NWF’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Center has launched an effort to certify the City of Baltimore as a Community Wildlife Habitat (CWH) as part of a larger initiative to create a ring of certified wildlife habitats around the Chesapeake Bay. Recently the City of Annapolis and the town of Centreville became certified as the 71st and 74th Community Wildlife Habitats, respectively. Following NWF guidelines, wildlife enthusiasts and gardeners have restored habitats from an otherwise fragmented landscape and have collectively reduced stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollutants in rivers and streams by minimizing or eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides, conserving water, and installing rain gardens and rain barrels. Baltimore, with a population of approximately 620,000, will become the largest Community Wildlife Habitat within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This initiative will ultimately result in the certification of more than 600 homes, 10 parks, and 6 schools.

 

 

 

 

NWF partnered with MICA to identify the best strategy to activate Baltimore City homeowners (from McElderry Park, Lauraville, Curtis Bay, Pigtown/Washington Village, and Reservoir Hill) to install and maintain rain gardens for the benefit of wildlife, water, and community. MICA worked to develop a strategy and foundation for increasing the adoption of green infrastructure practices on residential properties as it is essential to cleaning up Baltimore’s creeks and streams.