The Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy (MRC) was selected for the second round of Governor O’Malley’s Stream Restoration Challenge Grant to undertake 18.1 acres of stream restoration in the 2014/2015 school year. This program will not only establish critical streamside forests in the Choptank, Wye and Eastern Bay watersheds, but also engage and educate over 500 Talbot, Queen Anne’s and Dorchester High School students in our Students for Streams program.
Natalie Costanzo, Director of Development and Outreach at MRC, stated that this program is a win-win for the students and environment alike. She stated that at every tree planting she is impressed with the student’s enthusiasm and work ethic, which shows how much they love doing something meaningful in the outdoors. We are lucky to have these students as our next generation to take care of our environment.
There were 5850 trees planted at 6 different sites, both on private and public land. All sites are on the edge of streams and agricultural fields and will act as buffers to sediment and nutrient pollution as well as preventing stream bank erosion.
The Stream Restoration Challenge is a grant program through which the State and its partners plan to establish 1,000 acres of forested stream buffers in Maryland by the end of 2015. The program will provide up to $6 million to help local governments, school systems, and non-governmental organizations carryout projects to improve Chesapeake Bay water quality and create service learning and environmental literacy activities for students.
By bringing outside resources to our community we are better able to effectively address water quality improvements on our rivers—a key component of our work.
We would like to thank our partners in this project including Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Queen Anne’s, Dorchester and Talbot County Public Schools and Wye Gardens Landscaping.
If you require further information please call or email Natalie Costanzo at 443 385 0511 or [email protected]
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