Over 600 Trees and 3,000 Live Stakes Planted by a Climate Conscious Youth Workforce

By: Michael Augustin, Chesapeake Conservancy

maugustin@chesapeakeconservancy.org

Climate crew members have been trained in tree planting and maintenance to help Maryland communities reach conservation and restoration goals.

Baltimore, MD - The Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition is eager to celebrate a successful first year of their Maryland Climate Crew Network (Climate Crew). Comprised by Defensores de la Cuenca, Grow Home and Howard EcoWorks, the three workforce development hubs have worked together over the past year on environmental restoration projects and community engagement initiatives in Central Maryland. Combined, the three organizations have removed a total of 43,560 square feet of invasive plants and planted over 600 trees, with an emphasis in underserved or overburdened communities. Additionally, over 780 live stakes have been collected and 3,000 planted.

The Climate Crew initiative began in the fall of 2023 as a joint project between Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition and Chesapeake Conservancy with additional support provided by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Funded by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, the Climate Crew employs individuals from historically underserved communities and provides them with green job training, field experience and industry exposure. Each previously mentioned hub organization within the Climate Crew is responsible for cultivating, training and managing cohorts of young adults and underemployed individuals to support the initiative. 

Defensores de la Cuenca Climate Crew members attend training on Poplar Island to learn about environmental restoration and wildlife conservation projects.

Combined, the three hubs have brought on 31 members to serve on their respective teams based throughout Central MD. Of these 31 members, 18 have graduated from the program, with 12 securing full-time employment. All team members involved have had the ability to participate in professional development opportunities to strengthen their leadership skills, interpersonal connections and work ethic. The Climate Crew brings on individuals looking to start their careers, change their paths, develop green skills or gain community connections.

Though local in impact, the Climate Crew values environmental stewardship within communities and can serve as a model for future workforce-based programs or initiatives. Future iterations of the Climate Crew will be able to follow this pilot year as a model for their work. The Climate Crew is recruiting individuals and organizations to expand its hub sites, potential employers and training partners. For more information, contact Emily Morrow at emily.morrow@maryland.gov.

Climate crew members from both Howard EcoWorks and Grow Home attended a teambuilding training at Outward Bound Baltimore in the spring to become better conservation leaders and team members.

“Our hubs are the backbone of the Maryland Climate Crew Network - they understand their communities' unique needs and are driving change from the ground up. Our role is to connect these hubs with resources, projects and employers to help them strengthen their communities, restore the environment and cultivate a skilled green workforce in Central Maryland." – Emily Morrow, Maryland Department of Natural Resource’s green jobs network coordinator

The Maryland Climate Crew Network is Growing a Climate Conscious Workforce for the Chesapeake Bay

By: Michael Augustin, Chesapeake Conservancy

maugustin@chesapeakeconservancy.org

Climate crew members have been trained in tree planting and maintenance to help Maryland communities reach conservation and restoration goals.

The pace and scale of the Chesapeake Bay restoration movement is shifting and expanding. For many years, we’ve seen Bay restoration-related projects rely on large-scale programs and heavy-lifts to reach the restoration goals identified in the Chesapeake Bay Program’s 2014 Watershed Agreement. 2025 will serve as a deadline for many of these markers and identify the work that still needs to be done. Recent assessments from the Chesapeake Bay Program, as recorded on www.chesapeakeprogress.com, reveal that certain objectives, including sustainable fisheries, land conservation and public access, are progressing toward their 2025 goal targets. However, other outcomes, such as vital habitats or healthy watersheds, are not on track.

Though large-scale projects have their benefits and accomplishments, recent small-scale projects have demonstrated the effectiveness and value of localized, partner-driven initiatives. The removal of two Pennsylvanian streams from the impaired waters list, revitalization of community parks and gardens, installation of rain gardens and creation of tree ambassador and planting programs are just a few of the many successful community-led initiatives observed in the Chesapeake Bay region. These accomplishments, though local in impact, signal a turning point for Bay restoration and potential for replication watershed-wide.

The Maryland Climate Crew Network (Climate Crew) is one such project that relies on collaborative, community-led stewardship to drive restoration in Maryland communities. This initiative began in the fall of 2023 as a joint project between Chesapeake Conservancy and the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition. Funded by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, the Climate Crew employs individuals from historically underserved communities and provides them with green job training, field experience and industry exposure.

The Climate Crew is further supported through three workforce development hubs in Central Maryland - Grow Home in South Baltimore, Howard EcoWorks in Howard County and Defensores de la Cuenca in Prince George’s County. These three organizations are responsible for cultivating, training and managing cohorts of young adults and underemployed individuals to support the Climate Crew. Though each hub supports the broad mission of the program, each organization tackles this responsibility through its own implementation of programs and projects.

Defensores de la Cuenca Climate Crew members attend training on Poplar Island to learn about environmental restoration and wildlife conservation projects.

