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Education and Outreach

Education and Outreach

Featured Outreach

Growing for Good

Growing for Good: Farming and Forestry in Maryland is a new report conducted in summer 2018 that looks at the public’s awareness and engagement with agriculture and forestry. This is the first study of its kind completed in Maryland to gain a baseline measurement of consumer behavior and attitudes toward these economically and environmentally crucial industries.

Read more here

New Farmer FAQs

This resource, created by the 2020 Russell Brinsfield Interns Harry Huntley and Liz Johnson, answers frequently asked questions for people interested in starting a farm.

Click here for more

Past WIP Workshops

2012 Phase II WIP Workshops

Thank you to everyone that attended the February and March 2012 WIP Phase II Workshops held throughout the State.  Transcripts from four of the sessions and one videoconference recording are provided.  Presentations from the sessions are listed below.

Monday, February 6, 2012           

Washington College

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 (videoconferenced)Presentations and Q & A were split

4-H Center in College Park, Frostburg University, Salisbury University, and College of Southern Maryland

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Hagerstown Community College

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Baltimore County Agricultural Center

Monday, March 5, 2012

Maryland Department of Environment

Presentations

Maryland's TMDL Process and the Role for Agriculture

John Rhoderick, Maryland Department of Agriculture

Preparing for Strategies

Rich Eskin, Maryland Department of the Environment

 

WIP Phase II Workshops - September 2011

Presentations

Maryland's TMDL Process and the Role for Agriculture

John Rhoderick, Maryland Department of Agriculture

Stormwater Treatment in Maryland:  County Costs and Financing Options

Dennis King, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Watershed Implementation Plans:  Getting Stated at a Local Level

Joanne Throwe and Dan Nees, University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center

Preparing for Strategies

Rich Eskin, Maryland Department of the Environment

Files: 

PDF icon Dennis King.pdf

PDF icon February 6 Washington College.pdf

PDF icon February 29 Hagerstown.pdf

PDF icon Joanne Throwe.pdf

PDF icon John Rhoderick 2012.pdf

PDF icon March 1 Baltimore County Ag. Center.pdf

PDF icon March 5 MDE.pdf

PDF icon Rich Eskin 2012.pdf

PDF icon Rich Eskin.pdf

2013 Phase II WIP Workshops

Thank you for all who attended the November 2013 WIP Workshops that were held throughout the state.

November 4th in Southern Maryland

November 6th in Western Maryland

November 13th on Upper Eastern Shore

November 20th on Lower Eastern Shore

Presentations from these workshops are below:

 

Files: 

PDF icon J. George - Introduction.pdf

PDF icon J. Mercer & J. McGowan - Nutrient Management Program.pdf

PDF icon MD Sea Grant - SMART.pdf

PDF icon G. Busch - BMP Efficiency and Costs.pdf

PDF icon D. Kleiner - Choose Clean Water Coalition.pdf

PDF icon D. Kleiner - Clean Water Communications.pdf

PDF icon S. Raabe - OpinionWorks.pdf

2014 WIP Workshops

We would like to thank all the presenters and those of you who attended the 2014 Fall WIP Workshops that were held throughout the state. 

These workshops were made possible as a result of funding received by the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc. from Town Creek Foundation.

  • Southern MD was held on November 5, 2014
  • Central MD was held on November 12, 2014
  • Lower Eastern Shore was held on November 14, 2014
  • Western MD was held on November 17, 2014
  • Upper Eastern Shore was held on November 21, 2014

Presentations are below in no particular order:

Files: 

PDF icon Jim George - Water Quality Restoration and Accountability Program - MD Department of the Environment

PDF icon Jason Keppler - Resource Conservation - MD Department of Agriculture

PDF icon Jo Mercer - Nutrient Management Program - MD Department of Agriculture

PDF icon Jenny Willoughby - City of Frederick

PDF icon Karen Cappiella - Center for Watershed Protection

PDF icon Lee Currey - Science Services Administration, MD Department of the Environment

PDF icon Mark Cameron - Baltimore City Department of Public Works

PDF icon Phillip Stafford - MD Department of Natural Resources

PDF icon Chesapeake Bay Trust

2016 Fall WIP Workshops

Thank you to those who attended one of the 5 Regional WIP Workshops that were held throughout Maryland. 

  • Central Maryland Workshop was held in Catonsville on September 21st
  • Upper Eastern Shore Workshop was held in Easton on September 30th
  • Western Maryland Workshop was held in Williamsport on October 7th
  • Lower Eastern Shore Workshop was held in Salisbury on October 19th
  • Southern Maryland Workshop was held in La Plata on October 21st.

Topics of Discussion:

Special thanks to the Town Creek Foundation for providing support for this workshop. 

