Central Maryland Research and Education Center Covering Winter 2016/Spring 2017

Bay-Wise Master Gardener Update

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

Mellenthin, Alexa McCullen, Herb Reed; 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: July, 2017

Greetings I hope you are keeping cool during this typical summer Maryland weather. 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. Meanwhile . . . This winter/spring issue covers the first half of 2017 (1/1 through 6/30).

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, and 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

Page 2 of 12

2017 Certified Landscapes Between 1/1 & 6/30/17

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

Elle McGee Anne Arundel 3/11/2017 5/5/2015 Bill Palm Carroll 4/27/2013 3/3/2017 Alice Caltrider Carroll 4/8/2017 3/11/2017 Kathy Bitzel Carroll 4/8/2017 3/24/2017 Suzanne Hill Frederick 3/11/2013 4/5/2017 Renette Lane Carroll 4/8/2017 4/26/2017 Marianne Gruss Carroll 4/8/2017 5/2/2017 Susan Urick Anne Arundel 6/6/2015 5/8/2017 Tiger Waddell Frederick 8/11/2016 5/8/2017 Mark McDonald Baltimore 4/8/2017 5/18/2017 Alissa McDonnell Ellison Anne Arundel 3/11/2017 5/21/2017 Suzanne Houston Baltimore 4/8/2017 5/23/2017 Suzanne Bailey Frederick 3/11/2013 7/5/2017 Christina Renshaw Frederick 8/11/2016 7/11/2017

Bay-Wise Advanced Trainings This spring we conducted four Bay-Wise Advanced Training sessions, one each month, adding 53 new Bay-Wise Master Gardeners to our ranks. In March, Anne Arundel County hosted a training that graduated 17 new Bay-Wise Master Gardeners with 3 returnees sitting in for an update. Congratulations to Serena Boyd, Ann Brown, Alissa McDonnell Ellison, Meg Hosmer, Kimberly McClellan, Elle McGee, Pat Mitchell, Pat Morrison, Joan O'Connor, Pat Parks, and Kit Paschyn of Anne Arundel, Irene Baker from Baltimore; Margaret Hays from Charles, Bryant DeBruyne from Harford; Ruth Menefee from Kent; and Christine Allred from St. Mary’s Counties, respectively, and Mia Blom from Baltimore City, for completing the advanced training. We were also happy to see Sarah Birdsong, Robin Gill, and Jim MacNichol from Anne Arundel County returning for a refresher course. April ushered in 16 graduates and 3 returnees from the Baltimore City and County training who completed the course. Congratulations to Irene

Baker, Suzanne Houston, Sue Kane, Meredith McDonagh, Mark McDonald, Pat Parker, Lisa Smith, Alice Strathy, and Sara Yosua, from Baltimore and Kathy Bitzel, Alice Caltrider, Marianne Gruss, and Renette Lane, from Carroll Counties and Scott Conroy, Catherine Emig, and Kathleen Levinson, from Baltimore City. Randy Low, from Baltimore County and Dorothy Wells and Susan Woolhiser from Baltimore City sat in for a refresher. May’s training in Queen Anne’s County graduated 8 new Bay-Wise Master Gardeners including Ennise Bloom from Harford, Chris Mourse from Queen Anne’s and Kathi Bangert, Nancy Gooding, Dede (Dorothy) Hoopes, Pat Jessup, Janet Mackey, and Maureen (Reenie) Rice from Talbot County. Liz Hammond from Queen Anne’s County sat in for a refresher. Our June training in Prince George’s County produced 12 new Bay-Wise Master Gardeners. Congratulations to Tima McGuthry-Banks and Gail Walker from Charles and Barbara Bennett, Ariel Davis, Hanh Thuan Do, Michael Jackson, Ellen

Page 3 of 12 Mack, Lora Overby, Dave Sheppard, Nicole Shyong, Judy Willets, and Robert Willis from Prince George’s Counties. We expect great things from you all! Upcoming Advanced Trainings So far, Frederick, and Washington Counties have scheduled a Bay-Wise advanced training from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM on October 7 & 28. To register, visit our 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 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.

