Central Maryland Research and Education Center
Winter/Spring 2015
Bay-Wise Master
Gardener Update
To:
From:
Subject:
Date:
Bay-Wise Master Gardeners and MG Coordinators, Sherry Frick; Mike Ensor;
Naima Jenkins-El; Anna Glenn; Herb Reed; Steve Allgeier; Doris Behnke; Luke
Gustafson; Susan Trice; Ashley D Bodkins; Joyce Browning; Georgia Eacker; Esther
Mitchell; Molly Garrett; Jennifer Horton; Michaela Boley; Annette Cormany;
Ginny Rosenkranz; Alicia Bembenek and Jon Traunfeld
Wanda MacLachlan
Bay-Wise Update
July 2015
Greetings
The first part of this year has been relatively wet,
which is great for our water table, landscape plants
and gardens, but not so great for the bay. Runoff,
from this years’ numerous storms, carries toxic
materials, sediment, and nutrients into local storm
drains and ditches. These waterways connect to
local rivers which then empty into the Chesapeake
Bay. But the news isn’t all bad. Individually, we can
prevent some of this pollution by managing our
landscapes using Bay-Wise techniques. How many
are you utilizing?
This spring/summer issue covers the first half of
this year (1/1 through 6/30).
Certified Landscapes
According to my records, there have been four new
Bay-Wise Master Gardener landscapes certified as
demonstration sites since our last newsletter. Two
additional certifications were included in this
report since they weren’t reported in last year’s
newsletters. The names of the proud owners, the
counties in which they are situated, and 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
Page 2 of 12
2015 Certified Landscapes Between 1/1 & 6/30/15
First Name
Diana
Telly
Dennis
Gloria
Valynda
Cathy
Last Name
Bahr
Encarnacion
Hansford
Hynes
Kingsley
Tengwall
(alphabetized by last name)
County
B-W Training Demo Certification Date
Prince George’s
6/6/2015
6/20/2015
Frederick
5/29/2015
6/29/2015
Frederick
5/29/2015
6/29/2015
Prince George's
6/6/2015
6/20/2015
Queen Anne’s
11/16/2013
2/27/2014
Queen Anne’s
2/27/2014
3/11/2014
Bay-Wise Advanced Trainings
This spring we conducted two Bay-Wise Advanced
Training sessions adding 39 new Bay-Wise Master
Gardeners to our rolls.
We invited some of our Sea Grant Extension
Watershed Restoration Specialists to teach a few
sessions in our advanced training again this year.
They spoke on the state of the bay, meeting county
Phase II Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs)
imposed through Maryland's NPDES Municipal
Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) requirements
(TMDLs or Total Maximum Daily Loads, anyone?),
rain gardens, and how Master Gardeners can help
by tracking homeowner BMPs through their
Stormwater Management and Restoration Tracker
(SMART) new tool.
advanced training. We were also happy to see
Gabrielle deSilva, Patti Grove and Jann Rabin from
Frederick County, returning for a refresher course.
Prince George’s County hosted a training which
culminated in early June and graduated 26 new
Bay-Wise Master Gardeners. Congratulations to
Marthena Cowart, Cyrena Simons, and Susan
Urick, from Anne Arundel and Diana Bahr, Barbara
Bennett, Sandra Daniels, Rosalie Donatelli,
Suzanne Goldberg, Lorraine Hall, Ashley Herbert,
Gloria Hynes, Sharan James, Kim Knox, Lorene
Lake, Monica McNeal, Elizabeth Olsen, Lynn
Palmatier, Kweli Powell, Gaby Sampler, Adrienne
Stay, Amy Taylor, Eddie Vanison Jr., Sondra
Wallace, Debra Young, and Ralph Young from
Prince George’s County; and to St. Clair Theodore
from Montgomery County, for completing the
advanced training. We expect great things from
you all!