2018 Phase III Spring WIP Workshops

The Hughes Center wishes to thank all who attended the five WIP Workshops held regionally throughout Maryland. Read our recommendations to the governor's Chesapeake Bay Cabinet here.

  • The Central Maryland workshop was held Tuesday, June 5, in Catonsville.
  • The Lower Eastern Shore workshop was held Thursday, June 14, in Salisbury.
  • The Upper Eastern Shore workshop was held Friday, June 15, in Easton.
  • The Southern Maryland workshop was held Monday, June 18, in Waldorf.
  • The Western Maryland workshop was held Tuesday, June 19, in Williamsport.

Topics of Discussion:

Special thanks to the Town Creek Foundation for providing funding for these workshops.

2018 Phase III Fall WIP Workshops

The Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology (Hughes Center) in conjunction with the Maryland Departments of Agriculture and the Environment, held workshops in November and December to support the state’s Watershed Implementation Planning (WIP) efforts, with support from the Town Creek Foundation. The Hughes Center facilitated six regional workshops to support strong relationships between agencies and implementers as well as to hear regional input from all 23 counties and Baltimore City. Important contributions were made by representatives from the Maryland Forest Service, the Maryland Department of Planning, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

"One of the strengths of these workshop meetings is to highlight that everyone is doing their part for Chesapeake Bay cleanup, and to build bridges and connections between sectors," said Hughes Center Executive Director Dr. Suzanne Dorsey.

Each workshop focused on state and local partnerships through presentations from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA). The presentations (available for download below) focused on updates from the stormwater, wastewater and agricultural sectors.

In response to the desire for more localized attention, the workshops featured a new county breakout session where each county was able to network, ask questions to the presenters and collaborate to address eight guiding questions. These questions covered opportunities for collaboration, cost-sharing, barriers to nutrient reduction goals, and any recommendations participants had to improve the path to 2025.

This year the Center observed a perspective shift in local implementers. Partners are no longer only focused on planning for implementation, they are now focused on implementation and maintenance. Decision makers can reasonably expect to hear more about funding needs for Best Management Practice (BMP) maintenance in the coming years.

The Hughes Center took what we heard during the fall WIP workshops and developed recommendations that were presented to the Maryland Governor's Chesapeake Bay Cabinet on Monday, Dec. 17.

Download the full recommendations here

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

 

Additional comments about the Phase III WIPs should be sent to:

 

Fall WIP Workshop Presentations

Dinorah Dalmasy, Manager, Integrated Water Planning Program, MDE

Greg Busch, Manager, Integrated Water Planning Program, MDE

Greg Sandi, Head, Chesapeake Restoration Section, MDE

Jason Keppler, Watershed Implementation Program Manager, MDA

Phase III WIP Information Sessions

The Hughes Center helped the Maryland Department of the Environment host three information sessions in April and May 2019 as part of Maryland's engagement strategy for its most recent Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP). The meetings featured an overview of the current draft WIP and provided participants with opportunities to ask questions of State agency representatives.

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation as given by Matt Rowe, Assistant Director of Water and Science Administration for the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) can be found here. If you missed a session, there is still a chance to register for the Friday, May 17, 2019 webinar hosted by MDE, information for which can be found here.

As a reminder, the deadline for formal public comments to MDE is June 7, 2019. To submit a public comment, visit MDE's page here.

Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan Workshops

In an effort to improve Chesapeake Bay water quality, a committee represented by the seven Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions and the Chesapeake Bay Commission has been working with a project team comprised of the Center for Watershed Protection, Chesapeake Conservancy, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology and Sea Grant Extension on the development of the Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan. You may already be aware that the draft plan has been released and the public comment period is now open.

As part of the public comment period on the draft plan, project team members are engaging Maryland stakeholders through a series of webinars during the open comment period. To maximize the workshop experience, we suggest you view the "Introduction to the Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan" webinar, which gives an overview of the Conowingo WIP process, and the frequently asked question sheet here. In addition to these items, here additional information specific to Maryland for your review.

In order to facilitate efficient discussions at each workshop, they have been split into dates by county – one each for Harford, Cecil and Baltimore counties, and then one last general workshop in case you aren’t able to attend the workshop specific for your county.

Past Outreach

Choptank Symposium

Todd Center for the Performing Arts, Chesapeake College
Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Purpose: To provide citizens living in the Choptank watershed an opportunity to learn about the many agency and private organization studies, efforts and management practices underway in the Choptank watershed to improve water quality;

To help those living within the Choptank watershed to better understand why some reports describe the River as improving while other reports state the opposite, to try to figure out why the disparity and whether more effort is needed on everyone's part to help the River improve;

To provide those living outside the watershed who are involved and interested in their tributaries across the State to compare efforts underway in their tributaries to the Choptank and to provide ideas as to what might be able to be implemented within their tributaries.

