CHESTERTOWN — Washington College’s Center for Environment & Society, in collaboration with the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and ShoreRivers, has announced its proposal for a five-year pilot program aimed at advancing conservation and restoration efforts in Maryland.
The Langford Watershed Alliance will focus its efforts on the Langford Creek watershed in Kent County. The initiative seeks to implement best management practices that support water quality improvement and habitat restoration, working directly with agricultural landowners to create impactful, cost-effective solutions that can drive rapid and systemic environmental benefits.
Kent County and watershed-based landowners are encouraged to sign a letter of support, which expresses their willingness to collaborate with the Langford Watershed Alliance.
Many already have pledged to partner on this alliance, however, landowner support and involvement in this project is critical for success, according to a Washington College news release.
If you are interested, contact Chelsea Peters at cpeters4@washcoll.edu by Nov. 30.
“With landowner support, this project can achieve transformative outcomes for both water quality and ecosystem health in our region,” Peters, director of the Watershed Innovation Lab at the college’s CES, said in the news release Monday, Nov. 18.
Peters said landowners in the Langford Creek watershed have a “unique opportunity” to participate in and shape conservation efforts that directly affect their land and community.
According to the news release, Peters’ recent appointment marks a significant step forward for the Center for Environment & Society.
A hydrologist passionate about water resources and climate change, she plans to revitalize the Watershed Innovation Lab and involve students in hands-on research projects. This includes building weather stations, deploying monitoring buoys and mapping shallow water habitats.
Find out more about the Watershed Innovation Lab on the CES webpage, https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/ces/watershed-innovation-lab.php.
****
The Whole Watershed Act (SB 969/HB 1165) establishes a highly collective, science-based approach that promotes innovative solutions to waterway restoration efforts.
The new law will use existing state funds to create a Whole Watershed Fund targeting five Maryland watersheds that best represent the state’s diverse land uses, geographies and impairments.
A direct reply to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee’s Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response report, the pilot projects will address multiple restoration and conservation benefits, including water quality, increased public access, wildlife habitat, fisheries improvement, environmental justice and climate resiliency.
Selected projects will be overseen by a state management team to help find efficiencies in project permitting and funding, and to measure project results.
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the state management team — including experts from the Maryland departments of Agriculture, Emergency Management, Environment, Natural Resources and Planning, along with the Critical Area Commission — will select watersheds to include one in a predominantly urban area; one in a predominantly suburban area; two reducing runoff in a predominantly agricultural area; and one with a collaborative effort with an adjoining state.
At least two of the five selected watersheds must be located within and provide benefit to overburdened or underserved communities.