The Good News Magazine

Thinking Green: Mid Shore Volunteers at Work

Conservationists across Delmarva exercise their environmental muscles in different ways. One may be dedicated to eating local food while another is more concerned with water quality. The motive for each act of environmental service is based on the individual's desire to do something beneficial for the planet. Taking that desire a step further are "green volunteers" who donate their time to larger causes as a way of benefitting the world around them. This month, we feature five Mid Shore volunteers who are sharing invaluable messages in their communities.

Julianna Pax feels that improved health is critical to a sustainable population. Julianna retired to Cambridge after 23 years teaching chemistry and nutrition science in Montgomery County. Several years later, in response to questions from new friends, Julianna invited eight women for lunch, and the first Lunch Bunch was born. The luncheon included a nutrition-related talk, by Julianna, and the guests went home with recipes for what they had eaten that day. By 2005, three different Lunch Bunch groups had formed, with a total of 45 people in regular attendance. Each group meets once a month, in her home, to learn about healthy food and cooking. From the recipe archives, Julianna has compiled three cookbooks, the most recent of which includes favorites from the first two versions with an emphasis on simplicity for beginners. Also in 2005, Julianna started a program called Soup & Walk at Adkins Arboretum in Ridgely. Not unlike the Lunch Bunch experience, Soup & Walk combines lunch and a nutrition talk with a one hour nature walk. Julianna, whose recipes feature fresh, seasonal foods, remarks, "I love teaching about the science of eating well, because I think it helps people make sense of all the food related information they hear. I tell my audiences that they are my ambassadors, and that I'm counting on them to help spread the message of health."

Matt Davis helps master gardeners and other volunteers install the rain garden at the Queen Anne’s County Free Library in Centerville. The garden absorbs storm water from the adjacent parking lot and roof, helping to reduce pollution, flooding, and erosion.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Edgar.

Promoting healthy landscaping is Queen Anne's County resident, Carol Jelich. Carol, also an Arboretum volunteer, is a retired librarian whose green message is about how to be a good steward of the land. In 2003, in collaboration with Adkins Arboretum, Chesapeake Bay Trust, and other organizations, Carol helped form the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. The group's purpose, she explains, is to "teach landscapers, as well as home and business owners, how to landscape with reduced chemical input and how to create wildlife friendly habitats." The group has assembled a detailed guide that can be downloaded from their website at www.chesapeakelandscape.org. Carol, a master gardener since 1998, also worked with her local Cooperative Extension office to install a rain garden at the Queen Anne's County Free Library in Centerville. In partnership with the Department of Public Works, which received grant funding for the project, Carol and other local master gardeners completed construction of the rain garden in 2007. Carol finds being outdoors to be a great stress reducer, and she is grateful for the opportunity to learn about good horticulture practices. She elaborates, "I now use what I know to improve my own property, and I enjoy helping other people learn that they can preserve nature right in their own backyards."

A group of volunteers in Talbot County is keeping watch over the water quality in its backyards. Brice Gamber has been involved with Talbot County Creekwatchers since 2002. He grew up in Baltimore but spent time with family on the Eastern Shore during his boyhood. Brice, who retired here eight years ago, helps monitor the tidal creeks and rivers of Talbot County with about 60 fellow Creekwatchers who perform monthly water quality tests in 65 locations. They capture and share data with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies Horn Point Laboratory, in an effort to promote protection of the waterways. Recently, some members, like Brice, have taken Creekwatchers beyond monitoring activities to a more investigative role. They are working with the University of Salisbury's science department to pinpoint specific types of pollution and pollution sources. Though progress is slow, Brice continues to volunteer, because he knows he is making a difference. He advises, "People should pick something they feel passionate about and do what they can. My interests are water-based, but someone else's may be different. There are plenty of opportunities in this area for everyone to find a place as a volunteer."

An environmental studies graduate and busy mother, Valerie Brey, of Caroline County, recently found herself between jobs. Self described as someone who doesn't sit still very well, she enrolled in Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards (VoiCeS) Program that required 40 hours of volunteer service. She devoted her hours to the historic Linchester Mill in Preston and continues to dedicate time to the ongoing development of the historic site. Owned by the Caroline County Historical Society, the mill, in tandem with its creek front property, lends itself to a variety of engaging programs. Valerie installed a small, organic vegetable garden last summer - a space that might mimic that previously used by the resident miller. June through September, she opened the mill for tours, two Saturdays a month, acting as a self-taught guide. This coming season, she hopes to increase the mill's volunteer base, provide docent training, and step up marketing efforts. Valerie also sits on Preston's Planning and Zoning Board, which has given her a chance to consider how town growth might impact sustainability. Like other volunteers, she feels that volunteering is as important for the volunteer as it is for the cause. She says, "You can fit your expertise in anywhere, and you needn't feel that you have to commit extensive hours. Everything helps."

Kent County resident and mother of two young children, Jenn Hicks promotes sustainability through her business, Positive Force Consulting. She also gives roughly 20 hours a month as a volunteer because she feels strongly about taking action on issues that are of concern to her. She remarks, "I don't see the point in stewing over a problem without trying to take action." Jenn, an advocate for local, sustainably-farmed food, is current chairman of the board for Colchester Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project in Chestertown. The farm provides seasonal, pesticide-free produce to subscribers. Jenn is helping structure a plan for how the CSA will continue to serve the community in the future. She hopes to help Colchester Farm find ways to become accessible to more people while continuing to be a model for sustainability. As a volunteer, she feels that "creating opportunities for others [through volunteer work] is gratifying," and she likes that volunteering connects her with the people in her community.

Rich in environmental activism and non-profit initiatives, the Mid Shore offers boundless opportunities for involvement. According to these green advocates, well chosen volunteer time is value-added time. Unsung heroes such as these, and many others just like them, are enriching their own lives everyday, while also fostering the health of the planet.