The Trust's December Organization of the Month: Howard County Conservancy
 A hidden gem outside of the Baltimore-metro area, the Howard County Conservancy (HCC) many not be an organization you have heard of. Located on a 300 year-old farm, the HCC now operates as a nature reserve and education facility, with the mission to protect open spaces and agricultural resources, and promote preservation of the natural environment.
The HCC has been educating youth in Howard County since 2007, and is a frequent stop for schools on field trips. Their first nature center, The Gudelsky Environmental Education Center, opened in 2005 to help accommodate the growing number of students and families that visited the Conservancy to learn more about their natural environment. In 2011, 6,300 children from preschool through 12th grade were brought to the Conservancy. It is also used during the summer months when the HCC hosts summer nature camps for children to learn more about Howard County’s ecology and natural history.
The Conservancy is even doing great things for communities in need. Thanks to the hard work its volunteers, the HCC is able to maintain a community garden on the property, which donated over one thousand pounds of fresh vegetables to the Howard County Food Bank in 2011.
To learn more about the Howard County Conservancy, follow the Trust on Facebook and Twitter for regular postings about this great organization!
The Chesapeake Bay Trust Organization of the Month
Every month the Trust highlights a different local group or organization that is doing its part to help improve the health of their local communitites and the Chesapeake Bay. Organizations like these are the backbone of the Trust; they are the people who get their hands dirty to create change where they live and encourage other citizens and neighbors to participate. For past Organization of the Months, visit our archive page.
Know an organization that would be a good fit? Email Kristin Foringer at kforinger@cbtrust.org with your suggestion and why they should be highlighted.
Your area:
Want to know the health of a stream or river in your backyard? Check out the Audubon Naturalist Society's interactive map!
Chesapeake Bay Organizations
The Chesapeake Bay has many supporters. There are hundreds of organizations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the Bay. If you are looking for additional funding resources or just looking to get involved, explore some of these remarkable organizations to find the one that works for you.
Contact Molly Alton Mullins if you would like to add your organization to this list.
State Agencies
Maryland Department of Natural Resources: www.dnr.state.md.us
Maryland Department of the Environment: www.mde.state.md.us
Maryland Department of Agriculture: www.mda.state.md.us
Maryland Department of Planning: www.mdp.state.md.us
Maryland State Department of Education www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/environment/
BayStat: www.baystat.maryland.gov
Federal Agencies
Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov
Chesapeake Bay Program: www.chesapeakebay.net
Fish and Wildlife Service: www.fws.gov
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): www.noaa.gov
Multistate Bodies
Chesapeake Executive Council
Chesapeake Bay Program Fisheries Goal Implementation Team
Chesapeake Bay Program Habitat Goal Implementation Team
Chesapeake Bay Program Water Quality Goal Implementation Team
Chesapeake Bay Program Maintain Healthy Watersheds Goal Implementation Team
Chesapeake Bay Program, Fostering Stewardship Goal Implementation Team
Chesapeake Bay Commission
Academia
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science: www.umces.edu
University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute: www.umbi.umd.edu
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC): www.serc.si.edu
Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC): www.chesapeake.org
Nonprofits
Chesapeake Bay Foundation: www.cbf.org
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: www.acb-online.org
Izaak Walton League of America: www.iwla.org
Local Groups
Magothy River Association: www.magothyriver.org
South River Federation: www.southriverfederation.net
Severn River Association: www.severnriver.org
Severn River Commission: www.aacounty.org/severnriver
Spa Creek Conservancy: www.spacreek.org
Chesapeake Environmental Protection Association: www.cepaonline.org
Riverkeepers
Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper: www.baltimorewater keeper.org
Severn Riverkeeper: www.severnriverkeeper.org
South Riverkeeper: www.southriverfederation.net
West-Rhode Riverkeeper: www.westrhoderiverkeeper.org
Patuxent Riverkeeper: www.paxriverkeepr.org
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