolis, MD 21401
Normal work hours: 1.800.285.8195
After hours: 1.877.224.7229 or 1.866.633.4686
The annual summary may be obtained by contacting Chris Luckett at 443.482.2731
Please call 1.866.666.9620 to report instances of fish kills, bad water events, etc. to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) in order to catalog instances of such events.
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Due to the Emeral Ash Borer infestation, a temporary ban on the use of Ash trees has been implemented in Frederick County until further notice. Click here for a memo explaining the ban in greater detail. Additional information about the Emerald Ash Borer is available on the Maryland Department of Agriculture website and an Emerald Ash Borer website.
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2010 Events:
**Attention high school students interested in college programs and/or
career pathways in forestry and natural resources- it's not to early to start thinking about applying for this year's Natural Resources
Careers Conference (July 25 - 31, 2010 in Garrett County, MD)! Contact Mike Kay, Forester, MD Forest Service, 301-473-8417,
or go online for more information at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/nrcareersconf.html or the Frederick County Forestry Board website.**
March Events
- March 5: Living Shorelines Grant program proposals due! The Chesapeake Bay Trust, in conjunction with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center and the Maryland Department of the Environment, is soliciting proposals to create and promote living shorelines in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C portions of the Chesapeake Bay. "Living shorelines" are defined as shoreline stabilization techniques that use natural habitat elements to protect shorelines from erosion while also providing critical habitat for Bay wildlife. The funding partners invite non-profit organizations, community associations, academic institutions, and state and local governments to submit applications for the Living Shoreline Initiative grant program. To learn more, or apply, click here.
- March 6: Register today for the Chesapeake Bay Coldwater Summit sponsored by Trout Unlimited!
The Summit will be held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV, and will focus on land protection, watershed restoration,
and
ongoing efforts to benefit trout habitat and water quality acorss the Chesapeake Bay Basin.
There will be featured presentations by Trout Unlimited,
The Conservation Fund,
American Rivers,
Frederick County Department of Parks and Recreation,
ESI, Inc.,
Cacapon&Lost Rivers Land Trust,
James Madison University,
Savage River Watershed Association, and the
US Fish & Wildlife Service. Registration is required: contact Nat Gillespie at 703-284-9431 or ngillespie@tu.org.
- March 6,
13: Maryland Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Stream Waders Volunteer Stream Sampling Program is gearing up for another exciting year! In 2010, we will be holding 2 March Stream Waders training sessions:
March 6th , 2010 (Register by February 26th) at Oregon Ridge Nature Center (Baltimore County), and March 13th, 2010 (Register by March 5th) at Frostburg State University (Allegheny County).
We usually start around 9:00 A.M. but we ask that you come a little early to check in and enjoy a small complementary, continental style breakfast (juice, coffee, water, donuts, etc.) Please pack your own lunch as we will be taking a break between the lecture training and the outside field training.Remember to pack plenty of warm clothes that you don’t mind getting wet. Waders are a plus!
Capacity is limited so PLEASE Register in advance, by the dates listed above!! To register for a training session or to receive more information, email streamwaders@dnr.state.md.us or call the Stream Waders hotline at 1-877-620-8DNR (x8623). Please provide your name, phone number, address, and expected training location.
A very informative Frequently Asked Questions page can be found at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/streams/mbss/w_faq.html.
- March 6, 8:30AM-3PM: Registration now available! The 2010 14th Annual Meeting of Maryland's Tributary Teams will be
March 6th at the Maryland Department of the Environment
Montgomery Park Building in
Baltimore, MD. This year's meeting theme is 2010, From Voluntary to Regulatory…Using the Bay TMDL to Make a Difference. This year’s Annual Meeting will focus on the Bay wide TMDL currently in development, with presentations covering the TMDL process and content, the Watershed Implementation Plans, Modeling and Monitoring, and Financing and Funding. Interactive sessions will include the local implementation plans, local funding opportunities, trading, stormwater and more.Registration now available on-line at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/tribstrat/Index.html.
