Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN)
$50,000 / 2011 / Environment
For continued staffing support and expansion of the Maryland Healthy Communities Campaign, designed to bring about accountability and transparency from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) in its permit and enforcement practices. In addition to the monitoring of existing power plants and coal ash landfills, CCAN will be ensuring that MDE permit programs meet federal standards.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
$5,000 / 2011 / Environment
For support of the 2012 Environmental Legislative Summit.
Center for Watershed Protection, Inc.
$78,700 / 2011 / Environment
Toward support of “Pollution Source Reduction in Baltimore Watersheds,” in an effort to make the harbor clean enough for fishing and swimming. This two-year pilot on Harris Creek and Gwynns Falls sub-watersheds will focus on identifying and eliminating pollution sources of trash, nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, and bacteria. By involving community members in monitoring efforts, the pilot is expected to increase its implementation of pollution reduction strategies.
Audubon Maryland DC
$25,000 / 2011 / Environment
For continued support and expansion of educational services at the Audubon Center in Patterson Park. The center plans to provide 400 science-based outdoor educational programs to students from the local school, residents, and families living within walking distance of the park.
American Farmland Trust
$65,000 / 2011 / Environment
For the third and final year of the pilot project, Clean Water for the Chesapeake Bay – Mobilizing Farmers to Improve Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Designed as a risk-management tool, the Best Management Practices Challenge for Planned Nitrogen Reduction benefits the 29 regional farmers who, committed to reducing their fertilizer use, were guaranteed reimbursements if yields were lower. A certified nutrient management specialist was hired and more precise computerized systems with infrared sensors were employed to determine the amount of nitrogen already in the ground. As part of the “best practices,” these findings may be useful in scaling up environmentally sound practices, thus reducing nutrient runoff into the Bay.
