Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust: Annual Meeting

Board of Trustees and Annual Meetings

Next scheduled Board of Trustees Meeting

Tuesday January 12, 2010 10:00 a.m. Dominion Cove Point LNG’s green building.

Strategic Planning Session

Annual Report June 2008 to June 2009

Correspondence

Follow up letters to Senators supporting additional funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration.
Communications with TNC and Calvert County employees concerning the Hemlock Preserve.
Paxtuxent Land Trust concerning easement monitoring workshop.

Meetings

Board met with the Chesapeake Charter School
Board met with Greg Bowen of Calvert County Planning and Zoning.
Board and staff attended several meetings concerning projects at Cove Point.
Staff participated in Calvert County’s citizen Green Team.
Staff met with CHESPAX to discuss environmental education in Calvert County and ways in which we can cooperate.
Staff and chair attended meetings of the Maryland chapter of Sierra Club.
President and Secretary attended meetings of the Maryland Conservation Council.

Strategic Planning

Continued strategic planning to develop a plan for future activities for the Trust and to determine the best use of the Hilltop Road parcel with Ms. Karen Meadow.
Held meetings of the education committee and science committee to deal with planning for future actions by the Trust.

Outreach

Held several public outings on the Trust property at Hellen Creek
Hosted annual picnic for Southern Maryland Audubon Society.
Participated in PRAD, Earth Day on the Square in Leonardtown, Commission on the Environment’s Green Building event, and the Garden Fair at Sotterley.
Staff attended meetings as board member of the Patuxent River Restoration Advisory Board, Lower Potomac Tributary Strategy Team, Southern Calvert Alliance for Watershed Protection, Southern Calvert Land Trust, and Sierra Club Southern Maryland Group.
Staff participated as resource person for firth topic (biodiversity) for Calvert Envirothon.
Trust volunteer judged and presented awards for the 2009 Calvert County Science Fair.
Cooperated with Patuxent River NAS in providing research assistance for two Legacy wildlife research programs.
Hosted Gerald Weingrad’s State of the Bay presentation at Prince Frederick library.

Education

Programming for Chesapeake Bay Field Lab, Boy and Girl Scouts, Chesapeake Public Charter School, Hollywood Elementary, Appeal Elementary, Windy Hill Elementary, Patuxent High School, and Calvert High School.
Mentoring students and providing programs for St. Mary’s County Tech center.
Assisting Appeal Elementary School’s green school program and Green School Wetland Raingarden Celebration.

Land Management

Continued invasive plant removal efforts.
Supplemented exclosure stream planting.
Shrubs planted in 2008 and 2006 IR sites.
Replanted native shrubs to replace invasive plants at old home site.
Planted native shrubs, placed bird box, feeders, and birdbath near Hellen Creek office/residence.
Continued deer management hunting program.
Continued biological monitoring programs for plants, birds, and amphibians.
Maintained trails and continued clean up of Hilltop and Hellen Creek sites.

Research

Hemlock research completed at Hellen Creek.
Bee research completed at Cove Point awaiting final report.
Annual RTE plant monitoring expanded by Steury and supplemented by plant community re-visitation by Wilson.
Continued research on horseshoe crabs at Cove Point beach.

Grants and donations

Provided funding for birds of prey show at Earth Day, St. Mary’s County envirothon program, Chesapeake Biological Lab, Cove Point Beach Association road maintenance fund, and the Patuxent Sojourn.
Funded grant requests from Appeal Elementary for Raingarden Celebration
Grant to Calvert County to provide funding for summer intern who will work on updating GIS network.

&copy2007 Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust