Central Maryland Research & Education Center Summer, 2012

BAY-WISE MASTER GARDENER UPDATE

To: Bay-Wise Master Gardeners and Mike Ensor, Carla Smith, Katie Dott, Herb Reed, Steve Allgeier, Doris Behnke, Gale Kladitis, Sudeep Mathew, Susan Trice, Joyce Browning, Georgia Eacker, Esther Mitchell, Jennifer Horton, Ginny Rosenkranz, Robin Hessey and Jon Traunfeld

From: Wanda MacLachlan

Subject: Bay-Wise Update

Date: August 10, 2012

Greetings We are in the middle of another typical Maryland summer – lots of humidity, high temperatures and not enough rain! And don’t forget the derecho – a new word for many of us. I hope your landscape wasn’t affected by that storm. We were lucky enough to have a day or two of perfect weather – low heat and humidity – but that didn’t last long. But enough about the weather! This spring 61 Master Gardeners took the Bay-Wise Advanced Training in Baltimore City & County, Talbot and Cecil Counties. As of August, we also have two upcoming Bay-Wise Advanced Training sessions scheduled for the fall in Frederick & Washington Counties and in southern Maryland. But before we delve into

the future, let’s take a look back at all our accomplishments within the past six months.

Certified Landscapes According to my records, seventeen new Bay-Wise Master Gardener landscapes have been certified as demonstration sites since our last newsletter. Some belong to Master Gardeners that have had their landscapes certified in the past but have just taken the advanced training in 2012. Listed in the following chart are those that have recently had their landscapes certified. Congratulations to all, for your landscape certifications.

(410) 531-5973 (301) 596-9478 FAX (410) 531-5567 WTM@umd.edu ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 11975 HOMEWOOD ROAD ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND 21042-1545 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATING ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS

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August 10, 2012

Certified Landscapes of Our Recent Bay-Wise Master Gardeners

All Certified Landscapes be between 1/1 and 6/30/12

First Name Last Name County B-W Training Demo Certification

Date

Maryanne Arthur Baltimore 3/10/2012 6/7/2012

Pamela Cady Baltimore City 3/10/2012 10/4/2008

Leigh Cochrane Baltimore 3/10/2012 3/15/2012

Jean Cooper Talbot 4/21/2009 3/27/2012

Cheryl Davis Carroll 10/24/2006 5/8/2012

Jane De Bryan Talbot 3/12/2012 4/2/2012

Charleye Dyer Baltimore City 3/10/2012 4/26/2009

Patricia Foster Baltimore City 3/10/2012 3/25/2012

Ann Hoover St. Mary's 10/12/2006 4/13/2012

Randy Low Baltimore 3/10/2012 3/21/2012

Mark McTague Baltimore 3/10/2012 5/22/2012

Steve Nordfjord Baltimore City 3/10/2012 4/25/2012

Gail Ritscher Baltimore City 3/26/2011 5/16/2010

Debbie Schwartz Baltimore 3/10/2012 3/22/2012

Deborah Smith Baltimore City 3/10/2012 5/16/2010

Harriet Wise Frederick 5/9/2011 5/7/2012

George Yurek Talbot 3/12/2012 4/29/2012

Thank you to each and every Master Gardener who has taken the Bay-Wise advanced training. Since the beginning of the program in 1996, you have certified a total of 889 client landscapes and 95 non-residential landscapes. In addition, 440 of you have had your landscapes certified as demonstration sites! This March, Bruce Gootec, of Dorchester County, became the 1,000th person to have taken the Bay-Wise Advanced Training. To date, we have trained a total of 1,015 Master Gardeners as Bay-Wise and 791 of you are still actively enrolled in the program.

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Upcoming Advanced Trainings As of press time, we have two Bay-Wise Advanced Trainings planned for this fall – one in Frederick & Washington Counties and another in southern Maryland. If you haven’t been to an advanced training in a while and would like a refresher, you are welcome to sit in. Visit the Bay-Wise website, www.baywise.umd.edu, for specific dates, sites and times. Ask the contact person whether there is room in the class for you. You don’t have to pay the registration fee but you must bring your own HomeWork binder because you won’t receive a new one (unless you pay the registration fee). To schedule an advanced training for your county, assemble a group of at least twenty Master Gardeners (don’t forget you can work with other counties to reach your minimum of 20 attendees), select three training dates and a venue and then contact Wanda MacLachlan to work out a schedule.

