By Dave Keane
Below are some dates to put in your calendars for 2018:
- Two events at Catoctin Creek Nature Center- “Our Home Waters”
- April 14 – Project Clean Stream 10 AM-12 PM
- April 21 – Nature Fest 10 AM-2 PM
- September 8 – International Coastal Clean Up 10 AM-12 PM
- October – Potential stream assessment performed by volunteers. This activity still needs to be confirmed.
If you would like to volunteer to help with any of these events, just let me know. We will have sign-up sheets at the monthly meetings.
Also, here is a Press release from the Maryland DNR that I thought would be of interest to club members:
$21 Million Available for Chesapeake Bay Restoration Projects
Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund Focuses on Water Quality; Local Governments and Nonprofits Encouraged to Submit Letters by Jan. 19 The Maryland Department of Natural
Resources invites local governments and nonprofit organizations to apply for funding to help restore the Chesapeake Bay and improve water quality. Through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, the department plans to allocate and award about $21 million to local projects aimed at reducing nonpoint source pollution caused by excess nutrients and sediment.
Governor Larry Hogan has lauded the program and demonstrated his commitment to
Chesapeake Bay restoration by becoming the first governor in Maryland history to fully fund the Trust Fund for two consecutive years.
“The Trust Fund focuses on shovel-ready projects that achieve the greatest environmental benefit at the best cost,” Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “The program works with our partners in local governments and nonprofits to maximize benefits, targeting funds geographically, engaging communities and holding everyone accountable to the results.”
The Trust Fund helps the state accelerate bay restoration goals by focusing resources on specifically designed and implemented projects, and has directed over $400 million to over 2,100 projects while supporting 2,200 jobs. It directs critical grant funding to the most cost-effective and efficient water quality improvement projects in the state that result in the highest level of pollution reduction as a return of the state’s investment.
Interested applicants for funding in Fiscal Year 2019 are encouraged to submit letters of intent by Jan. 19, 2018, with full proposals due March 30, 2018. Awards will be announced by July 2018.