Headwaters - Maryland Sea Grant
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
He a d waters
Publication of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Watershed Educators
Inside this Issue Dear Readers:
+ Dundalk Renaissance As editor of Headwaters, it is humbling and awe-inspiring to be
Corporation’s Fall Tree reminded of the true complexity of the task we tackle on a daily
Give Away basis. The restoration of the Chesapeake Bay has innumerable
moving parts, some of which include: governments, organizations,
practitioners, programs, implementation projects, policies,
+ What is social funders, advocates, optimists, pessimists, dog poop, and, oh yea,
marketing? let’s not forget about the 18 million people…
It is in this context that the Watershed Protection and Restoration
+ Introduction to Program (WPRP) provides a unique node in the network of Bay
Stormwater Law and restoration. Our raison d’être is connecting people to the resources
You they need to do their best work. This issue of Headwaters exhibits
the spectrum of ways we provide that integral connection. As
+ The UME Land Use and a community partner, program educator, policy interpreter,
Watershed Action Team statewide collaborator, and program creator, the WPRP Program
is engaged in connecting many moving parts to reduce complexity
and help restore the Chesapeake Bay.
+ Cecil County Stewards
are Full Speed Ahead For more information about the Watershed Protection and
Restoration Program, visit www.extension.umd.edu/watershed.
Sincerely,
The Maryland Sea Grant Extension Watershed Educators Team
1
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
Dundalk
Renaissance
Corporation’s
Fall Tree Give
Away
+ Krisztian Varsa
+ Community Highlight
In a county with nearly 50% tree Enter the Dundalk Renaissance
canopy cover, the community Corporation’s Greening
of Dundalk is an outlier. Coordinator, Seyi Adebayo. Seyi
As an older, working class is leading the charge to expand
neighborhood in Baltimore canopy cover in Dundalk, with
County, Dundalk is unique in the objective of improving water
having just 21% tree canopy quality in the Direct Harbor and
coverage1. The importance of this Bear Creek watersheds. Seyi
statistic is that trees don’t just is waging a difficult battle. In
perform numerous stormwater addition to canopy cover being
functions (they do!) but they less than half of Baltimore
also conserve energy, improve air County’s overall, the failure rate
quality, provide wildlife habitat, of urban trees in the Baltimore
and increase property values. area is resulting in a net negative
2
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
“This wasn’t canopy growth2. Further,
post-planting tree mortality
your average is an ongoing challenge for
local organizations seeking to
give away.” maximize their effort to improve
stormwater.
Dundalk Renaissance
Corporation’s (DRC) Fall Tree
Give Away aimed to stem the
tide of canopy challenges.
This wasn’t your average
give away. In exchange for
their preregistration for the
two events in October and
November, residents received
live demonstrations, prompts
and maintenance materials,
planting demonstrations showed
and volunteer support for
residents best practices in tree
homeowner assistance when
planting at a Dundalk home.
needed. Seyi shared, “It was
Next, new tree owners received
great to see people excited to
a Tree Planting Kit which
connect with their environment
included a guide, “All About
and at the same time spruce up
Trees: Planting and Care Guide,”
their yards.”
a refrigerator magnet with
three critical steps to long term
Successful residential tree
maintenance, a bag of mulch,
planting hinges on homeowners’
and Soil Moist granules. Finally,
long term engagement with tree
volunteers delivered and planted
maintenance. First, two live
trees for Dundalk residents in
3
Issue 1 Volume 2
“This wasn’t
February 2015
your average
give away.”
need of physical assistance with a 1 August 2014. “Urban Community
“Everyone tree planting. Tree Maps and Data.” Baltimore
County Department of
jumped like The 2014 Fall Tree Give Away
Environmental Protection
and Sustainability. http://
hotcakes for the resulted in the planting of 90
native trees on private land,
www.baltimorecountymd.
gov/Agencies/environment/
redbuds” which will add 15,000 square forestsandtrees/treecanopy.html
2 Nowak, D., Kuroda, M., Crane,
feet of mature tree canopy.
D. “Tree Mortality Rates and
Approximately 50 tree adopters Tree Population Projections in
indicated a high interest in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.”
water quality following the Urban Forestry and Urban
demonstrations. DRC will Greening, 2014. pp. 139 –
determine the success of 147. http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/
the prompts and messaging newtown_square/publications/
other_publishers/OCR/
in improving the mortality
ne_2004nowak01.pdf
rate of the trees by surveying
participants one year from tree
adoption. And, in the future,
Seyi says, “everyone jumped like
hotcakes for the redbuds, when
we do it again we will definitely
have to have more of them.”
4
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
What is social In 2009, my parents entered a
raffle to win a rain barrel with the
In my parents’
case, their
marketing? intention of conserving water and barrier was
saving money while maintaining cutting the
their garden. Three years later, downspout.
+ Amanda Rockler that rain barrel was sitting in They were
the garage, uninstalled, and my terrified to
+ Hint: It isn’t well-intentioned parents were take a hacksaw
Facebook or Twitter! not conserving water or saving to their
money. downspout.
