Another Stream Restoration Project along the Upper Jones Falls

Late last month Maryland Trout Unlimited (MTU) Board member Darin Crew led eight FTJF Board and Stewardship Committee members on a hike to learn about and see directly the stream restoration work along a nearly 600 ft. section of the Jones Falls in the County, just south of I-83.

As one among the group put it: “I was amazed to learn that Brown trout are an integral part of this section of the Jones Falls. [MTU] has achieved part of its mission of stream restoration, showing that it can be done!”

What follows is a reprint of Darin’s September 12, 2017, blog post about the project for Blue Water Baltimore.

“A Shocking Discovery in the Jones Falls”

Some like it hot. Trout like it cool. To put [it] in scientific terms, they are a “coldwater obligate” species — meaning if the water is too warm (or too dirty), you won’t find any. As we work to make our waters swimmable and fishable, we need to make sure trout populations can thrive. And since trout are so sensitive to pollution and warm water, we can use them as a ‘barometer’ of ecosystem health.

Last year, Blue Water Baltimore implemented the Jones Falls Stream Restoration project, the largest single-site restoration project in our organization’s history. We replaced 560 linear feet of concrete channel with natural features, creating deep pools that lower ambient water temperature. This work will provide significant water quality improvements, with a projected reduction of over 100 pounds of nitrogen pollution annually.

To read the rest of Darin’s blog post, click here.

-The Editors

Constructed Habitat Wetland at Union Collective

clear – 5.7.25
raining – 5.13.25

Arising out of the 2019 Union Collective Green Infrastructure Master Plan (referenced below the Major Projects toolbar interface) is a major environmental remediation project on privately-owned Baltimore City property in the spring of 2025.

The project entailed the installation of an artificial wetland on a 0.52-acre site between the Jones Falls and the Union Collective asphalt parking lot uphill of it. The purpose of this installation is to intercept stormwater runoff coming from the paved lot, to clean it of toxic vehicular fluids and dust that regularly settle on impervious surfaces between rain storms. When the polluted stormwater is running into the wetland, it is filtered through the soils and aquatic vegetation rather than fouling the Jones Falls below. Constructed wetlands are a Green Infrastructure Best Management Practice. 

This project already hosts a colorful array of wildlife, including birds, waterfowl, amphibians and insects.

For the first phase of the project, the FTJF was awarded $204,348 by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $73,984 from the Chesapeake Bay Trust which financial partner included the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, and $42,000 awarded by two Baltimore-based private foundations.

Phase 2 is expected to start construction the spring of 2026 with a hoped-for dedication around Earth Day in April. It will feature an accessible boardwalk partially rimming the wetland, and educational signage. Its funding source is a $142,075 grant from litigation settlement proceeds of the Fleischmann’s Vinegar plant fish kills in the Jones Falls until it was permanently shuttered. It has since been demolished.

-The Editors

FTJF Goes Back to School

FTJF was invited to present aspects of environmental stewardship at the well-attended March 11th St. Paul’s Lower School STEM Fair. Thank you, STEM Director Nancy Dimitriades.

Stewardship Committee members Jessica Schue, Dick Williams and I demonstrated weed warrior work focused on non-native invasive (NNI) English ivy species removal. We brought a well-illustrated video about English ivy, prepared by Melissa Campanella, Stewardship Co-chair, as well as select landscaping tools and fresh-pruned cords of English ivy.

Engaging with students, parents and other family members, we explained how removing NNI vine and other harmful plant species is beneficial to trees and wildlife. Students were asked to draw pictures in response to the question: “How could removing vines help trees?” Their expressive drawings of trees (both sad-vined and happy-unvined), flowers and snails showed understanding and concern.

I found it interesting to hear stories from parents about how they were stewarding in their own backyards. They too struggle with NNI vines threatening their trees. We learned they are refusing to use chemical treatments on their landscapes in an effort to protect our streams as well as rejecting use of plastic bags and leaving turf grass high enough (min. 3”) to slow stormwater runoff into our waterways.

-Angie Plum, FTJF Stewardship Committee

“The Future of Here: A Glimpse of a River Culture to Come” at The Peale

“Streamglider,” 2024 – by Michelle Nazareth

The artist talks about “Streamglider”

FTJF Board members were given a guided tour of the exhibition, The Future of Here, at The Peale museum in downtown Baltimore in Spring, 2025. (The show closed at the end of March.)

Visitors were invited to-
“…reimagine our place along the Jones Falls River and the Chesapeake Bay in a distant future beyond our fossil-fueled present. Consider what local landscapes and cultures might look like in a time far beyond the Baltimore we know now. What artifacts might people of that future time produce, and how might they make creative use of the many things we leave behind?”

To read the summary of the exhibition’s ambitions, click here.

