Chesapeake Bay News

The Board of Trustees of the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) have awarded $26,000 in grants to 11 community groups and schools to restore streamside habitats, create community gardens and educate citizens about the environment across the State as part of the Keep Maryland Beautiful program.

The Margaret Rosch Jones Award is given to ongoing projects or activities that have demonstrated success in solving an environmental issue, whether local or statewide. The award, named in memory of Margaret Jones, the former executive director of the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program, recognizes organizations that have been actively educating people in their community about litter prevention, community beautification and local or statewide environmental issues and have been successful in eliminating or reducing the causes of a local environmental problem.

The 2011 recipients of the Margaret Rosch Jones Award are Antietam Creek Watershed Association, Braddock Run Watershed Association, C.A.R.E Community Association, Friends of Pataspco, Maryland Public Television, Marley Middle School, the National Aquarium and St. Mary’s River Watershed Association. Projects include community gardens, invasive plant removal, stream clean-ups, rain gardens and conservation education programs.

The Bill James Environmental Grants are awarded to nonprofit youth groups for new environmental education projects in their community. The grants are given in memory of Senator William S. James who drafted legislation in 1976 to create the Maryland Environmental Trust, incorporating the activities of the Governor’s Committee to the Keep Maryland Beautiful program.

The 2011 recipients of the Bill James Grants are Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School Green Club, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Red Wiggler Community Farm and Manchester Valley High School Science Research. Projects include reducing stream erosion, native tree nursery and planting programs, blue crab and water salinity science projects and on-farm learning opportunities in educational programs.

The Keep Maryland Beautiful program is funded in part by the Maryland State Highway Administration, a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

For more information on Keep Maryland Beautiful, visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/met/grant_programs.asp

source: MD DNR

The National Park Foundation (NPF) has awarded three grants totaling $39,700 to national parks in Maryland.  Among the funding is in $10,450 grants to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and the Catoctin Mountain Park, respectively. The grant will be applied to assist area teachers in developing service-learning projects and other lesson plans involving the parks.

The NPF’s Park Stewards Grants to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park and the Catoctin Mountain Park will provide high school teachers with immersive training throughout the summer in the parks, where they will learn about each park and then develop park-related service-learning projects and lesson plans to be implemented in the upcoming school year.

Students from Allegany County Public Schools will explore the cultural, natural and architectural elements of the C&O National Historic Park, while students from North Hagerstown High School will participate in a hands-on environmental program focusing on invasive plants at Catoctin Mountain Park.

source: Senator Barbara A. Mikulski press release

On February 18, 2011, the Chesapeake Bay Trust announced more than $1.4 million in awards to Maryland schools, nonprofit organizations, community groups and local governments to fund much-needed Chesapeake restoration, education, and community engagement projects and programs.

During the first quarter of 2011, the Trust will make 90 grants through its Environment Education, Outreach and Community Engagement, Restoration, Fisheries and Mini Grant programs. Each of these grant programs is designed to promote  increased individual and community stewardship of our region’s land and water resources and heightened public engagement in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay.

“Each year the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s grant programs engage more than 150,000 Marylanders.  These exceptional teachers, students, community leaders and volunteers work on projects that show all of us how we can become better stewards of the environment,” said Allen Hance, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.  “The Trust is proud to announce this latest round of grants, which will elevate the environmental literacy of our students and create real on-the-ground change in communities through the Chesapeake Bay region.”

Maryland is offering grants to help local communities prepare for responding and adapting to the anticipated impacts of climate change. Launched in April 2009, Maryland’s CoastSmart Communities Initiative (CCI) has provided over a half-million dollars to help local communities brace for the effects of accelerated sea level rise, shoreline erosion, increased storm frequency and intensity, and changes in rainfall and related flooding.

CCI provides financial and technical assistance to local governments to promote the incorporation of natural resource and/or coastal management practices into local planning and permitting activities. Through the planning process, program partners and communities will identify best management practices, education opportunities of both municipal officials and the public, potential code and ordinance changes, and any relevant restoration and protection opportunities.

In partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the State will provide grants from $10,000 to $75,000 to coastal communities to support the planning and preparation needed to adapt to climate related impacts in the short and long term. In addition to competitive grants, the State will offer on-the-ground expertise, planning guidance, training and tools to support local planning efforts. Applications are being accepted through March 24.

“Land planning decisions in coastal areas along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline are made primarily by local municipalities. Without support from the Chesapeake and Coastal Program, Queenstown and many other small municipalities would not have the necessary tools to plan for potential storm events, shoreline changes, and protecting our water resources,” said Kathy Boomer, the project manager for Queenstown’s CCI project and member of the Queenstown Planning Commission.

Due to its geography and geology, the Chesapeake Bay region is ranked the third most vulnerable to sea level rise, behind Louisiana and Southern Florida. Maryland’s low-lying coastal communities, public infrastructure and vital habitats are particularly at risk to the impacts to climate change, especially with respect to accelerated sea level rise, shoreline erosion and increased storm frequency and intensity. With the adoption of the Climate Action Plan in 2008, the State committed to provide sea level rise planning guidance to advise adaptation and response planning at the local level.