Upcoming Advanced Trainings
In May, Washington and Frederick Counties cohosted a training that graduated 14 new Bay-Wise
Master Gardeners. And 3 returnees sat in for an
update. Congratulations to Telly Encarnacion,
Dennis Hansford, Jan Knox, and Denise Shriver,
from Frederick and Ann Aldrich, Marie Bikle, Carol
Charles, Karen Loerich, Joanne McNeal, Mary
Noel, Sandy Shay, Sharon Sollenberger, and Fay
Wastler from Washington County; and to Norma
Verges from Berkley County, for completing the
Currently, there is one Bay-Wise advanced training
scheduled for the first two Wednesdays in
November. Queen Anne’s County Master Gardener
Coordinator, Molly Garrett is taking registrations.
For specific dates, sites and times, visit the BayWise website, www.extension.umd.edu/baywise
and look for the link in the top right corner.
Also, if you haven’t attended one in a while and
would like a refresher, you are welcome to sit in on
this training if space is available. Ask Molly whether
there is room in the class for you. You don’t have to
pay the registration fee but you must bring your
Page 3 of 12
own HomeWork binder because you won’t receive
a new one (unless you pay the registration fee).
News From the Counties:
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.
Anne Arundel
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 1,486 client landscapes and 176
non-residential landscapes. In addition, 571 of you
have had your landscapes certified as
demonstration sites (of which 450 are still
maintained as such)!
Co-chairs, Jim MacNicholl and Robin Gill, report
that their committee has grown from 27 to 35
members this year. For the first half of this year,
they have certified 18 landscapes, including 2 nonresidential sites (Hancock’s Resolution and
Crownsville Nursery). They currently have 7
ongoing consultations that should lead to
certifications later this year. Jim and Robin
additionally report, “The Bay-Wise Committee
started this year’s season with several
presentations in February and March. As part of
our ongoing efforts to work with Galesville, MD to
certify a large percentage of the community,
Cyrena Simons organized a Yardstick Program on
Saturday, March 7th. Despite snow, the Bay-Wise
overview presentation by Mary Yee and Becky
Peterson was well received.
“Saturday, March 14th was the date for the
Davidsonville Green Expo. We had a good
response, despite rainy weather; attendance was
estimated at approximately 300 people. Anne
Biddle along with Brenda Darr, Mary Yee, Jean
Aden, and Kay Stringfellow presented information
on proper lawn care.
Since our inception, we have trained a total of
1,224 Master Gardeners as Bay-Wise volunteers
and 367 of you are still actively participating on
your local committees.
Please Respond
Statistics are important to our program.
They help us tell our story. When you receive
a request to complete an on-line survey from
us via our Qualtrics software, please
complete it!
“West Annapolis Heritage Day was held on
Saturday, Mar 21. Marietta Schreiber and
Christine Scee set up a table to discuss Bay-Wise
practices with those attending the celebration.
“In February, Pat Mitchell represented Bay-Wise at
the annual State of the Magothy address. – Pat
Mitchell had a BW table at the annual meeting of
the Magothy River Civic Association and suggested
that local groups have BW talks.
“Bay-Wise kicked off the 2015 season with a
meeting on March 15th, followed by training for
New Leaders and New Members on March 23rd.
Special thanks go to: Denise Elliott, Brenda Darr
and Mary Yee for organizing and presenting the
training to 14 Bay-Wise members.
Page 4 of 12
“Jim MacNicholl and Pat Mitchell of the Bay-Wise
Committee helped Crofton Village Garden Club
plant a new Pollinator Garden at the Crofton
Library on May 9. Jim worked closely with the club
to design the garden entirely of native plants per
their members' wishes. Last year, the club invited
our team to present two Bay-Wise programs with
nearly half of their membership becoming Bay-Wise
Certified in the following months. They are fully
embracing the principles of bay-friendly gardening
and encouraging their Crofton neighbors to choose
best practices as well.