To read some of “Streamglider” artist Michelle Nazareth’s related background, click here.

-The Editors

“Stewarding our Urban Watersheds: A Conversation with Leading Clean Water Advocates in Baltimore”

On the evening of March 21, 2025, a crowd gathered at The Peale museum in downtown Baltimore to attend a panel discussion on the human impact on the Jones Falls watershed, envisioning a more balanced, symbiotic future. The backdrop was the February-March 2025 exhibition, “The Future of Here: A Glimpse of a River Culture to Come.”

The panelists, led by exhibition co-organizer and environmental anthropologist Anand Pandian, included FTJF’s President, Sandy Sparks, and Board member and learning scientist, Melissa Campanella. Sarah Holter, Water Quality Program Manager, and John Marra, Community Program Manager, represented environmental non-profit Blue Water Baltimore. Sarah Koser, Chesapeake Bay Trust Grants Program Manager, and James Wolf, President of the Friends of Stony Run, rounded out the speakers. Exhibition co-organizer and visual artist Jordan Tierney also spoke from the audience.

From questions by Anand and audience members, each panelist shared personal and organizational testaments of challenges to and hopes for the Jones Falls watershed. Scarcity of resources and time, pollutants, invasive species and the looming threat of climate change were described as daunting challenges. But the panelists together offered resounding, hopeful reason for a prosperous Jones Falls ecosystem: the rich web of community.

Jordan and Melissa spoke to the beauty of the natural communities they see in our urban watersheds. Yellow-crowned night herons, hawks, foxes, fish, coyotes and humans are all neighbors in the urban watershed.

Jordan invited the crowd to see all living creatures, including plants, as more similar to than separate from ourselves. Both called for dissolving the manufactured barrier between the human and the natural world–so as to deepen our sense of hope in repairing and sustaining a thriving ecosystem of belonging in every part of every community.

-Sarah Holter, Panelist, Blue Water Baltimore

Photos from Jones Falls Celebrates Sen. Ben Cardin Event

Many thanks for supporting the highly successful Jones Falls Celebrates Senator Ben Cardin on September 7th at White Hall Mill. Enjoy browsing the photo gallery for the evening created by Tedd Henn, Side A Photography: Jones Falls Celebrates Sen Cardin 9-7-2023 photo gallery. Thanks to all our sponsors! See the slideshow from the evening below.

FTJF Celebrates Sen. Ben Cardin 9-7-23 FINALDownload

Celebrate Sen. Ben Cardin Event a Great Success!

The Friends of The Jones Falls gathered on Sep. 7th to honor the legendary Sen. Ben Cardin— the Inaugural Champion of the Jones Falls. WYPR “Midday” show host, Tom Hall, enthusiastically offered insight into the Senator’s dedication and persistence.

Delegate Regina T. Boyce (District 43A), Ex Officio FTJF Board Member, then formally introduced the Senator: “As he turns the page on this chapter of his life, we all wonder what he will do next.” His wife of 60 years, Myrna, could be heard retorting, “Yeah, I’d like to know too.” Laughter spread. Boyce continued, “Celebrating this effective, long-suffering, dedicated leader, especially a leader that supports and fights for our waterways, the environment, our natural resources, and our beloved Chesapeake Bay, we say a big thank you!”

Over 100 well-wishers offered Sen. Cardin a hearty round of applause for his decades of legislative service dedicated to clean water and environment protections, from the Maryland State House to the U. S. Senate. He reflected on the critical role of his home, the Jones Falls Valley, to the well-being of Baltimore, and the recent progress in environmental initiatives and funding by the Biden Administration. In presenting the first Champion of the Jones Falls award, Friends of The Jones Falls President Sandy Sparks recalled Sen. Cardin 20 years ago winning $1.5 million in Federal funding for Baltimore City to construct the first segment of the Jones Falls Trail from Penn Station along Falls Road to Wyman Park Drive.

The evening at Whitehall Mill’s Penguin Room was a huge success with everyone enjoying the raw oyster bar and other tasty hors d’oeuvres catered by True Chesapeake Oyster Co., the restaurant just a few steps down the hall. The bar featured a Sen. Cardin margarita welcome cocktail and beer and wine donated by Union Craft and area spirits shops.

Many thanks to our generous Whitehall Mill host, David Tufaro, and many Business Sponsors for their strong financial support. And, kudos to the Steering Committee: Chair Maggie McIntosh, Co-Chair Nan Rohrer, Dawna Cobb, Ethan Cohen, Carol Gram Davis, Kate Foster, Phil Lee, Mary Page Michel, Salem Reiner, Sandy Sparks and Matt Stegman.

Please link to great event photos for viewing and purchase here. Thanks to all who bought tickets and made contributions!

-Sandy Sparks, FTJF President