Thank you to everyone (Nancy, Barb, Kory, Chris, Bob and Alan)  who helped install spigots for the Greenfest rain barrels! Things went smoothly and we were done in an hour!

Alpha Ridge Giveaways

Barb and Radhika will be giving away rain barrels ever Saturday in May to the folks who have already signed up for them.

After a growing season, one of our Master Watershed Stewards (who’s also a Master Gardener) was asked to revisit with a homeowner. There had been a transformation. The homeowner corrected erosion problems identified during the initial Homeowner Interview and Site Assessment (HISA) with suggested new plantings and practices. The result are delightful.

The homeowner stated about their follow-through: “Yes, we incorporated your suggestions into a beautiful landscape plan for our yard. We still need to have some sodding done but otherwise the yard is coming along nicely and I’d say 90-95% of the erosion problem has been resolved.” In addition the homeowners had their lawn service raise the mower decks to mow at 3 to 4 inches to further slow the flow of water.

Clocktower Crossing entered into a mentorship agreement with the Howard County Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA) in September 2022. Resident Teresa Weathington Guzman completed the Master Watershed Steward certification course in the Fall of 2022. The project has been funded by the Howard County Community Stormwater Partnership and serves as Teresa’s Capstone project, which is required to complete the certification program.

Current area versus Planned Shade Garden

This project involves two primary activities that will decrease pollutants in the stormwater that flows from the community directly into the Little Patuxent River.

1. A contractor has been engaged to design and install a new conservation landscape, a rain garden, and up to 20 trees – all using plants that are native to our region.
2. The project will increase resident awareness on storm drains, rain harvesting, and the importance of conservation landscapes and native plants to slow the flow of water in the community. This will be achieved through a resident survey and several events:

• At the project launch BBQ, residents will learn about planned spring/summer activities, discuss best management practice (BMP) installations under design by the contractor, and consult with Master Watershed Stewards and Master Gardeners on how to slow the flow of stormwater.
• In the spring, there will be a series of Pull and Plant events to remove non-native invasive plants at two sites and replace them with native gardens.
• In the summer, the project will host a stormdrain stenciling event.

Stay tuned, Clocktower residents! Watch for Save the Date door hangers and mark project events on your calendars. These activities will be great opportunities to help improve stormwater and erosion issues in the community and to connect with neighbors.

For her WSA class project, Jem explored the neighborhood watershed and engaged her community to improve both her neighbor’s environmental knowledge and the environment. After assessing the area’s streams, nearby waterbodies, and storm drains, Jem did a Neighborhood Source Assessment (NSA) to find the distinctive nature of the community. She found that, like many suburban areas, it has single family homes with lawns and driveways, downspouts discharging on impervious surfaces and about 70% of the properties were impervious surfaces – hardly any areas to slow the flow of stormwater or mitigate the effects of runoff.

Working with seven different neighbors, on Chateau Ridge and Burnside Drives, 33 were trees planted.

Additionally, Jem helped raise awareness about:

• Rain Barrels
• Rain Gardens
• Conservation Landscaping

There will be follow-up to monitor the trees and their health as well as the planting’s ability to slow the flow.

The Watershed Stewards Academy congratulates Jem on her excellent Class Project, her ability to involve her community and her continued work to improve our streams, rivers, and bay.