Mounting
Similarly, when social psychology social science research suggests
researcher L. Bickman that barriers deter individuals
interviewed 500 people about from engaging in sustainable
personal responsibility for picking long-term behavior, and
up litter, 94% acknowledged that education alone has little effect
individuals bore a responsibility on overcoming those barriers.
for picking up litter. However, However, using the approach of
when leaving the interview, only social marketing, which applies
2% picked up litter that had been principles and techniques of
planted by the researcher. marketing to change attitudes
and behaviors for target
Question: audiences, it is possible to
Why don’t people who have the overcome barriers and instill
knowledge of the benefits of sustainable long term behaviors
picking up litter and installing which will benefit society as a
rain barrels choose to make whole.
sustainable behavior choices?
Answer:
Barriers and benefits.
5
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
“The campaign find out more information
on the Don’t mess with Texas
was deemed a litter campaign visit http://
www.dontmesswithtexas.org/
research.php
major success.”
We want clean water, but how
are we going to get it? Stay
The Don’t mess with Texas anti- tuned as our team utilizes social
litter campaign is another good marketing strategies to improve
example of social marketing. In water quality in the Chesapeake
1985, keeping the Texas roadways Bay.
clean had become a $20 million
enterprise. The Department If you would like to learn more
of Transportation (DoT) hired about social marketing, we
a marketing firm in Texas to will be holding a workshop
conduct market research, which on March 7 from 9-3 at the
concluded that young men were Howard County Extension
responsible for the majority of office. More information can
litter. The firm developed an be found on our website in the
effective campaign aimed at events calendar: http://ter.
stopping the young men from ps/8eq
throwing beer bottles out the
windows of their cars. i
Bickman, L. (1972). “Environmental
attitudes and actions” Journal of
The campaign was deemed a
Social Psychology, 87, 323-324
major success. By 1998, the DoT ii
Priceonomics.com. The Surprising
found that 96% of Texans knew
Origins of “Don’t Mess with Texas.
the slogan, it drastically reduced Retrieved February 4, 2014, from
littering by 71% from 1986 to http://priceonomics.com/the-
1990, and the amount of money surprising-origins-of-dont-mess-
spent cleaning Texas roadways
with-texas/
dropped from $2.33 per Texan
in 1986 to $1.90 in 2012 . To
6
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
Introduction
to Stormwater
Law and You
+ Eric Buehl
+ Paul and Mary
Create a Drainage
Issue
(This series, Stormwater Law and You, own…the American dream. A
will feature recurring stormwater legal few weeks later, Paul and a few
issues which arise in the Chesapeake buddies put in a large concrete
Bay watershed. Disclaimer: The patio for grilling. They used the
University of Maryland Extension and leftover dirt to fill a low spot in
WPRP Program are not offering legal the side yard. And then the rain
counsel, nor do these articles offer came. The new patio created
legal advice. The following scenario is additional runoff, and to get all
fictitious.) the water away from the house,
Paul ran to the hardware store
The day Paul and Mary moved and bought flexible downspout
into their new house was their extenders.
dream come true. They saved
every penny for the down After a few rainstorms, an
payment, skipping their dream inspector from the County
vacation and brown-bagging their came to look at the low spot
lunch. But the sacrifice paid off that had been filled. The low
in the end and now they had a spot was actually a drainage
home they could call their very ditch, channeling stormwater
7
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
“Paul and runoff from the homes uphill
down to the stormwater pond.
planning office to see if their
project might violate local
Mary’s situation Paul’s addition of impervious
surface, and redirecting
codes. With this information,
Paul and Mary would have
is not unusual” stormwater toward the property
line using downspout extenders,
learned that the area near
the hedgerow had a drainage
had only made a bad situation easement.
worse. By filling the low spot, the
stormwater was being deflected Unfortunately, Paul and
into their neighbor’s yard and Mary’s situation is not
causing flooding issues in their unusual. As a result, the
basement. With the help of the Watershed Protection
inspector, Paul and Mary tried to and Restoration Program
figure what they had done wrong. Specialists are exploring
Maryland’s stormwater laws
First, they should have discussed to improve our understanding
their plans to change the flow their application. We have
path and add impervious partnered with the National
cover with their neighbors. Sea Grant Law Center (http://
And, equally, their neighbors nsglc.olemiss.edu/) and the
should have contacted them University of Maryland’s
as soon as the problem arose, Agricultural Law Extension
rather than waiting for their Program (http://extension.
flooding to get worse. In many umd.edu/aglaw) to provide
instances, solutions developed this valuable information to
at the lowest possible level are property owners. We encourage
the easiest and least costly to you to check the Watershed
apply. Before starting work, Paul Protection and Restoration
and Mary should have looked Program website (http://
for restrictions in their deed, extension.umd.edu/watershed)
contacted the homeowners’ for more information on this
association, looked at the record important topic as we develop
plat, and checked with the local more information.