“At the garden dedication, attended by dignitaries
and members of the club and community, Jim was
presented a plaque from Hampton "Skip" Auld, CEO
of Anne Arundel County Public Library. It expresses
appreciation for the work of Master Gardeners at
the library. (pictured below)”
Crofton Village Garden Club’s Pollinator Garden dedication
“On June 2, 14 members of the Bay-Wise team
toured two rain gardens and one bio-retention
pond in Davidsonville - all beautifully-designed and
well-functioning. The tours were led by
homeowners: Master Watershed Steward Lara
Mulvaney, Jerry Klinken, and Steve Barry, former
Director of Arlington Echo Outdoor Education
Center.”
Baltimore City
Chair, Lynn Supp, reports that their committee of 8
certified 9 client landscapes, and have 3 ongoing
consultations that may lead to certifications later
this year. They taught 72 city residents in 5
different classes about Bay-Wise principles. Here is
Lynn’s report: “Bay-Wise Committee Chair Lynn
Supp and approximately 13 active committee
members certified 9 landscapes in the first 6
months, including one large community garden in
Curtis Bay. Several Interns shadowed the Bay-Wise
trained master gardeners and showed interested in
taking the advanced training and joining the
committee.
“In March, Cathy Thompson, former Bay-Wise CoChair, spoke to the Lake Evesham Garden Club for
their monthly luncheon. Lynn Supp spoke to the Mt.
Washington Garden Club in May. Gail Ritscher,
former Bay-Wise Co-Chair, accompanied her and
certified the property of the luncheon host as a
demonstration for the other members. Additional
talks were given by Lynn Supp for the Cultivate
Baltimore event at Real Food Farms in Clifton Park
and at the Southeast Anchor Branch of the Enoch
Pratt Free Library. The library talk resulted in a
community garden certification and requests from
the library to do future talks at the Waverly and
Govans branches when they re-open after
renovations in Spring 2016.
“In mid-April, Ecofest, in Druid Hill Park, drew an
enormous, enthusiastic crowd on a glorious,
unusually warm Saturday. Nearly 50 attendees
crowded the Bay-Wise booth with questions of
every type. Butterfly weed was distributed,
delighting the children. Farmers markets in
Waverly, under the JFX and in Govanstowne had
Bay-Wise themes once a month, April-June, and our
booth was heavily attended. One completed
certification and one scheduled for August resulted.
“The ‘Jewel in the Crown’ was in June, the Bay-Wise
and Beautiful Garden Tour of Mt. Washington. The
sub-committee, admirably chaired by Gail Ritscher,
started meeting in December 2014 to plan the
event. This was the second Bay-Wise tour to date.
Lots of hard work planning, identifying and
certifying the properties, publicizing and many
other efforts yielded fantastic results. Over 70
people toured a dozen lovely properties. Many
were heard to say it was the best garden tour they
had ever attended.”
Page 5 of 12
Baltimore County
Co-Chairs, Leslie Erickson and Carolyn Vane inform
us that their 20 active committee members have
been busy this year. The committee has certified a
total of 19 landscapes (the highest of all counties
for this report) in the past six months. All were
client sites (including one belonging to a Master
Gardener). They’ve also made eleven consultations
to sites which are in the process of certification.
So far this year their team taught Bay-Wise
principles to 640 adults and 57 schoolkids at nine
different events. Carolyn and Leslie also inform us:
“Baltimore County Bay-Wise had a very busy
spring. Numerous opportunities to meet the public
presented themselves, including speaking
opportunities at Small Watershed Action Plan
meetings (our county’s way of engaging the public
in stormwater related programs), participation in
Earth Day events, working with our county to sell
and educate folks about rain barrels and compost
bins, and speaking to Community Associations. Our
most successful method of getting folks to fill out
Bay-Wise Yardsticks and Applications has been
through hosting Bay-Wise Parties with Garden
Clubs and with our Gunpowder Valley Conservancypartnered Clear Creeks project. For these parties
individual homeowners invite their neighbors (or
other Garden Club members) to their homes for
food, fellowship and a brief interactive Bay-Wise
introduction and help to fill out their forms.
