Central Maryland Research and Education Center Covering 6/30 through 12/31/2017

Bay-Wise Master Gardener Update

To: Bay-Wise Master Gardeners and MG Coordinators, Sherry Frick; Erin Mellenthin,

Alexa McCullen, Courtney Coddington, Doris Behnke; Luke Gustafson; Emily Zobel; Susan Trice; Ashley Bodkins; Joyce Browning; Georgia Eacker; Esther Mitchell; Rachel Rhodes; Jennifer Horton; Michaela Boley; Annette Cormany; Ginny Rosenkranz; Alicia Bembenek, Sara Tangren, Beth Bukoski, and Jon Traunfeld

From: Wanda MacLachlan Subject: Bay-Wise Update Date: January, 2018

Greetings What a way to start the new year! Here in central Maryland we’ve had snow, ice, fog, and 70° degree temperatures all within the first three weeks of January! What are those wide temperature swings doing to your landscape plants? Only time will tell – but if your plants are native to where you live, they’ve probably adapted to our quirky weather and will be fine. But all of the salt and deicers spread on surfaces for our safety is a different story. Where do all the deicing chemicals and salt go after a heavy rain? Into the local stream, river, our Chesapeake Bay, or our groundwater supply, of course. It’s just another reason why your efforts to educate friends and neighbors about Bay-Wise landscape management practices is so important. Bay-Wise has a new look! Read on to find out how to update your local identity items and publications

and to learn what other Bay-Wise Master Gardeners have been doing around the state over the last half of 2017. Certified Landscapes According to my records, we’ve had fourteen new Bay-Wise Master Gardener landscapes certified as demonstration sites since our last newsletter. The names of the proud owners, the counties where they live, along with the dates of certification of these special landscapes are listed on the following page.

to you for your landscape certifications.

(410) 531-5973 FAX (410) 531-5567 wtm@umd.edu ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 11975 HOMEWOOD ROAD ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND 21042-1545 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATING ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS

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2017 Certified Landscapes Between 7/1 & 12/31/17

(listed by certification date) First Name Last Name County B-W Training Demo Certification Date

Beverly Blatchford Carroll 4/27/2013 7/1/2017 Suzanne Bailey Frederick 3/11/2013 7/5/2017 Janice Winter Howard 11/16/2015 7/7/2017 Christina Renshaw Frederick 8/11/2016 7/11/2017 Carolyn Cradler Howard 11/16/2015 7/21/2017 Meg Hosmer Anne Arundel 3/11/2017 7/25/2017 Jann Rabin Frederick 3/11/2013 7/25/2017 Lorene Lake Prince George's 6/6/2015 7/25/2017 Maureen (Reenie) Rice Talbot 5/6/2017 7/27/2017 Rose Thompson Calvert 3/26/2011 9/7/2017 Penny Jacobs Calvert 11/16/2015 9/26/2017 Adriane Wodey Frederick 8/11/2016 10/20/2017 Beverly Carpenter-Nickens Prince George's 6/10/2017 10/28/2017 Maritta Perry Grau Frederick 10/28/2017 11/7/2017

Bay-Wise Advanced Trainings This fall we conducted one Bay-Wise Advanced Training session that increased our ranks by 12 new Bay-Wise Master Gardeners. Since our inception, we have trained 1,370 Bay-Wise Master Gardeners around the state. In October, Frederick and Washington Counties hosted a training that graduated 12 new Bay-Wise Master Gardeners with 2 returnees sitting in for an update. Congratulations to Susan Martin, Maritta Perry Grau, Cheryl Riley, Ruth Stuart, and Bob Whalen from Frederick and Kathy Bilton, Barbara Brennecke, Kristin Garrett, Robert Garrett, Debbie Green, Jackie Schwab, and Jason Swope from Washington Counties, respectively. We were also happy to see Marie Bikle and Gary Stallings from Washington County returning for a refresher course.

We expect great things from you all!

Upcoming Advanced Trainings So far, we have no scheduled Bay-Wise advanced trainings for this spring. But hopefully, that will change soon. Periodically, visit our website, www.extension.umd.edu/baywise, and look for the link in the top right corner to find out when the next training in your area will occur. Also, if you haven’t attended one in a while and would like a refresher, you are welcome to sit in on an advanced training if space is available. Ask the contact person whether there is room in the class for you. You don’t have to pay the registration fee but you must bring your own HomeWork binder because you won’t receive a new one (unless you pay the registration fee). To schedule an advanced training for your county, assemble a group of at least 20 Master Gardeners (don’t forget you can work with other counties to reach your minimum of 20 attendees), select three training dates and a venue and then contact Wanda MacLachlan to work out a schedule.

