PART IV OBJECTIVE 3: COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Claire Horvath, the owner of Mother Nature's in Columbia, Maryland, provides seed for our feeders and gives a presentation to our students each year.
Forest Ridge PTA

Members of the Forest Ridge PTA coordinate the various recycling programs at the school. The items they collect for recycling are those which Howard County does not recycle such as snack bags and candy wrappers, juice pouches, ink tanks, glue sticks and writing implements such as markers and pens. They work in cooperation with Terra-Cycle in order to give food wrappers and juice containers a new lease on life. The PTA also keeps the Green School bulletin board updated with environmental efforts at the school
Chesapeake Bay Foundation

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation provided us with stencils so that we could paint the words "DON'T DUMP" on local storm drains.
Robinsons Promise Homeowners Association

The Bowling Brook Homeowners Association gave us permission to stencil storm drains in their neighborhood with "DON'T DUMP" and also supplied Forest Ridge with the materials and paint with which to accomplish the task.
Department of Natural Resources

Through the DNR's TREE-MENDOUS Maryland program, Forest Ridge was able to obtain trees to plant on the school grounds. The students assisted in planting the trees in places deemed optimum by the Master Gardeners of Howard County.
Master Gardeners of Howard County

Essential to the tree planting project were two Master Gardeners, Corliss Glennon and Natalie Brewer, who volunteered their time to advise us on the best suited plants for our property and the best locations for them.
Master Gardener, Corliss Glennon, used the property plans obtained from the courthouse, to sketch landscaping plans utilizing the native trees and shrubs that she helped us select.

Master Gardener, Natalie Brewer, instructed students on the importance of using native plants and how to plant a tree properly.
Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth (READY)
Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth (READY) is a program funded by Howard County and administered by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (the Alliance) with support from People Acting Together in Howard (PATH). READY is designed to meet the environmental and employment goals of Howard County, the Alliance, and PATH. PATH has worked with Howard County government to fund employment of young adults, aged 16-25, in building rain gardens throughout the county. This helps alleviate the flow of toxic storm water runoff polluting our streams, rivers, and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, and significantly eroding our land.
Forest Ridge used the services of the READY program to install a water garden where storm drains are located at the rear of the school.
Forest Ridge used the services of the READY program to install a water garden where storm drains are located at the rear of the school.
Proposal to Howard County School Facilities to Install a rain garden |