Let’s dive into August, a month with exciting career development for our team, the final projects, and the graduation of our crews!
Metrics
This month our team completed the following:
Visited 30 project sites.
Planted 40 native trees and shrubs.
Planted 212 native perennials, such as flowers and grasses.
Installed a total of 750 sq ft of conservation landscaping.
Mobilized 30 volunteers in 2 project sites.
Removed 520 lbs of trash and debris.
Projects
Church of the Apostles | Arbutus, MD
We completed two conservation landscape gardens totaling 750 sq ft! These gardens feature 40 native shrubs and 221 native perennials, including Virginia Sweetspire, Dwarf Fothergilla, Oakleaf Hydrangea, and Bayberry.
We also planted some native wildflowers including Butterfly Weed, Coreopsis, Blazing Star, Phlox, Black-Eyed Susan, Blue Stem, and Ironweed. This project was funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, in partnership with the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake and the One Water Partnership.
Safe & Sound | Ellicott City
Our team led a Safe & Sound event, removing 220 lbs of debris from one of the 56 flood-prone areas in Howard County. This effort is part of our commitment to community and stormwater management, enhancing the safety and resilience of Ellicott City in collaboration with the Howard County Government.
Stream Restoration Maintenance | Howard County
In August, we conducted maintenance at several stream restoration sites across Howard County. Our focus was on removing invasive plants, strangling vines, trash, and debris to give native plants the space they need to thrive.
Professional Development and Industry Exposure
Our workforce development programs UpLift , READY, & EcoAmbassadors offer opportunities for growth in career development through exposure, networking, and training. Here’s what they did this month:
CBLP-A: The READY crew had their 3rd training for the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional - Associate certificate, along with an invasive plant webinar.
Plant Training: UpLift and READY trained with our Field Technician, Nick Lovett, on identifying Native Trees and invasive species.
Industry Exposure | Arboriculture: UpLift and READY had an industry exposure and networking event with Lou Meyer from Davey Tree, where he took the time to explain a career in arboriculture.
Career Development: The EcoAmbassadors had their final meeting with EcoWorks’ Founder and Executive Director, Lori Lilly, and project coordinator, Matt Hemler, where they debriefed their summer experience with us. They also practiced networking and public speaking on environmental topics
Lori shared her experiences in the environmental field and discussed various career paths. Participants then had the opportunity to connect with Lori, asking individual questions and seeking career advice.
Electrofishing: Our final team went electrofishing in Montgomery Parks with Aquatic Biologist Dave Sigrist to assist researchers in collecting aquatic species. Electrofishing is the process of using electric currents to temporarily stun aquatic species swimming downstream.
Once stunned, the animals are safely captured, and data is collected before they are released back into the stream. This data helps Montgomery County assess the health of the stream, the wildlife, and the overall condition of the watershed.
Stream Assessment Training
Lori Lilly, Founder and Executive Director of EcoWorks, led a stream assessment training for our crews to document instream and floodplain conditions of streams. Our teams visited Jim Duke’s Green Farmacy to assess the stream and to also check on our Beaver Dam Analogues that were built in the spring of this year.
Afterward, Paige Dempsey from Shore Rivers gave a talk about careers in water quality protection. She brought water quality instruments, and our crews tested the stream for water quality parameters.
The results: no salinity, slightly turbid water, and healthy levels of dissolved oxygen (8-9 mg/L). However, there is a lot of erosion and downcutting present, and the stream is disconnected from the floodplain with no adjacent wetlands.
Merits
Career Development
Promotion: JP Osborne was promoted from Senior Crew Leader to Landscape Foreman!
CBLP-1: JP Osborne and Matt Hemler completed their training and passed their Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification Level 1.
Volunteering
Our EcoAmbassadors organized an incredible cleanup event at two school locations, rallying 30 enthusiastic volunteers who removed an impressive 300 pounds of trash!
Outreach
Howard County Fair: Our team tabled at the Howard County Fair in partnership with the League of Women Voters, who graciously shared their space with us and other nonprofits. It also gave our EcoAmbassadors a chance to interact with the public.
Educational Outreach: The EcoAmbassadors visited Centennial Lake and Lauren’s Garden Service to talk to the public about environmental efforts.
Savage Community Farmers Market: Our marketing and outreach coordinator, Elura Morris, tabled at the farmers market twice in August to engage with the community.
Publications:
PDF Document: You can now view the CLIMATE RESILIENCY PLANNING FOR HOWARD COUNTY COMMUNITIES & ECOSYSTEMS written by Kip Mumaw and funded by Transform Howard. This document explores 3 projects that EcoWorks and Ecosystem Services partnered with to explore climate solutions.
PDF Document: You can now view the Field and Laboratory Testing of Biochar Amendments for Howard EcoWorks written by Leslie Webb, John Mosel, and Paul T. Imhoff from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware.
Press Release: We were recently published in an article by the Guilford Gazette, showcasing our conservation efforts in the Baltimore Region.
Programs Graduation
On 8/16/24 we officially graduated our Summer 2024 program participants including:
4 Spring & Summer UpLift participants
9 READY participants (Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth)
And 15 EcoAmbassador participants!
Together our team completed the following between March and mid-August:
10,000 sq ft of conservation gardens installed including:
4,200 native plants
700 native trees and shrubs.
Engaged with hundreds of community members in outreach events
And participated in tons of green industry training and industry exposure events.
Special thanks to our guest speaker, former Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, who joined us virtually. We were also honored to have Jason Swope from Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals in attendance to support our graduates who earned their CBLP-A certificates, and Jackie Cooper from the Office of Community Sustainability, Howard County.
Our graduation day was truly memorable, beginning with a morning nature walk and scavenger hunt. During lunch, participants enjoyed a talent show, superlatives, and a photo slideshow highlighting their journey with us. The ceremony featured inspiring speeches from our staff and guest speaker, followed by the presentation of certificates of completion. Each participant also received a framed collage photo as a keepsake.
At EcoWorks, we are incredibly proud of our program graduates - first responders to the climate change crisis. We look forward to witnessing the continued impact they will make in the communities they serve.
Enjoy these bonus photos from the crew!
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