This week is National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Herring Run Nursery will be focusing each day on one invasive plant and a native alternative. Don’t Plant: Barberry Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) is a deciduous shrub. Homeowners often plant it because of its dense form and, often, reddish purple foliage. Because it tolerates shade, this plant often…
If this December has felt exceptionally warm, you aren’t imagining it. Baltimore, like much of the United States, has been experiencing an unusually warm month and a fitting conclusion to what is shaping up to be the Earth’s warmest in over 1,400 years. The mild temperatures aren’t universally reassuring, however. Many gardeners are concerned about…
When it snows or rains ice, people purchase de-icing salt and apply it to their roads and sidewalks. When the salt melts the snow or ice, the salt washes away into our storm drains and streams as untreated polluted runoff. During times of concentration, such as a snow storm, the heavy influx of sodium and chloride…
[Note: This week we are joining author Jennifer Chambers, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and the Alice Ferguson Foundation in a blog tour to celebrate children as watershed heroes, which is the subject of her new book aimed at young people.] At Blue Water Baltimore, we know that the health of our communities is inextricably linked…
If you are as excited about getting outdoors as I am, I encourage you to check out the many ways you can volunteer with us this March. Everything we do at Blue Water Baltimore is designed to result in better streams and healthier communities. We are offering volunteer trainings in FOUR different programs this month!…
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the 2013 Environmental Legislative Summit in Annapolis, hosted by the Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment. Halle, our executive director,had asked me to represent Blue Water Baltimore at the Summit, and I happily agreed. To be honest, though, I always feel hesitant about going to Annapolis. And…
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…
As a staff member who spends most of her time in front of a computer and out in the field assessing homes for runoff reduction opportunities yesterday was an exciting change of pace and more than a little bit rewarding. I’ve spent the past three years working for Blue Water Baltimore (and the Jones Falls…
This month I had the honor of participating in one of the most inspiring events I’ve experienced since I started my position as Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper: the public hearing on the draft Baltimore City stormwater (aka MS4) permit. You might be wondering what the heck is so inspiring about a pollution permit hearing? I’ll tell…
Stewards of streams and rivers in highly developed areas like Baltimore inevitably spend more of their energy on restoration than on conservation. We often feel this dynamic at Blue Water Baltimore. Occasionally, though, a true conservation opportunity arises and recently one has: preserving Dipping Pond Run. Dipping Pond Run is an intact stream system and…