July 2009

Dear Friend, 
Coming in August we'll have a slightly different format of the Audubon Maryland-DC E-Newsletter--please keep your eyes out for it! 

Don't forget that you can register to receive center or program specific updates from Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Patterson Park Audubon Center, Maryland's Important Bird Area Program or the Audubon at Home program by emailing sscallion@audubon.org .

Happy Birding!

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Director's Update
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The important work of conservation doesn't take a holiday like some of our readers, and we have a truly rare and important opportunity before us on August 11, when key principals from the Environmental Protection Agency and other Chesapeake Bay experts discuss with the public key issues related to President Obama's Executive Order on the Bay, which we told you about last month.  Here are the details; we hope you can make it:
WHAT:    Chesapeake Bay Town Hall Meeting
WHEN:    Tuesday, Aug. 11, 6:30-8:00pm
WHERE:  St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Annapolis , MD
PANEL:   
Lisa Jackson, EPA Adminstrator, invited
Chuck Fox, EPA Senior Advisor on the Chesapeake Bay
Dr. Don Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Rev. Rick Edmund, United Methodist Churches, Smith Island
Will Baker, President of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Brad Heavner, Policy Advocate, Environment Maryland

Through his Executive Order, President Obama has ordered the EPA and other federal agencies to craft new watershed-wide Bay restoration plans.  The plans are in early September.  The EPA is also in the process of developing a regulatory pollution budget for the Bay watershed, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load, and Congress is working on a bill that could give states and the EPA the tools they need to limit Bay-killing pollution.  Audubon Maryland/DC is monitoring this and other federal activity to ensure our land and water resources remain healthy for people and wildlife that sustain life from them.

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Audubon News from around Maryland
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Summer Camp Fun
Both of Maryland's Audubon Centers are knee deep in summer camp fun, with the smells of bug repellant and suntan lotion and the sounds of voices belting out camp songs filling the air. 

Pickering Creek will soon finish up with it's sixth and last week of it's popular EcoCamp, where children ages 4 through 11 along with middle and high school age junior counselors and trained Pickering staff have enjoyed canoing, hiking, crafting and more. 

Patterson Park is just about to jump into one week of summer camp at the park. Partnering with Hampstead Hill Academy, Patterson staff will offer a week long half-day camp called "Mean Green and Growing," for rising kindergarten through second graders. Campers will investigate plants' basic needs, what makes wetland plants different, and how animals use plants to survive


Audubon at Home Workshops Offered in Baltimore
Want to improve your yard? From the tiniest lots to larger plots, there's plenty you can do to welcome birds, butterflies, and people. Thanks to a grant from TogetherGreen, Audubon Maryland-DC is offering 3 workshops in the Baltimore area in August. Learn easy and affordable ways to use native plants and incorporate wildlife habitat features into your yard, patio, or balcony. Visit Audubon Maryland-DC website to learn more. Email aahmaryland@audubon.org to register.
Invitation to a Healthy Yard
August 8, 9AM- Noon at Mt. St. Joseph High School

Solutions for Water Pollution
August 22, 9 AM- Noon at Herring Run Watershed Association

Greening your Neighborhood
September 12, 9AM- Noon at Patterson Park Public Charter School


Patterson Park Audubon Center Volunteers Dig in to Plant a Native Garden at the Park

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CHAPTER PROGRAMS & BIRD WALKS
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Chesapeake Audubon Society Bird Walks & Programs
Baltimore Metro Area and Eastern Shore

Prince George's Audubon Bird Walks & Programs
PG County and surrounding metro area

Audubon Society of DC Bird Walks, Lectures and more
District of Columbia and surrounding metro area

Central Maryland Audubon Society Bird Walks & Programs
Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Carroll Counties

Southern Maryland Audubon Society Bird Walks & Programs
St. Mary's, Charles, Calvert and PG Counties

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