In 1984, the State of Maryland designated the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, the 1,000-foot wide ribbon of land around the Bay and its tidal tributaries, and set criteria to minimize adverse effects on water quality and natural habitats. In 2002, the Critical Area Program was expanded to include the Atlantic Coastal Bays watershed. This law was enacted because human activity within 1,000 feet of tidal waters has direct and immediate impact on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
The state requires that when the buffer along Chesapeake Bay rivers and streams is disturbed, or when it is to be established, the plants used for restoration or establishment be native plants. Landowners often contact Adkins Arboretum for recommendations. The arboretum recognized a need to reach out to all landowners in the Critical Area, not just those who make contact themselves. From this initiative evolved the Shore Land Stewardship Council (SLSC).
Ellie Altman, executive director, comments, "Property owners in the Critical Area are often confused about the both the rules and the process they must follow to be good stewards of the land they own. Shore Land Stewardship Council was formed to provide technical support to property owners so that they can make informed decisions about changes to their properties, ultimately impacting the Bay in a positive way."
Contractors, state and local regulatory agencies, realtors, developers, conservation-oriented nonprofits, and private landowners in the Upper-Shore are meeting regularly to assimilate these best landscaping practices and to communicate them to Critical Area property owners. The first goal of the group is to engage Critical Area landowners, through the organization's First Stop Campaign.
The First Stop Campaign encourages property owners to seek advice and permits before they begin landscaping changes, such as removing trees or altering their shoreline. Many landscaping practices that causes disturbance in the Critical Area require permits from several agencies - local, state, and federal. In some areas there are limits in the percentage of a Critical Area property that can be an impervious surface. These percentages are determined based on the acreage and location of a property. The First Stop Campaign encourages Critical Area property owners to contact their local planning offices first to determine which permits they need. As part of the pilot project, Critical Area property owners settling on properties in Talbot County this spring are being given a First Stop pewter blue crab key chain and an information card educating them on the Critical Area.
The SLSC next hopes to give landowners the skills and motivation to implement stewardship practices that exceed the requirements of the Critical Area law through the publication of an illustrated guidebook on how to care for their properties in the Critical Area. The guidebook is scheduled to be printed later this year. Best landscaping practices include reducing lawn area to reduce pollution from chemicals; properly planting and pruning trees and shrubs to maintain a healthy landscape; and creating "living shorelines" to both control erosion and maintain wildlife habitat.
Shore Land Stewardship Council hopes to create a stewardship ethic among Critical Area property owners, so that water quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries can improve for generations of families to come.