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 1,889 client landscapes and 212 non-residential landscapes. In addition, 623 of you have had your landscapes certified as

demonstration sites (and 481 are still maintained as such)! Since our inception, we have trained a total of 1,358 Master Gardeners as Bay-Wise volunteers and 397 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 32 members have certified 2 demo sites and 36 client landscapes, including 1 non-residential site (Annapolis Roads Community Area). They currently have 8 ongoing consultations that should soon lead to certifications. Longtime co-chairs, Jim and Robin report that, “The Anne Arundel Bay-Wise team was busy during the first half of the year! To date, we’ve logged 95 visit requests, certified 38 yards and conducted 8 consultation visits. Presentations began Jan 29 when Cyrena Simons addressed the Galesville Heritage Society. Her continuing efforts to spread Bay-Wise signs throughout Galesville are proving successful with 19 certifications since 2014. We’re seeing a beneficial ripple effect as certifications are spilling into neighboring West River, Deale and Shady Side as well. On Feb 28, Robin Gill presented a new program for the Heritage Harbour Women’s Club called “Low-Maintenance Bay-Wise Gardening.” Sharon Schroer and Robin developed the new presentation for this 55+ community. On Mar 28, Brenda Darr and Denise Elliott spoke to an enthusiastic Ferndale Garden Club about how to become Bay-Wise Certified. These combined presentations reached 175 residents and garnered 25 yard visits.

Page 4 of 12 On Mar 25, Anne Biddle, Denise Elliott, Pat Mitchell and Cyrena Simons shared Bay-Wise information and motivation at Davidsonville’s Green Expo. They had a live mason bee demonstration and were lucky enough to witness bees emerging during the event! A rainy Apr 22 found Cyrena Simons, Anne Biddle, Serena Boyd, Sally Iliff, and Bobbie Kestenbaum offering Bay-Wise info at Historic London Town’s Plant Sale. Marthena Cowart, Alissa McDonnell Ellison, Nancy Landers, Elle McGee and Pat Mitchell represented Bay-Wise at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Open House on May 20. Kay Stringfellow promoted the Bay-Wise mission at the Magothy River Association Annual Meeting on Feb 24 and Elle McGee did the same at the Severn River Association Annual Meeting on June 13. These combined events and meetings brought us in contact with 247 residents and garnered 27 yard visits for this season. When totaled with presentations, we reached 422 county residents with 52 of them requesting yard visits. With another 73 yard-visit contacts, the Anne Arundel Bay-Wise team reached a total of 495 residents by mid-year. 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. Additionally - with Wanda MacLachlan’s much-appreciated help - we held Advanced Bay-Wise Training in March. We’ve since welcomed Meg Hosmer, Kimberly McClellan and Kit Paschyn to our team of 32 energetic and dedicated members. Other teammates who completed the spring training include Serena Boyd, Alissa McDonnell Ellison, Elle McGee, Pat Mitchell, Pat Morrison, Joan O’Connor and Pat Parks. All are actively participating in events and yard visits this season!”

Baltimore County Co-Chairs, Leslie Erickson and Carolyn Vane, inform us that their 26 active committee members have certified a total of 24 landscapes in the past six months. There were 21 client sites, 2 demo sites, and one non-residential site (MD State Game & Fish Protective Association in Parry Hall). In the past six months their team taught Bay-Wise principles to 529 adults and 104 youth at twelve 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.”

Example of a Bay-Wise alternative to a lawn monoculture.

Baltimore City Co-chairs, Dorothy Wells and Kathy Brown, report that their committee grew from 36 to 40 during the first half of this year. They’ve certified 5 client landscapes and 3 demo landscapes (St. Elizabeth’s School, Baltimore Dream Center (Pathway Church of God, Brooklyn), and Roland Park Country School) so far in 2017. They taught 28 Roland Park Country School youth about Bay-Wise principles. Here is

Page 5 of 12 Dorothy and Gail’s report: “Claire Wayner, a 16 year old who is president of the Polytech High School Environmental Club, was the student project manager for the installation of the school pollinator garden. Based on a letter of recommendation from Master Gardener and Sub-Pollinator committee chair Lynn Supp, Claire received a Student of the Year scholarship from the Chesapeake Bay Trust worth $5,000. Lynn and Claire worked as a team to supervise the students to install the pollinator garden.”