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Bay-Wise Statistics Thank you to each and every Master Gardener who has taken the Bay-Wise advanced training. Since the beginning of the program in 1996, you have certified a total of 1,989 client landscapes and 224 non-residential landscapes. In addition, 637 of you have had your landscapes certified as demonstration sites (and 487 are still maintained as such)! Since our inception, we have trained a total of 1,370 Master Gardeners as Bay-Wise volunteers and 452 of you are still actively participating on your local committees.

News From the Counties: Anne Arundel Co-chairs, Jim MacNicholl and Robin Gill, report that their committee of 31 members has certified 1 demo site and 27 client landscapes, including 1 non-residential site (Hammond Harwood House). They currently have 4 ongoing consultations that should soon lead to certifications. Longtime co-chairs, Jim and Robin report the following: “2017 Statistics: We completed 66 certifications in 2017, and 13 consultations for a total of 79 visits. Our outreach efforts resulted in approximately 118 requests for visits, and the participation in large community events. We counted 560 contacts for 2017.

Co-Operative Community Efforts: We work closely with the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland (FGCMD) and the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA). They both are very good about promoting our program and crediting us for the valuable work we perform. Bay-Wise Committee Co-chairs Jim MacNicholl and Robin Gill and members Kay Stringfellow and Mary Yee recently met with Suzanne Etgen and Tara Mairs of the Watershed Stewards Academy (which, like Master Gardeners, is a program under the University of Maryland Extension) to continue exploring opportunities to collaborate to promote our common goals. Since 2009, WSA has certified more than 180 Master Watershed Stewards, from Brooklyn Park to Herring Bay. Stewards serve as leaders, resources, and facilitators in their neighborhoods, schools, offices, or houses of worship to install projects, such as raingardens and conservations landscapes that help control polluted stormwater runoff, and to do other outreach to help county residents reduce pollution at its source. We shared training and networking, in late October at Arlington Echo about state/county regulations regarding stormwater management for new construction. You can learn more about WSA at: https://extension.umd.edu/watershed/watershed-stewards-academy. Over the summer we learned of some new resources to share with MGs: • Watershed Stewards Academy Rainscaping

Manual–This user-friendly manual has good photos, illustrations, and explanations covering raingardens, stormwater planters, green roofs, hardscaping, and numerous best practices to control pollution at its source. It is available online at http://aawsa.org/wsa-rainscaping-manual-2. It’s also available at our Committee site at bay-wise.weebly.com.

• U.S. Botanic Garden–The Bay-Wise Committee has added this excellent resource to our yard visit handout, Where to View and Buy Native Plants. Located in Washington, DC, adjacent to the U.S. Capitol grounds, the U.S. Botanic Garden maintains an outdoor area, called the National Garden that includes a wonderful

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display of mid-Atlantic native plants with identification signs. https://www.usbg.gov/

Clients, Glennis and Bill Curlen proudly display their new sign. Anne

Arundel County Bay-Wise Master Gardeners post a picture of each certification, like this one, on their website. This has increased traffic

to their website! • Stormwater Planters (aka rain gardens in a box,

urban planters) –During a recent yard visit we encountered a stormwater management device that our consultants hadn’t seen before. It looked a bit like a raingarden, but it was adjacent to the house foundation and the homeowner was experiencing problems inconsistent with raingarden installation best practices, so we thought this might be an installation gone amuck. With some internet re-search and some help from our friends at the Watershed Stewards Academy, we learned about stormwater planters, which are an increasingly popular urban stormwater runoff control devise across the U.S. and are designed for more rapid filtration rather than the slow, seeping infiltration of rain gardens. You can observe both a stormwater planter and a rain

garden at the Koons Annapolis Toyota on West Street in Annapolis. With the increasing frequency and intensity of storm events in our area, these devices are becoming more common. The planters are described in the Watershed Stewards Academy Rainscaping Manual (described above). We are still learning about this BMP (best management practice). Our Committee is currently considering developing some guidance for homeowners about maintaining and planting these devices to increase public aware-ness and promote effective use.

Outreach and Noteworthy Events: With growing countywide interest in Bay friendly and sustainable practices, we have participated in several community outreach events this year:

• Galesville Historic Society, January 29 as part of her ongoing efforts to raise Bay Wise awareness in her community, Cyrena Simons gave a presentation and garnered a whopping 14 yard visit requests from Galesville residents. Cyrena is making tremendous progress towards her goal of widespread adoption of Bay Wise practices and a large percentage of yards certified in this community on the West River in South County.

