Harvesting Change: October Conservation and Growth at EcoWorks

Nov 15, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Jan 29, 2025

The seasons are changing and so are we! In October we completed several conservation landscapes & planted over 100 trees. Don’t miss our updates on the new property and grant opportunities. Let's dive into the details of our impactful October!

Metrics

In October our organization completed the following:

Visited 47 total project sites, including maintenance, tree plantings, and stream restoration sites.
Installed 1,175 sq ft of conservation landscaping.
Installed 884 native perennials.
Planted 102 native trees and shrubs.
Engaged in 12 professional development activities.
Began our move to Holly Hills!

Conservation Projects

Finished Garden with Crew
De-sodding & Prep
Prepping soil and ground
Staging plants
Planting through coir matting

Murray Hill Community | Columbia, MD

We are currently installing three gardens in the Murray Hill community to address erosion and limited vegetation. In October, we completed one garden on the hillside, covering 925 sq ft. This area lies between two existing rain gardens that READY installed in 2018.

To combat erosion the team used coir matting and soil amendment using a biochar and compost blend supported by a Center for Watershed Protection partnership. Additionally, we installed 585 native perennials and 15 native shrubs. Special thanks to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for providing grant funding for this project.

Finished Garden at Stonebrook with Crew
Soil prepping
soil prepping
watering installed plants
Planting
Planting
Finished Garden with ferncing
Finished Garden without Fence
Finished Garden with crew

Stonebrook Community | Columbia, MD

We installed a 250 sq ft conservation landscape as a creekside garden, featuring 80 native perennials and 7 native trees and shrubs. This project was funded by the Howard County Community Stormwater Partnership grant and NFWF.

St. Johns Community Association Tree Planting | Ellicott City, MD

As part of an ongoing initiative across residential properties within the St. John’s Community Association, we planted 69 native trees this month, adding to the 96 planted last month.

This project, funded by NFWF, features a variety of tree species, including bald cypress, black gum, American hornbeam, red maple, river birch, serviceberry, swamp white oak, and sweet bay magnolia.

Emmanuel United Methodist Church

We planted 10 native trees featuring: dogwood, black gum, redbud, river birch, and swamp white oak. This project was funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

Professional Development & Green Industry Exposure

October was packed with professional development opportunities for our seasonal crews (UpLift and Maryland Conservation Corps) and several senior crew and staff. Our mission emphasizes team career growth and creating opportunities through our workforce development programs, so let’s dive into the month’s activities!

Charlie & Abby
Prof Development ideas
UpLift & Maryland Service Year
Marvin & Joshua
Prof Dev group
Abby & Charlie

Professional Development Day #2 & #3: Programs Coordinator, Matt Hemler, led career-focused sessions with our seasonal crews, covering career planning, job searching, networking, resume writing, time management, and setting SMART goals.

Bee pollinating
Crew member identifying plants
Uplift Crew member (Charlie) identifying plants
Crew member identifying plants
Crew members at nursery identifying plants for plant ID training

Native Plant ID Lesson #3 & #4: Seasonal crew members received additional training in native plant identification with guidance from Matt Hemler and Natural Resources Specialist, Zsuzsanna Cooke.

Native Seed Collection Training & Field Practice: Seasonal and senior crew members participated in native seed collection training, preparing them for upcoming seed processing activities with Operations Director, Genevieve Simard.

BMP Assessment Training with Matt Hemler

BMP Inspection Training: Matt Hemler facilitated a BMP (Best Management Practices) inspection training with our seasonal crews at Deering Woods Community. They used our triennial inspection form to assess rain gardens and conservation landscapes. BMPs in our field include conservation practices that slow down, capture, or filter stormwater. These regular inspections are essential for monitoring long-term success.

CBLP-A Lunch & Learn #2: Seasonal crew members continued their Chesapeake Bay Landscape Certificate-A journey. This program promotes sustainable landscape practices in the Chesapeake Bay region with stormwater management and use of natural resources.