“This is year 4 (or is it 5) of the Baltimore County
Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden at the
Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture
and Farm Park. Carolyn Vane, our B-W co-chair has
designed 2 of the 3 gardens we tend with B-W
themes. Mailboxes at each garden give visitors
information on how to create such gardens at
home. Do come for a visit.”
It should be noted that 12 of their 19 completed
and 7 of the 11 pending certifications happened
because of their partnership with the Gunpowder
Valley Conservancy. What an efficient way to
partner with a local group to educate county
residents.
Calvert
No report.
Carroll
Acting Chair, Dick Heiger, has been trying to turn
his chairmanship over to another person for the
past few years. He laments that no one has
accepted his offer yet. As a result, there has been
no reported activity for this year. Let’s hope that
before the end of the year someone will kick start
the program again.
Cecil
New Chair, Judy Duffy informs us that they’ve built
their ranks to 14 active committee members this
year. The relatively new committee has certified
two landscapes, including a non-residential site
(Bay View Elementary School), in the past six
months. Judy reports, “The Cecil County Bay Wise
Committee has been working with our local schools
to certify the campuses with one being certified last
fall and a second this spring. This fall we are hoping
to add to that total with the addition of two more
schools. We also participated in the Cecil County
Wade-In along with other environmental groups,
watershed associations, etc. Our exhibit featured a
vermiculture box and native plant exhibit with over
50 native plants distributed to the public. Going
forward we plan to reach out to home owners
associations as well as some of the garden clubs to
promote the Bay-Wise program.”
Judy adds that the Wade-in event (which hosted
400 adults and 150 youth) resulted in one new
landscape being certified and many new contacts
have been made.
Page 6 of 12
Charles
Co-chairs, Ronda Goldman and Janet McGrane
inform us that their team of 30 recently certified 8
landscapes: 6 client sites (4 belonging to Master
Gardeners) and 2 non-residential landscapes (Swan
Point Yacht & Country Club Golf Course and its
Clubhouse). Ronda and Janet report that “The
Charles County Bay-Wise Master Gardeners are
focusing on accelerating certifications, making
community connections as well as building internal
interests. The spring season brought the
certification of Swan Point Yacht and Country Club,
which included their landscape as well as the golf
course. And the summer months saw the
certification of our first farm, Eat Well DC, which is
a farm dedicated to growing fresh and local fare for
restaurants in Washington, DC. We are moving
forward with connecting new interns with the BayWise program through certifications and
communicating with them during Master Gardener
activities such as the Plant Sale, Project Day, and
the Composting Workshop.
“With over six years under our belt, the committee
felt it was necessary to ensure that the program
was “burn-out proof”. Of course, there isn’t a way
to guarantee that Master Gardeners won’t be
overworked, but an ounce of prevention is truly
better than a pound of cure. This need led to
hosting advanced training sessions for Bay-Wise
Master Gardeners that focused on areas of interest
to the watershed. The first event is scheduled for
August 2015 and will focus on one of our Bay-Wise
landscapes that showcases a well-maintained
green roof. Other workshops are to follow and we
are excited about creating internal energy that has
an external impact.
“Bay-Wise is also creating connections within the
community. Mom’s Organic Market hosted an
information day, which opened the door for
BWMG’s to connect with residents whom value
environmentally conscious choices. Partnerships
with organizations such as MOM’s is a strategic
way to build Bay-Wise’s presence and assist the
community with understanding the breath of
impact Bay-Wise principles can have.”
Frederick
Chair, Telly Encarnación, reports that their team of
51 certified two demonstration and 2 client
landscapes so far this year. Additionally, they made
a whopping 17 consultations which should lead to
certifications later this year. They also reached 276
residents during 12 different classes. Read below to
find out what else the committee has been doing:
“Publicity for Bay-Wise Certifications: Four
landscapes were certified during this period.