• Magothy River Association Annual Meeting, February 25 Kay Stringfellow represented Bay Wise with our display, handouts and engaging conversation with residents seeking protective solutions for their creeks and river. Several yard visit requests resulted.

• Heritage Harbour Womens Club, February 28 Bay-Wise Co-chair Robin Gill debuted the Bay-Wise Committee’s new presentation “Low Maintenance Bay-Wise Gardening” to an enthusiastic group of more than 100 Heritage Harbour residents. Participants expressed interest in proper lawn maintenance, increased use of natives, and even lawn reduction—great signs of growing interest in sustainable practices. We received several yard visit requests and

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look forward to building community engagement.

• Davidsonville Green Expo, March 24 Anne Biddle led a MG contingent, including Cyrena Simons, Pat Mitchell, Denise Elliott and Jeane Beschenbossel. They provided Bay-Wise materials to numerous participants at this established and well attended annual event. Their mason bee demonstration, with bees emerging during the event, engaged many kids and parents. The team spoke with 123 area residents and took 9 yard visit requests.

• Ferndale Garden Club, March 28 Brenda Darr and Denise Elliott gave a motivating presentation to 30 members that elicited lots of questions and enthusiasm and prompted several yard visit requests and a generous financial donation to support the Committee’s work.

• London Town Plant Sale, April 22-23 Cyrena Simons, Anne Biddle, Serena Boyd, Sally Iliff, and Bobbie Kestenbaum staffed an information table to promote Bay-Wise practices and answer questions from interested individuals. More yard visit requests resulted.

• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) Open House, May 20 Marthena Cowart, Alissa McDonnell Ellison, Nancy Landers, Elle McGee represented Bay-Wise (and learned a lot themselves from others’ presentations). They spoke with 94 people and received 8 yard visit requests.

• Severn River Association Annual Meeting, June 13 - For the second time, Elle McGee represented the Bay-Wise Committee at this event, which included representatives of other organizations focused on environmental sustainability. Yard visit requests followed.

• Crofton Library Garden Jim MacNicholl continues to work with the Crofton Village Garden in their efforts to expand bay-friendly gardens throughout their community. This spring, Jim’s been

designing and installing a large expansion of the club’s Crofton Library Blue Star Garden with native and pollinator plants. Buzzing pollinators are now at work just outside the children’s reading area window.

• Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church Bay-Wise members consulted on a large parking lot garden that was being planned with the help of Eagle Scouts. Committee members offered a range of alternative sustainable options, drawing on experience with other similarly situated gardens, including considering a rain garden. Other organizations were also recommended as resources for the church: Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (http://www.interfaithchesapeake.org/) and the Watershed Stewards Academy (http://aawsa.org/)

• Cape Conservation Corps' Native Plant Sale, Saturday, October 7, Jim MacNicholl, Kay Stringfellow and Marthena Cowart had a Bay-Wise table set to answer questions and take the names of those wanting Yard Visits.

• Hammond-Harmon House Bay-Wise Certification - Robin Gill and Elle McGee visited Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis to consult on Bay-Wise practices. The historical site was certified, and the clients were interested in exploring additional practices that were both bay-friendly and in keeping with the Colonial Revival landscape plan.

• Garden Club of Annapolis- On November 15

Robin Gill presented to 23 members of the Garden Club with 6 requests for yard visits next Spring.”

Baltimore County Co-Chairs, Leslie Erickson and Carolyn Vane, inform us that their 46 active committee members have certified a total of 17 landscapes in the past six months. They were all client sites.

Page 6 of 14 Since July 1, their team taught Bay-Wise principles to 1,259 adults and 617 youth at nine different events. They report: “Baltimore County Bay-Wise continues to be active in the community, presenting at Garden Club meetings, Church and Library Programs and hosting Bay-Wise Parties along with our Gunpowder Valley Conservancy partners. A new class of Master Gardeners has helped to keep the energy level up this spring. Our Bay-Wise Demonstration Garden continues to grow and show that Bay-Wise gardens can be beautiful. We now have a habitat area in addition to our Bay-Wise and Rain Gardens.” Baltimore City Co-chairs, Dorothy Wells and Kathy Brown, report that their committee remains steady at 40 this year. They’ve certified 11 client landscapes during the second half of 2017. They also made two consultations that have not yet led to certifications. They taught 28 Roland Park Country School youth about Bay-Wise principles. Here is Dorothy and Gail’s report: “Our annual Baltimore City Bay-Wise and Beautiful garden tour was held on 7/29/17 in the Lauraville community (NE Baltimore). We held the tour later in the season this year to feature pollinator plants. We arranged for an Audubon representative to be at one garden and we had a Master Gardener whose passion is butterflies to have a butterfly display at another garden. A local nursery gave short gardening presentations throughout the day. About 80 people attended.”

