Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
$10,000 / 2011 / Environment
For continued support of programs designed to educate conservation voters about key public policy issues on open space, transportation, and storm-water management. By serving as a communications hub with its enhanced online list reaching more than 241,000 environmental voters, the League is in a position to advance conservation policies and to strengthen the environmental collective voice of Maryland.
The Sierra Club Foundation
$30,000 / 2011 / Environment
Toward support of the Beyond Coal Maryland project, an effort to end burning coal for energy. The campaign has been designed to reduce dependency on coal as a major source of energy and to encourage the development of cleaner alternative energy.
1000 Friends of Maryland
$30,000 / 2011 / Environment
Two-year funding for continued support of staffing and expenses in support of the Partners for Open Space campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to ensure that full funding of the dedicated one-half of 1 percent of Maryland’s transfer real estate tax remains earmarked for planning, acquisition, and development of recreation land or open space areas as part of Program Open Space, serving as a national model of a successful conservation strategy.
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.
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.