April 2021 Newsletter
Make Plans for #BaltimoreEarthDay
Celebrate the 51st anniversary of Earth Day by doing one small action to improve the Chesapeake Bay. Together, our individual actions will add up to a better tomorrow. Baltimore Earth Day 2021 is your one-stop location for all things Earth Day. There is so much work to be done that we are compiling an entire month of Earth Day activities!
Volunteer to plant trees, remove invasive plants, and/or other activities that improve forest health.
Volunteer to remove trash to beautify neighborhood parks and keep our waterways clean.
Participate in a virtual Earth Day event, including webinars, film screenings, and other educational opportunities
Explore the outdoors in Baltimore City and County.
Connect with our Baltimore Earth Day steering committee of local non-profits and other environmental resources.
GVC Proud to Keep Maryland Beautiful
GVC is honored to be a recipient of a $2,500 Janice Hollmann grant as part of the 2021 Keep Maryland Beautiful program. The funds will enable us to begin the process of building our geographic information systems (GIS) capacities to develop a GIS model to inform our future land preservation efforts. A GIS model could factor in current land cover and proximity to waterways to identify parcels for possible conservation easements that have high ecological and hydrological value. Similarly, it could be used to assess parcels that could benefit from restoration to control stormwater runoff and sediment pollution.

The Janice Hollman grant was established to build sustainable land trusts by increasing organizational capacity, developing community programs and services, implementing Standards and Practices and increasing public support for the diverse spectrum of conservation, stewardship and related land trust activities in the State of Maryland. The grant is given in memory of Janice Hollmann, who exemplified citizen leadership of local land trusts in Maryland.

The Keep Maryland Beautiful program is funded by Maryland Environmental Trust, a unit of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR); the Forever Maryland Foundation; the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD); and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).
Get Involved - GVC Calendar of Events
We are always adding new volunteer opportunities so make sure you visit our online calendar of events for the most current schedule! Interested in learning about native plants? Our rain garden workshops are tentatively scheduled to begin in May.

Our greatest need right now is for Tree Maintenance volunteers to remove invasive plants and make sure newly planted trees are growing properly. A few hours of your time can make a huge difference in the health of our forests.

Sunday, April 18: Tree Maintenance
Monday, April 19: Tree Maintenance
Sunday, April 25: Tree Maintenance
Monday, April 26: Tree Maintenance
Sunday, May 2: Tree Maintenance
Monday, May 3: Tree Maintenance
Monday, May 10: Tree Maintenance
Wednesday, May 12: Tree Maintenance

The GVC highly values the safety of our staff and volunteers. All participants must wear a face mask at all times and maintain social distancing. Should you feel ill, please do not attend the event and let the event leader know as soon as possible so we can recruit additional volunteers.
Special Event for GVC Members - April 15th
You're invited to our GVC Member Appreciation Speaker Series! Our first event will be Thursday, April 15th at 7 PM on Zoom. The presentation will include a Q&A session afterwards. Let us help you deepen your appreciation of Brood X when it appears in May.


Periodical cicadas, Magicicada spp, remain a mystery to biologists. The public becomes aware of their existence only when vast numbers emerge from the ground synchronously, every 13 or 17 years. While their presence is hard to ignore when they are out and about, what they are doing the rest of their lives and why they are doing it is only partially understood. Emerging broods consist of more than one species and different broods are emerging in different regions of North American almost every year. Dr. Jane Wolfson will be discussing periodical cicadas and their development, how they sing, their impact on wildlife and the threats they face.

It’s not too late to become a 2021 GVC member. It’s easy!
  • Make a tax-deductible donation of any amount to GVC. You can donate online or send a check payable to: Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, P.O. Box 9733, Towson, MD 21284.
  • Volunteer for a minimum of 5 hours with GVC. Visit our online calendar of events for upcoming environmental stewardship opportunities.