Left to right: Bay-Wise Demo, client, 18” X 24”, and 12” X 18”

signs. Calvert Chair, Dom Raino, shared that at the end of 2017, he is turning the reins of the Calvert County Bay-

Wise Committee over to Melanie Crowder. We thank him for his leadership over the past four years. For his last report, Dom reveals that the Calvert County committee is now 31-strong and his team has certified 2 demo sites and 9 client landscapes since mid-year. They currently have 9 ongoing consultations that should soon lead to certifications in 2018. Dom shares, “Calvert County Master Gardeners created a productive year with the Bay-Wise program in 2017. The first 6 months of the year focused on marketing with a special effort to reach new audiences. The goals were to deliver education wherever needed and to broaden homeowner use of landscaping best practices. The emphasis on educating new audiences led to an increase in consultation visits and fewer certification visits. The total number of visits conducted has been similar over the past 3 years. “Seven consultation visits were conducted since June. Two of the 4 consultation visits reported earlier in the year were revisited and reported as certification visits in this report. We will go into 2018 having 9 consultation visits with potential to become certifications. “Eleven landscapes were certified as Bay-Wise. Six Master Gardeners had their yards certified. Two of the 6 were certified as demonstration landscapes. ”This will be my last report as Bay-Wise Committee Chair for Calvert County. I have had the pleasure of volunteering to coordinate the program for just short of 5 years. I have learned much from the experience and appreciate the support I have received from all. ”Melanie Crowder has assumed responsibilities for Bay-Wise effective January 1, 2018. She has been an effective Bay-Wise Team Leader and Master Gardener. She has also provided leadership with the Chesapeake Beach Green Team and the town’s oyster restoration organization. I look forward to continue participating in the Bay-Wise program under her leadership.”

Page 7 of 14 Carroll Chair, John Hubbs, reports that they have grown from 11 to 18 active committee members since July. Their team has certified 1 demo and 10 client landscapes (including two non-residential sites: Vest Pocket Park and Wildwood Park, Mt. Airy) in the second half of 2017. They reported teaching 116 adults and 3 youth, during 4 different classes/meetings, about Bay-Wise principles. The committee sought and were awarded a $230 grant to purchase and plant 8 native shrubs in Krimgold Park. John reports, “The second half of our full year after restarting the Bay-Wise program in Carroll County started off much like the first with about two certifications a month and preparing to conduct pre-cert consultations. That all changed on September 11 with a presentation at the Westminster Library. Although only two guests were present, one was a reporter for the Carroll County Times. She wrote an excellent article that appeared on page 1 the following day – then things started happening fast. ”One resident read the article and requested an onsite visit. A reporter for the Capital News Service (and a senior in the UMd Journalism School) who saw the article requested an interview with us and a client who changed their landscape to help restore the Bay. Meanwhile, we were preparing for the consultation with the other enthusiastic library guest. Following the two consultations, the journalist joined us to video tape a certification. Much tape was recorded at a photogenic landscape, but only 90 seconds made it on the air in early November. “Our clients for the recorded visit, Diane and Don Jones, were so appreciative of both our Client Handbook and the quality of the Yardstick certification that they referred us to a neighbor and a family member. Her enthusiasm is apparent in the photo with Bay-Wise member, Alice Caltrider. The referred neighbor received her consult/cert later in October; the family member with a large farm on the Gunpowder River is awaiting warmer weather for his on-site visit.

Carroll County Bay-Wise Master Gardener, Alice Caltrider,

with Diane and Don Jones displaying their sign and certificate “Our most significant outreach to Carroll residents was at the mid-October Oyster Stroll in downtown Westminster. Over 60 strollers stopped by the Bay-Wise tent to talk about the challenges of our favorite estuary; 17 of them provided contact information for an on-site visit application – one is scheduled so far. The Carroll County Garden Club invited us to speak at their November meeting and five gardeners requested applications. “The Bay-Wise program received significant exposure at the Alliance for The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forum – a very worthwhile conference in early November. We participated in the poster session that featured the Yardstick that was well received with many questions answered for 33 visitors. However, no Carroll County or other local residents were present to request a certification.” Cecil No report submitted. Charles Co-chairs, Rose Markham and Janet McGrane inform us that their team of 30 members certified one landscape. They also taught 97 adults and 51 youth in 6 classes/presentations.