UMD Extension Webinar: Seasonal crew members learned about native seed collection through a webinar provided by the University of Maryland Extension.

American Red Cross First Aid / CPR / AED: Seasonal crew members received this crucial training & certification that’s not only beneficial for our safety as a team, but can be helpful on a resume.

Uplift crew members and EcoWorks' staff at the PG County rain check
Abby, Charlie, Martin, & Joshua
Abby & Owen

PG County Rain Check Rebate Contractor Training: Seasonal crew & senior crew joined this training provided by Low Impact Development Center to learn more about stormwater management systems and how PG County provides a rebate for certain projects installed by contractors. (EcoWorks is a listed contractor with PG County!)

Lauren Hubbard points to conservation garden
Seasonal Crew with Lauren Hubbard

Industry Exposure | Landscape Design: Lauren Hubbard of Native by Design, provided our seasonal crews with landscape design training. As one of our primary designers, she emphasizes using native plants to foster habitat, support biodiversity, and address stormwater and erosion challenges. Crews may soon be implementing her designs in the field.

Anna Knipps speaking to seasonal and senior crew
Landscape Foreman, JP, & Field Tech, Nick joining Anna Knipps lecture

Industry Exposure | Careers in Wildlife Biology: Anna Knipps from the Wildlife Society shared her expertise on wildlife conservation and career pathways in the field with our seasonal and senior crews, offering valuable insights for those interested in this profession.

Merits

Ben Huff with shelves he built
New shelves for tools
Barn with our supplies
Barn shed

New Property Updates! | Holly Hills

We are one month into acquiring our new property, now called “Holly Hills!” So far, we’ve been making the transition from Freetown Farm in Columbia. Thank you to the Community Ecology Institute for hosting us at Freetown Farm for the past several years!. We’ve also launched our Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign, which aims to raise money for a water well installation. We will need our own source of water for future nursery and overall operations. Please consider donating this holiday season.

Volunteer Group photo with Matt Hemler
Matt leading volunteers in woods
Volunteers clearing vines
Volunteer lopping vines
Matt Hemler pointing out something to volunteer
Volunteers in woods

Vista Estates Workshop

We collaborated in a two-part community effort with Vista Estates West HOA in Bowie, MD. Special thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Trust for funding this opportunity!

Part 1 focused on educating residents about tree care, the differences between invasive plants vs native plants, and ways to get involved in supporting their local ecosystem. We developed a brochure and hosted a webinar to explain these topics in depth and answer questions.

Part 2 featured a hands-on workshop in a wooded area, where residents learned to identify invasive vines that threaten trees and how to safely remove them. Many participants were eager to take action and make a positive impact. The project highlights our commitment to supporting communities, educating land stewards, and demonstrating how HOAs can contribute to climate resilience.

Outreach

Elura giving a thumbs up behind table with signs & information

MDOT Charity Fair: Elura Morris, Communications, Marketing, & Outreach coordinator, tabled at this event held annually for MDOT employees who want to support charitable causes.

Rhea & Elura standing behind table smiling

HCC Fall For All: Elura Morris and Rhea Rene, Marketing Intern, tabled at Howard Community College’s Fall For All event. Our table had exciting treats and an educational tree ID game, which was fun for all ages.

MD Nonprofits Conference Social Enterprise Showcase: Lori Lilly, Founder and Executive Director of EcoWorks, tabled at this nonprofit networking event.

Grant Opportunity | Howard County Plastics Reduction and Environmental Protection

We recently received a grant from the Howard County Plastics Reduction and Environmental Protection program! This grant will support forest management and conservation projects in areas vulnerable to heat and flood stress. In addition, the grant will support native seed collection and propagation. Stay tuned for upcoming volunteering projects! To get involved when opportunities arise, sign up on our volunteer list.

Thank you for joining us for this month's recap on conservation, professional development, and organization expansion. We hope to see you next time in November! Enjoy the following bonus photos from our crew below.