What was so great about this newsletter, you ask?  Well the topic is invasive plants and since that’s something I think we all struggle with it hit home for a lot of people, no matter if we have a yard or if we see them along a path.  Now, it’s not a life and death situation, I admit (well it is for the plants), but don’t we all ask ourselves at least once a year: Is it worth pulling/spraying/cutting when I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll see it again as soon as I turn back around?  Should we just surrender? Not to mention how do I know which is invasive and which is native? 

How do we stop this madness?  Well first of all we must understand that invasives are very smart and sneaky species.  They pop up in the earliest of spring to establish themselves and start spreading as wide and as far as they can reach before the natives have a chance to say “hello sunshine.”  You may have noticed that the first green you see in spring is often from invasive plants.  They are, after all, invaders and apparently they have to get up pretty early in the season to fool the natives.

Why are invasives so bad?  Well it’s not so much that they are so bad, but the question is more why are natives so good?  Native plants provide food and shelter to native animal species, thus ensuring ecosystems function properly.  Natives also are more comfortable in their own shoes, meaning they don’t need maintenance, fertilizer, or even extra water to survive if they are planted in their native habitat.  Therefore, they help stabilize the ground more, absorb more rainwater, and reduce our alteration of ecosystems.  Sure, invasives can stabilize if their roots are big and they too absorb water, etc., but they just aren’t going to cut it quite like a native would and by allowing them to spread, we prohibit natives from growing.

Once you decide to take on the battle and you saddle up and start digging away at those invasives, what do you do with them?  Much to my dismay I frequently see my neighbors dumping yard waste in our shared open space that is a Forest Conservation Easement area.  Given the smart and sneaky ways of invasives, noted above, they are just going to root in the forest and take over there.  Not the answer, nor is it legal.  One option is composting, but be sure to dry out any invasives and weeds before tossing them into your compost bin or they will thrive off the rich soil in progress before the heat of the compost has a chance to break them down.  Another option is to bag up in PAPER bags (get FREE bags here: http://www.howardcountymd.gov/yardtrim.htm) for curb side yard trim pick up (or bring to the Alpha Ridge Landfill).  If the invasives have flowers or seeds, putting them in a black plastic bag until they turn to mush is a good way of making sure they don’t spread.  Then compost or dump them in the trash to be sure.

So in the spirit of information sharing (that is the point of social media after all, right?), and in the spirit of fighting the good fight against invasives, here is a list of helpful documents (including a great picture guide and a list of native plant nurseries) and resources.  Many thanks to Craig for half of this list.

Mistaken Identity – invasive vs native plant guide with great pictures
http://www.nybg.org/files/scientists/rnaczi/Mistaken_Identity_Final.pdf
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/
Native Plant Nurseries of the Chesapeake http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/BayScapes/bsresources/bs-nurseries.html#PA
University of Maryland Home and Garden Info Center
http://www.hgic.umd.edu/
Howard County Master Gardeners
http://mastergardener.umd.edu/local/Howard/index.cfm
More on natives, soil testing and Bay Scaping
http://livegreenhoward.com/land/gardening-landscaping/
Forestry for the Bay
https://www.forestryforthebay.org/index.cfm

~Lindsay, OES Staff

Thank you for not being the only crazy one out there picking up other people’s litter.  Thank you for getting outside and taking action.  Thank you for participating, motivating others, and making a difference.  Thank you for re-energizing us government workers, who sometimes see the less happy side of our wonderful residents.

The 20 Minute Cleanup is a very simple idea, which we borrowed from a project in Toronto called the 20 Minute Makeover.  That sounded confusing to me, hope I’m not the only one.  The Howard County project is very low cost – the County doesn’t provide any materials or extra trash or recycling pickups.  We promote it electronically and haven’t printed fliers since the first one in 2010.  I think the idea is starting to get some real traction as I’ve seen more people know about it, and more groups, particularly schools, embrace it as an easy and effective project.

Thank you all for making Howard County cleaner and greener.  By working together, we made our neighborhoods more beautiful and less trash will end up in our streams, rivers and the Bay.

Here is the list of the 2012 participants.  Thanks for all the pictures of your cleanups.  They are up on our Flikr page.  Great job everybody!