Bay-Wise Program Featured on Campus at 2012 Convocation In May, “Applying the Land Grant Mission to Achieving a Better Bay” was the theme at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ annual Convocation Awards Program. Bay-Wise as one of five Extension programs featured. I had seven minutes and used 12 slides to explain the program (to an audience of about 150 campus students, professors and administrators, some whom didn’t even know what University of Maryland Extension was) and highlight a few of its impacts around the state.

I showcased five counties and their projects: 1. Talbot – Tred Avon Watershed 2. Howard – Wood Elves Way

Watershed 3. Cecil – Rain Barrels for county WIP 4. Carroll – King Park Wetlands 5. Baltimore – Jennifer Branch

Watershed Watch the Bay-Wise website in the next few weeks for details of these projects. Thank you to those Bay-Wise chairs who, under a short turn-around time, supplied me with great information and images to educate attendees about our program.

News From the Counties:

Anne Arundel Jim MacNicholl welcomes his new co-chair, Robin Gill. Their committee is 20 strong. They’ve certified 14 landscapes since last year including three belonging to Master Gardeners. They also certified two non-residential and nine client landscapes. One noteworthy site was the Governor’s Mansion Vegetable Garden. They also taught a landscape design for storm water management class on “Rain Barrel Installation” for the Master Gardener Annual Training Day on College Park campus in May. Jim additionally reports, “We participated

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August 10, 2012 with the following community events: Learning Landscapes at Crofton Library, Annapolis Garden Club Flower Mart, Rain Garden Installation in Crofton, Dairy Farm Open House. We are currently working with the Hollyberry Garden Club to certify landscapes of members of the club.”

Baltimore City Chair, Betty Biliske, is excited to report that her committee has grown from 9 to 31 in the past six months. The group has certified 4 demo landscapes, 15 client landscapes (eight belonging to Master Gardeners) and 1 non-residential site, the Village Learning Place. Betty also reports, “Baltimore City’s Bay-Wise program is enjoying a banner year. In March we partnered with Baltimore County to host a Bay-Wise advanced training. Twenty-three Baltimore City Master Gardeners completed the course. They got right to work and certified a total of nineteen gardens. “Once again we taught the Bay-Wise intern class in collaboration with Baltimore County Master Gardener, Jack Leonard. Ten of the thirty-one interns signed up to have their yards certified. We gave Bay-Wise presentations at two community greening and storm water management workshops sponsored by Parks & People, the Lunch and Learn program sponsored by the State Highway Administration for its employees, Baltimore City’s April Ecofest, a garden club and Cylburn Arboretum. We reached 96 people as a result of the six presentations.

“The Bay-Wise program was featured in the Charles Village newspaper in conjunction with the Spring Walk in Charles Village. Five residents signed up to have their yards Bay-Wise certified as a result of the press. After the garden at the Village Learning Place (VLP) was certified an e-newsletter from the VLP included an extensive description of Bay-Wise gardening. “It was gratifying to have so many of the new Bay-Wise graduates jump in to make presentations and certify yards. We hope to capitalize on all of this energy in the coming months by starting to Bay-Wise certify some of the many urban farming endeavors being undertaken by a variety of organizations and individuals in the city. Judging by the numbers of people who solicited information on the program, it is clear that people are recognizing that the Bay starts in their yards.”

Baltimore County Co-Chairs, Kim Barnes and Carolyn Vane inform us that their committee has grown to 30 members. With the additional members, the committee has certified 3 Bay-Wise demo sites, 8 residential and 1 non-residential landscapes in the past six months. The non-residential site happened to be their Bay-Wise Demonstration Garden at the

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August 10, 2012 Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture (their local Extension office). They also report that since the beginning of the year their team gave presentations to six different groups reaching 178 people including 92 youth. They also inform us: “One of this year’s goals for the Baltimore County Bay-Wise Committee is to encourage our own Master Gardeners to have their landscapes Bay-Wise certified. In the first six months of 2012 our committee has certified eight more BCMG yards, bringing our total percentage certified up to about 30% of our membership. We will continue to work on increasing that as the year continues. Three of these are Demonstration landscapes for Master Gardeners who recently completed the Bay-Wise Advanced Training. Together with Baltimore City Master Gardeners, we hosted an Advanced Training course in March 2012.

“Two Bay-Wise committee members, Leslie Erickson and Chris Potts, are representing the Baltimore County

Master Gardeners by serving in an advisory role on a project with the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (GVC). The GVC received a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to do market research in the Middle River/Tidal Gunpowder area of Baltimore County. Some of the aspects of the project include:

developing and conducting a survey to ask about opinions on landscaping practices affecting water quality;

convening focus groups to help identify three landscaping practices that will be used in the project.