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Charles County Bay-Wise Master Gardeners, Rosemary Ewing and

Janet McGrane conducting a demonstration at Smallwood State Park Janet reports: “Charles County Master Gardeners led 5 “Who Polluted the Potomac” simulations, one with Boy Scouts at Smallwood State Park and four over the summer at the county libraries. The kids and adults who attended were very interested and came up with suggestions on improving our waterways. We displayed and provided Bay-Wise information at the Composting and Rain Barrel workshops in September. We also gave out information at the county fair, Monarch Mania festival and at the opening of Port Tobacco River Park.” Frederick Chair, Jan Knox, is supported by Subcommittee chairs: Barbara Millunzi, certifications; Suzanne Hill, education; Suzy Bailey, hedgerow; and Suzanne Hill, Education. The Frederick Co. Committee consists of 23 active members. They certified 5 demo, 12 client, and 1 non-residential landscape (Schifferstadt Historical Garden) sites so

far this year. Two of the sites were vegetable gardens. They also reached 63 residents during 4 different events, not including their rain barrel display at the Great Frederick County Fair. Read below to find out what else the committee has been doing: “This was a very exciting year for the Frederick County Bay-Wise MG’s. We had a record number of landscape certifications, 25 total (our goal was 20) and we produced 3 seminars that were well attended. Our goals for 2018 are: 30 landscape certifications, a focus on working with developers/builders to create a countywide native landscape plan, working with the City of Frederick to Bay-Wise certify 5 city parks, developing a marketing team to increase Bay-Wise landscape certifications and sponsoring 3 seminars. Forty three Frederick County Master Gardeners now have their yards Bay-Wise certified. We also have an award, the Heron Pin, which 10 Bay-wise members will be receiving in January – this is a testament to our team effort. Qualifications for the Heron Pin are a combination of 4 of the following that are completed within a calendar year 1.) Give a Bay-Wise presentation to a group. 2.) Be a lead in a Bay-Wise yard certification or 3.) Give an educational talk at the beginning of a Bay-Wise committee meeting. “Our next award level will be a Maryland Blue Crab pin for a combination of hours of volunteering and Bay-Wise meetings attended. We are still working on the final details of this award. One of our MG’s yard and gardens that was Bay-Wise certified, Chris Renshaw’s residence, hit a particular note with us; she originally hesitated having her yard BW certified because friends who came to her house thought it was “Messy”. Our team loves “Messy”! Below is a photo of one of her fabulous pollinator habitats. During her certification the Bay-Wise team identified hidden gems in her yard that she was unaware of including native spice bushes. Hopefully the tide is turning from well-manicured “Green Deserts” to wonderfully “Messy” lawns that are alive with wildlife.”

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Frederick County Bay-Wise Master Gardener, Chris Renshaw’s

“messy” certified garden Harford Chair, Beatrice Filburn, informs us that their 14-member committee certified 6 client landscapes the second half of the year. They also have 2 pending certifications. Beatrice shares that her team distributed Bay-Wise information at three different events throughout the county. Howard Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair, Linda Decker reports that their committee of 50 certified 2 demo and 1 non-residential landscape (The Enchanted Garden at Miller Library). They also have 23 landscape consultations pending. Here is Linda’s report: “A number of our Master Gardeners took the Bay-Wise message to the community with speaking engagements at Garden Clubs, Libraries, and Community centers. Topics included Bay-Wise Landscaping, the Hidden Life of Trees, Rain Barrel construction and use, and Native plants for Pollinators. Although the audiences tend to be small we reached about 170 people through these talks. “In addition to formal speaking engagements, we took our trifold exhibits and handouts to the Robinson Nature Center, UMD Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CMREC), and local community centers. Bay-Wise Master Gardeners were on hand at these events to greet visitors and explain Bay-Wise concepts. We estimate we reached another 320 people through these events.