“The yard of Stella Sellner in Frederick City is very
wildlife friendly and features a variety of native
plants with no turf grass. In the two years since she
moved to her current home, Master Gardener (MG)
Telly Encarnación has been busy carving out small
islands in her yard using an assortment of native
plants. She plans to add rain barrels and continue
adding to her Bay-Wise gardening practice in the
future. MG Intern Dennis Hansford’s mature
garden of 30 years features a row of blue spruce
that protects his home from harsh winds and serves
as a beautiful backdrop. He has created an inviting
butterfly garden and bird-friendly yard using many
native plants, trees, and shrubs. The yard of Peter
Brehm and MG John Day, which intersperses native
plants with non-invasive exotics, was subsequently
on the Frederick City “Behind the Garden Gates”
tour in May and produced excellent publicity for the
Bay-Wise program.
Newly certified Bay-Wise Demo Landscapes of Master Gardeners,
Dennis Hansford (left) and Telly Encarnación (right)
Page 7 of 12
“The May Master Gardener column in the Frederick
News-Post (circulation of 40,500) described the
Bay-Wise certification of the Day-Brehm yard and
also provided information to encourage other
Frederick County residents to consider seeking BayWise certification. (The article is now posted under
the MG News Articles link on the Frederick County
MG website:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_doc
s/locations/frederick_county/MG%20Article-04-3015%20Baywise%20Certification%20by%20M%20Hi
ndman.pdf).
“In addition, this yard was the focus of a May 15
feature on WHAG-TV (Hagerstown) promoting
Frederick’s garden tour. The homeowners were
quoted about their Bay-Wise certification and
features of their landscape that are Bay-Wise.
(http://www.your4state.com/story/d/story/sneakpeak-of-beyond-garden-gates-tour-showcasesg/18319/FzuFULRp4U2lJlQLHlQp0w)
“Lake Linganore Community Bay-Wise Challenge:
Committee member Jan Knox, who chairs the
environmentally focused Friends of the Lake group
in her large community east of Frederick City, is
leading an effort to raise awareness of Bay-Wise
principles and encourage residents to have their
landscapes certified. Each issue of the Lake
Linganore magazine features an aspect of the BayWise Yardstick, and Bay-Wise information is
featured on the Friends of the Lake web site
(https://www.lakelinganore.org/friends-of-thelake/) and Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/FriendsofLake
Linganore/).
“So far 16 residents have signed up for the
Challenge and are adding up their points on the
Yardstick each month. Jan is now a certified BayWise Master Gardener, having completed Bay-Wise
Advanced Training classes and field training this
spring. She is working with Certification Chair Jann
Rabin to schedule the Lake Linganore certifications
by the end of 2015. The Bay-Wise Challenge is
expected to be offered again in 2016 and
subsequent years to residents of Lake Linganore.
“Native Plant Hedgerow: Committee members,
under the leadership of Suzy Bailey, are completing
a project to provide new labels to identify the
plants in the native hedgerow that borders the
Extension Office parking lot.”
Harford
Welcome new Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair,
Beatrice Fillburn, who informs us that their
committee of 25 members have been busy back in
the classroom. Since last report they have certified
7 client landscapes (5 belonging to a Master
Gardeners). They also reached 422 residents
(including 264 youth) during STEM events at three
different middle schools and one Christian School.
Beatrice shares this: “Harford County Bay-Wise
Master Gardeners worked at several events in the
community this spring to inform clients about BayWise practices. We took our watershed model to
STEM nights at Edgewood Middle School, Patterson
Mill Middle School, and Mountain Christian School.
The children participated and their parents
observed as we demonstrated how they can help
control storm water contamination and runoff from
the yards around their homes and in their
communities. Two Master Gardeners shared
information and materials to Bel Air Middle School
students working on a native landscape project on
the grounds at their school. Three MGs shared BayWise information and distributed over 300 trees at
the Bel Air Farmers Market. Bay-Wise information
tables were staffed at Bel Air Garden Mart, at
Christ our King Church environmental day (resulting
Page 8 of 12
in 2 Bay-Wise certifications), at the Darlington in
Bloom festival, and at the annual wade-in at the
Anita Leight Estuary. A Bay-Wise talk was given to
Friendship Garden Club, resulting in 2 Bay-Wise
certifications in members’ yards.”