8
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
The UME University of Maryland
Extension (UME) accomplishes
rigorous assessment and peer
review and, in turn, become
Land Use and it mission by focusing its Programs of Distinction.
Watershed faculty, staff, and resources
in four major Focus Areas: The Sea Grant Watershed
Action Team Agriculture and Food Systems, Restoration Specialists are
Environment and Natural working to rebuild the UME
+ Jackie Takacs Resources, Healthy Living, and Land Use and Watershed
Resilient Communities and Action Team (LUWAT) and
+ A Partnership Youth Development. These welcome collaboration within
Opportunity Focus Areas are responsible and beyond UME, to include
for collectively achieving other UMCP and USM faculty
UME goals, measuring and external stakeholders.
impacts and reporting These internal and external
finding to our stakeholders. stakeholders will function as
Within each Focus Area are partners and help to identify
independent Action Teams and prioritize educational
that operate similar to small programming, applied
program centers - planning, research opportunities,
implementing and evaluating and funding resources. . .
specific projects, programs The specialists focus most
and initiatives. The goal of of their current efforts
the Action Teams is to identify on the reduction of non-
programs or ideas addressing a point source pollution from
local need, and expanding them stormwater runoff, but are
to statewide efforts that meet also developing Programs of
a broader public need or issue. Distinction in these broad
These efforts will go through a categories (learn more
9
Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
“These efforts about these program in past,
current, and future issues of
will go through Headwaters):
a rigorous Watershed Stewards Academy
(Read more about the Cecil
assessment and County Watershed Stewards
peer review” Academy)
Chesapeake Bay Landscape
Professional Certification
Stormwater Management and
Education
The LUWAT recognizes the
breadth, depth, and complexity
of land use and watershed
restoration, and invites
partners interested in our
programming efforts to contact
our LUWAT leader, Jackie
Takacs, takacs@mdsg.umd.edu.
10Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
Cecil County
Stewards are
Full Speed
Ahead
+ Jennifer Dindinger
+ Eastern Shore pilot
WSA is going strong
There has been no rest for the The Cecil County WSA pilot
weary, at least as far as Cecil program has far exceeded
County Watershed Stewards expectations for both Maryland
Academy (WSA) candidates Sea Grant Extension and
are concerned. These dedicated Cecil County Development
volunteers have committed more Services Division (DSD). “It
than 50 hours of their time over has been a long road to get this
the course of five months to learn program up and running,” said
about stormwater management, Marshall McSorley, the Cecil
visit successful and not-so- County WSA co-coordinator
successful project sites, and begin and DSD Resource Inspector.
brainstorming for their own class “Working with community
project. They have even requested leaders over the past several
more class time together to plan months who have devoted
the project! such a large amount of time to
11Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
“I am very me with no experience in
these areas as well as to others
excited for what who have a wider and more
extensive background.”
the class will The next steps for the Cecil
accomplish” County WSA promise to be
even more exciting. The class
will install a stormwater
management practice in early
spring and then they will
hitg the ground running with
their own Capstone projects,
attend classes, who want to be due in October 2015. This
involved in cleaning their local amazing year of restoration
waterways and who find value will culminate in a graduation
in the program has been a great ceremony in December and
reward. I am very excited for what 10 new Stewards working
the class will accomplish in the to improve Cecil County’s
upcoming months.” waterways!
Class members are equally as If you are interested in
excited about the program. “I’ve participating in the Cecil
been really pleased with how the County WSA for the 2015-16
instructors work to break down season, please contact Marshall
complex subject matter relative McSorley (mmcsorley@ccgov.
to stormwater management,” org) or Eric Buehl (ebuehl@
said Mark Dobbins, a steward umd.edu). To find out more
candidate from the Elk and about starting your own WSA
North East Rivers Watershed program on the Eastern Shore,
Association. “The ideas that are contact Jen Dindinger at
presented are accessible and jdinding@umd.edu.
informative to individuals like
12Issue 1 Volume 2
February 2015
Hea d waters
Publication of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Watershed Educators
Headwaters is a publication
providing information and
resources for Extension
Who’s Your Watershed Specialist?
and watershed protection
professionals. It is a joint Krisztian Varsa
production of the University kvarsa@umd.edu
of Maryland Extension and Eric Buehl
Maryland Sea Grant Program. ebuehl@umd.edu
If you have any comments,
questions, or ideas for
Headwaters, please contact the
Editor:
kvarsa@umd.edu Amanda Rockler
arockler@umd.edu
Headwaters
Sea Grant Extension Program
2200 Symons Hall
College Park, MD 20742
Jackie Takacs
takacs@mdsg.umd.edu
Jen Dindinger
jdinding@umd.edu
For more information on related publications and programs, visit extension.umd.edu/watershed. Please visit
http://extension.umd.edu/ to find out more about Extension programs in Maryland.
The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone
because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin,
marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.
13You can also read
