CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
Provides information about and promotes sustainable gardening, native plants, and the preservation of our natural resources; partners with several youth groups and community organizations for projects.
The Hickory Environmental Educational Center meadow is now thriving and beautiful! What a
successful garden this has become.
successful garden this has become.
The Conservation Committee’s newest project was to establish a native pollinator meadow at the Hickory Environmental Education Center. It was a collaborative effort by Northern High carpentry students who constructed the fence; Northern High science students who did all of the planting, and MLGC who worked with the science teacher to prepare the soil, design the meadow and coordinate everything during April and May of 2022. The meadow will serve as a demonstration garden for all the Garrett County Students who visit Hickory during the school year for their science curriculum.
Another project of the Conservation Committee was to create a large rain garden at the Sang Run State Park in June of 2019 that serves as an ongoing educational project for the Junior Rangers, local public- school children, and those visiting the park. This project was funded by three grants MLGC received: one each from the State of Maryland, Espoma Plant America, and Ames Tools PLANT AMERICA. The rain garden demonstrates how to deal with storm water runoff using the proper native plants. This is another partnership with MD DNR staff to promote and participate in different projects going on at the park. In 2022, interpretive signage was added to the rain garden and three other areas of the park to highlight and explain the meadow, pollinator plants and wildlife. This was made possible by a grant from Garrett Heritage, and donations from Park Volunteers and MLGC.
The Conservation Committee established a partnership with Friendsville Elementary School. The committee chair consulted with the principal and the committee guided the students in planting a rain garden to mitigate storm water runoff from the parking lot to the playing field in May of 2021. This project was in conjunction with funding and support from the Yough Glades Chapter of the DAR.
The Conservation Committee has partnered with the Environmental Science teachers and students at Northern Garrett High School to plan, supervise, and maintain various native plant projects with the students since 2014. We have constructed a large demonstration meadow garden; provided guidance in wetland replanting and restoration; and helped students construct and plant a memorial flower garden.
MLGC Conservation Committee members helped Maryland Conservation Corp young people plant 14 fruit trees at Sang Run State Park. We planted apple, plum and pear trees. Several of the trees had a few blooms and they were already being visited by pollinators!! They hope to expand the orchard and will fence in the perimeter at that time.
The Conservation Committee has partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff at the Discovery Center assisting elementary students with activities about pollinators and their plants during field trips to the center in May and June. The students are from Garrett and Allegany County public schools.
More pictures of our many conservation projects
