Potomac Watershed Partnership

PARTNER PROJECTS

Calendar of Events
Information Exchanges
Projects
Share your Project Success!

Calendar of Events

All Events

Information Exchanges

Potomac Conservancy coordinates two Information Exchanges per year to promote networking and collaboration between partners; dissemination of innovative tools and project results; and discussion and exchange of ideas and information.

PWP is actively expanding its network of partners and encourages current partners as well as those interested in becoming more active in PWP to attend the Information Exchanges. Presentations from past Information Exchanges can be found here. To find out more about upcoming Information Exchanges, or to sign up for PWP's quarterly e-newsletter, contact the PWP Coordinator

Projects

PWP partners work with private landowners, community organizations, businesses, and governments to undertake a variety of efforts to improve water quality; enhance forest, wetland, and aquatic habitats; restore threatened and endangered species; reduce erosion; and conserve open space.

Goal 1: Increase and spread knowledge through assessment, monitoring, and education

Scientific Monitoring of Streamside Forest Buffers, MD

For the last seven years the Maryland DNR Forest Service, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, has been conducting long-term scientific monitoring of planted streamside forest buffers. The project is being carried out on former pasture lands in Carroll, Frederick and Washington Counties. A total of 34 sites that had been recently been planted in trees through the CREP or similar program have been visited at least 3 times each year to collect data on how well the planting is working to restore forest along these waterways and to protect water quality. Some of the attributes being measured include hourly measure of water temperature, water chemistry characteristics such as nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and pH, stream channel characteristics such as the channel shape and condition of the stream banks and stream bottom, groundcover vegetation and the survival and growth of the planted trees. This data allows us to identify how well these tree planting projects are working, how they are developing and changing over time, and the opportunities for improvement. The data is being analyzed and a report on the results will be forthcoming. It is safe to say that the success of these projects is a mixed bag, with some sites turning out better than others, and some stream attributes being quicker to improve than others.

Passage Creek Report & Assessment, VA
PWP Grants Fund Innovative Grow-out Stations, PA
Cedar Creek Ecological Assessment, VA
Mill Creek Assessment, WV
Plant-A-Seed program, VA

Goal 2: Accelerate riparian and wetland restoration

Runoff Reduction In Bennett Creek, MD

Many communities consider urban parks and golf courses to be “green space,” but these areas can have a damaging effect on streams and habitat. Potomac Conservancy—working with Frederick
County Department of Public Works, Ducks Unlimited, and Natural Resources Conservation Service—is enhancing two wetlands and buffering streams with native grasses and trees on Worthington Manor Golf Course in the Bennett Creek watershed. The goal is to reduce nutrient loads to Bennett Creek and create a model for how to manage golf courses for water quality and wildlife habitat as well as course play and aesthetics. This effort, combined with this past spring’s buffer plantings, will help to buffer nearly a mile of streams in the Bennett Creek watershed from urban and agricultural runoff and create 13 acres of forest.
These projects are possible because of the cooperation of dedicated landowners and the assistance of our local partners. The Conservancy’s projects in the Bennett Creek watershed are funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.e

Trout Unlimited and TMI Collaborate to Plant Native Spruce, WV
Riparian Enhancement and Management Project, MD
Potomac Headwaters Project, WV

Goal 3: Promote land protection and stewardship

Landowners Receive Recognition for Stewardship, VA

While conservation easements are a valuable tool, many land owners also use best management practices on their properties to protect land and water quality. Recent easement donor Wagon Wheel Ranch, a 151-acre beef farm in Frederick County, Virginia, supplements permanent protection with practices such as rotational grazing, off-stream watering for livestock, and streambank fencing. The ranch supports an active beef cattle operation while also protecting 30 forested acres and one mile of frontage along Cedar Creek.
Two easement donors to Potomac Conservancy have been commended recently by the Commonwealth of Virginia for their conservation efforts. David Garms, who donated an easement on his 223-acre Shenandoah County farm in 2004, has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Forestry as a Forest Steward. The award highlights David’s ethical management of his farm’s natural resources. Caroline Stalnaker, owner of Mount Pleasant Farm on Cedar Creek in Shenandoah County, Virginia, was presented with the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award.

Milestones in Permanent Land Protection, VA, WV
Recognizing Watershed Stewards, MD

Goal 4: Enhance forest stewardship and reduce wildfire risk

Frederick City Watershed Crop-Tree Release, MD
Americorps*NCCC, Potomac Conservancy, Maryland DNR- Forest Service, FISTA, National Park Service, and the USDA Forest Service collaborated to train wildfire crews and save local oak trees through crop-tree release. More...

Goal 5: Create more livable communities

FCPS Tree Canopy Goal Update, MD

On April 23, 2008 the Board of Education of Frederick County, Maryland adopted a 20% tree canopy goal for Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS). Potomac Conservancy is continuing to work with Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) to reach their 20% tree canopy goal by 2038. This fall and upcoming spring, we estimate that over 1,000 additional native trees and shrubs will be planted on Frederick County public school grounds thanks to partnerships between Potomac Conservancy, FCPS, and Monocacy & Catoctin Watershed Alliance partners including Maryland DNR- Forest Service. More...

ICPRB Saplings for Watershed-wise Gardens, MD
Baltimore Street Rain Garden, WV
Backyard Buffer Program, MD
Discovering Common Ground Conference, VA

Goal 6: Sustain and Expand Partnerships

Growing Native's "Get Out and Get Nuts" Challenge

It’s time to get outside and start collecting seeds, with Growing Native and Ford’s “Get Out & Get Nuts” Challenge! From September through November, register online and tell us how many pounds of native hardwood seeds you’ve collected. For each pound collected, Ford will contribute one dollar to our tree restoration projects. As a special incentive, the group or individual who collects the most pounds of seeds by November 15 will receive a special award.

Jay Morgan, Ford Motor Company’s Washington representative, says, “Ford is happy to partner with Growing Native to sponsor the ‘Get Out & Get Nuts’ Challenge. Growing Native is a great project that relies on the support of volunteers and their ability to connect with one another and with nature. We at Ford hope that this challenge will inspire individuals and groups to get involved in this and future years.” More...

Information Exchanges

Share Your Project Success with us!
Contact the PWP Coordinator to inform our network of partners and the public about your efforts to protect and restore the watershed.