- March 9-11: Join CWP in Staunton, VA for the workshop, From the Rooftop to the Bay:
Implementing Stormwater Management Strategies in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Workshop will be held at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel, Staunton, VA.
Sessions include: Special Track for Elected Officials- Intro to Stormwater; Runoff Reduction and Environmental Site Design in Chesapeake States; Stormwater Site Plan Design Charrette; Policy Decisions to Implement Your Stormwater Program; Evaluating Local Codes; On-site vs. Off-site Stormwater Compliance; Performance Monitoring of BMPs; Getting the Most Out of Your Monitoring; Establishing a Monitoring Consortium; Retrofitting as a Program Tool; Stormwater Design, Installation, and Maintenance Track- Rooftop Practices, Bioretention, Constructed Wetlands, Infiltration, Permeable Pavers, Filter Strips & Soil Amendments; Design Adaptations for Redevelopment & Urban Sites; Design Adaptations for Karst Terrain; Rainwater Harvesting Hands-On Workshop;Pollution Prevention / Good Housekeeping; Stormwater Facilities as Community Spaces Local Stormwater Tours (field trip).
Highlights include a Tuesday night Welcome Reception, a Stonerollers Awards ceremony on Wednesday night, and evenings to explore beautiful downtown Staunton!
Registration limited to 150 participants, so register now!
Participants may attend all three days of the workshop (encouraged!) or Tuesday only or Wednesday and Thursday together. Wed. and Thurs. are a package.
Registration includes: instruction, training materials, Continuing Education Units(if requested), continental breakfast, lunches, and snacks.
How to register:
Visit our website at www.cwp.org for registration & payment info.
Registration Costs:
Full Workshop (Tu, Wed, Thurs) = $350,
Wednesday and Thursday = $275,
Tuesday only = $175 (Discounted rate for Municipal Elected Officials = $50)
Registration deadline is February 5, 2010.
For more information visit www.cwp.org or contact Laurel Woodworth at lw@cwp.org or 434.293.5793.
- March 11, 12PM- 2PM: USEPA is pleased to offer a two-hour webinar on the System for Urban Stormwater Treatment and Analysis INtegration (SUSTAIN). SUSTAIN is a decision support system for placement of BMPs at strategic locations in urban watersheds based on cost and effectiveness. It is developed by Tetra Tech, Inc. under contract with and a close involvement by USEPA. SUSTAIN, an ArcGIS-based evaluation and decision-support framework, is designed for analysis and determination of total maximum daily load (TMDL), urban watershed planning, source water protection programs, and CSO volume reduction. The SUSTAIN Version 1.0 has been developed and publically released and can be obtained from: http://www.epa.gov/ednnrmrl/models/sustain/index.html. The website contains a link to a recent USEPA report which contains the background and details of SUSTAIN and is a useful reference for SUSTAIN users.
This webinar is free of charge. It will provide an overview of SUSTAIN, descriptions of major framework modules, and example applications in using SUSTAIN. To register, you may use this link. A certificate of participation will be sent upon the successful completion of the webinar.
- March 25- Save the Date! The SECOND ANNUAL NONPROFIT SUMMIT for Frederick County’s nonprofit organizations will be held on March 25, 2010 at the Francis Scott Key Holiday Inn and Conference Center beginning with registration at 8 a.m. The theme will be: “2010 Nonprofit Summit: A stimulus for increased effectiveness.” Members of the nonprofit community have been asking about when there will be another experience such as last year’s event—so representatives of the Ausherman Family Foundation, the Community Foundation and Volunteer Frederick have planned another great learning day that is affordable and, best of all, right here in our own back yard. Stay tuned for registration materials...
- March 26: Deadline for the WREN 2010 Community Watershed Education Grant (Pennsylvania). Download Application at: http://wren.palwv.org/grants/local.html. Looking to make a difference in
your community? Want to make 2010 a "greener" year in your town by educating and motivating local
citizens about ways to protect community water resources from polluted
runoff?
The Water
Resources Education Network (WREN) has funding available up to $5,000 to help
launch community projects. See the terrific projects we've already
funded to get some creative ideas at http://wren.palwv.org/local.html.
