Category: Our Work

International Youth Day celebrates the power and potential of young people. And Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay can think of no better way to celebrate than to recognize chapter member Esther Bonney and her award-winning project, Nurture Natives. Nurture Natives cofounders, Esther Bonney and Samantha Rutherford, won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‘s 2024 Presidential Environmental Youth […] Continue reading "Congratulations! Nurture Natives Wins EPA 2024 Presidential Environmental Youth Award!"

How time flies being a birder, which sparked becoming a lover of native plants. Back in 2015 I helped to launch a new initiative from the National Audubon Society – Creating Bird-Friendly Communities. Audubon wanted to help educate us – native plants provide food for our beneficial insects, which provide food for birds. This was […] Continue reading "Gardening for Wildlife – Creating Healthy Habitats for All"

The Captain Avery Museum is a historic home and museum at Shady Side, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The house overlooks the West River and Chesapeake Bay. The garden and grounds were part of a Watershed Steward’s Capstone project many years ago and contain many native plants and a wonderful array of watershed improvements […] Continue reading "Restoration of Captain Avery Museum Native Garden Underway"

The St. Mary’s Animal Adoption and Resource Center pollinator gardens were recently renovated to help restore and preserve our natural resources. The gardens are located directly in front of the shelter, where community members gather to meet animals available for adoption. The project is a partnership between the shelter, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, Friends of […] Continue reading "Gardens Installed at St. Mary’s Animal Adoption and Resource Center"

On March 30, “Esther Bonney and Samantha Rutherford, founders of Nurture Natives, and Marlene Smith, founder and president of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay Chapter, had the opportunity to volunteer at Bona Terra LLC, an all-native nursery in Friendship, MD, to support another native seedling giveaway! They learned about a variety of local ecotype species, explored […] Continue reading "Meet Our Bona Terra Plant Grant Volunteers"

“Esther Bonney, founder and director of Nurture Natives, Marlene Smith, founder and president of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay Chapter and member of St. Mary’s County Master Gardeners, University of Maryland Extension, and Frank Allen, president of the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust dedicated their morning on March 27, 9 am-12 pm, to removing invasive English Ivy […] Continue reading "Local Leaders Tackle English Ivy – One Tree at a Time"

“Last weekend, we had the privilege of venturing into the epicenter of Sam Droege’s Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab. Despite the constant bombardment of water droplets, we found solace cocooned in a plastic hoop tent, our shelter from the elements while immersed in nature’s symphony of rhythms. This comfort would prove short lived as […] Continue reading "Calm Amidst the Storm: Seed Sowing at the Native Bee Laboratory"

What’s CNC All About? Do you like observing nature? Make your observations count! The City Nature Challenge is an adventure in metropolitan areas worldwide to discover and identify wildlife. We’ll be looking for signs of life in parks, neighborhoods, and backyards to see what plants and animals share our environment. Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay members are encouraged to […] Continue reading "City Nature Challenge 2024 – Washington Metro Area"

“Cofounders of Nurture Natives, Esther and Samantha, and cofounders of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay Chapter, Marlene Smith and Bill Smith, had an exciting time presenting “Gardening For Biodiversity” at the Leonardtown Library in St. Mary’s County, MD on March 2. A full crowd and lots of discussion. Thanks to all who came out! Stay tuned […] Continue reading "“Gardening for Biodiversity” a success!"

“Recently, a dedicated group of students rallied together yet again to embark on a transformative journey – turning weed-overgrown flower beds into a fertile canvas for the place of a future native pollinator garden. Our first garden prep session was successful, but we still had more to accomplish. Armed with enthusiasm and a shared vision […] Continue reading "Work Continues at St. Mary’s Animal Adoption and Resource Center"