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

signs. Calvert Chair, Dom Raino, reports that the Calvert County committee is still 30-strong and has 4 landscape consultations that have not yet lead to certifications. Dom shares, “Most Bay-Wise activity in Calvert County the first half of this year focused on creating public awareness and interest in the program. Bay-Wise program information is routinely distributed at MG Garden Smarter workshops, at the annual plant sale and other MG events. This year, however, Bay-Wise Master Gardeners also participated in four heavily attended events sponsored by other organizations. “The Calvert Memorial Hospital “Green Team” invited Master Gardeners to host a Bay-Wise booth at their Earth Day event on April 20th. Green Team leadership reported over 200 hospital employees attended. The Bay-Wise booth was near the entrance so all attending walked by our display. Many stopped to pick up educational material and to listen to the new Bay-Wise video which kept repeating on a large laptop computer screen. Eight visitors to the booth requested Bay-wise Yardsticks.

A consultation yard visit for one was conducted in June. “Bay-Wise MGs helped staff two booths at the Calvert Green Expo held at Annmarie Gardens in southern Calvert County. Master Gardeners conduct a popular educational Children’s Garden located at the main entrance to Annmarie Gardens. One booth, located within the event proper, focused on general gardening, pollinators, native plants and the Bay-Wise program. The other booth was located at the Children’s Garden where Children were able to observe, harvest and taste what was grown. While children were learning in the Garden, other family members were using the time to learn about the Yardstick and the Bay-Wise program. ”Bay-Wise information was also distributed at the annual Children’s Day on the Farm event at Jefferson Patterson Park and at Calvert Library’s new Summer Reading Festival. ”We move into the second half of the year having 14 expressions of interest for Bay-Wise visits and feeling it is a good start toward a productive year for the program.” Carroll Chair, John Hubbs, reports that their 11 active committee members certified 5 demo and 7 client landscapes in the first half of this year, with 1 consultation expected to lead to a certification alter this year. They reported teaching 242 adults and 16 youth, during 10 different classes/meetings, about Bay-Wise principles. A reported outcome that 17 Interns attended the Carroll Bay-Wise Training class on August 14 resulted with the impact that 15 of them signed up to serve on the Bay-Wise Committee and six of them have supported a Bay-Wise event or had their landscapes certified. John reports, “The second six months of Carroll County’s restarted Bay-Wise program saw significant growth:

Page 6 of 12 • We have doubled the rate of Landscape

Certifications to two per month. • All members of the Master Gardener Board of

Directors have completed their Certifications or are scheduled to do so by mid-July.

• Six of the eight Board members have also completed the Bay-Wise Advanced Training including two this spring in Baltimore – a great inspiration to all of us!

• The eleven active members (from a roster of 34) logged nearly 450 volunteer hours on Bay-Wise activities.

• We conducted ten meetings or classroom outreach activities to over 240 visitors including 13 children.

“The Carroll County Forestry Board invited us to host a table display at their annual Winter Workshop with over 80 participants on January 21. Tina Swanson helped with setup, hosting, and removal of the display. We had 35 visitors to the table and gave away several soil sample bags with HG110 inserted. The best outcome was the opportunity for several landscape certifications. Three months later, Tina hosted a walk-through of the Yardstick with her Mt. Airy Garden Club. “Our well-known blogger and Master Gardener, Laura O’Callaghan, volunteered her landscape for certification in January. Senior Bay-Wise CerTeam Leader, Peggy Dash, stepped up on short notice to assist with the assessment of the extensive 6.25-acre property adjoining the Liberty Reservoir watershed. Laura is actively planting many native species to support wildlife in the area. The total Yardstick score was 51 inches, the second best result since we restarted last June. On February 20th, Diane Brown was the leader of an historic (built in 1812) property B-W site visit in Uniontown; her gardening club co-member, Laura Balcom, requested the certification. Their Yardstick results were notable for the 1.3+ acres along a Civil War battle route. The Balcoms’ loves of history and ecology are apparent in their comfortable, historic home.