Businesses:

Allen & Shariff Engineering
First Finish, Inc.
Straughan Environmental, Inc
Versar

Individuals and Families:

Barbara Graham
Bussey Family
Carol and Steve Yanek
Ellen and Jim Billeter
Gauert Family
Guarin Family
Kathie and Ralph Lillie
Loraine Family
Lyons Family
Mark and Shelley Sweeney
McCready Family
Rager Family
Rie Family
Ron LeClare
Smith Family
Strickland Family

Neighborhoods:

Ashleigh Knoll Resident
Brantwood Neighborhood
Governor’s Grant Neighbors
Linwood Neighborhood, Ellicott City
Spring Breeze Community Association
Team Landing

Youth Groups:

Cub Scout Pack 793
Cub Scout Pack 794 Den 1
Cub Scout Pack 794, Den 6
Daisy Troop 1928
Girl Scout Troop 311
SAC Galaxy United soccer team
SAC Red Bulls soccer team

Schools:

Atholton Elementary School
Clarksville Middle School
Dunloggin Middle School
Laurel Woods Elementary School
Northfield Elementary School
Pointers  Run Elementary School
Rockburn Elementary School
Stevens Forest Elementary School
Veterans Elementary School
Waverly Elementary School

Howard County Government:

Bureau of Environmental Services
D.I.L.P. Inspections and Enforcement Division
DCA Central Fleet
Department of Planning and Zoning
Department of Public Works, Director’s Office
Dorsey Building — South Team
Elkridge Senior Center
Fire and Rescue Engine 22 and Paramedic 26
Fire Station 1
Fire Station 10
Fire Station 11
Fire Station 3B
Fire Station 5
Fire Station 6B
Fire Station 9
Fire Station 8B and EMS 2B
Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center
Howard County employees, Ellicott City campus
Howard County Police Department
Meadowbrook Athletic Complex & Park
Office of Consumer Affairs
Office of Human Resources
Office of Human Rights
The Green Ladies of DTCS

I’m sure there are more of you out there, so if you would like to be included in the list and totals, please send an email to 20minutecleanup@howardcountymd.gov .

See you again next year,

Elissa Reineck
Office of Environmental Sustainability

There is an additional infrastructure system winding throughout our community providing yet another vital service toward our safety and environment protection.   I call it the forgotten utility.    This infrastructure frequently sits with little to do, but when called into action at a moment’s notice it is expected to function flawlessly, dealing with the unpredictability of Mother Nature.    I am referring to the stormwater infrastructure of Howard County – the forgotten utility.

Stormwater infrastructure is a key aspect of our community design and has been built into construction projects for many years.  Initially the designs focused on getting water off the roads. More recently, the designs have expanded  to a system that moves water off all impervious areas in a manner that also protects our waterways from erosion and pollution.   This is a tall order for a community with almost 19,000 acres of impervious surfaces including rooftops, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks.    To put it in perspective, our stormwater infrastructure includes over 4,800 facilities (ponds, separators, bio-swales, rain gardens) all of which must be inspected by the county along with the maintenance of about  1,600 facilities (the remainder are under private maintenance agreements) .  There are 23,000 inlets and no doubt a similar number of outfalls to be maintained.  There are over 700 miles of stormwater conveyance pipe in the ground in addition to roadside ditches that convey stormwater along the 1,000 miles of roadway in the County.

All together our stormwater infrastructure represents an investment of over $660 million.   This infrastructure needs routine maintenance to ensure proper functioning of the various facilities. Further, since we now know that urban stormwater runoff is responsible for over 20% of the pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, this infrastructure and its maintenance become vital in our collective efforts to save the Bay.

Unfortunately, as the forgotten utility, there is no dedicated source of funds to perform routine inspection and maintenance, no less to initiate any system upgrades to better manage runoff and thereby minimize the negative impact of stormwater on our creeks, rivers and the Bay.  Without a dedicated utility, the stormwater infrastructure must compete for financial need with all other general government programs.  We are not alone in this dilemma.  In Maryland, only Montgomery County and a few cities have a stormwater utility fee set up to manage stormwater infrastructure.

But it looks like stormwater management is about get some recognition.  Late last year, Howard County began working with a consultant to explore the feasibility of a stormwater utility.   Just as a water utility billing on the volume of water supplied, or a power utility billing based on the amount of electricity used, a stormwater utility would bill based on the amount of impervious area on a parcel — since it is this impervious ground cover that causes runoff.   Also, like the other utilities that reward conservation with reduced charges, a stormwater utility may provide fee relief if areas of impervious cover are reduced and/or additional runoff controls are added.  At the end of the state legislative session, a bill was passed requiring 10 Maryland counties, Howard included, to establish a stormwater remediation fee.    Our study puts us ahead of the curve on this mandate.  We will be ready when the compliance date comes around in July 2013.

