Posted by chris on July 24, 2010
Take a walk along the Bay with Smithsonian Marine Biologist Denise Breitburg and Chesapeake Bay Foundation Grassroots Restoration Coordinator Marcy Damon
Take a walk in the Woods with Appalachian Trail hiker and naturalist Carolyn Ebel
Join us to explore Bay wildlife, the shoreline, native plants, and forests where Parkers Creek runs into the Bay
August 28, 2010
10 am – noon
Port Republic, MD
*This event is a special thank-you incentive to all new members who join the American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT) between July 20 and August 28, 2010 (and to current members who recruit a new member)
ACLT has preserved 3,000 acres and maintains over 15 miles of trails in Calvert County.
Canoe – explore – hike – volunteer – participate
Annual membership for individuals or families – only $35
For more information
contact Joy
410-414-3402
email: info@acltweb.org
www.acltweb.org
Posted by chris on July 13, 2010
CALL FOR ENTRIES
JANSSON PRIZE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING
Sponsored by
The Potomac River Association
and
The Center for the Study of Democracy
The Potomac River Association (PRA) in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at St. Mary’s College of Maryland is pleased to hold the first annual competition for the Jansson Prize for Environmental Writing. Dedicated to the memory of Holger, Mary and Eric Jansson and their contributions to the betterment of the environment and culture of St. Mary’s County, the prize will be awarded each year to the best essay on important topics related to the environment and environmental affairs.
The 2010 topic asks for essays reflecting on the relationship between property rights and Maryland’s critical areas regulations.
Download Full Details from potomacriverassociation.org
Posted by chris on July 12, 2010
HEALTHY PLATE, HEALTHY PLANET!
Take the Buy Local Challenge July 17 – 25, 2010
What if you could make one simple change every day for a week that would have a positive impact on your health, your local economy and the health of the planet? Join the thousands across Maryland who will take the Buy Local Challenge (“I pledge to eat at least one item from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week”) from July 17 – 25 and enjoy food that’s fresh and nutritious while you support local farmers.
The Buy Local Challenge (always the last full week in July) will celebrate its fourth anniversary in 2010. One of several SMADC programs geared to boost the local farm economy the Challenge was designed to highlight the environmental, health and economic benefits farms provide. Participants are encouraged to shop at farms, farm stands, farmers’ markets and grocers that offer locally grown food and wine, and dine at restaurants that include local farm food and wine in their menus.
“The Buy Local Challenge is gaining incredible momentum,” said Christine Bergmark, executive director of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC). “It’s easy for anyone to make this simple commitment; individuals, families, even businesses and institutions”, she commented. “But our goal is also to remind people that local farms need consumer support to thrive and ensure they survive for future generations. We see this Buy Local Challenge concept spreading beyond Maryland and continuing to fuel the growing trend toward healthy choices for ourselves and our planet.”
The Buy Local Challenge Web site www.buy-local-challenge.com includes an interactive feature that allows participants to make a more official commitment to ‘take the challenge and be counted’ by adding their name to the up-to-the-minute tally of people who have pledged to eat local during the 2010 Buy Local Week. Those who take the official pledge receive a personalized, downloadable certificate.
There are many ways to get involved in the Buy Local Challenge beyond taking the pledge and shopping for locally grown food during Buy Local Week. Many restaurants and stores are featuring ‘local’ menus and locally grown foods and wines, and businesses and organizations are encouraging members to take the challenge as a group. Close to one third of Maryland’s hospitals participated in the 2009 Buy Local Challenge offering locally grown food in their cafeterias and hosting farmers’ markets on their premises during Buy Local Week.
The Buy Local Challenge Web site also incorporates a separate, interactive sub-site (the BLC Online Community) designed to host user-generated content. This site allows users from anywhere in the nation to upload information about BLC events, submit photos, tips or recipes, to chat or generally interact with other users across the country. Participants can also download free resource material including official BLC logo files, fliers and generic press releases. This sets the stage for a cohesive nationwide annual observance of Buy Local Challenge Week throughout the U.S.
