Celebrate the release of the first Antietam Watershed Report Card and an opportunity for community members to meet various organizations and environmental stewardship practitioners.
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
Watershed report cards are powerful tools used around the world to describe ecosystem status, increase public awareness, and inform decision makers. The Antietam Watershed Report Card assesses ecosystem health of the Antietam and the land (in Maryland) that drains into the Creek using nine indicators in three categories. The report card was developed by ACWA, BCWA, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES).
Attend the event to receive your copy of the report card, learn how the watershed’s grade was determined, and hear about projects planned to help improve our report card grade. We will also announce new State Whole Watershed Act Funding to assist with Antietam Watershed restoration projects.
After the presentations, community members can visit with environmental stewardship practitioners who will offer suggestions to improve your land use practices and explain funding sources available to complete stewardship projects. For example: property owners can learn how to create sustainable landscaping in their own yards, discuss funding for large- and small-scale tree plantings, and consider healthier agricultural practices to protect soil and water quality.
Stewardship Practitioners will include:
· Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Maryland Grazers Network Representative
· Heart of Maryland/Catoctin Land Trust Representatives
· MD DNR Forest Service Tree Planting Specialists
· Potomac Riverkeeper Network - Upper Potomac Riverkeeper
· Washington County Master Gardener Bay-Wise Coordinators
· Washington County Stormwater & Watershed Services Department
· Washington Couty Soil Conservation District Representatives
Schedule:
3 pm Doors Open of the Beaver Creek School Event Center
3:30 pm Report Card Presentation & Whole Watershed Funding Announcement
4-6:30 pm Community Reception and Open Stewardship Practitioner Tables
Come when you can, leave when you must.
Hosted by the Antietam-Conococeheague Watershed Alliance (ACWA) &
the Beaver Creek Watershed Association (BCWA)
RSVP not required, but helps us plan. Thank you!