So funds are coming that will help minimize flooding due to clogs, broken pipes, or dredging needs; and to guarantee the construction of new systems to improve water quality in our streams and the Bay. The forgotten utility is about join the ranks of other self-supporting infrastructure utilities.  I say it is about time.

The general public has come a long way since the first Earth Day almost 42 years ago.  The vast majority of residents in Howard County are now conscious of the waste and recycling being generated in their homes.  From my perspective, however, the emphasis often seems to be on reducing waste that exits the home, as opposed to making attempts to reduce waste on the front end.  What are you talking about, Laura?

An easy go-to example would be something like juices or other drinks that come in both concentrated and ready-to-drink packages.   When we pack lunch for our daughter, I get out one of her four cups and fill it with juice (admittedly half water and half juice).   This was actually something that I started just because we had cups in the house and juice in the house and I had to send *something* for her to drink.  We have been doing this for years, but it was only the other night that I really recognized how much waste we were reducing by not sending individual serving juice boxes for her lunch.

Maybe the reduction message isn’t coming across strongly enough?  It seems that recycling is so much at the forefront of everyone’s minds that it is almost second nature, but reducing waste at the source involves a bit more brain power.

Are you ready Howard County?  Are you ready to take the next step and think about your purchasing practices and how that impacts your waste and recycling generation?

The options are (excuse the pun) at your disposal… it is up to you to decide how you can reduce the waste that comes in to your home.  Here, I’ll help you a little:

• Buy products made with recycled content.
• Rent, share or borrow items not used frequently.
• Buy concentrates or items in bulk.
• Obtain gently used items on Craigslist and Freecycle, or at a secondhand shop.
• Buy durable and reusable products. Try to stay away from disposable items.
• Buy food and other items with as little as packaging as possible; request that retailers stock items with less packaging.
• When shopping, bring reusable bags.

Be the pioneer and spread the reduction message (at the same time you reuse and recycle everything you can )!

Laura A.T. Miller

Sustainability Coordinator

I do not approach this topic lightly, like all conversations about race, it is full of risk and makes me uncomfortable but I believe as someone I have as much respect for as is humanly possible said “Wanting to talk about race as long as it doesn’t make us feel too uncomfortable means not really being willing to have an honest conversation of any substantial depth. “  So here we go …

Environmentalism and the “mainstream” environmental movement has been and is still comprised of mostly white and mostly upper middle to upper class individuals.  To anyone who has attended an environmental meeting of any sort pretty much anywhere in the country, this will not come as a surprise.   Much of the reasoning for this comes from our history, our origins.  The roots of the movement emerge with folks like Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, and Gifford Pinchot.  To oversimplify, upper class white people who were looking to preserve their “playgrounds”.  This is not to undercut the importance of what they did, land conservation at that period of industrial growth was indeed radical and we as a country are better off because they did what they did.

The organizations that emerged before the ‘60s including Sierra Club (1892), National Wildlife Federation (1936), National Parks & Conservation Association (1919), Izaak Walton League (1922), and Defenders of Wildlife (1947) did not focus in any way on health issues and had nearly exclusively all white membership, leadership, and staff.  Again, this is not to belittle the amazing work of each of these organizations.  Rather, this created an issue whereby the lack of diversity in the individuals who made up the movement and even the general interest of protecting the “environment” became a self-selecting cycle essentially ensuring that the pipeline for individuals to get involved remained exclusive.

The 1960’s saw the priorities of the environmental movement shift from wilderness protection to clean water, clean air, and protection against hazardous and toxic substances.  Focus became much more health related and less recreation and conservation related.  In some ways this could have been an opportunity for the movement to diversify as the issue became more universally relevant.  Unfortunately, it did not happen this way and in actuality two “movements” emerged – the environmental movement and the environmental justice movement with separate members, leaders, and organizations.

“Grassroots groups challenge the “business-as-usual” environmentalism that is generally practiced by the more privileged wildlife-and conservation-oriented groups. The focus of activists of color and their constituents reflects their life experiences of social, economic, and political disenfranchisement.”  -Dr. Robert Bullard

So, what do we do with this history and context? In Howard County we have had an existing but relatively small environmental “movement” (for lack of a better term). Over the last few years it has really begun to flourish and grow but not with the diversity that is representative of Howard County. The above context tells us why but also tells us how we might change that.  Part of the challenge lies in the discussion of the environmental issues we champion and how we frame those issues.