Howard
Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair, Linda Decker
reports that their committee has grown from 38 to
52 this year. They certified one client landscape so
far this spring. They have 11 landscape
consultations pending. They have also taught over
991 county residents (including 501 school
children) Bay-Wise principles in 27 classes and
made over 540 contacts at public events such as
community fairs and plant sales.
Linda reports, “During the first half of 2015 the
Howard County Bay-Wise team was actively
engaged in delivering presentations and
participating in public events with our trifold
displays. Nine of our team members delivered
presentations on Bay-Wise Landscaping, Rain
Gardens, Native Plants, Gardening for Pollinators
and Tree Planting. There were presentations to at
least 27 different groups including Community
Centers, Garden Clubs, Homeowners Associations,
Libraries and Schools. In a reprise from last year,
Paul Beares once again delivered a webinar to 6th
graders in Howard County, reaching 406 students
and their teachers on The State of the Bay and BayWise Gardening.
“This was the first time we included our new
presentation “Trees, Wonderful Trees” in our
speakers bureau catalog. This presentation was
delivered seven times at six different venues
including the Jewish Day School where 95 students
participated. Given the recent recommendation in
the 2014 State of the Bay report encouraging more
tree planting in Maryland, this presentation is spoton! We also used the tree theme in month long
displays installed by Sherry Conklin at the
Glenwood, Miller and East Columbia libraries.
“We participated in the Howard County GreenFest
at Howard Community College. We staffed our BayWise exhibit answering questions from the public
and providing information on Bay-Wise
Certification and consultations. For the third year
we also sponsored a Native Plant Sale in the
courtyard outside the exhibit hall. There we
debuted our new Native Plant exhibit prepared by
Alison Milligan and our Bay-Wise Master Gardeners
interacted with community members interested in
learning about native plants. Pat Hooker and Dot
Rockstroh led a team that assisted vendors with
set-up and provided a secure location for folks to
purchase plants and leave them while they visited
the displays indoors. The number of vendors and
footprint was nearly double that of the previous
year and we found that residents are now coming
to GreenFest with the expectation of browsing the
sale and purchasing plants.
“In the weeks following GreenFest we again used
our Native Plant display at the Savage Spring Plant
sale and the Robinson Nature Center Native Plant
sale. Richard Freas coordinated this for us. It was
our first time participating in an event at Savage.
The vendors there were not selling natives but we
had the opportunity to engage members of the
community and explain the value of natives as well
as share information on Bay-Wise gardening.
“This spring we visited 11 homeowners and offered
advice on their gardening concerns. More are in
progress. We typically send a team of three: two
experienced Bay-Wise Master Gardeners and an
intern or novice. We have a roster of 47 volunteers
available to participate in these consultations and
we match them to the clients based on their
interest, availability and preferred area of the
county. By far the most common request from
Page 9 of 12
clients is for help with storm water issues followed
by an interest in adding native plants to their yards.
“We are pleased that a number of the interns from
our Master Gardener class of 2015 joined the BayWise team. At our volunteer fair, more than half of
the 26 interns expressed an interest in participating
in our activities and a number of them have
become very active: Linda Olson and LJ Mauceri
have taken on responsibility for our demonstration
rain garden at the Alpha Ridge Landfill and they
have enthusiastically pulled together work teams
for weeding, thinning, mulching and maintaining
this site as a teaching tool. Our twice monthly rain
barrel and compost bin give away is adjacent to
this garden and Master Gardeners are there to
educate members of the public. Other interns have
joined the committee planning our fall garden tour
or are participating in our homeowner
consultations.
