The environmental challenges facing the Chesapeake Bay are familiar to those living along this beautiful waterway. But in Maryland’s northern counties, residents are a bit more removed from the everyday issues of the Bay. So it might surprise the residents of Harford and Northern Baltimore counties that they are part of the problem—and the solution.
In the Gunpowder Watershed, which runs from York County, Pennsylvania through Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford counties, spending time outdoors looks a little different than along the more southern parts of the Chesapeake Bay. Kayaks are more popular than paddleboards, and you’re more likely to see someone flyfishing for brown trout in coldwater streams or trolling for bass along the edges of the Prettyboy Reservoir than harvesting oysters. But the Gunpowder Watershed drains into the Chesapeake, directly connecting the two.
“We may live in different areas, but we still impact one another,” explains Amy Young, communications manager for the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (GVC), a Baltimore County-based land trust and watershed restoration nonprofit organization. “Here in Harford and Baltimore counties, we are part of the Chesapeake Watershed, too—through the Gunpowder.”
The Chesapeake’s Northern Sibling
The Gunpowder Watershed drains 500 square miles from York County, Pennsylvania through Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford counties in Maryland, to the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. These lands and waters are the focus of the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, which works to educate residents about the important role they play in their protection. After all, the Prettyboy and Loch Raven reservoir watersheds provide two-thirds of the drinking water in Baltimore County.
Formed in 1989, GVC is committed to clean water for the two million people who live in, visit, or benefit from the watershed by preserving land, restoring ecosystems, and encouraging people to become environmental stewards. Young, who herself is a former field ecologist, notes that when residents preserve land in the Gunpowder Watershed, they are:
- Protecting our drinking water sources
- Sustaining wildlife habitat
- Enhancing public spaces
- Preserving our agricultural heritage
Among the ways GVC accomplishes these goals is through land preservation, community education, stream restoration, and tree planting.
Focusing on Land and Water
GVC’s dual focus on protecting both land and water sets it apart from other conservancies. “Most organizations focus on one or the other—land conservation or water protection—but here at GVC, we focus on both,” Young explains. “We want people to understand that you cannot protect the water without protecting the land.”
One of the ways GVC does this is through facilitating conservation easements. As of today, the organization has preserved over 1,800 acres of land through easements.
GVC is a heavily volunteer-driven organization, with volunteers ranging from school groups and families to “lifers.” Together, these volunteers have helped GVC plant over 34,000 native trees throughout the Gunpowder Watershed. To ensure that the newly planted trees continue to growth healthy and strong, the organization’s special crew of “tree maintenance” volunteers follow and monitor their growth over a period of three years.
“This spring alone our volunteers protected 2,308 trees by removing 1,850 pounds of invasive plants, such as autumn olive, Japanese stiltgrass, and oriental bittersweet, from the base of the trees,” Young says.
Building Commitment Around Volunteerism
Want to get involved? GVC is preparing a number of exciting events for the upcoming year. This includes reviving its “Explore the Gunpowder” events that have been so successful in the past.
Although the event schedule is not yet finalized, Young explains, the goal is to get people out, connecting with the land, and learning about how their decisions impact the world around them. Among the scheduled events will be GVC’s annual Earth Month tree planting, various workshops, and hikes in locations such as Cromwell Valley Park or Oregon Ridge with GVC staff. Gunpowder Valley Conservancy also plans more community education events like its popular “Buy a Rain Barrel” event.
To learn more, visit gunpowdervalleyconservancy.org or download its 2021 annual report here.
Sustainably,
Bobby Firestein
For our 2023 Ecoprint calendar, Protecting the Natural Beauty of the Chesapeake Bay, we have partnered with 13 different organizations, all dedicated to helping solve the environmental challenges in this important ecological hub. The Gunpowder Valley Conservancy is our featured partner for the month of January. To get your own 2023 Ecoprint calendar, click the button below.