Howard EcoWorks

17/06/2026

🌊 UpLift participants recently joined Patapsco Heritage Greenway for a hands-on industry exposure day focused on biological monitoring and water quality testing in the Sucker Branch of the Patapsco River in Ellicott City, MD.

🦗 During the training, participants learned how to safely collect and identify macroinvertebrates to help evaluate stream health and water quality based on species’ tolerance to pollutants. The crew also conducted chemical water quality monitoring using test strips to better understand how scientists assess local waterways.

🌿 Experiences like these help connect participants to real-world environmental careers while building technical field skills in conservation and watershed management.

🤝 Thank you to our partners at Patapsco Valley Heritage Area, as well as the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI), the Maryland Department of Labor, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust for supporting these valuable workforce development and environmental education opportunities through our UpLift program.

16/06/2026

🌱 Success! We did it! And we’re still growing! 🌱

🦋 Thanks to the incredible support of our community, our Summer of Pollinators fundraiser has officially surpassed its original $4,000 goal, raising over $6,200 in just two weeks to support the expansion of the Seeds of Change Native Plant Nursery at Holly Hills!

🐝 Because of your generosity, we’ll be able to complete the new hoop houses! Now, we are setting our sights even higher: we’re doubling our goal to $8,000 to fund the next phase of critical infrastructure improvements, including shade tarps, w**d barriers, and growing benches. These upgrades will allow us to expand year-round native plant production for pollinators, conservation projects, workforce development training, and community access.

💚 A Huge Thank You to Our Supporters! 💚

We want to recognize the amazing individuals helping make this project possible:
🌿 Watershed Visionary: Stephen
🪴 Garden Builder: John
🌱 Seedling Supporters: Alicia, Deborah, Paul, Ashley, David, Ritchie, MaryCate, Theresa, Emily, Kyle, & Douglas

Thank you for helping us grow more habitat for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and healthier ecosystems across our community. Every donation and share helps expand the impact of Seeds of Change!

👉 Support the Summer of Pollinators fundraiser here: https://www.howardecoworks.org/summer-of-pollinators

15/06/2026

🌼 At Kittamaqundi Community Church (), our team completed a 3,000 sq ft conservation landscape featuring 1,500 perennials and 20 shrubs. The project also included a pipe diversion system to redirect runoff and help reduce severe hillside erosion. This project was supported by the Community Stormwater Partnership of Howard County (LiveGreenHoward).

13/06/2026

🦋Updates from Holly Hills!🦋

💧Recently we installed two 500-gallon cisterns to our barns, which will collect rainwater coming off the roofs. Once collected, we're able to pump the water to where we need it to support irrigation throughout the nursery!

🌱And thanks to the recent rain, we've already put the cisterns to work! Overall, they will help us reduce our water use and prevent unnecessary runoff, demonstrating the conservation best management practices we want to exemplify at our new home. The cisterns were made possible through a Howard County Community Stormwater Partnership grant, and we're incredibly grateful for the County's support of projects like this! ( LiveGreenHoward)

11/06/2026

11/06/2026

🌳 Our crews have been hard at work installing trees and conservation landscapes across Central Maryland this spring! Together, these projects are helping restore biodiversity, improve stormwater management, reduce erosion, and create healthier habitats for wildlife and local communities.

🌿 In Catonsville, MD, our team planted 50 native trees at the Christian Athletic Association, transforming a previously bare sodded area into a more biodiverse landscape with long-term wildlife benefits.

🌱 We also installed 20 native trees near Patriot Pond on Columbia Association property to help restore a heavily impacted pond area while supporting biodiversity and habitat growth.

🤝 These projects reflect the power of conservation landscaping and native plantings to create greener, healthier, and more resilient communities. Additional thank you to the Chesapeake Bay Trust for funding our tree planting initiatives!

10/06/2026

🎆Happy EcoWorks Anniversary to Zsuzsanna Cooke, our Natural Resource Specialist. 🌿Zsuzsanna joined our team in 2024 and became an integral part of supporting conservation landscaping project management, and hosting several educational workshops and volunteer events for the public.🌿 We are so thankful for Zsuzsanna's hard work and commitment to our mission!

10/06/2026

🦋 It’s National Pollinator Month, and we’re shining a spotlight on Swamp Milkw**d!

🌱Swamp Milkw**d is a native perennial found throughout the Piedmont region and an important host plant for Monarch butterflies. Its fragrant pink blooms provide valuable nectar for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators throughout the summer. It thrives in moist soils and rain gardens.

🐛Plants like Swamp Milkw**d are grown at Seeds of Change Native Plant Nursery at Holly Hills. This month, we’re raising money to complete our new hoop houses, and every donation will help us grow more native plants for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and healthier ecosystems.

Support the Summer of Pollinators fundraiser: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DrwvpKQin/

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09/06/2026

🌳Our Uplift participants recently completed a training session at Anne Arundel Community College.🌱 In partnership with the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI) and Cash Campaign (), participants learned about financial literacy and investing. 🌿Additionally, they completed a service project for veterans, training for hiring interviews, and learned about goal setting and civic engagement.

🦋These opportunities support the goals of the UpLift program to train participants for job readiness and for green careers. 🐛This was made possible with the support of DSCI and Maryland Department of Labor.

08/06/2026

🌱Meet James, Land Manager at Holly Hills. James leads native plant production at our nursery, which supports pollinators, conservation projects, and healthier local ecosystems across central Maryland.

🦋One plant James is especially excited about this season is our Swamp Milkw**d, a native species that supports threatened Monarch butterfly populations.

🌿“Our Swamp Milkw**d is grown from seed that was harvested locally from wild populations. These plants will be more resilient to our Maryland climate, bloom longer, and flower at the correct timing of Monarch migration, making it a wonderful addition to your home for everyone to enjoy,” James shared.

🌱You can support James's work at Holly Hills by making a donation today!

🔗https://www.facebook.com/share/1BUh1HYA5Q/