Chapters in Maryland

BUILDING A POND FOR WILDLIFE
Sarah Witcher---Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Sarah Witcher is a Wildlife Biologist and Educator for the Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service.  In this role, she serves as the state coordinator for the Project WILD K-12 curriculum program, on the state committee for the Envirothon high school competition, and as a leader and public speaker for the Wild Acres backyard habitat program.  She also writes for outreach publications in multiple formats and supports the Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species research and management efforts of the Natural Heritage Program.

Sarah will be covering some basics of creating great wildlife habitat, with an in-depth focus on backyard ponds and other water sources.

AGENDA
12:00 - 12:30pm  - Set-up/Registration/Socializing/Informal Seed Share*
12:30 - 1:00pm - General Chapter Announcements
1:00 - 2:00pm  - Guest Speaker
2:00 -   2:30pm -  Socializing/Clean-up/Informal Seed Share*

*Before/after the event there will be a table set up to share native plant seeds. Please bring seeds or winter sowing containers (especially translucent plastic 1 gallon milk/water jugs) to share if you have them. You are welcome to take seeds regardless of if you have any to share.

Join Wild Ones Greater Baltimore for our annual meeting! Members and non-members alike are invited. 

We have a full agenda including:

Mix & mingle with bagles and coffee

Native seed share

WO Greater Baltimore year-end review

Board Elections

Guest speaker Nancy Lawson, a nature writer, habitat consultant and author of “The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife” and “Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and Other Sensory Wonders of Nature”.

Maryland food bank donation collection

We hope to see you there!

Field day! Activity partners: Caroline County Maryland Bird Club (a chapter of Maryland Ornithological Society and Sanctuary manager), Maryland Native Plant Society    

Day-of contact information: Chapter President Concetta Gibson, 410-216-4621

Wild Ones Delmarva has identified a stand of Japanese knotweed growing along the road at Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary - and it is starting to seed and creep into the sanctuary. We will be assisting the Bird Club and MNPS in preventing the knotweed from reseeding into the preserve, as well as cleaning up any roadside trash.

You'll learn:

- How to identify Japanese knotweed
- Why it negatively impacts our landscape 
- How it spreads
- Removing it without accidentally spreading the seed 

Other activities while we are there: Spend a few minutes birdwatching with Bird Club members, see the Gravelly Branch creek of the Choptank River, and see some fall native species such as blooming wild asters and a gorgeous stand of golden-leafed spicebush shrubs.

Instructions: Please meet us at the address listed here and park along the roadside area. We will be working roadside and not leaving the trailhead entrance area, so no major hiking required. This is not a busy road but cars do drive by. 

What you can bring, if you can: (we will provide trash bags and limited additional supplies)

- Dress for the weather and walking through some sparse vegetation
- Stable shoes or boots/leg protection
- Garden gloves
- Loppers or hand clippers
- Trash grabbers 
- Water
 

About Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary:

In 1972, the Maryland Ornithological Society purchased this approximately 60-acre property using a bequest from Mrs. Myrtle Pelot of Ridgely, Maryland. Originally, the land was part of an old mill property with Draper Mill Road forming the dam, which impounded Gravelly Branch. The dam washed out in 1937, and the rich pond sediments now support a thriving forest. It is located in the Red Bridges area of the Choptank River, an area that local birders have enjoyed for years. This Sanctuary is an oasis for flowers, birds, and other fauna in the midst of a predominantly agricultural area.

Free, advance registration is required. Join author and climate activist Mike Tidwell for a discussion of his new book, The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street. Through a story of his own Takoma Park neighborhood, Tidwell explores the local impacts of climate change, while also highlighting stories of resilience, community action, and environmental hope.

Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event and the author will be signing. The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue is also for sale in the Adkins Arboretum Gift Shop.

A presentation of the Ecological Landscaping Speaker Series & Native Garden Tours:

In 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, Adkins Arboretum received funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) to provide outreach and education to local Homeowner Associations (HOAs) and the general public, supporting environmentally friendly landscaping practices. 

This series was developed by building on the Naturally Better Landscaping project, in partnership with ShoreRivers, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Pickering Creek, Phillips Wharf, and Wild Ones Delmarva. It is offered free of charge thanks to funding from CBT and Queen Anne’s County, and open to the general public.

Join us for our annual chapter meeting.

Our annual meeting agenda will include - annual Board of Directors election results, membership report, financial report, and a summary of our year’s activities, including public outreach, habitat impact, education, advocacy, and collaborations. We also hope to share a preview of our “Year in Review” video.

Registration is required in advance for this meeting. To register, visit:
https://wildones-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/pPWPh0rpRtmzvNuRVc0MVA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.