Left to right: Diane Brown, Laura and Dave Balcom in front of

their beautifully maintained property. First Carroll County Bay-Wise Team Meeting Not being fond of monthly meetings, our “committee” held a Saturday pot-luck luncheon and roundtable discussion in February. The theme “Remember Why You Started” and guest speaker, Byron Madigan (County Water Resources Supervisor), got the group motivated about goals for this year. Most of the 12 participants responded to the “Call for Action” by listing the Bay-Wise goals that interest them and activities they could lead. Another such gathering is in the works for this fall. Montessori School Garden Club Learns Composting and Soil Sampling Recent Master Gardener, Analiese Kennedy, invited us to share a composting presentation on March 18th, with the Garden Club for which she is the parent sponsor at the Carroll Creek Montessori School. After a brief classroom presentation we ventured outside to find a more suitable site for composting close to their flower and vegetable beds. We took two sets of samples from the local soil and garden beds. The students (grades 4-7) were fascinated with the sampling process and really enjoyed learning about what makes a healthy compost site! Fast Response to Certification Request A visitor to our table at the Flower and Jazz Festival, Justin Parker, saw our blue Bay-Wise sign in his neighborhood, said he was interested, and nine days later it was done – a record turnaround! A new Bay-Wise Team member, Alice Caltrider, assisted with the assessment and wrote the site

Page 7 of 12 visit report. Justin is interested in becoming a Master Gardener. Our theme last year, STREAM-Wise to be BAY-Wise is focused more sharply to our mission this year: Landscaping for Water Quality.” Cecil Chair, Judy Duff reports that the Cecil County committee has grown to 18 members who have certified 3 client landscapes since the first of the year. They also have 2 pending certifications. The committee made a presentation to 35 members of the All Season’s Garden Club which resulted two Bay-Wise certifications. Judy shares, “The Cecil County Bay-Wise committee made a presentation to the All Seasons Garden Club where we garnered two more clients for certification as well as increased interest for sustainable gardens. Again, this year we participated in the Annual Cecil County Wade In, an event focused on cleaning up the Bay, where we distributed over 50 native plants to the attendees for their home gardens. We were also very proud to have several Bay Wise certified landscapes included in the Women’s Civic of North East Secret Garden Tour.”

Cecil County Master Gardeners Bay-Wise Informational Display at the 8th Annual Cecil County Wade-In, Upper Chesapeake Bay, Foot

Log Beach, Saturday, June 17, 2017, 10 am-2 pm.

Charles Co-chairs, Rose Markham and Janet McGrane inform us that their team of 27 members taught 137 adults and 45 youth in 8 classes/presentations.

Charles County Bay-Wise exhibit at Port Tobacco Market Day

Janet reports: “We continue to work with the Kiwanis-Kids service club at Higdon Elementary school. In March we went over the Bay-Wise yardstick with them and best landscaping practices. We assisted them in planting natives for the pollinator garden in the school's courtyard. We are continuing our outreach efforts by attending special events that included the Compost and Rain Barrel workshop and Port Tobacco Market Day. We gave Sustainable Landscaping presentations to the Hughesville Garden Club and at the La Plata Library. We are reaching out to homeowners associations to share Bay-Wise principles and raise awareness of the certification process. We met with homeowners at a new housing development to provide landscaping tips and Bay-Wise principles in designing and creating their landscapes including the use of native plants. We have a Bay-Wise representative at our Waldorf Plant Clinics to encourage best practices and to introduce homeowners to the yardstick and certification process.”

Page 8 of 12 Frederick Chair, Jan Knox, is supported by Subcommittee chairs: Barbara Millunzi, certifications; Suzanne Hill, education; and Suzy Bailey, hedgerow. The Frederick Co. Committee consists of 20 active members. They certified 2 demo, 4 client, and 2 non-residential landscapes (Culler Lake City Park in Frederick and Fountain Rock Nature Center) so far this year. They also reached 156 residents during 4 different events. Read below to find out what else the committee has been doing:

1.) “We decided to come up with what we have called the “Quick Guide” to the Yardstick. Our committee member Chris Renshaw did a fabulous job on creating the final product, we are so lucky to have her on our team. This is used as a precursor for the Yardstick, something to catch your eye and want to learn more.

2.) We are creating a Bay-Wise Landscape/ Developer committee to work on moving forward in getting developers/builders to use native plants in their new home build landscapes. Dedra Salitrik is heading up this committee and we will be meeting with a local landscaper on our Sept meeting

3.) Jan Knox met with Erin Johnson, Chair of the Friends of the Lake; Lake Linganore and Jennifer Kunze, Clean Water Action Baltimore, to discuss riparian buffers and builders planting natives at Lake Linganore.

