Blue Water Baltimore

How to Support a Bag Bill In Three Easy Steps

Vincent Vizachero — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:01:38 +0000

In the next week, there are important hearings about SB 576 / HB 1086, also known as the “Maryland Bag Bill,” to reduce the number of plastic shopping bags that litter our streams. The bill establishes a five-cent fee for single-use plastic and paper carryout bags with the proceeds to be split among retailers, counties, [...]

Guest Post: Loyola Students Spring Break Outreach 2013

Vincent Vizachero — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:58:19 +0000

[Note: This guest blog post was written by Emily Delaney, a student at Loyola University Maryland. Emily led a Spring Break Outreach trip that included water quality testing in West Virginia coal country and ended with a day of volunteering at Herring Run Nursery.] Spring Break Outreach through Loyola University Maryland is a weeklong service immersion [...]

Winterberry: Native Shrubs That Multitask

Vincent Vizachero — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:54:52 +0000

At Herring Run Nursery our favorite native shrubs are ones that can multitask: they are beautiful, attract wildlife, and help reduce storm water pollution. One of the very best of multitasking native shrubs is Ilex verticillata, or winterberry holly. A gorgeous landscape plant, winterberry is a native deciduous holly. After the leaves drop in fall, [...]

Four Ways to Be a Clean Water Warrior in March

Debra Lenik — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:38:09 +0000

If you are as excited about getting outdoors as I am, I encourage you to check out the many ways you can volunteer with us this March. Everything we do at Blue Water Baltimore is designed to result in better streams and healthier communities. We are offering volunteer trainings in FOUR different programs this month! [...]

Why A Fracking Ban Matters to Baltimore

Vincent Vizachero — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:00:20 +0000

If you live in Baltimore, hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”) in Maryland might seem like someone else’s problem. After all, it’s not very likely that we’ll see fracking in Patterson Park. Yet, Blue Water Baltimore is taking a strong stance that we need a ban on fracking in Maryland. And we think you should too. Why? [...]

Empowering and Energizing: The 2013 Environmental Legislative Summit

Debra Lenik — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:18:55 +0000

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the 2013 Environmental Legislative Summit in Annapolis, hosted by the Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment. Halle, our executive director,had asked me to represent Blue Water Baltimore at the Summit, and I happily agreed. To be honest, though, I always feel hesitant about going to Annapolis. And [...]

Coming Soon to Your Water Bill: Cleaner Stormwater

Katie Dix — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:46:23 +0000

Starting this summer, Baltimore City and the nine largest counties in the state – including Baltimore County – must begin assessing fees on property owners based on the amount of stormwater pollution each property produces. Because stormwater from urban & suburban areas is the fastest growing source of pollution entering local streams, the Harbor, and [...]

BWB’s Five Legislative Advocacy Priorities In 2013

Debra Lenik — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:20:16 +0000

From the desk of Halle Van der Gaag, Executive Director The 2013 Maryland General Assembly is here! This is a preview of the legislative issues on which Blue Water Baltimore will be focused this year. Check out our blog and our website often–more specific details, actions steps and bill numbers will be updated on our [...]

Citizen Pollution Reporting Leads To Cleaner Water

Tina Meyers — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:16:05 +0000

[Note: Tina Meyers is the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper.] One of the reasons I love the Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972 to prevent pollution to our nation’s waterways, is that it allows citizens the right to participate meaningfully in the regulatory process. Under the Act, citizens are empowered to help protect their local [...]

Baltimore Icons: The Jones Falls

Vincent Vizachero — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:22:34 +0000

When Blue Water Baltimore formed in 2010, it was through the merger of five watershed groups protecting all four of Baltimore’s watersheds. Jones Falls Watershed Association, Herring Run Watershed Association, Gywnns Falls Watershed Association, Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association, and Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper came together to create the powerful and effective organization we have become. By [...]