Despite being scruffy, warty, and alien-looking, common elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a magnificent shrub. It is hugely beneficial to pollinators and other wildlife and produces a fruit that is prized for food and medicine alike. Elderberry is also incredibly hardy, fast-growing, and prolific, making it a surefire choice for restoration plantings. Though it is
Environmental educators from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the James River Park System are thrilled to be working together to bring an after-school program to Richmond Public Schools (RPS) students next year. Middle school students that pick the STEM based program will experience learning outdoors and examine what role they play in their community to protect the James River. Thanks to a recent grant to the Alliance, funded by NAAEE and NOAA, the educators will run the program through the 21st Century Community Learning Center partner, NextUp RVA. The program has unique features including a TopoBox and a visit to see the Science on a Sphere!
Dairy farming is not only very physical and demanding work, but also a very stressing one. Not surprisingly, the number of dairy farms is decreasing according to the last Ag Census. But more sadly, the average age of farmers (57.5 years) keeps climbing. This shows us that there are less and less Americans interested in
Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program "What a friend we have in a tree, the tree is the symbol of hope, self improvement and what people can do for themselves." - Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and founder of the Green Belt Movement Often when we talk about trees, we
Gregory (Greg) Wims is a local businessman and community activist who has been on the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Board of Directors for the past three years. Greg has occupied his time quarantining during COVID-19 by keeping himself busy with his day job in construction, as well as with his volunteer activism work. In
Katie Register is the executive director of Clean Virginia Waterway (CVW), a program of Longwood University in Virginia, which is affiliated with the Ocean Conservancy. Much like the Alliance’s Project Clean Stream, CVW has pioneered work in preventing litter and trash from entering our rivers and the ocean. I asked Katie to tell me about
Carmera Thomas-Wilhite is this month’s Year of the Woman feature! Carmera works at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as the Baltimore Program Manager. I asked Carmera how she became interested in the environmental field and to tell me a little bit more about how she got to where she is today. She told me that a
I had the privilege to be part of the 20th cohort of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute (VNRLI) for the past nine months. On paper, VNRLI is a professional development program for leaders who seek new skills in conflict resolution and collaborative problem solving. We covered an array of topics during our six meeting
Three longtime LGAC members share their approach to community engagement.
“From working with new partners, providing training about using the outdoors as an extension to classroom learning to providing MWEE experiences in an after-school setting, I feel hopeful about this opportunity. Despite all the challenges we face in 2020-2021 school year, we will continue to empower students and teachers in RPS to make tough environmental decisions and build a resilient community,” said Meredeth Dash, RiverWise Schools Project Coordinator for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
The Alliance is excited to welcome two new faces! Jake Solyst joins us as the Web Content Specialist for the Chesapeake Bay Program Communications Office, and Lydia Martin joins us as our Green Infrastructure Coordinator in our Pennsylvania office. Jake Solyst has several years of content production and social media experience, and while he dabbles
The mission of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is to bring together communities, companies, and conservationists to improve our lands and waters. As an organization, we know we must do a better job of addressing social injustices through our work to restore our Watershed. The Alliance has taken purposeful steps to raise awareness around and address diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice issues and opportunities internally for several years. These are the Alliance’s commitments to our staff, partners, and constituents to continue to advance these efforts in the immediate future.