A new grant request, to implement some of the practices identified in the surveys, has been submitted by the GVC for funding, and we have committed our continued support. “We have taken advantage of several opportunities to educate our county residents about the importance of Bay-Wise Best Management Practices. Our Bay-Wise Master Gardeners gave presentations on Bay-Wise Landscaping to three garden clubs in Baltimore County. This spring three committee members demonstrated the “Who Polluted the Potomac” activity at Banneker Park on Earth Day, at Eastwood Elementary School’s Environmental Fair, and for the Reisterstown Elementary Green Club. “Under Carolyn Vane’s leadership, our Bay-Wise Demonstration Garden has been installed and transformed into a beautiful and educational garden space. It is part of a much larger and expanding Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at the new Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture – you are welcome to come and visit!”

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Calvert Judy Kay, Chair, informs us that there are 19 members of the Calvert County committee this year. Besides reaching 18 garden club members* and 13 county residents (during a class at a local library) about Bay-Wise practices in two separate sessions, this committee certified four client landscapes sites since last year. *Judy shares that after the class, their committee certified the yard of the garden club president with commentary for other members. Other visits and certifications will follow. A similar result occurred after the class at the local library. Judy also reports, “After going through Bay-Wise training and having his yard certified, one of our Master Gardeners installed a rain garden at the bottom of a slope to trap and filter runoff from the street before it enters a fresh-water lake. This project was completed Spring, 2012. Here is his description: ‘The garden is approximately 146 sq. ft. From the top edges, it is 32 ” deep, level at the bottom lined with landscaping fabric, 9” of gravel covered with more landscaping fabric, 16” of top soil mixed with leaf compost, and originally covered with 2” of shredded mulch. Much of the mulch is now mixed in the first couple inches of top soil and, during heavy rains, collected near the back overflow drain. I originally planned it for about 20” but found I was in thick clay that did not perk. Most all the plants are native.’

Rain Garden built by Dom Raino, Calvert County

Master Gardener, near inland fresh water lake.

“On a visit to waterfront homeowners last year, they had begun removing invasive plants. We encouraged them to apply for a permit from Planning and Zoning which they did. In addition to adding native plants we recommended, they are adding Spartina grasses along the edge of the bank. They also qualified for free native trees and shrubs under the Calvert County Critical Area Reforestation program. They continue to work on the property and add native plants. They did not think it was ready for certification this year but we will be in contact next year. “A visit to another waterfront homeowner last fall resulted in the removal of a large area of Japanese Stiltgrass and Lirope. He also applied for trees and shrubs under the Reforestation program and these plantings were completed in the spring. He will be contacted again this fall for a certification visit. “There have been other small steps taken by other homeowners to control stormwater runoff through rain barrels and other means and almost all have added native plants to their landscapes.”

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Carroll Carroll County Master Gardeners are giving McDaniel College students in a 2012 spring semester environmental problem solving class the opportunity to gain practical experience to complement the theory they’ve learned in the classroom. These Master Gardeners are teaching the students how to identify and remove invasive plant species as they transform an eyesore in the park back into a functioning wetland fed by a natural spring. Even local neighbors are helping out with the restoration. It is planned that future classes take off where the previous class ended to complete the living classroom/demonstration project. http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/master-gardeners-mcdaniel-team-up-on-westminster-wetlands-project/article_f8781163-7808-55cc-8dfe-0ca0d7336b44.html Chair, Marilyn Phillips, reports that their committee of 10 certified four landscapes since last report. One site belongs to a Bay-Wise Master Gardener and is a demo site and the other sites are maintained by local Master Gardeners – let’s hope they’ll soon enroll in a Bay-Wise Advanced Training so they can switch out their signs for the coveted demo sign! Marilyn’s report is as follows: “In June, we held an open house with tours of our various gardens around the Extension office & Ag. Ctr., including the GIEI & Bay-Wise Demo rain garden. We had about 30 folks stop by to see the garden, ask questions & pick up handouts. One M. G.’s husband spent a lot of time at the rain garden, asked a lot of questions, and then followed through by installing his own rain garden at home. The St.

James Episcopal Church rain garden project is pending grant money being sought by the church’s garden committee. We sent letters of intent to be included in the proposals, and hopefully the project will stay on track for a start up in the fall. When finished, the garden will be Bay-Wise certified, and will definitely be an educational demonstration garden for the church, the community and the county.”