4.) Jan Knox attended the Potomac Conservancy/Clean Water Frederick’s Waterside workshop and handed out the Bay-Wise Yardsticks and spoke briefly about the Bay-Wise program. Caitlin Wall handed out the Bay-Wise “Quick Guide” to people who attended the workshop in Urbana

5.) Harriet Wise, along with a group of Bay-Wise MGs met with Frederick City Officials about Bay-Wise certifying the city parks. 5 parks have been selected to start with and another meeting is in the works.” Harford Chair, Beatrice Filburn, informs us that their 20-member committee certified 5 client landscapes (all belonging to Master Gardeners) so far this year.

They also have 3 pending certifications. Beatrice shares this: “It has been a long and wet spring! We scheduled and gave Bay-Wise presentations at the Whiteford Public Library, and at the Bel Air Public Library, and have had many sign-ups from our recent MG training classes, and at the Havre de Grace Farmer’s Market. So we continue to consult with individuals interested in Bay-Wise practices, as the weather permits.”

Bay-Wise certification at Eden Mill Garden

Howard Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair, Linda Decker reports that their committee of 46 have 12 landscape consultations pending. They have also taught 211 county residents Bay-Wise principles in 15 classes and reached 123 residents at 5 public events. 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, Native Plants, Bay-Wise Vegetable Gardening, and Conservation Stewardship. Although the audiences tend to be small we reached about 300 people through these talks. “In addition to formal speaking engagements, we took our trifold exhibits and handouts to the Howard Community College Sustainability Day, Master Gardener Volunteer Fair, Robinson Nature Center and the Howard County GreenFest. Bay-Wise Master Gardeners were on hand at these events to greet visitors and explain Bay-Wise concepts. GreenFest is a county event that draws about 2,500 people to see exhibits from over 100

Page 9 of 12 vendors and ecologically focused organizations. For the fifth year our Bay-Wise team organized and supported the native plant sale at GreenFest. This year we added an additional vendor and the sale has grown to cover one end of the quadrangle outside the hall. We have a “plant parking lot” to hold purchases for folks while they visit the exhibit hall and a Native Plant display where we explain the value of native plants and provide garden design assistance. This is not a money making event for us, but rather an attempt to make native plants accessible in our community and give our local growers an outlet for their plants. “At these events we offer a consulting service to Homeowners. A Master Gardener team can visit them and assist with landscaping problems and tutor them in Bay-Wise concepts. Homeowners are encouraged to submit a request through our Howard County Bay-Wise web-page detailing their issues. We have a list of 61 Master Gardeners who wish to participate in these consultations and we build 2-3 person teams based on matching interests and locations to the client. Last year we discovered that many of our Master Gardeners wanted to participate in consults but felt they needed additional information in order to assure they gave the best quality advice. We devised a training program which we reprised this year: thirty-three Master Gardeners attended our session in April. We covered making contact with the clients and setting up visits. We familiarized folks with the client handbook which provides information on the topics most often requested. We included a speaker from Howard County to discuss the rebates and credits available for storm water controls as well the new program for cost sharing rain gardens. 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. “Twelve consultations were completed after the training in April and more are in the pipeline. However, we have the capacity for handling more requests so we are looking at additional ways to reach the public. An information package for the

“Ask a Master Gardener” team has been proposed. It has also been suggested that we trial providing information about the program to Real Estate agents because new home owners frequently need landscape management advice or help identifying plants and assessing what they have inherited from previous owners. “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. 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 a variety of native plants.” Prince George’s Franchella Kendall, Chair, reports that their 34 member-committee has certified 1 client (Master Gardener) site within the past six months. Franchella adds that “On May 6 the Bay-Wise Master Gardeners participated in the Mt. Ennon Baptist Church GreenFest. We provided an informational table on Bay-Wise. The Master Gardeners answered questions and provided information to the participants that came to the table. The GreenFest was open to the public.

Master Gardeners staff exhibit at Mt. Ennon’s GreenFest.

