Today I gathered the colorful fall leaves along the curb to put in my compost bin. Not only will I have black gold after the leaves decompose to rich soil, those leaves will also no longer be washed into our storm drains when it rains. It is illegal to rake or blow leaves into the street and this is why: The storm drains in our neighborhoods are piped to the nearest stream, then to the Herring Run, to Back River and ultimately to the Chesapeake Bay. Whatever goes into the storm drain goes into our […]
Continue readingBeth Miller
Five questions for the 2022 Baltimore County Council Election Candidates
Question 1: Several Maryland counties have strengthened their laws regulating how the Maryland Forest Conservation Act of 1991 (FCA) is implemented. Provisions in the FCA were intended as a minimum, with each county responsible for developing implementation laws in their own county. In 2022, the Baltimore County Commission on Environmental Quality (CEQ), at the request of the County Council, created a report including recommendations on strengthening forest conservation in our county, but thus far no changes have been made. The 3-part CEQ report is attached below for your information. Do you favor legislating improvements to […]
Continue readingHow to Start a Tree Planting Program
Becoming your neighborhood tree steward can be a very rewarding experience. Increasing or preserving the tree canopy improves the health and beauty of your community. If you live in an older community, many of the established trees are nearing the end of their lives. With a typical 40 years to maturity, now is the time to plant the mature canopy of the future. PLANTING TREES Blue Water Baltimore (BWB) has established a community tree planting program for street and yard trees in the following watersheds: Jones Falls, Gwynn Falls, Baltimore Harbor and Herring Run. They […]
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