Shore Land Stewardship Council, an initiative of Adkins Arboretum, is offering the region’s environmental organizations, watershed groups, homeowner associations, civic groups, realtors, and industry professionals the opportunity to learn more about how to care for properties in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area through its new First Stop for the Bay Speakers Bureau.  The Critical Area is the 1000-foot wide area of land around the Bay and its tidal tributaries. The Speakers Bureau provides accurate and consistent information, technical support, and referrals on best landscaping practices in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area.    The Council’s initiative, First Stop for the Bay, encourages Critical Area property owners to seek advice and permits from their local planning offices first before they begin landscaping changes, such as removing trees or altering their shoreline.

Those who attend a First Stop for the Bay Speakers Bureau presentation will receive copies of the Council’s recent publication,The Green Book for the Bay: An Illustrated Guidebook for Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Property Owners Living on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This free resource grew out of a collaboration of professionals and local citizens on Maryland’s Eastern Shorewho realized that the rules and the process to follow in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area are complex and often confusing for those who want to be good stewards of the land they own.  The Green Book provides clear information on best landscaping practices in an easy-to-use format that includes FAQs, case studies and color photographs of beautiful landscapes that are also Bay-friendly.

Upcoming Speakers Bureau presentations in the public libraries will be held at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton on Thursday, March 18, 6 to 7:30 p.m.; at the Queen Anne’s County Free Library in Stevensville on Monday, March 22, 6:30 to 8 p.m.; at the Caroline County Public Library in Denton on Tuesday, March 30, 6:30 to 8 p.m.; and at the Kent County Public Library in Chestertown on Wednesday, April 7, 6 to 7:30 p.m. To schedule a First Stop for the Bay Speakers Bureau presentation for your organization, contact Carol Jelich at Adkins Arboretum at 410-634-2847 or cjelich@adkinsarboretum.org.  For further information about First Stop for the Bay, visit www.firststopforthebay.org.