Stormwater runoff is a long-ignored and growing source of pollution and sediment—which hurts the quality of our streams, the harbor and the entire Chesapeake Bay—and causes flooding and property damage. Our 2012 Healthy Harbor Report Card grade of C- illustrates the impact that stormwater pollution can have even in a relatively dry year. Baltimore City…
In the next week, there are important hearings about SB 576 / HB 1086, also known as the “Maryland Bag Bill,” to reduce the number of plastic shopping bags that litter our streams. The bill establishes a five-cent fee for single-use plastic and paper carryout bags with the proceeds to be split among retailers, counties,…
[Note: This guest blog post was written by Emily Delaney, a student at Loyola University Maryland. Emily led a Spring Break Outreach trip that included water quality testing in West Virginia coal country and ended with a day of volunteering at Herring Run Nursery.] Spring Break Outreach through Loyola University Maryland is a weeklong service immersion…
At Herring Run Nursery our favorite native shrubs are ones that can multitask: they are beautiful, attract wildlife, and help reduce storm water pollution. One of the very best of multitasking native shrubs is Ilex verticillata, or winterberry holly. A gorgeous landscape plant, winterberry is a native deciduous holly. After the leaves drop in fall,…
If you live in Baltimore, hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”) in Maryland might seem like someone else’s problem. After all, it’s not very likely that we’ll see fracking in Patterson Park. Yet, Blue Water Baltimore is taking a strong stance that we need a ban on fracking in Maryland. And we think you should too. Why?…
[Note: Tina Meyers is the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper.] One of the reasons I love the Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972 to prevent pollution to our nation’s waterways, is that it allows citizens the right to participate meaningfully in the regulatory process. Under the Act, citizens are empowered to help protect their local…
When Blue Water Baltimore formed in 2010, it was through the merger of five watershed groups protecting all four of Baltimore’s watersheds. Jones Falls Watershed Association, Herring Run Watershed Association, Gywnns Falls Watershed Association, Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association, and Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper came together to create the powerful and effective organization we have become. By…
It has been a rough year for trees in Baltimore, with several storms that resulted in significant damage to our urban forest. Although severe storms will always result in some uprooted and broken trees, thankfully some preventative steps can lessen the impact. Knowing why trees succumb to storms, we can ensure that we take four…
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, but we know that our supporters are always looking for a way to make a lasting difference in our communities. Today, a national effort is underway to put the focus back on giving. #GivingTuesday started with a simple premise: We have a day for giving thanks. We…
Your rain barrel is designed to keep mosquitoes out, but there is no guarantee that these pesky creatures won’t find a crack in the system. The fail-safe way is to drain all of the water within five days of the rain barrel filling up. This solution not only eliminates standing water, but it ensures that…