Workforce Development

• “Our hubs are the backbone of the Maryland Climate Crew Network - they understand their communities' unique needs and are driving change from the ground up. Our role is to connect these hubs with resources, projects and employers to help them strengthen their communities, restore the environment and cultivate a skilled green workforce in Central Maryland." – Emily Morrow, Maryland Department of Natural Resource’s green jobs network coordinator

Defensores de la Cuenca is a Latino-led nonprofit that connects Latin@s and Spanish speakers to nature through experiences and opportunities to preserve and defend the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Grow Home is dedicated to building capacity with local leadership and creating employment and recreational opportunities in communities in South Baltimore City by turning neglected green spaces into safe centers of neighborhood activity, exercise and everyday use. Howard EcoWorks restores the environment through plants and people: they train crew members to install and maintain landscapes of native vegetation, plant native trees and manage invasive species. They also run a native plant nursery called Seeds of Change that works in collaboration with the Howard County Department of Corrections to provide training for incarcerated people.

Combined, the three hubs have brought on 31 members to serve on their respective teams based throughout Central MD. Of these 31 members, 18 have graduated from the program, with 12 securing full-time employment. All team members involved have had the ability to participate in professional development opportunities to strengthen their leadership skills, interpersonal connections and work ethic. 

The Climate Crew specifically seeks out candidates who are looking to start their careers, change their paths or gain community connections. Furthermore, these participants develop the green skills and experience necessary to make changes in their communities and neighborhoods and receive exposure to green careers and organizations. The Climate Crew is creating a new generation of workers capable of responding to and resolving environmental issues both watershed-wide and on a local level.

If I had to describe the program in one word, it would be informative - we have learned so much about native plants and local ecology and have received training out in the field and in the classroom. - Abby Lehman, Climate Crew member with Howard EcoWorks

Climate crew members from both Howard EcoWorks and Grow Home attended a teambuilding training at Outward Bound Baltimore in the spring to become better conservation leaders and team members.

In addition to professional development opportunities, the Climate Crew has demonstrated the success and feasibility of the coalition approach to small-scale community restoration. Individually, the three hubs have transformed their community spaces into thriving, productive green spaces through tree plantings, micro-nurseries and community gardens. The combined support and staffing manpower of the three hubs have led to the removal of over 43,560 square feet of invasive plants and the planting of over 600 trees in central Maryland, with an emphasis in underserved or overburdened communities. Additionally, over 780 live stakes have been collected and 3,000 planted, further demonstrating the Climate Crew’s mission of environmental restoration and community engagement.

The value that live stake and tree plantings bring to underserved communities and their tributaries is immense. Live stakes consist of branch cuttings from wetland tree and shrub species that can be planted into the ground alongside streams; they root readily and eventually grow into viable and successful trees. When native vegetation is restored, the entire ecosystem becomes rejuvenated. Soil health improves, local wildlife returns, pollution and erosion are reduced and communities receive a local greenspace for the benefit of their recreation and wellbeing.

Climate Crew members visited Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary to convert an unused vineyard into a garden bed for native sunflowers. These types of restoration projects allow members to learn about community and collaborative conservation efforts.

Though the Climate Crew partnership is only a year in, the effort is well on its way to building a healthier and more equitable Chesapeake Bay, one tree and one person at a time. Local solutions provided by local organizations that know their communities are needed for this next step of Chesapeake Bay restoration. The Climate Crew is accomplishing just that and creating a strong workforce formed by community members. As the Climate Crew expands and changes, it’ll be exciting to see the solutions and remedies posed by the Climate Crew.

Tree plantings are a repeated and necessary project for Climate Crew members, with many trees planted in underserved communities to provide necessary green spaces or along waterways to prevent runoff and stabilize shorelines.

The Climate Crew is recruiting individuals and organizations to expand its hub sites, potential employers and training partners. If you or your organization is interested, please email Emily Morrow at emily.morrow@maryland.gov.

NatureCity Forum Recap

On Thursday November 16 in Baltimore, Maryland 127 people participated in discussions and activities at the first annual NatureCity Forum.  Green Infrastructure and its connection to Community Health dominated many of the conversations, and several of the break out sessions and activities focused on regional planning and local engagement for trails, biodiversity and climate resiliency.  For more information on the day and the partners and people who helped make it happen visit this website. https://sites.google.com/baltimorewilderness.org/naturecity/home

Featured Guests included Florence Williams, Author of The Nature Fix; Dr. Sacoby Wilson, University of Maryland;  Mark Bouman, Chicago Wilderness, The Field Museum and the day featured case studies and stories from:  Philadelphia, Chicago, Prince Georges County, Howard County, Annapolis and Baltimore.  Activities included registering observations on iNaturalist, visiting an urban food system, and hearing from participants in Blue Water Baltimore's Photo Voice project.  Reginald Moore the Baltimore City Director of Recreation and Parks was there to welcome the event and Joanne Throwe the Deputy Secretary of Maryland Department of Natural Resources Kicked off the discussion for the day. 

A follow up survey indicated that over 95% of the attendees would be interested in attending the event again if held on an annual basis.  Participants of the event included professionals from the public health, natural resources, education, planning, energy, Communities and academic research sectors. One participant stated,  "I found this event incredibly insightful and useful. I work in energy, and it crosses paths with many different areas - public health, planning, green initiatives, etc. I walked away with a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the need to incorporate time with nature into one's daily routine".