Page 10 of 12 “On June 3rd and 10th we held a Bay-Wise Master Gardener training. The participants are in the process of completing their practicum. “On July 1 we certified the yard of Master Gardener Kimberly Scott. She has incorporated many features – one of interest was the gravity fed rain barrel system.” Queen Anne’s Chair, Debbie Pusey, reports that their committee of 26 certified 10 landscapes over the last 6 months, including 2 non-residential (Adkins Arboretum and Washington College Student Garden) and 8 client landscapes. They currently have 1 ongoing consultation that should lead to a certification later this year. Debbie shares, “The Queen Anne’s County Bay-Wise Committee has set goals of conducting consults and or certifications for a minimum of 20 properties plus certification of 5 public areas. We are almost half way there! So far, we have visited and/or certified 8 private properties and certified 2 public gardens: Akdins Arboretum and the Student Garden at Washington College. MG Shane Brill who works as a videographer for Washington College made a video of the visit which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/4SBKumdC4Zs. This link is also posted on Washington College’s website as part of their promotion for the college. We have several other public areas that we are working with to certify as Bay-Wise as well.

Chesapeake Bay Beach Club certification

“We continue to publicize our program through the local nurseries, as well as the Kent Island Farmer’s

Market and the Chestertown Farmer’s Market. MG’s have a booth at both locations. In addition to interest from these activities, newspaper articles have also garnered attention. Happily, we now have a backlog of homeowners that we are in the process of coordinating dates for visits. This should keep us busy for the rest of the summer!” St. Mary’s No report 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 8-strong now. The newly regrouped committee has certified 3 client landscapes during the first half of 2017. They conducted 3 workshops or talks for 102 people and staffed their display at two events reaching 503 residents. Ann reports, “We taught visitors how to attract butterflies and other pollinators to their gardens at the HCC Flower & Garden Show at Hagerstown Community College and Boonsboro’s GreenFest, a community celebration of all things sustainable. At the HCC show, we also gave seminars on Bay-Wise practices

Page 11 of 12 and wildlife-friendly gardening. We taught a conservation landscaping workshop and co-hosted the state Master Gardener advanced training on landscape design for water management. During that class we offered a tour of the STEM building at Hagerstown Community College which illustrates excellent stormwater management practices. We also did our first Bay-Wise consultation, reviewing the gardens at Hagerstown Community College and suggesting improvements. Our team is developing a Bay-Wise garden tour and is part of the planning team for our 3rd annual Pollinator Palooza, an event that encourages visitors to learn about and protect pollinators.”

More Assorted Stuff 100% Certified? Sadly, many of you have not had your landscapes certified yet. So far 622 “demo landscapes” have been designated throughout the state. Over the years, 1,358 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 2017.

Bay-Wise Curriculum for Youth A few weeks ago I received a question from Howard County Committee Chair, Linda Decker about Bay-Wise youth curriculum. My response was that I only had two: the “Who Polluted the Potomac?” activity and the CWDP curriculum on hazardous household products safety. If you have an activity or written curriculum that you’d like to share with fellow Bay-Wise Master Gardeners from other counties, please contact me. Meanwhile, see Linda’s query below.

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

Wanda, Are you aware of any Bay-Wise programs that are geared towards children? We just had an event at the Robinson Nature Center. We had been invited to participate in a program, “Wild for Water,” and bring our Bay-Wise display. We had several B-W Master Gardeners there and although the event was well attended, we probably only had 20 quality contacts. Our postmortem of the event was that this was really a family oriented program and parents were more interested in having their children participate in activities than they were in engaging with us. We feel we need to have something geared towards children that will draw families in and give us the chance to share some Bay-Wise advice. Do you have any suggestions or are you aware of any other Bay-Wise team successes in appealing to youngsters and capturing the attention of the entire family? Thanks, Linda

Page 12 of 12 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/urban/mucfcgrant.aspx There are 3 grant cycles per year: February, June and September. Bay-Wise Certification Statistics “How many landscapes has my county certified over the years?” Bay-Wise Master Gardeners sometimes ask me this question. Over the years I have compiled all the data you and your predecessors have submitted to me concerning Bay-Wise certifications into an Excel spreadsheet. You are encouraged to keep records of all certifications in your county office as well. To see the 6-page report, check with your Committee Chair. 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. Bay-Wise Promo Brochures Back by popular demand! We’ve updated this brochure which you can use to educate your clients about our program. 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 Bay-Wise Master Gardeners Only” page of our Bay-Wise website.

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