Welcome & Logistics - Dr. Sarah Taylor-Rogers, Assistant Director,
Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc.

Robert "Bobby" Hutchison, Board Member,
Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc. & Maryland Grain Producers Association

Dr. Craig Beyrouty, Dean,
University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource

Dr. Suzanne Dorsey, Excutive Director,
Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc.

Video Presentation of above segment

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Dynamics of the Choptank River - Dr. Tom Fisher,
Professor, Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Lab, University of Maryland

Federal Panel 
Facilitator:  Alison Prost, Maryland Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Environmental Protection Agency - Bay Model - What is it showing? - Dr. Rich Batiuk, Associate Director for Science, Analysis and Implementation, Chesapeake Bay Program

U.S. Geological Survey - June 2015 Report on Nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Implications for Management and Restoration - Eastern Shore - Joel Blomquist,
Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Choptank River Watershed Habitat Focus Area - Bruce Vogt,
Ecosystem Science & Synthesis, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Video Presentation of above segment

State and Local Panel
Facilitator:  Lynne Hoot, Executive Director, Maryland Agricultural Associates

Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades & Stormwater BMPs for the Choptank, Jim George, Water Quality Protection and Restoration Program Manager, Science Services Administration
Maryland Department of the Environment

Caroline County BMPs and the Choptank, Leslie Grunden,
Environmental & Facilities Planner, Planning Division Caroline County,
including work of Sea Grant Extension Watershed Specialists
Jennifer Dindinger and Eric Buehl

Agricultural BMPs and the Choptank, Jason Keppler, 
Manager, Watershed Implementation Program, Office of Resource Conservation, 
Maryland Department of Agriculture

Nutrient Management Plans and How They Have Changed Over Time & What Is Required
Jenny Rhodes, Queen Anne's County Agricultural Educator, University of Maryland-Extension

Video Presentation of above segment

Best Management Practices & Ideas Panel
Facilitator:  Dr. Robert Kratochvil, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, UMD AGNR

Conservation Drainage Bioreactors, Tim Rosen,
Watershed Scientist, Mid-Shore Riverkeeper Conservancy

Greenseekers, Paul Spies,
Agricultural Specialist, Chester River Association

Precision Agriculture, Jason Scott,
Farm Manager, Walnut Hill Farms, Hurlock, MD

An Urban Focus, Brent Jett, 
Assistant City Engineer, City of Cambridge

Stakeholder Driven Approach-Envisioning Process, Joanna Ogburn, 
Senior Advisor, Chesapeake Conservancy

Delmarva Land and Litter Challenge, Ernie Shea, 
Consultant & Founder, Solutions from the Land, LLC

Video Presentation of the above segment

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
How do we relate what is happening in the Choptank to the rest of Bay Tributaries and Can We? Dr. Walter Boynton, 
Professor, Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Lab

Video Presentation of the above segment

Healthy Waters Roundtable

Maryland Eastern Shore counties and municipalities unite to propose collaborative actions to clean local waters

PRACTICAL, COST-EFFECTIVE STEPS RECOMMENDED

Representatives from all nine Eastern Shore counties in Maryland, as well as from Berlin, Cambridge, Chestertown, Easton, Oxford, and Salisbury, have agreed to an action plan to expedite restoration of Shore creeks and rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. The group of more than 30 local government representatives, known as the Healthy Waters Round Table, recommended five preliminary steps to pursue in 2016.

With help from five supporting non-profit, academic and research organizations, the group narrowed down a list of 120 ideas into a handful of initial actions that could be accomplished with existing resources. They also identified longer-range actions that could be achieved with added resources.

Eastern Shore BMP Inspection and Maintenance Workshops

On October 5 and 19, 2016 the Chesapeake Stormwater Network in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Healthy Waters Round Table offered two ½-day workshops on Inspection, Maintenance and Retrofits geared toward managers, planners and field operators on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Both workshops covered the same technical content but were offered at two different locations to address the geographic limitations and time constraints of our workshop participants. The resources from the workshops can be found at here. 

Files: 

PDF icon Press Release - 12/7/15

PDF icon Final Report: Making Healthy Waters a Reality: Eastern Shore Priority Actions 2016

New Ideas to Accelerate Chesapeake Bay Restoration Conference

Friday, March 18, 2016
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Stevensville, MD

This event was co-sponsored by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc.  Funding for the event was provided by the Town Creek Foundation.

Nutrient Trading Symposium

 Nutrient Trading Symposium
Chesapeake College
Todd Performing Arts Center
1000 College Circle, Wye Mills, MD 21679

 Friday, January 8, 2016

The Symposium is sponsored by the Maryland Departments of the Environment and Agriculture in collaboration with the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Maryland Grain Producers.