“The Rain Barrel distribution program at the Alpha
Ridge Landfill began again in April. There was a
shortage of barrels initially, but through June, 36
barrels have been adopted by Howard County
homeowners. Each recipient is given information
on how to equip and use the barrels and asked to
sign a pledge that the barrels will be put to use.
We are confident these barrels are in service.
“We continue to provide on-site consultations for
members of the Howard County community to help
them solve their landscaping problems. In an effort
to gauge the impact of our efforts, we established a
committee headed by Sylvia Huestis to develop a
questionnaire and strategy to contact the many
residents we have consulted with over the past few
years and determine if our recommendations were
implemented and to what result. We would like to
be able to offer our clients the option of an on-line
survey as well as transition our Homeowners
Questionnaire to a form that can be completed and
submitted on-line. Wanda MacLachlan is
supporting this initiative and Caroline Feil is
working with the IT folks at the University to make
it happen. Once we have this capability we look
forward to feedback from the community.”
Prince George’s
Franchella Kendall, Chair, reports that their 21
member-committee has certified 2 Bay-Wise demo
sites and 1 client site within the past six months.
Franchella adds that “Twenty one Prince George’s
County Master Gardeners recently completed the
Bay-Wise Training. They have yards certified as
meeting the Bay-Wise requirements, two of the
yards were designated as Demonstration yards.”
(See picture)
Bay-Wise Master Gardener, Gloria Hynes (right), gets her yard
certified. Also pictured are the Master Gardener Coordinator, Esther
Mitchell (left) and Bay-Wise Committee Chair, Franchella Kendall.
Queen Anne’s
Long-time Co-Chair, Vida Morley, respectfully
resigned her seat this year. Chair, Debbie Pusey, is
updating records and this report covers all of 2014
and the first have of 2015. Debbie reports that
their committee of 26 have certified 7 landscapes,
in the past 18 months, including 2 demo sites, 4
client landscapes and 1 non-residential site
(Gunston School). They currently have 2 ongoing
consultations that should lead to certifications later
this year. Debbie shares, “Queen Anne’s County
continue to have a presence at the farmers’
markets in Chestertown and Kent Island. We have
also had Master Gardeners extending outreach
information at numerous other events including
Kent Island Days, Centreville Middle School Earth
Day, and Kennard Elementary School Bay Days. In
addition to working with the Corsica River
Conservancy, we are now also working with the
Page 10 of 12
Chester River Association. Bay-Wise information
has been included in some of their newsletters.
“A core group of Master Gardeners continues to
work with Talisman Therapeutic Riding in
Grasonville. They have developed a large vegetable
garden for attendees to work in and have worked
on implementing Bay-Wise landscaping practices
wherever possible. We are planning to certify both
the vegetable garden and the property in August.
“QAC Master Gardeners have also begun to partner
with the QAC Parks and Recreation Department.
Our initial meeting, which included brainstorming
ideas and goals, led to a joint venture tour of some
of the parks in the southern end of our county. We
plan to continue this process with a tour of some of
the northern county parks and then tackle the
middle of the county. Every park we stopped at,
ideas were exchanged to improve the Bay-Wise
qualities in entrances, walking paths, playground
areas and more. This is just the beginning of what
we think will be a very important relationship.”
St. Mary’s
Committee Co-Chairs, Linda Crandall and Jennifer
Horton, report that their committee of 6 certified 4
client landscapes (3 belonging to Master
Gardeners), in April and May. They gave a Bay-Wise
& Native Plant presentation to 45 attendees at the
Pastoral Counselling Center in May. Jennifer says,
“In April, Bay-Wise MG’s participated in the annual
‘Earth Day on the Square’ celebration in
Leonardtown. Throughout the afternoon they were
able to make contact with dozens of people and
discuss B-W practices. In June, B-W MG Linda
Crandall staffed our Bay-Wise display at a countywide event at St. Clement’s Island Museum. This
was another great event for interacting with the
public.”
