WATERSHED CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION: Planning for our future, we must support the sustainable use of our natural resources. In Frederick County, that means paying close attention to the health and vitality of the Monocacy River and Catoctin Creek watersheds. Both water bodies run through our county on their way to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. The lifestyles we choose and land decisions we make affect the drinking water quality and supply as well as aquatic plant and animal diversity of the entire Bay watershed. Community Commons supports a Watershed Conservation and Education Program to protect and restore the Monocacy River and Catoctin Creek watersheds by offering environmental education and meaningful, outdoor experiences to residents, young and old. Our projects include . . .

Seed Growout Stations - In an effort to protect local streamside habitat, Community Commons works with the Potomac Conservancy as a dropoff station for seeds collected for their Growing Native program. Every fall, thousands of Growing Native volunteers collect native hardwood tree seeds. Since 2001, volunteers in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. have collected more than 94,000 pounds of seeds and helped restore hardwood forests along nearly 800 miles of streamside land. The demand for native trees is growing all the time, and we need volunteers this fall to continue the progress. Once the trees are grown (in seed growout stations) they are planted along nearby streams in need of restoration. Take a look at our fact sheet.

Schoolyard Habitat Restoration: With a grant from the NOAA, the Frederick County Public School System has asked Community Commons to help with their outreach. These projects satisfy the requirements for a Meaningful Bay Experience. Restoring schoolyards to their natural setting with trails and hands-on learning areas helps more students experience the outdoors and discover their local watershed.

Monocacy River Trail - Sponsored by Senator Sarbanes and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, this canoe and kayak trail provides access points and educational signage along the river from Route 77 (east of Thurmont) to the Potomac River. Plans are in development for a marker on the Monocacy River at the Monocacy National Battlefield. A map and trail guide is available for free by contacting Community Commons at 301-662-3000 or by email info@communitycommons.org. To view a cropped image of the map, please click here. (Sorry, we do not have a digital version.)

REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE:Maintaining a healthy balance between our social and natural resources is challenging with current growth projections and our proximity to major metropolitan areas. Pressures on our land base, water supply, and sense of community will continue. Our Regional Sustainability and Quality of Life Program offers workshops, field excursions, lectures and professional publications for residents and local decision makers to learn from our region's prominent history while focusing on development of a sustainable future. Our projects include . . .

Frederick County Health Care Coalition
Community Commons was asked to join this group whose goal is to improve availability and accessibility to quality health care in Frederick County. An alliance of medical, social, governmental, and independent representatives have come together to plan a survey of the population to determine the needs of the county, and use that information to propose solutions to the problems revealed by the data. Four areas have been targeted: Needs Assessment, Prescription Drugs, Availability, and Affordability. Several thousand residents will be contacted by telephone, and the results will be reported to the Coalition. The Board of County Commissioners, the Health Department, Frederick Memorial Hospital, and the Health Care Coalition sponsor the survey.

Click here to view a new Prescription Assistance Resource Guide is now available directly on the Web. This will download as an Adobe file and requires Adobe Reader.

"Stories Told from the Land: This comprehensive publication introduces the compelling natural, ecological, and cultural histories of our region to area residents. Our hope is that residents will feel a sense of place and belonging to Frederick County's significant Monocacy and Catoctin watersheds after reading the story. It is available free to new members or with a $15 donation to Community Commons.

Building a Greener Future for Frederick County lecture and workshop series - To educate residents and empower local decision makers, we provide information on several pertinent aspects of home maintenance.

For more information, please click on the fact sheets below.
• Harvesting Rainwater using Rainbarrels
• Natural Household Cleaners
• Composting: Do the Rot Thing
• Maintaining your Lawn while Protecting Water Quality
• Gardening with Native Plants
• Design and Construction of a Rain Garden

Building a Greener Lifestyle workshops to enrich your life and change your home - Teaching residents the benefits of keeping a "green" home is the goal of this workshop series. Topics have included rain barrel and rain garden construction, composting, lawn care, native plant landscaping, and natural home cleaners.

Teaching residents the benefits of keeping a "green" home is the goal of this workshop series. Topics have included rain barrel and rain garden construction, composting, lawn care, native plant landscaping, and natural home cleaners.

For more information or to make arrangements for a workshop call: 301-662-3000, or email: info@communitycommons.org.

CONSERVATION NETWORK: We work with a diversity of partners in business, academia, government, and other nonprofits to achieve conservation success. Here are several of our collaborative efforts . . .

Earth Day Festival: Community Commons host an Annual Earth Day Festival in Baker Park. Specific activities change from year to year...keep in touch for details.

Kids Conservation Club
Community Commons worked with the Frederick Conservation Network, under the direction of John Smucker, and the Environmental Management office of Ft. Detrick to stabilize the streambank of Carroll Creek along Ft. Detrick's property, and create a riparian buffer through a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

Service Learning Advisory Board (SLAB)-In the Streets
Community Commons is partnering with SLAB and MOMs grocery to collect and recycle bottles and cans during In the Streets this year. Look for the "Fredrecycle" signs and help SLAB keep the city cleaner and earn some funds for their group.

Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) Project for Lower and Upper Monocacy Region: Community Commons was selected to be the Outreach Partner for the Upper and Lower Monocacy WRAS Projects. The WRAS is a state run effort through the Dept. of Natural Resources that gives funding and technical support to counties for watershed assessment and planning. The DNR staff collects three types of data about the watershed. First, they perform a Stream Corridor Assessment, where they walk 100 miles of streams in the watershed area and look for problem areas. Fish blockages, eroding banks, pipe outfalls, strange odors and inadequate forested buffers are some of the things they look for. The second type of data is called a Synoptic Survey. This effort includes water monitoring at 60-80 sites where they look for macroinvertebrates (insects you can see with the naked eye) and fish populations. Lastly, they compile a Watershed Characterization utilizing current and historic land use information. GIS maps are produced for use of the County and Steering Committee.

The Lower Monocacy Watershed Plan is available at www.dnr.state.md.us. Search for WRAS and read more about this program at the State of Maryland.