It is also about breaking the cycle of parallel efforts, and implementing a more universal approach.   Unfortunately, too often  we try and diversify by meeting with other leaders and organizations and explaining to them why our issue is important to their people and then challenging them to do something about bringing folks to our organizations. But wait, to listen is to engage, right?  Then we need to upend the paradigm and do more listening, focus on how we could better talk about issues, and maybe even figure out how we can bring our resources to bear on issues that feel outside of our usual wheelhouse. After all, we are a sustainability movement now that covers all three bottom lines.

JD Feldmark

info@huntsendremodeling.com

(410)970‑0084

Luckily for me and my joy of simple pleasures, I was home the first time it rained after installing the barrel.  I jumped out of bed, tossed on my rain coat and rubber boots (not a good look with pajamas) and stood in the yard grinning as it filled higher and higher.  As it began overflowing after only 20 minutes of rain, I exclaimed “Wow! I need a second one! And a third one!”  I can only hope the neighbors got as much enjoyment out of watching me standing in the rain staring at the 55 gallon white barrel as I got out of the idea of all the water I could save when watering my plants.  And in fact, they proved to not only be entertained by me, but also by the idea of saving their own water.  After about a year of watching me as the guinea pig, and asking many questions about “that big white thing,” rain barrels started popping up in my neighbors’ yards, too.  Some got them from the GreenFest workshops, others from the Soil Conservation District, and one even from the local chain hardware store. 

Rain barrels help a small amount with stormwater runoff, reducing the amount of rain that runs across your grass collecting pet waste and fertilizers and into the nearest stream.  Mostly they serve the wonderful purpose of conserving treated and not-free tap water.  Trust me, your plants will thank you for not giving them doses of treated drinking water and allowing them to soak up natural rain on the driest days.  Think of all the things that do not require pre-treated tap water: washing the car, watering the lawn, watering plants and flowers, power washing the deck and house.  None of these involve ingesting the water and most of them will be hit with rain a few minutes after being cleaned or watered anyway.   Next time you grab the hose, think about the effort and cost of treatment that made the water safe for you to drink and if it’s really needed for your task.  Hopefully most times you can turn to your rain barrel instead.

Now, where to get these fabulous rain barrels that will lead you outside in a downpour in awe and make your neighbors jealous…
Howard County received 55 gallon white barrels from Dreyers Grand Ice Cream (a plant resides within the County) and is able to give them to residents free of charge.  Yes, FREE.  Sadly, they do not come filled with ice cream, however.  So, we have a local source for the barrels, which means the carbon footprint of your rain barrel is pretty low, and we send you with a parts list to your local hardware store (again supporting the small, local business) where they can help you gather all the parts you need to assemble the fully functioning rain barrel for around only $25.  That’s probably about the amount, if not less than, you would pay for all your outdoor water needs in only one year if you continued using tap water instead.

Rain barrel workshops will be held at GreenFest on April 14th.  A limited number of free barrels and parts kits are available to the public that day (pre-registration required), but all are welcome to attend the workshop which will help you if you get your barrel later in the season and assemble it at home.  Starting in a few months, barrels, instructions and parts lists are available for pickup at the Alpha Ridge Landfill the first and third Saturdays of each month at the gazebo near the entrance.  Master Gardeners will be there to answer questions and demonstrate the simple assembly and installation steps.  Residents receiving barrels pledge to use the barrel for at least two years. 

Hopefully soon you’ll become the proud new owner of a rain barrel and never again find yourself standing in a downpour singing “rain, rain go away, come again some other day.”

~Lindsay
OES Staff

Soil Test – This is the first step.  Of course, this makes sense.  You wouldn’t start taking medicine without getting tests done by a doctor.  Well, maybe you would, but it’s a really bad idea.

So, soil test  - The Columbia Association (CA) is offering FREE soil testing.  Why are they doing this?  Because it turns out that most of us are using too much product – wasting time, money and adding unwanted nutrients to our local waters.  Here are 2 documents about it: soil testing and instructions for taking a soil sample.

Back to the soil test – basically, you take some soil from your lawn, put it in a plastic bag, bring it to your village center, then it is sent to a lab for testing.  CA is holding short workshops to interpret the results so that homeowners can determine what their lawns need.

If you are outside of CA, there are lots of soil testing options.  Click HERE for some great info from the University of Maryland Extension website.  This site includes lists of labs, FAQs, and there is a video on how to take a good soil sample.  Soil tests run about $10 — $20.

If you have a lawn service, ask them to do a soil test and show you the results.  Why should you pay to put stuff down that you don’t need?  Actually, since 1998, companies are required to do a soil test for you and keep track of the amount of fertilizer used.  I just read that in this fact sheet.