Cecil Cecil County Master Gardeners are working with local officials to address nutrient and sediment reductions within their county. The Cecil County Watershed Implementation Plan is being developed to provide “reasonable assurance” that the county can and will achieved the goals. One way to meet the goal is to reduce the flow of stormwater that carries the pollutants from residents’ properties. The Cecil County Master Gardeners held their first rain garden workshop in February. With a wait list, they are planning others.

After their first Bay-Wise Advanced Training, a new Bay-Wise Committee is about to form in the northeast corner of our state. Master Gardener Coordinator, Doris Behnke, reports that their almost- committee has already certified one non-residential landscape (the North Bay Environmental Center). Hopefully by the next issue of this newsletter the

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August 10, 2012 group will have formally formed their committee. Doris shares, “Cecil County Master Gardeners Kordell Wilen and Gail Sentman had an informational booth at the Annual Wade-In event held at the Elk Neck State Park in July. They provided the public with the Bay-Wise program information and encouraged the public to participate and get their lawns certified. They also had t-shirts for sale that had the Cecil County MG logo on the front, and the Heron with marsh grass, with the saying, “Bay Love. Bay-Wise,” on the back of a light blue shirt.”

Charles Co-chairs Ronda Goldman and Jessica Milstead share that their committee now has 11 members. Although they did not certify any residential landscapes so far this year, they’ve occupied themselves with giving Bay-Wise presentations to 5 adults and 20 students at Thomas Stone High School. According to Ronda, “Spring time was a dormant period for the Bay-Wise team in Charles County, which gave us an opportunity to work on internal strategies such as forecasting, team development, and project brainstorming. In order to facilitate an easier system that can accommodate all volunteer schedules, the BW Committee was divided into two teams: Certification Lead and Processing. The

Certification Lead team is responsible for scouting and contacting potential clients. Once the site has been prepped and prepared, the processing team assembles materials and completes the certification. In the upcoming months we will have the opportunity to observe the process and determine if it creates a seamless certification and exciting experience. “We are looking forward to a fantastic fall season which will include the certification of the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center. The center is a school site located on 10 acres along Nanjemoy Creek and provides hands on environmental educational experiences for Charles County’s students. Under the leadership of Paula Batzer, the landscape has remained a wildlife habitat that encompasses forest, meadow, coastal, and wetland habitats.”

Frederick Ruth Axelrod, Chair, informs us that their committee has grown from 17 to 22 in the past six months. Since winter they have only certified one Bay-Wise demonstration landscape but the group has been active in the area of teaching and outreach. She also reports the following: “Frederick County Bay-Wise Master Gardeners were very active during the first six months of the year. We gave eight talks—two in collaboration with County-organized environmental programs--and staffed five public events, through which we engaged more than 200 people in in-depth learning and another 150 in brief discussions about various aspects of BW conservation landscaping and

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August 10, 2012 gardening, including techniques for stormwater management. • February 25, 2012: Ag Week in the Mall-- Staffed a display and information booth; talked with 52+ people. • April 5, 2012: Fort Detrick Earth Day-- Staffed a display and information booth in collaboration with Washington County; talked with 45+ people (WC volunteers talked with as many more). • April 27, 2012: Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School (Frederick, MD)—Set up an unstaffed display seen by approximately 80 families. • May 19, 2012: Historic Homes Trades Fair at Schifferstadt House (Frederick, MD)—Staffed a display and information booth; talked with 32+ people. • May 19, 2012: Beyond the Garden Gates Tour (Frederick, MD)--Arranged to send a paragraph about Bay-Wise Landscape Certification to the homes selected for the tour. Several responded positively though only one followed through (Harriet Wise a Bay-Wise MG). Staffed a display (along with other MG display) and information booth in her backyard; talked with 30+ people. “In addition to certifying one landscape, we consulted on topics related to BW conservation landscaping and gardening, (a) working with a downtown Frederick church to recommend plants for a native garden and doing site visits to talk with 3 FCMGs and one client regarding stormwater management, including possible bogs and rain gardens.

“We also distributed native seeds and plants through an MG-Only Seed Swap (February), our public Plant Sale (April), and to individual MGs and clients. Since our Demonstration Garden, at 330 Montevue Lane, has now been refurbished, we installed a fresh, new BW sign to signify the commitment of all FCMGs to conservation gardening. “Lastly, we created a display that highlights the BW-certified landscapes in our county. We arranged with Frederick County to print a map that shows the major roads and streets overlaying the watersheds, then mounted it and inserted color-coded pins to mark BW MG, MG, client and public landscapes.”