The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) was established to promote diverse, market-driven agricultural enterprises, which coupled with agricultural land preservation, will preserve Southern Maryland’s environmental resources and rural character while keeping the region’s farmland productive and the agricultural economy vibrant. To learn more about additional programs and resources, contact SMADC, P. O. Box 745, Hughesville, MD 20637; phone: 301-274-1922; fax: 301-274-1924; email cbergmark@smadc.com; or visit www.smadc.com.
Posted by chris on
Coming Up Saturday, July 24, 2010
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Join the Vine Vindicator Crew as they work to remove non-native invasive plants species such as Bamboo, Oriental Bittersweet, Wineberry, Multi flora Rose, and Tree of Heaven. Please bring work gloves and loppers or clippers if you have them. Tools and water will be available if you need them. Meet at the ACLT south side trailhead barn on Scientists’ Cliffs Road, Port Republic across from Gate A.
Please contact Joy Woppert at the office at 410-414-3400 or land@acltweb.org, to RSVP and get directions. This will help us keep you posted of last minute changes. Work day may cancel due to extreme weather conditions.
Posted by chris on June 27, 2010
Savor St. Mary’s Restaurant Week
Treat your taste buds to local flavor!
JULY 25 – AUGUST 8, 2010
During Restaurant Week, enjoy dishes at participating local restaurants prepared fresh with ingredients from our area’s farms, waterways and vineyards.
Monetary contributions generated by Restaurant Week will go to support our two local soup kitchens, St. Mary’s Caring and Loaves & Fishes, which provide food to our community’s hungry.
Our inventive chefs are proud to present their culinary creations! Click here to find a participating restaurant.
For information on all there is to see and do in St. Mary’s County, visit www.VisitStMarysMd.com.
Gearing up for “Savor St. Mary’s” with Giveaways Great Menus and More!
For release June 24, 2010 – Local restaurants, caterers and food service providers throughout St. Mary’s County are preparing menus featuring items fresh from local farms, waterways and vineyards in support of the inaugural “Savor St. Mary’s” Restaurant Week, July 25 – August 8, 2010.
“Savor St. Mary’s” is an initiative highlighting a truly local food chain. The local farms are providing fresh seasonal items to the region’s locally owned restaurants who produce tasty dishes for customers to enjoy while making financial donations to help kitchen ministries feed the area’s hungry.
Each participating restaurant is making a financial donation to two area food pantries and kitchens; “St. Mary’s Caring” in Lexington Park, MD and the “Loaves and Fishes” ministry at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Leonardtown, MD, which provide food to the community’s hungry and homeless.
Incentives and giveaways are also a part of Restaurant Week including ticket packages to a variety of food-related events; Taste of St. Mary’s, St. Mary’s County Fair, Riverside WineFest, St. Mary’s County Oyster Festival; a drawing for the “Feel the Local Love” giveaway which includes wine from the Port of Leonardtown Winery, oysters from Circle “C” Oyster Ranch and a series of dinners specially prepared by Chesapeake Cuisine “personal chef”. There is also a special Leonardtown First “Foodie” Friday with Lucie Snodgrass signing copies of her book ”Dishing Up Maryland” along with St. Mary’s featured chefs and a chance to win the “Portable Feast Giveaway” planned for August 6th.
Details on these incentives as well as profiles on the chefs, featured dishes, the area growers and other food related events and celebrations are found by visiting www.savorstmarys.com.
This comprehensive website will continue to evolve and serve as an ongoing “Virtual Table” for all local culinary events and activities throughout the year and for the next “Savor St. Mary’s” Restaurant Week planned for Feb 15 – 28, 2011 which will feature the best of local seafood and area wine.
A collaboration between locally-owned restaurants, St Mary’s County Department of Economic and Community Development/Division of Tourism, Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) as well as locally-owned small businesses and community-minded individuals, “Savor St. Mary’s” was conceived in order to offer support to local agriculture, promote the area’s independent small businesses, and give back to the community.