At “Wild for Water” at the Robinson Nature Center our Master Gardeners found it difficult to attract the attention of families attending the event because there were displays and activities targeted at children competing for attention. We took this as a challenge to develop a Bay-Wise activity that would draw children to our exhibit. We wanted to provide a simple concept for youth but at the same time engage their parents with our Bay-Wise message. We are fortunate to have some very artistic members on our Bay-Wise team and they created two posters that were turned into puzzles to use at community events. We also created coloring pages from these posters with information on the reverse and stickers for handouts. The first two topics were about planting native plants and using water wisely. We introduced the puzzles and handouts at the Robinson Nature Center Open House and at an event at the River Hill community center where we garnered the attention of 88 youth and 46 adults. Clearly this had an impact and we will continue exploring ways to direct our message to families instead of focusing on adults. “Our library displays also reached many more folks due to the artistic talents of our team members. The month long displays at Glenwood and Miller libraries featured the “Wood Wide Web” At Miller, the library staff also arranged a presentation on the Hidden Life of Trees and a showing of the TED talk by Suzanne Simard, “How Trees Talk to Each Other” to complement our display.

Howard County Bay-Wise display at Miller Library

Page 10 of 14 “We continue to offer a consulting service to homeowners. A total of 23 consults were completed in 2017, 11 of them in the last six months and a number are pending warmer weather. Homeowners are encouraged to submit a request through our Howard County Bay-Wise web-page detailing their issues then a Bay-Wise team visits their home to assist with landscaping problems and explain Bay-Wise concepts. We ask our teams to provide a follow-up report to the client outlining their recommendations and plant lists. Feedback from clients has underscored how much this is appreciated. We also shared our training for consultations and our client handbook with the Carroll County Bay-Wise team and they have adapted them for their program. “We are continuing our program in cooperation with Howard County to provide free rain barrels to residents at the Alpha Ridge Landfill. The county acquires used food grade barrels and readies them for hardware. We provide information on assembling the rain barrel and proper installation and use. A total of 64 barrels were distributed through this program. Also at the landfill, we have a demonstration garden. It has matured since its original planting and volunteers from the Bay-Wise team are reworking the design to showcase native plants that survive despite heavy deer pressure.” Prince George’s Franchella Kendall, Chair, reports that their committee grew from 34 to 53 members. They have certified 2 demo sites within the past six months and have 2 other sited pending. Franchella adds that “Prince George's County Master Gardeners focus most of our activities highlighting Bay-Wise. We participated in numerous activities. We also give special recognition to our Bay-Wise Master Gardeners who have their yards Bay-Wise certified at our annual Christmas Party. Included is the picture of Bay-Wise Master Gardener Beverly Carpenter-Nickens receiving her award presented by Prince George's County Coordinator Esther Mitchell and Franchella Kendall, Bay-Wise Coordinator.

Prince George’s County Master Gardener Beverly Carter-Nickens

(center) receiving her award • Master Gardeners had a Bay-Wise information

table at the City of Hyattsville City Hall for National Pollinators week on June 24.

• We also had a Bay-Wise information table on

Pollinators and a Youth Table on Pollinators at the YMCA Thingamajig (STEM Summer Camp Expo) on July 27th. Over 300 youth visited the table.

• At the National Night Out on August 1st we

provided information on pollinators for the youth. The event was held at the District 5 Police Station.

• We had a Bay-Wise information and interactive

table at the 7th Annual Family and Friends Day on August 27th at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro.

• Bay-Wise informational table was also featured

at the County Fair September 7-9, 2017. The event was held at the Show Place Arena.”

Queen Anne’s Chair, Debbie Pusey, reports that their committee certified 12 landscapes over the last 6 months, including 5 non-residential (Galilee Community Garden at Harbor Center, Stevensville, Wilmer Park, Chestertown, Chesapeake Bay Environmental

Page 11 of 14 Center, and Talisman Therapeutic Riding Center Vegetable Garden and Veterans House, Grasonville) and 7 client landscapes. Debbie shares, “The Queen Anne’s County Master Gardeners’ Bay-Wise team has been busy conducting Bay-Wise landscape consultations in Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties. On October 4th, a team of Bay-Wise trained Master Gardeners conducted a consultation of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) in Grasonville. CBEC is a 510 acre wildlife preserve that showcases pristine wildlife habitat and is a true model of environmental sustainability on our beautiful Eastern Shore. Its programing and stewardship ethics reach a diverse audience through their restoration-based environmental educational outreach programs. “On October 23rd, another team of Bay-Wise trained Master Gardeners conducted a consultation of Wilmer Park in Chestertown along with Kees de Mooy, Zoning Administrator with the Town of Chestertown. Wilmer Park encompasses nearly seven acres of Municipal Park along the Chester River. It was dedicated in the 1970’s and includes: a living shoreline and water trail, a wetland restoration area, numerous native trees, two rain gardens, the Lelia Hynson Pavilion, a gazebo, and the recently dedicated Broad Reach sculpture and playscape.

