2015 (December)

The Town of St. Michaels was developed in the 1770s as a working waterfront community. St. Michaels is bound by water to the east and west making it an ideal area for shipbuilding, fishing and other maritime commerce in the 1800s. Today, St. Michaels pays homage to its’ waterfront heritage while recognizing the need to adapt to flooding and stormwater challenges, driven in large-part by climate change.

Through the Delaware River Watershed Initiative, the William Penn Foundation has invested millions of dollars to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment in non-point source pollution impacting Delaware River tributaries, focusing on land protection and agricultural restoration activities.  

2009 (January)

The Occoquan District is located in Prince William County in the northern part of Virginia.  Certain critical issues affect the Occoquan District, including conserving and protecting natural beauty and environmentally sensitive areas; expanding transportation choices to include public transit, pedestrian and non-motorized opportunities; providing housing choices that accommodate the full-range of residents from diverse social, cultural, and financial backgrounds; and supporting a broad array of business enterprises, including locally-owned businesses.    

2008 (January)

This white paper report was the culmination of a year-long outreach and technical assistance effort managed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland (EFC), in coordination with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and First State Community Action Agency for the Inland Bays Watershed, located in Sussex County, Delaware.

2011 (July)

Marylanders drive 151 million miles a day and account for 30 percent of the emissions that contribute to the poor air quality in this region. Drivers can help reduce these harmful emissions by keeping their cars properly maintained. Even small measures, such as proper tire inflation and replacing air filters, can have a significant impact.

The Environmental Finance Center (EFC), in partnership with the towns of Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, is facilitating a multi-phase project that will result in each town developing and implementing comprehensive flood and sea level rise action plans. The two towns are neighboring communities in Calvert County, situated directly on the Chesapeake Bay.

Biochar is a carbon-rich (charcoal-like) material formed by “cooking” (thermochemical conversion) waste organic matter, (harvested/waste wood, green waste, manures, etc.) in an oxygen-free environment. It is an ancient technology termed Terra Preta (“Dark Earth”) in ancient Amazon Basin cultures and was principally used to enrich farmlands prior to the advent of modern fertilizers. In the last several decades, biochar has seen a resurgence worldwide due to its ability to address a multitude of environmental objectives.

Since 2018, the Turkey Hill Clean Water Partnership has made waves in the agricultural industry; incentivizing farmers to get involved in conservation and elevating Turkey Hill’s supply chain. This groundbreaking partnership has a monumental impact on the Lancaster community, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and beyond.

Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay ProgramThe Nanticoke Watershed Alliance received funding from the National Fish and Wildlife  Foundation to complete a second phase of work in Cambridge, Maryland. The first project, funded by NFWF in 2016, determined the willingness of residential property owners to learn about and install stormwater best management practices (BMPs) on their properties. Phase I was a success with ten residential BMP installations now in place as a result of the effort.

2013 (July)

The following document provides a final report summarizing a technical service project implemented by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland (EFC), in partnership with Main Street Economics, on behalf of the Calvert County, Maryland government.