Here are the upcoming events by Environmental Concern Inc.

“Native Plants Create Healthy Habitats”
March 5th
630 pm – 730 pm
Talbot County Public Library – Easton
Environmental Concern will be presenting “Native Plants Create Healthy Habitats: Attracting Butterflies, Bees & Birds to Your Garden” with Tips from the Grower. After the presentation EC will open their Pre-Orders for the upcoming Spring Native Plant Sale featuring the plants that benefit the Birds, Bees and Butterflies.
$5 donation is requested to help fund our Education Outreach Initiatives.
For more information and to register please call 410.745.9620 or visit our website at www.wetland.org.

“Basic Wetland Delineation”
April 30th -May 4th
Environmental Concern has opened registration for“Basic Wetland Delineation” for Wetland Professionals. The course is held from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at EC’s picturesque waterfront campus and includes field trips to various project sites for field-keying and practice.
For more information or to register call 410.745.9620 or please visit https://www.wetland.org/education_professionalcourses.htm

Environmental Concern (EC) will host a Shoreline Clean-Up Day in celebration of World Wetlands Day on February 2^nd. Joining Environmental Concern in this celebration are National Wildlife Refuges, “Wetlands of International Importance”, and many other environmental facilities around the globe, commemorating World Wetlands Day with a variety of activities and programs all focused on wetlands. EC staff and volunteers will walk the shoreline along the San Domingo Creek in St. Michaels, picking up trash along the way. The event will be posted on the international site at www.ramsar.org, along with many other events that are planned in many countries.

World Wetlands Day marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran. The Convention on Wetlands is a treaty that provides the framework for international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. There are presently over 160 Countries participating in the Convention, including the United States.

Around the globe, there are over 2,250 wetland sites, totaling 557 million acres designated as “Wetlands of International Importance”. Although the treaty only requires Countries to designate at least one “Wetland of International Importance”, most have many more. The United States has designated 38 sites, covering 5 million acres. The focus of the designation is not regulation, but education about the benefits of wetlands.

Join the celebration! We are proud to have one Ramsar site in our local area. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is part of the larger Chesapeake Estuarine Complex, designated in 1986. Visit the Refuge on February 2^nd, and participate in a global celebration of wetlands. There will not be a formal event at the Refuge, but the wildlife will keep you entertained.In the winter months, you will observe many species of migrating birds in their natural habitat at Blackwater NWR. This month, a ground survey totaled over 12,000 waterfowl, including approximately 7,000 Canada Geese and over 500 Wood Ducks.

You don’t have to go beyond your own backyard to participate in the World Wetlands Day events. By cleaning up trash around your neighborhood (be sure to wear gloves!), you will prevent the trash from finding its way to a local drainage area, and then into our waterways. Send a picture to [email protected] if you’re recycling, picking up trash, or visiting a local Wildlife Refuge on February 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th, and it will be sent to the International Ramsar office to be posted on line, along with other events taking place in the United States.

Suzanne Pittenger-Slear, EC’s President, commented that celebrating World Wetlands Day supports the mission of Environmental Concern by raising awareness of the importance of wetland resources, and encouraging the public to participate by learning about the benefits of wetlands. This year’s World Wetland Day theme is “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future” – retain, restore and manage urban wetlands. For more information about World Wetlands Day, visit: www.worldwetlandsday.org. Free posters and activities are available on the site.

To join the Shoreline Clean-Up, call 410.745.9620.

About Environmental Concern

Environmental Concern is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1972 to promote public understanding and stewardship of wetlands with the goal of improving water quality and enhancing nature’s habitat. The organization accomplishes its mission through wetland outreach and education, native species horticulture, and the restoration, construction and enhancement of wetlands. For the last 45 years, Environmental Concern has been working to restore the Bay…one wetland at a time.

In celebration of 45 years working for wetlands, water quality and beneficial habitat, Environmental Concern (EC) will offer the largest selection of quality native plants in the region at their upcoming Fall Native Plant Sale. Join the EC staff for a festival of the senses – see the vivid red bloom on the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis); smell the scent of the wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa); and hear the birds, bees and bullfrogs that live in our wetland habitats.

EC’s native wetland plant nursery was the first of its kind in the nation – long before wetlands were accepted as anything but mosquito infested swamps. Since 1972, EC has expanded from a group of interns and biologists working out of an oversized garage to a 6 acre horticulture, education, and restoration facility.

EC’s campus, located at the headwaters of the San Domingo Creek, now supports 19 greenhouses, a wetland education building with classroom and creative activity spaces; a seed propagation and research workspace; the technology and resources required to provide wetland restoration design and construction services, and over 20 full time employees – all focused on improving water quality and increasing crucial habitat in the Chesapeake Bay.

Thanks to the support of the community, students, teachers, businesses and our partners, since 1972 EC has educated over 40,000 teachers, students and community members; propagated, grown and planted over 30 million native plants on shorelines and landscapes in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed; restored over 1.6 million sq. ft. of eroded shorelines and constructed hundreds of ponds, rain gardens and other types of stormwater management facilities.

With your help, we’re continuing our mission to increase the quantity of native species in our local habitats, and in your gardens. We invite the public to join EC for the 16 th annual Fall Native Plant Sale and Open House. In addition to the plant sale, Community Workshops will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 am each day. “Monarch Rearing” is the feature presentation on Friday, September 8 th , and “Late Season Nectar Sources for Monarchs” will be offered on Saturday, September 9th. Participants will see the Monarch caterpillars munching on milkweed. If the time is right, you may see a Monarch emerging from its chrysalis. What is the chrysalis? Pre-register for the workshops at www.wetland.org to find out!

This fall, we have invited Eat Sprout to join us on Saturday. Eat Sprout will be offering delicious, breakfast and lunch specials for purchase. Enjoy a leisurely lunch while enjoying the serenity of the San Domingo Creek.

EC’s Campus is located at 201 Boundary Lane in historic St. Michaels. The sale hours are Friday, September 8 th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 9 th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Visit www.wetland.org for more information