Bay-Wise

Use organic materials produced on-site to increase soil organic matter and  biodiversity in your yard and garden to improve stormwater absorption, create habitat, recycle nutrients, and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers. 

Retain and filter stormwater on-site to improve water quality and reduce local flooding, erosion and drought impacts. These practices could apply to a wide array of residential locations, from single family homes and HOA’s to apartment complexes, as well as parks, nature centers, businesses, municipal buildings, institutions like schools, hospitals or libraries, or other community spaces.

Design and manage landscapes with native plants for their ecosystem services, biodiversity, and habitat value. Make ecologically conscious planting decisions. Check out our Maryland Native Plants Program.

Protect beneficial insects that provide valuable ecosystem services like pollination, natural pest control, decomposition, nutrient cycling, and nutrition for wildlife, like songbirds and small mammals. 

Recognize that improving habitat comes with a responsibility to be a good steward of Maryland’s wild creatures. Avoid creating ecological “traps” that harm fish and wildlife. 

Manage lawns in ways that reduce their negative  impacts on our waterways and maximize ecological function and biodiversity of your residential landscape. 

All Marylanders live, work, and play in a watershed. Wherever we are, the impacts of our actions can be felt all the way to the coast. Take action today to protect our waterways and shoreline areas. 

Tap into your social networks to spread the word and help make widespread environmental improvements.