Harford Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair, Joan Parris informs us that they now have 40 members on their committee. Since last report they have certified 5 client (3 belonging to local Master Gardeners) landscapes. She also reports, “Harford County Bay-Wise Master Gardeners were busy this spring with a number of community activities. Linda Baker and Marlene Butler presented “Who’s Polluting the Chesapeake Bay” at Christ our King Church. We had Bay-Wise tables at Aberdeen Earth Day where the children planted sunflowers. At Arbor

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August 10, 2012 Day at the Scarboro landfill, we helped plant trees and gave out Bay-Wise information. In addition, Master Gardeners participated in Spring Flings at Manor Tavern and at St. John’s Methodist. We ended our spring activities with representation at the annual Wade-In at Anita Leight Estuary Center.”

Howard Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair, Linda Decker reports that one of their Bay-Wise Master Gardeners, Bob Nixon, has an excellent blog. “It started a couple of years ago with postings about deer related issues but it has grown in scope and following. Bob is working with our Bay-Wise team to include a series on Bay-Wise topics that will be occasionally featured.” Linda also shared info about a project the committee has also been working on. “Last year in Howard County we participated in a community plan to address an area that has a serious storm water issue. It is an older neighborhood in Columbia, MD where the developer had graded all the properties to funnel storm water into the street and down to the storm drain at the bottom of the cul de sac. The result was that over the years serious eroding of a dry stream bed has occurred and this feeds silt and pollutants into the Middle Patuxent River. We were approached by the principals at Micro-watershed to work with them on a project to restore the stream bed and also provide homeowners with advice to make changes in their landscapes that would minimize future recurrence of the problem.

During and after bio-log installation in streambed

“We set up an information tent at the base of the street next to the outfall on a Saturday morning. Invitations had been delivered to all the homeowners on the street to meet with us and learn about the project. We had handouts, information posters, demo rain barrels and MGs at the meeting. Coffee and cookies helped people to linger and talk with us. Folks were invited to take a tour of the damaged area and learn how it occurred, the plans for its repair and actions they could take to contain storm water on their properties. We offered site consultations to the residents and subsequently we sent out teams of MGs to meet with folks at their homes. In many cases redirecting downspouts and adding planting beds will make a significant impact.”

Prince George’s Franchella Kendall, Chair, reports that their committee of 25 members certified two residential sites. She adds that on “March 7, 2012 we presented an overview of the Bay-Wise program to the Prince George’s County MG Intern Class reaching 25.”

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St. Mary’s Fran Cook and Linda Crandall, Co-Chairs, report that since last report their committee of 7 members has been quite busy. They’ve reached 82 county residents, including 30 Master Gardener interns, teaching 3 classes and 345 local adults and youth by staffing booths at 23 community events. They’ve also certified landscapes. One belongs to a Bay-Wise Master Gardener; nine are client landscapes (6 belonging to local Master Gardeners) and three are non-residential sites. Linda adds, “Our team has been very active this spring. We certified 13 new properties, and thru our increasing outreach we have continued to add to our list of people who are interested in a Bay-Wise visit. We have a strong team that is committed to the Bay-Wise vision and is wonderfully willing to work hard to reach out to our community and share information with them. Along with presentations we have done for local groups, classes we have taught, and setting up (and staffing) our display at public events, we are currently working with a local group that is developing a pilot ‘Neighborhood Rewards’ program to encourage communities to work together to improve our local environment. We hope to make Bay-Wise the backbone of that program.

“Our goals for the remainder of the year include; completing our work to create an organization structure that will effectively support our team efforts, doubling the number of properties we have certified so far this year, continuing to work with the St. Mary’s County Public School System to certify our local school properties, and setting up a system to stay in touch with our local Bay-Wise families. We would love for them to see the Bay-Wise Certification process, as just the first step on the ‘Best Management Practices’ path, and one that will become the foundation of a safe, effective and sustainable landscape.”

Talbot Chair, Lynn Freeburger, reports there are now 16 active committee members. In the first half of the year the committee certified nine landscapes (six client and three demo) in addition to 30 more consultations that will probably lead to more certifications. The committee reached 100 Easton Elementary School 3rd graders in May with their “From My Backyard to the Bay” program. Lynn added, “This event was the grand finale of our Tred Avon Grant. The 100 third graders learned about non-point pollution, trash, pesticides, storm water run-off and poop and how all of these things impact the Bay.” One impact of the grant was that 79 people had their soil tested. Over 80 per cent of the people had never taken a soil test before. Good job!