For information on how to participate in “Savor St. Mary’s,” contact
Rebecca Deprey, Tourism Coordinator, St. Mary’s County DECD,
301-475-4200 x 1404 or Rebecca.Deprey@stmarysmd.com
Media Contact: Katherine Stormont of Full Stride Communications at 240.577.2374 or fullstridecom@me.com
Posted by chris on June 15, 2010
Saturday, June 26th
3pm – 6pm
Join the American Chestnut Land Trust as we depart from Warrior’s Rest Sanctuary and enjoy a scenic tour of Parkers Creek. Tour will launch from Warrior’s Rest in Port Republic, MD. The trip is $10 per person and reservations are required. Please register online at www.acltweb.org or call 410-414-3400. Please note that canoe trips are physically strenuous and experience is recommended. No children under 5 or pets allowed.
Posted by chris on
The 2010-11 So Maryland, So Good Farmers’ Market Guide is now available through the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC). The new guide includes 29 Southern Maryland Farmers’ Markets located in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties as well as other markets in Washington DC and Virginia that feature Southern Maryland farm vendors.
The Farmers’ Market Guide lists the market contact details, location and the days and hours of operation; additionally individual market Web site addresses are included so that consumers can find out more about their local markets. Many market Web sites now offer weekly newsletters with information on their farmers and their growing practices, plus weekly ‘what’s new at market’ produce updates and great recipe ideas for fresh farm foods.
The Farmers’ Market guide also features a unique regional harvesting chart that makes it easy for Southern Maryland residents find out when seasonal favorites will be available at their most delicious peak. Southern Maryland’s markets offer a wide range of farm products year round including produce, meats, eggs, cut flowers and potted plants, local honey, jellies, jams and baked goods. A trip to a farmers’ market makes a wonderful family outing and is a great way to teach children about healthy eating habits and how important farms are to our communities and the environment.
The handy print version of the guide is free and available while stocks last at Southern Maryland farmers’ markets and regional public libraries, or call (301) 274-1922 for a list of additional pick-up sites. The guide can be downloaded at www.somarylandsogood.com or www.smadc.com.
The Farmer’s Market Guide is one of many resources created by SMADC in support of regional agriculture to assist local farm-based businesses in their continued growth and commercial viability. A related effort is the upcoming state-wide Buy Local Challenge Week (July 17 – 25). Marylanders are challenged to pledge to eat at least one locally grown item per day for a week. To participate in the Buy Local Challenge, simply visit www.buy-local-challenge.com for more information and links to local farms, farmers markets, menu ideas and shopping tips, and special Buy Local Challenge Week events.
The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) was established to promote diverse, market-driven agricultural enterprises, which coupled with agricultural land preservation, will preserve Southern Maryland’s environmental resources and rural character while keeping the region’s farmland productive and the agricultural economy vibrant. To learn more about additional programs and resources, contact SMADC, P. O. Box 745, Hughesville, MD 20637; phone: 301-274-1922; fax: 301-274-1924; email cbergmark@smadc.com; or visit www.smadc.com.
Posted by chris on June 13, 2010
Coming Up Saturday, June 19, 2010
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Join the Vine Vindicator Crew as they work to remove non-native invasive plants species such as Bamboo, Oriental Bittersweet, Wineberry, Multi flora Rose, and Tree of Heaven. Please bring work gloves and loppers or clippers if you have them. Tools and water will be available if you need them. Meet at the ACLT south side trailhead barn on Scientists’ Cliffs Road, Port Republic across from Gate A.
Please contact Joy Woppert at the office at 410-414-3400 or land@acltweb.org, to RSVP and get directions.
Posted by chris on May 30, 2010
As we get closer to elections this year The Maryland League of Conservation Voters is hosting a training with the Alliance for Justice (Lawyers) that will address the questions of what your organization, as a c-3, a c-4 or a PAC can and cannot do around elections and lobbying.
Link to register- It’s Free: http://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/288/personal2.asp?formid=meetlcv&c=3384448
Posted by chris on May 11, 2010
Join the American Chestnut Land Trust and our Vine Vindicator crew as they work to remove non-native invasive plant species such as bamboo, Oriental bittersweet, wineberry, multiflora rose, and tree of heaven. Bring work gloves and loppers or clippers. Tools and water will be available. Meet at the ACLT south side trailhead barn on Scientists’ Cliffs Road in Port Republic (across from Gate A). Contact Joy Woppert at 410-414-3400, or email volunteer@acltweb.org to RSVP and get directions.