Pre-emergent – If you are going to spend time and money to put chemicals on your lawn later to try and kill weeds, I guess it makes more sense to prevent them.  Here is some info about pre-emergents

Many gardeners advise using a pre-emergent when the Forsythia’s bloom (yellow-blooming shrubs you see all over the place in early Spring).  So, that is basically now.

My neighbor swears by corn gluten as a pre-emergent.  It is organic, and works best if you keep using it for a few years.  It does have some nitrogen, and the Maryland Extension is pretty clear that IF YOU FERTILIZE, IT SOULD BE IN THE FALL ONLY.  Sorry for all the Caps, didn’t mean to scream at you.  The Extension fact sheet has info on that too.

Chemical pre-emergents often contain a lot more nitrogen than corn gluten, but I searched around and found one brand with 0 nitrogen.  There weren’t any in the “big box” store I went to first, but it wasn’t too hard to find.  Great news starting this year is that many of the lawn care products are now “phosphorous free.”   This recent change will help keep lots of this damaging nutrient out of the Bay.

Of course, change is not easy.  Many people just do what they’ve always done before, or what their parents taught them.  But things change, and just because everyone else in your neighborhood is dumping chemicals on their lawn 4 times a year, doesn’t mean that it works.

Cut it High and Let it Fly – I’m not sure who made up that slogan, but I like it.  Cutting your lawn short stresses it out, and makes it harder for it to crowd out weeds.  You would think that cutting it short would shorten the time before you have to mow again, but I’ve read that this is not true – grass shoots up in response, getting even weaker in the hot months.  The let it fly part means using a mulching mower and leaving the clippings there.  Clippings are a natural source of nitrogen (less fertilizer needed) and do NOT cause thatch.  I hire someone to cut our grass, so I am going to ask them to cut it higher this year.  If they won’t, I’ll find someone else who will.  Here is a good fact sheet that covers Maryland lawn stuff and includes recommended heights.

Watering – I don’t water my lawn in the summer.  Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could keep up with it to do any good.  The type of grass most Marylanders have is not built to be green in a hot, dry summer.  Maryland Extension backs me up on this.  They advise:  “Allow established tall fescue lawns to go dormant during hot,dry weather in the summer.  The lawn will recover when rainfall and cooler temperatures return. Only newly seeded areas and lawns less than two years old should be irrigated.”  It might get a little crunchy, but so be it.  If you do water new grass, it is best to water deeply, and less often.  Short, frequent watering is bad for lawns because it encourages short, weak roots.

Whew, that’s about all I can handle.  I’m bored with lawn talk already, and it is only March.  Back to the real plants.  Can’t wait to get started!

Each community in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, from New York and Pennsylvania to Maryland and Virginia, is charged with controlling stormwater to minimize the nutrients and sediment it carries to our streams, rivers and the Bay. This mandate can only be achieved if we all take responsibility. Managing stormwater from rooftops, driveways and roads must be a community effort. Together we are the raindrops that cause the flood and together we need to find the solutions.

Over the next few years we will see more tools added to our stormwater management toolbox. We will all need to embrace these tools and change our behavior to reverse the flood. Rain barrels, rain gardens, down spout diversions, porous pavers, and bio-swales need to become as common as the blue bins at the curb on recycling day. This effort must be a partnership between the government, residents and commercial land owners.

While planning for your rain garden or porous paver patio, there are a few simple things you can do today to jump start your role in minimizing stormwater impacts. Remember what enters a storm drain goes straight to a stream. There is no treatment plant to remove the variety of pollutants washed off the land. Many little projects together can make a big difference in stream water quality.

1. Limit the amount of fertilizer you apply to your lawn. Excess fertilizer is washed away by stormwater runoff and into our streams.
2. Pick up after your pets. When it rains, animal waste can be washed into streams.
3. Wash your vehicle at a carwash instead of your driveway. Soaps and detergents enter storm drains and then streams.
4. Maintain your vehicle. Antifreeze and oil that leak are washed off the road, into storm drains and into a stream.
5. Don’t dump anything into storm drain inlets. Anything that enters a storm inlet goes directly to a stream or pond.
6. Properly dispose of trash. The litter on the side of the road is carried by stormwater to the nearest stream.

The challenge is significant. We need to accept the responsibility and get started on the solutions. The six pollutant reduction ideas listed above are easy but effective behaviors that if practiced by the majority of us raindrops will start to reduce the flood and help save the Bay.

Jim Caldwell
Stormwater Manager