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More Assorted Stuff

New Bay-Wise Signs Are Available Due to the demand, we had to order more signs a few months ago. The price has increased by one dollar. So the signs with accompanying post now cost $10.35. When you are ready to order more signs & posts, visit the Bay-Wise website and click on the link For BW MGs Only and cursor down the page to the link where you can download the new order form.

New Bay-Wise MD Yardstick for Non-Residential Landscapes Speaking of signs, many of you have been asking for larger signs and for a new Yardstick specifically for certifying non-residential sites. My workload has not allowed me to address that need so I am asking for your help. Submit your ideas for adapting the current Yardstick to one for non-residential landscapes. I’d like to form a small committee to help move the process along. If you are interested in helping to come up with ideas for the content for the new Yardstick, please contact me at wtm@umd.edu.

Stormwater Management Videos Longtime Bay-Wise Master Gardener, Louisa Thompson was searching for ways to explain storm drains and rain gardens to her 6-year old grandson when she came upon some informative videos. PLEASE NOTE: these videos were made by companies to promote their products. University of Maryland Extension or the Maryland Bay-Wise Landscape Management Program does not endorse any of these products. The graphics may help you visualize how stormwater can move underground. Louisa shares, “Below are links to videos that MGs may find helpful in understanding how to route water to a rain garden. (They don't show rain gardens, just infiltration into a lawn, but it would work the same way.) They're intended for homeowners, I think, or maybe contractors. The first 2-3 videos begin with the same intro (boring) but the remainder is good. http://www.ndspro.com/video-library/training/training-videos/ “For parking lots and new housing developments, there's some inspiring and informative product information at http://www.modularwetlands.com/. These are the type of unit in use in Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA. “I hope you're also familiar with Stuart Echols' website, http://www.artfulrainwaterdesign.net/about . He's a professor at Penn State trying to popularize rain gardens etc., especially by making them beautiful – lots of photos of project examples.”

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August 10, 2012

New USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is Here!

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is now available. You may notice that you are now in a different hardiness zone as compared to the previous map. Hardiness zones are based on the average annual minimum temperatures during the past 30-year period. Our temperatures have been incrementally rising over the past few decades, thus redefining our zones. According to their website, the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service states, “For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and as static images for those with slower Internet access. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area. “No posters of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map have been printed. But state, regional, and national images of the map can be downloaded and printed in a variety of sizes and resolutions.” Visit http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov to see and download your new map.

Interested in Planting Trees? The Maryland Urban and Community Forest Committee (MUCFC) is a volunteer group of citizens, professionals, and government officials united

to protect and enhance Maryland's forest ecosystems. MUCFC is a sub-committee of the Maryland Association of Forest Conservancy District Boards. Every county in the state has a Forestry Board. The primary functions of the Committee are to 1.) Promote and coordinate the Maryland Community PLANT award program that officially recognizes communities planting and caring for trees, and 2.) Administer grants to communities, through their local Forestry Boards, that promote planting and care of trees. If you are interested and would like more information about membership, please contact Wayne Lucas, 301-324-2684 or me, at 410-531-5973. If you are interested in applying for a grant of up to $1,500, or learning more about MUCFC, visit: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/programs/urban/mcfc.asp

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Pesticide Stewardship Website According to its website, the National Science Foundation Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM) was established in 1991 to coordinate technology development, program implementation, training, and public awareness for IPM at the state, regional, and national level. They developed a multi-functional website that includes all the information a homeowner needs to know about pesticides. Check it out at: http://pesticidestewardship.org/Pages/default.aspx Cursor down near the bottom of the left side menu to see the section on homeowners. Find useful fact sheets here.

Is Your Landscape Certified? Are you among the few, the proud, the “certified?” Has your landscape been certified as Bay-Wise yet? If you answered “no” to these two questions, it is time to move into action. One of the successful indicators of the Bay-Wise Landscape Management Program is to have all Bay-Wise Master Gardeners’ landscapes certified as demonstration landscapes. So far there are 360 “demo landscapes” throughout the state. If yours isn’t one of them, and you know who you are, contact your county’s Bay-Wise committee chair to set up an appointment. The process is easy & fun and one of the rewards is increased visibility in your neighborhood as an expert on ecologically sound landscaping.

Contact Information wtm@umd.edu 410-531-5973 11975 Homewood Road Ellicott City, MD 21042 www.baywise.umd.edu

Wanda MacLachlan