The Maryland Commission on Climate Chance recently released its Phase II Strategy for Reducing Maryland’s Vulnerability to Climate Change. For more information about the Commission’s efforts, visit http://www.green.maryland.gov/climate.html.

Recent CoastSmart Communities projects have included: the development of a strategic plan targeting sea level rise and climate change in Anne Arundel County; a sea level rise adaptation and response plan for the City of Annapolis that includes a vulnerability and impact assessment as well as outlines policy response options; improvements to Caroline County’s floodplain and stormwater management programs; an integrated community and watershed design project and transportation element for the town of Queenstown; and improvements to stormwater and coastal erosion management in several small Talbot County villages.

To learn more about this opportunity as well as the services offered by the State to help communities reduce their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, please visit the CoastSmart Communities Online Resource Center at http://dnr.maryland.gov/CoastSmart, or e-mail the Chesapeake & Coastal Program staff at CoastSmart@dnr.state.md.us.

The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) is now accepting applications for grants through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program, an initiative dedicated to helping volunteer-based non-profit groups or communities solve natural resource issues. The grants are funded by the State Highway Administration, a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation, as well as previous donations to MET.

“School groups, civic and community organizations have been encouraged by the financial support these grants provide to important local projects,” said MET Director Elizabeth Buxton. “We are pleased to help communities solve a local environmental problem and contribute to solutions that significantly benefit Maryland’s natural environment.”

MET is offering two types of grants through the program: The Margaret Rosch Jones Award of up to $2,000 and The Bill James Environmental Grants of up to $1,000. The Margaret Rosch award will recognize 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 that initiate new environmental education projects in their communities.

The Margaret Rosch Jones Award honors a woman who demonstrated a dedication to preserving the Chesapeake Bay. Born in 1906, Margaret Jones had a genius IQ, wrote poetry and was a self-taught Latin scholar. Jones was the executive director and moving spirit of the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program for many years. The award is given to non-profit groups or communities who have a plan for an on-going, proven project that reflects Ms. Jones’s qualities of devotion, energy and ingenuity in its work to re-build and enhance the community’s natural resources.

The Bill James Environmental Grants are given in memory of William S. James and are awarded to school groups, science and ecology clubs, and other non-profit youth groups for proposed natural resource education projects. Born in Aberdeen in 1914, Bill James studied law at the University of Maryland and then practiced law in Bel Air for 38 years. He served as President of the Maryland Senate and was the principal architect of many of Maryland’s most important environmental laws, including wetlands law, Program Open Space, and agricultural land preservation. Senator James drafted legislation to create the MET, incorporating the activities of the Governor’s Committee to Keep Maryland Beautiful.

For MET to consider a project, it must demonstrate leadership and volunteer participation; offer potential benefits to the environment and community; and have a feasible plan, including goals, success criteria and time line for completion.

The deadline to apply is March 31, 2011. Application forms are available at www.dnr.state.md.us/met/grant_programs.asp

MET is a statewide land trust governed by a citizen board of trustees and affiliated with the Department of Natural Resources. It was established in 1967 by the Maryland General Assembly and is one of the oldest and most successful land trusts in the country. MET promotes the protection of open land through its Land Conservation Program, Monitoring and Stewardship Program and Local Land Trust Assistance Program. MET also provides grants to environmental education projects through the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program. For more information, visit the website www.dnr.maryland.gov/met.

source: MD DNR

The Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants (SWG) Program provides grants of $20,000 to $200,000 to organizations and local governments working on a local level to implement protects that improve small watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay basin, while building citizen-based resource stewardship. The program also provides small grants for project planning and design. This program is funded by EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office, as well as by NOAA Fisheries, USDA Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other sponsors.

The RFP for the 2009 Small Watershed Grants Program is now live on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation website, at www.nfwf.org/smallwatershed, where you will find information about the program, how to apply, and a link for the webinar we will conduct on Monday, March 16 at 12 noon. The webinar will provide guidance on how to prepare competitive applications for the CBSWG Program, as well as information about NFWF’s new Easy Grants online application system.

For more information about how to apply via Easy Grants, please go to www.nfwf.org/applicantinfo

To start an application go to www.nfwf.org/easygrants

applications are due May 1, 2009.

The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) is accepting grant applications 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.

The Jones award is given in memory of Margaret Jones, the executive director and moving spirit of the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program for many years. The Trust looks forward to honoring Ms Jones qualities of devotion, energy and ingenuity with a group working today to re-build and enhance their community environment.

The Bill James Environmental Grants are given in memory of William S. James, who drafted legislation to create the Maryland Environmental Trust, incorporating the activities of the Governor’s Committee to Keep Maryland Beautiful.

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

Application forms with guidance may be obtained at www.dnr.state.md.us/met or from Beki Howey (410-514-7915). Deadline for applications is March 31, 2009.