Monocacy & Catoctin Watershed Alliance

2008 Articles

Winter 2008	Summer 2008
Fall 2008	Spring 2008

Winter 2008

Protect

Restore

Enjoy

Connect

Educate

Study

Fall 2008

Protect

Restore

Enjoy

Connect

Educate

Study

Summer 2008

Protect

Restore

Enjoy

Connect

Educate

Study

Spring 2008

Protect

Getting Set for Spring Rains - The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin is gearing up to sell 500 rain barrels.

Maryland Grazers Network - The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is pleased to announce that they have received a grant to set up a Grazing Mentor program to help farmers who want to transition from conventional feeding (growing corn as feed) to grazing. CBF has developed a "dream team" of farming “Mentors” and are looking for "Partner" farmers who would like to participate. The program can handle approximately 15 farmers the first year but coordinators hope to double the number next year. There are currently 10 Mentors throughout Maryland.

More Trees Needed in Frederick - Frederick, Maryland's urban tree canopy covers just 12 percent of the city, but an additional 72 percent could possibly be covered by trees in the future, according to a recent study by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the University of Vermont and the U.S. Forest Service.

Restore

Fish Blockage Removal - The Potomac Conservancy and numerous partners including Maryland DNR-Fisheries Service, NRCS, Frederick County Department of Transportation, Frederick County Watershed Management Section, the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, and Trout Unlimited are inthe process of addressing two impediments to fish passage on Bear Branch, a critical tributary to Bennett Creek. Bear Branch is the sole remaining stream in the Lower Monocacy watershed that contains the native eastern brook trout. The eastern brook trout is the only trout native to Maryland, both brown and rainbow trout are introduced species for sport and recreational fishing.
2008 Gypsy Moth Suppression - This year, gypsy moth infestations in many forested areas of Frederick County are severe enough to potentially defoliate thousands of acres of forest. High tree mortality can result from gypsy moth defoliation two or more years in a row or when other stresses to the forests are present such as drought. In 2008, thousands of acres of Frederick County Forest are expected to be defoliated, unless treated.
Spring Schoolyard Habitat Projects - Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) are currently in the 2nd year of a 3-year federally funded* grant to develop schoolyard habitat projects. The grant helps to fund a Schoolyard Habitat Teacher Specialist position within FCPS to assist schools participating in the grant program. Teams of teachers from the participating schools have attended training to learn about transforming their school campuses into outdoor learning environments. Training included information on analyzing soil, choosing appropriate native plants, writing grants, and incorporating activities that use the projects into the existing curriculum. Schools have developed long and short-term project plans.

Enjoy

FWP's Spring Projects - Hoping to publicize the activities of Friends of Waterford Park through additional media this year, the Friends of Waterford Park look forward to their spring projects. The park’s friends are pleased to be participating in Maryland Public Television’s Volunteerathon and will now be able to post news and information about Friends of Waterford Park on their new website - www.friendsofwaterfordpark.org.
Help Linganore Get Another Boost - Under its grant for reducing pollution in Lake Linganore, the Watershed Management staff of the County’s Division of Public Works is coordinating several volunteer planting projects this spring. Beginning on March 29th more than 650 native trees and shrubs will be planted by volunteers on Holly Hills Homeowner association’s common property. If you are able to help, please contact Meg Jedynak at mrjedynak@comcast.net.
The Sounds of Spring - Spring is right around the corner and as air and water temperatures rise, many critters start to come out of their winter slumber to begin breeding. If you listen closely in the next couple of weeks, you might start to notice frogs beginning to call at dusk and during the early evening hours. Most people can identify the Spring Peeper but do you know how to identify the other frogs calling?

Connect

Streamlink Project - The Francis Scott Key Center is partnering with John Smucker to grow native plants in the Scott Key Center greenhouse. The native plants will be used for a variety of restoration projects in Frederick County.
Backyard Buffer Program Available- Applications from landowners whose property adjoins a stream, swale, or wet area are encouraged to complete a brief application for the backyard buffer program. The program provides 25 free native trees and shrubs for landowner planting and stewardship. The five species of plants provided this year through the Backyard Buffer program are persimmon, pin oak, silky dogwood, winterberry holly and redbud.

Educate

Imperviousness: What Is It? - It’s hard to talk about environmental restoration in an urban area without talking about impervious surface. What is imperviousness? Why is it a problem? What are we doing about it?
Impacting Our Kid's Lives - “Dear Members of Potomac Valley Fly Fishers, We wish to thank you for helping us bring Trout in the Classroom to our classroom. We worked hard to raise the money to implement TIC at Monocacy Middle School. Without your help, it wouldn’t have happened this year. We want you to know that the money you provided for our system was well spent. We are excited to be learning about trout as we raise the eggs and are proud to be helping our environment. Sincerely, Mrs. Maruskin’s 6th Grade Science Classes.”
POW! Workshop for Frederick Teachers - In January 2007, Frederick County Government’s Watershed Management Section (WMS) was awarded a $247,800 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) for the Urban Wetlands Program, Bennett Creek Watershed Pilot (UWP) project. The goal of the project is to develop a comprehensive wetland strategy for a pilot watershed, Bennett Creek. The grant includes amphibian, vegetation, and bird assessments; restoration projects; computer mapping of wetland areas in the watershed; and education and outreach to Frederick County teachers and students. For more information on the results of the first year of the project, see the article posted under the Study section of the website.

Study

MSM Searches for Nutrient Sources - Faculty and students at Mount St. Mary’s University (MSMU) are closely monitoring Tom’s Creek to try to identify sources of phosphorus pollution within the watershed. Phosphorus is one of the main pollutants of concern in streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and a 2004 report by the MD Department of Natural Resources confirmed that phosphorus levels ranged from “baseline” to “excessive” when they sampled a few locations in Tom’s Creek watershed.
A Big, Bad Crawdad in the Monocacy - The Monocacy River has been invaded by an alien species, the rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus), that may harm native crayfishes, aquatic vegetation, fishes, and other stream species. It was first discovered in Marsh Creek, a tributary to the Monocacy River, in June 2007 by biologists from the MDNR Maryland Biological Stream Survey. This discovery was the first documented report of this non-native species in the state.