Use these ideas to develop your own project - No need to re-invent the wheel!
Eligible projects include watershed education projects that
build awareness and educate Pennsylvaniacitizens about their
role as environmental stewards to protect, improve, or remediate the watershed
from the impacts of polluted runoff, or nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. We give priority to projects that incorporate social marketing concepts and encourage individual
or public policy action that will protect and improve local water
resources.
Eligible
applicants are
Pennsylvania partnerships comprised of watershed
associations, civic groups, community/public water systems, educational
entities such as schools or universities, government entities like cities,
townships, boroughs, Environmental Advisory Councils, or municipal authorities,
or other governmental or non-governmental organizations. To encourage
local leaders to get involved, a municipality is required as a partner.
Successful projects announced by mid May 2010. WREN Orientation meeting for new projects, June 15-16. Project
activities to take place July 1, 2010 - June 30,
2011. Get all the details, and download the Grant Application at the WREN
Website: http://wren.palwv.org/grants/local.html. Questions? Call Julie Kollar, WREN Program Director at 267-468-0555 or email: juliekwren@verizon.net.
- March 26: Pioneer Grant Program proposals due!
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is now accepting applications for our Pioneer Grant Program. The Pioneer Grant Program is designed to support innovative solutions that accelerate the rate of nutrient and sediment load reduction in the Chesapeake Bay. The 2010 Pioneer Grant Program is focused on new techniques, new information, or new programs that will help managers, policy-makers, restoration scientists, and others achieve load reductions faster and more efficiently. To learn more or apply, click here.
- March 31: The Maryland Environmental Trust accepts grant applications annually for the Keep Maryland Beautiful program from voluntary non-profit groups or communities for solutions to environmental problems. The grants are part of the Trust’s Keep Maryland Beautiful activities, which are funded by the State Highway Administration, a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation.
The Margaret Rosch Jones Award is awarded to an ongoing project that has already demonstrated success in solving an environmental issue, whether local or statewide. The Bill James Environmental Grants are awarded to nonprofit youth groups for new environmental education projects in their community.
To be considered, a project must have: Demonstrated leadership and volunteer participation; Potential benefit to the environment and community; A feasible plan, including goals, success criteria and time line for completion.
Applications must be received by March 31. For more information, visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/met/keepmd.html.
April Events
- April 2 : Watershed Assistance Grant Program proposals due!
The Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources welcome requests for technical planning and design assistance associated with protection and restoration programs and projects that lead to improved water quality in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Maryland Coastal Bays. The funding partners invite local governments and non-profit organizations to submit requests for this assistance. To learn more, or apply, click here.
- April 10: The Alice Ferguson Foundation would like to help you with your New Year's Resolution to be better stewards of the earth!
Please come out and participate in this year's Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on April 10, 2010 from 9am until 12pm.
- April 21 : Join the Center for Watershed Protection for their next webcast: Bioretention Design, Installation, and Maintenance. Bioretention has been the darling of the stormwater trade for a decade or more. In the real world of BMP design, installation, and maintenance, there have been as many (or more) poor examples as grand successes. What can we learn from these experiences, and what does the rapidly-expanding corpus of bioretention research have to teach us about enhancing pollutant removal and runoff volume reduction? This webcast will cover practical design, installation, and maintenance issues with bioretention, and will provide updated and essential design tools for the stormwater professional. This webcast is jointly hosted with the Chesapeake Bay Stormwater Training Partnership (CBSTP). If you have questions regarding the webcast, email webcast@cwp.org.
- April 21, 1PM-2:30PM : Monocacy and Catoctin Watershed Alliance Meeting. For more information, e-mail or call Heather Montgomery at 301-600-1741.
- April 24 : The BIG Sweep is Volunteer Frederick’s annual county-wide beautification project that raises money for participating area nonprofits. Structured like a walk-a-thon, participants collect donations from family, friends and other supporters for their chosen nonprofit. Instead of walking, however, BIG Sweep participants pick up trash from Frederick County roadsides and dump sites. For more information, visit: www.thebigsweep.org.
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