Maryland Watershed Stewards

I was recently appointed to the Howard County Watershed Stewards Academy’s Advisory Committee and yesterday was my first meeting. I wanted to take a minute and discuss this program and the value it adds to the community.

As I have talked about before, most of Maryland’s land drains into the Chesapeake Bay. Accordingly, it is important that our streams and waterways that drain into the bay are clean and healthy. If not, it can lead to fish kills and eutrophication. And that’s if we don’t just turn the Bay into hazardous waste. The Watershed Stewards are volunteers who help protect the Bay, ensuring the survival of this natural resource.

The Watershed Stewards program is actually run out of the University of Maryland Extension providing local training in about six Maryland counties. The training teaches Master Watershed Stewards how to infiltrate stormwater at the source, reduce pollutants in local waterways, and other actions that can increase the quality of the Chesapeake Bay. Meeting one day a week for about four months, the certification program provides everyone with the fundamentals of watershed management.