Objectives:

  • Building trust & partnerships
  • Explain the importance of trading in achieving Bay Restoration more quickly at less cost
  • Provide background prior to rolling out the State’s revised trading guidance

9:00 – 9:30 am     Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:30                       Welcome
                               Ed Fry
                               Board Member, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology

9:35 – 9:45           Opening Remarks
                               Secretary Joe Bartenfelder
                               Secretary, Maryland Department of Agriculture

9:45 – 9:55           Nutrient Trading Overview: How does it fit in?
                               Secretary Ben Grumbles
                               Secretary, Maryland Department of Environment                    

9:55 - 10:35         Environmental, Agricultural and Economic Motivations for Trading

  •  Doug Myers, Maryland Senior Scientist, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
  •  Jason Keppler, Facilitator, Program Manager Watershed Implementation Program, Maryland Department of Agriculture         

10:35 – 11:00      The Science and Technology of Accounting for Nutrient Sources and Reductions

11:00-11:15         Break

11:15 – 11:45      Panel Discussion on Science & Technology of Nutrient Accounting

11:45-12:05 pm    Trading Fundamentals

12:05 – 12:25      US EPA Perspectives on Trading

  •  Bob Rose, Policy Analyst,U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water   

12:25 – 12:35        Question and Answer Period

12:35 – 1:20          Lunch

1:20 – 1:40            Role of Brokers and Credit Aggregators

1:40 – 2:00            Maryland’s Existing Trading Infrastructure

2:00 – 2:20            Panel Discussion on Trading (including question and answer period)

  •  George Kelly, Dr. David Newburn, Susan Payne, Bob Rose
  •  Phillip Stafford, Facilitator, Chesapeake and Coastal Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

2:20 - 2:40             Maryland’s Path Forward

  • Lynn Buhl, Director, Water Management Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment

2:40 – 3:00            Closing Panel (including question and answer period for all speakers)

  •  Paul Emmart, Facilitator, Science Services Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment


Click Here for Video Recording of the Symposium

Poultry 101 Symposium

Chesapeake College
Wye Mills, MD
May 10, 2017

Session One: Understanding the Industry
Facilitator:  Erroll Mattox, Farm Management Specialist
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension

Session Two:  Understanding the Grower's Perspective and Role
Facilitator:  Jenny Rhodes, Extension Educator
Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland and Deefield Farm

Session Three:  Understanding the Science
Facilitator:  Dr. Suzanne Dorsey, Executive Director
Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc.

  • Kelly Shenk, Agricultural Advisor
    Environmental Protection Agency
  • Beth McGee, Director of Science and Agricultural Policy
    Chesapeake Bay Foundation
  • Hans Schmidt, Assistant Secretary of Resource Conservation
    Maryland Department of Agriculture
  • View video of this session

Session Four:  Understanding the Environmental Perspective
Facilitator: Ed Hatcher, Chair
Maryland League of Conservation Voters

  • Bob Gallagher, Co-Chair, Maryland Clean Agriculture Coalition
    Vice-Chair, Delmarva Land and Litter Challenge
     
  • Doug Myers, Maryland Senior Scientist,
    Chesapeake Bay Foundation
     
  • View video of this session

Session Five:  Understanding the Role of Government in the Process
Facilitator:  Dr. Suzanne Dorsey

  • Gary Kelman, Manager, CAFO Permit Program
    Maryland Department of the Environment
  • David Mister, Coordinator, Eastern Shore Resource Conservation Operations,
    Maryland Department of Agriculture
    • Presentation
  • Paul Goeringer, Extension Legal Specialist
    University of Maryland
  • View video of this session

Session Six:  Looking Forward - What do we see?
Facilitator: Verna Harrison
Verna Harrison Associates, LLC

  • Robert "Bobby" Hutchison
    Delmarva Land and Litter Challenge
     
  • Louise Lawrence, Chief, Office of Resource Conservation
    Maryland Department of Agriculture
  • Kristen Hughes Evans
    Sustainable Chesapeake
     
  • View video of this session

Conclusions and overview of the day

Thank you to Rural Maryland Council for their support of this event.

Sewer Extension Workshop

December 14, 2016
Chesapeake College
Health Professions & Athletic Center, Room 127
Wye Mills, MD

  • Financing a sewer project outside a Priority Funding Area
    • Jag Khuman, Director
      Maryland Water Quality Financing Administration, Maryland Department of Environment

The Healthy Waters Round Table is a collaborative effort of local government elected officials and staff on the Eastern Shore working together to accelerate progress toward clean water goals. The Round Table is facilitated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, and the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension. The Round Table appreciates the participation of the Maryland Department of Environment and Maryland Department of Planning staff in planning and executing this event

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