Talbot
Co-Chairs, Lynn Freeburger & Lisa Ghezzi report
that they certified eight landscapes, 5 client and 3
non-residential (Frederick Douglas Park, Oxford
Community Center and St. Michaels Museum)
within the past six months. They also have 3
consultations pending certification later this year.
They report, “Talbot County is in the process of
revitalizing its Bay-Wise Program; it is going well.
“During the first half of the year we have certified 8
people. That is double the number that we did all
of last year.
“Our main goal for 2015 is to meet regularly with
our team to energize existing team members and to
encourage new people to join us.
“To make the meetings more valuable, we spend
the time highlighting one of the Bay-Wise
objectives such as Storm Water Management,
Composting, Lawn reduction and Protecting the
Waterfront. Additionally, we are including Ditch
Plantings and Vegetable gardening.
“Each meeting is held at the home of one of our
Bay-Wise trained Master Gardeners who has an indepth knowledge of one of the topics. We come
away with an enhanced understanding of these
important concepts.
“Co Bay-Wise Coordinator, Lisa Ghezzi, identified
each team member and set up the meetings.”
Washington
Master Gardener Coordinator, Annette Cormany is
happy to introduce Ann Aldrich as the new
Washington County Co-Chair. Annette reports that
their committee is regrouping and that “17 Master
Gardeners from Washington and Frederick Counties
became certified after completing joint Bay-Wise
training in May. Over 100 visitors learned Bay-Wise
principles at our educational displays at several
spring plant clinics at farmers’ markets and
libraries.” Expect more from this reinvigorated
group soon.
Page 11 of 12
More Assorted Stuff
9. The area should appear in the Measurement
Result box.
Upcoming Anniversary
While not perfect, this tool will give you a ballpark
measurement. It is only as accurate as the
information you put in. So practice your skills on a
known area before using the tool for a “real”
measurement.
In 2016 the Bay-Wise
Landscape Management
Program will celebrate its
20th year of training. How
can we mark the occasion?
Confer with your fellow
Bay-Wise committee
members and let me know your thoughts.
Nifty Tool for Measuring Area
As Bay-Wise Master Gardeners, we often make
recommendations based on square footage of the
landscape. But obtaining the area is often not easy
to do – but it just got a little easier.
Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has a
measurement feature on their website that allows
you to easily measure the square footage of an
area. It was developed as a tool for pesticide
applicators to identify sites containing crops that
are sensitive to pesticide damage so they can take
special care when making applications. A link to
the tool can be found on their Sensitive Crop
Locator webpage. Here are instructions for
measuring the area of a property.
1. Click on “the tool” link above
2. Bookmark the site in your web browser
3. Click “Basemap” and select “Imagery with
labels” option
4. Type address in the search box and close Image
search box after image appears
5. Click “Measure” button near top of page
6. Click on first box (Area) and click down arrow to
right to select square feet option
7. Now, you are ready to define the property
boundaries.
8. Place cursor on edge of property line and click.
This will begin drawing the boundary lines. Drag
cursor to each corner of property, clicking when
you reach each corner. Double click cursor
when you reach the starting point.
Bay-Wise Promo Brochures
Our last issue advertised the
latest version of the MD BayWise Yardstick. This issue ushers
in the updated promotional
brochure. Thanks to editing by
Trish Moore, Baltimore County
University of Maryland
Extension’s Desktop Publishing
Technician, the two-fold
brochure can now be
downloaded from the “For BayWise Master Gardeners Only”
page of our Bay-Wise website.
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
Page 12 of 12
contact Wayne Lucas, 301-324-2684 or me, at 410531-5973.
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
/urban/mucfcgrant.aspx
100% Certified?
Sadly, many of you have not had your landscapes
certified yet. So far 571 “demo landscapes” have
been designated throughout the state. Over the
years, 1,224 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 time for
our 20th anniversary in 2016.
Wanda MacLachlan
Contact Information:
wtm@umd.edu
410-531-5973
11975 Homewood Road
Ellicott City, MD 21044