What's the latest in Howard County?

[Phila]

Hello everybody,

Lots of people got dirty hands Saturday a week ago planting a couple of hundred trees on a slope behind Amherst House in Kings Contrivance.

Expected outcome? Less storm water pouring at a slower rate into the stream below, and thus less erosion of silt and other pollutants into it. To refresh your memories, this was an "Early Action Project" sponsored by CA's Watershed Advisory Committee in conjunction with the upcoming Columbia Watershed Plan. (You know, the watershed plan WE helped make a reality?) Someday we'll probably be planting trees around Lake Elkhorn ­ y'all come!

Now a report on the Columbia/CLEER/BGE Transmission Line Vegetation Management Task Force meeting this past Tuesday. You'll be hearing more about this group in the coming months, so let me again refresh memories. It was formed last winter (after community disapproval of BGE's removal of vegetation along its transmission line through east Columbia) to consult with BGE on a plan for better methods of transmission line vegetation management (TVM). Its members are BGE's Director of Forestry and Vice President for Government Relations, the project manager for the consultant developing our Watershed Plan, the CA project manager for the Plan, two members of the County's Environmental Sustainability Board (under whose auspices the task force operates), the County Council member for this district, the Chief of Storm Water Management in the County Department of Public Works, a staff member in the state Department of Natural Resources, and me, co-chairing the task force with one of the two Sustainability Board members. The plan will apply initially, as a pilot project, to the area under the transmission line between Oakland Mills Road and Ivory Hand.

At Tuesday's meeting we were joined by the expert in TVM who has been retained by BGE to develop the plan. We heard his ideas about how a plan could be made that would protect our transmission lines from being knocked out by trees but at the same time provide a native plant habitat that retards storm water runoff and is friendly to birds, bees, butterflies and small animals. Mowed turf such as we have now does the former but does NOTHING to attract anything valuable, and allows storm water to run down the slopes into Lake Elkhorn carrying motor oil, fertilizer, damaging pesticides and animal waste.

A rough timeline includes development of the plan within the next two months, and presentation for comment to the Task Force and various County agencies followed by a public meeting in late spring or summer to provide information and gain input and support.

Meanwhile, we all want electricity so we can continue to cook and clean (well cook maybe), so there will be some relatively minor tree pruning under the lines. If you stand on the bridge over the east end of the Lake and look up the hill you can see how close some of the trees come to the lines.
In hot weather the lines will sag and get even closer.

The normal turf mowing will be done around Memorial Day, but the mowing usually done in July will be omitted. Yes, you'll see unsightly tall grass the rest of the summer, but the grass has to grow before it can be eliminated. That will probably necessitate one application of an herbicide that kills alien invasive plants and allows the natives which have been driven underground by the intruders to emerge and take over. I have been assured that my grandchildren will be able to go into that area afterward without harm, and the Health Department will be consulted for verification of this before the plan is finalized. We know this is a concern for people (it was for me before I heard a complete discussion), and it will be addressed at the public meeting. By next spring we should see new growth and find out what plant species Mother Nature has been keeping for us in the soil bank underground. This growth will be monitored to nurture it and, for the first year or two, do spot removal of undesirables that didn't get the message the first time.

Meanwhile, I will be glad to respond to any preliminary questions you have, because we will need your help to educate and reassure the public. But wait until you attend the meeting and see the pictures! I think you'll be convinced.

Back to the near future: remember the Green Fest at HCC April 4th, between 10 AM and 4 PM. Come any time during that period, but the Environmental Summit is from 11 ­ 12:30 and should have lots of good and interesting information. Remember when it was geeky to be an environmentalist?

And the results of CLEER's expedition around the Lake to point out the problems at the edges will be presented to the Watershed Advisory Committee at their regular meeting Tuesday, April 7 at 7 PM. As always, you are welcome to attend. See ColumbiaWatershed.org near that date to confirm the location (usually the CA building downtown).

That's all for now!
Elaine