Queen Anne’s County Bay-Wise Master Gardeners certifying site at

Wilmer Park

“We capped the month off with a final team of Bay-Wise trained Master Gardeners conducting a consultation of Galilee Community Garden at Harbor View in Chester on October 24th. A year ago, Galilee Community Garden started as an empty field. Today, the community garden has 15 raised beds and four specialty beds, including an herb garden and a pollinator garden to encourage bees and butterflies. Master Gardener and dedicated Galilee Community Garden volunteer, Nancy O’Connor, spearheaded the community garden in 2016 putting the dream into reality in 2017. “Additionally, Bay-Wise consultations and certifications have taken place at numerous private properties throughout Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties this fall, including our first farm certification. Deerfield Farm located in Centreville is a 12 acre farm that has thoughtfully incorporated a wide variety of native plants with all of their foundation and buffer plantings. Deerfield Farm was the first poultry farm in Maryland to receive a Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program Certification through the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts. This program was established to acknowledge those farmers who are good stewards of their natural resources and to encourage and reward farmers to put more conservation best management practices (BMPs) on the land. “This year our Bay-Wise team set a goal of certifying 20 gardens in 2017. In total we certified, 5 public gardens and 15 residential properties.” St. Mary’s Linda Crandell Chair, reports that their small committee of 5 members suffered many losses this year. But despite all the difficulties, optimism still shines through. Linda shares: “This was a difficult year for our Bay-Wise team. One more of our members moved from the area, and several of us have had family deaths. We have all been busy with family and travel. Jennifer Horton, our St. Mary’s County Master Gardener Coordinator, and a big

Page 12 of 14 Bay-Wise supporter, retired during the early summer when her husband was deployed so she could better manage family responsibilities. We miss her a lot! Although we did not certify any properties this year, we have looked at several and have hopes of certifying those this coming spring. Again this year we used our ‘Bay-Wise Information True or False Wheel’ to reach out to hundreds of St. Mary’s County Fair Participants and equip them to implement more sustainable landscapes that manage storm water better.” Talbot No report Washington

From L to R: Bay-Wise MGs Sharon Sollenberger, Sandy Shay &

Catherine Evans; Homeowners Luke and Barbara (MG Intern) Brennecke, May 2, 2017, in a front garden bed with dogwood and

Virginia sweetspire of their historic home on Antietam Creek. Master Gardener Coordinator, Annette Cormany and Co-chair, Ann Aldrich report that their committee is 14-strong now thanks to a recent Bay-Wise advanced training. The growing committee has certified 6 client landscapes, including 2 non-residential sites (Medicinal Herb Garden at the Rural Heritage Museum in Boonsboro and the Children’s Butterfly Garden) during the last half of 2017. They conducted 5 workshops or talks for 94 people and staffed their display at 5 events reaching 1,809 residents. Ann reports, “Washington County Bay-Wise committee has had a very successful year providing educational events that emphasize ‘Smart, Easy

Gardening Practices for Water & Wildlife’, developing educational displays and certifying gardens. Our team loves learning and teaching many things about gardening and landscape practices that enhance pollinator habitat, save water and energy, and feed our native wildlife and insects. We had an additional 5 Washington County Master Gardeners attend the Washington/ Frederick County Bay-Wise Advanced Training along with previous students attending for a refresher. The committee is deep into planning for educational events in 2018, including our first Bay-Wise Garden Tour in Sharpsburg MD on June 9, 2018. We are designing a new display for the Hagerstown Community College annual Flower & Garden Show that focuses on our native pollinators of our native fruit trees, shrubs and perennials. This display will be used at several other events around the county. All of our demonstration gardens will have signage highlighting Bay-Wise practices to help visitors understand how they can implement the practices in their properties. Our native garden continues to grow and fill in with trees, shrubs and perennials.”

More Assorted Stuff New Bay-Wise Logo & Links Did you notice that we have a different logo? While revamping their logo to meet University of Maryland Extension’s new standards, the HGIC created a new logo for Bay-Wise. The effort was to visually unify major Master Gardener programs for our audiences. As of December, 2017, we have been asked to use the new logo when creating or ordering anything new. I’m now working on doing just that. Bear with me . . . Master Gardener Advanced Training Coordinator, Alicia Bembenek, has worked hard to make this transition, from old to new, easy. She has created links to documents explaining everything you need to know to use the new logo – including where, when, how, which variation, and which file type. There’s even a short instructional PowerPoint.

Page 13 of 14 Please take the time to read the appropriate documents here: https://umd.app.box.com/v/MasterGardenerLogo. I have referred to these documents on numerous occasions as I update my documents. When you are ready to print fliers, order new T-shirts, or any other promotional items. Click http://umd.box.com/v/UMEBayWiseProgram to access all new Bay-Wise logos. I’ll miss the old heron standing in the marsh, but I can’t stand in the way of progress! Announcing the New Bay-Wise Blog HGIC’s newly hired (as of April, 2017) Coordinator of Digital Horticulture Education, Christa Carignan, is the co-editor for the new HGIC Maryland Grows blog. This blog features stories about sustainable landscaping, native plants, food gardening, and much more! Take a look at the recent article 5 Steps to a Chesapeake Bay-Friendly Landscape (authored by Beth Bukoski, Administrative Assistant for UME Master Gardener Program) which features our UME Bay-Wise Program. Check it out and leave a comment! You can subscribe to the Maryland Grows blog by using the link below. Subscribers receive an email notice when new stories are published. https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/subscribe-to-the-maryland-grows-blog/ Bay-Wise 25th Anniversary Talbot County Bay-Wise Master Gardener, Lisa Ghezzi and Carroll County Bay-Wise Master Gardener, John Hubbs are working with me to plan a 25th anniversary celebration. They have come up with some interesting ideas for events celebrating our silver anniversary in 2021. If you would like to work with them in planning the celebration events, contact me at wtm@umd.edu. 100% Certified? Sadly, many of you have not had your landscapes certified yet. So far 637 “demo landscapes” have been designated throughout the state. Over the

years, 1,370 of you have taken the Bay-Wise advanced training. This means that only 46% of you have certified landscapes. If you aren’t among the few, the proud, the “certified,” consider having it done this year. Contact your county’s Bay-Wise committee chair to set up an appointment. The process is easy & fun and one of the rewards is increased visibility in your neighborhood as an expert on ecologically sound landscaping.

One of the successful indicators of the Bay-Wise Landscape Management Program is to have all Bay-Wise Master Gardeners’ landscapes certified as demonstration landscapes. Let’s see how many more we can get certified in 2018. Interested in Planting Trees?

The Maryland Urban and Community Forest Committee (MUCFC) is a volunteer group of citizens, professionals, and government officials united to protect and enhance Maryland's forest ecosystems. MUCFC

is a sub-committee of the Maryland Association of Forest Conservancy District Boards. Every county in the state has a Forestry Board. The primary functions of the Committee are to 1.) Promote and coordinate the Maryland Community PLANT award program that officially recognizes communities planting and caring for trees, and 2.) Administer grants to communities, through their local Forestry Boards, that promote planting and care of trees. If you are interested and would like more information about membership, please contact Wayne Lucas, 301-324-2684 or me, at 410-531-5973. If you are interested in applying for a grant of up to $1,500, or learning more about MUCFC, visit: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/forests/Pages/programs

Page 14 of 14 /urban/mucfcgrant.aspx There are 3 grant cycles per year: February, June and September. Latest Bay-Wise Maryland Yardstick “How can I tell whether I have the latest version of the Bay-Wise MD Yardstick?” Good question! We are now on the 4th “edition” of the yardstick. The professionally printed latest version of this publication measures 5½ inches wide and 9¼ inches long. You’ll find a textbox at the bottom of its front page (for your client’s name & score and the date the certification occurred) and P98/V14 printed, in a tiny font, at the very bottom of its back page. Order copies ($4.50 per 50) from the Bay-Wise website under the “For Bay-Wise Master Gardeners Only” tab. If you are in a pinch and need to print this edition from your home or office printer there is a 5-page version on the Bay-Wise website under the “Publications” tab. It is formatted differently than the professionally printed one but the text is identical. The professionally printed version will carry the new logo once the vast supply of current publications is

exhausted. Since I still have over a dozen boxes of them left, that reprint won’t happen soon. Meanwhile, Baltimore County Bay-Wise Master Gardener, Leslie Erickson, has asked Baltimore County University of Maryland Extension’s Desktop Publishing Technician, Trish Moore to create a digital version of the Yardstick. Stay tuned for more on this venture! Until then,

Let’s Make Bay-Wise Great in Two –‘O – One – Eight!

Wanda MacLachlan Contact Information: wtm@umd.edu 410-531-5973 11975 Homewood Road Ellicott City, MD 21044