Date: Thursday, September 7, 5-8pm
Location: Whitehall Mill 3300 Clipper Mill Road Baltimore, MD 21211
Friends of the Jones Falls Celebrate Senator Ben Cardin
Fleischmann’s Vinegar Plant Acidic Discharge – Update
On behalf of its members, Blue Water Baltimore is moving forward with its lawsuit against the Fleischmann’s Vinegar plant owner, Kerry Group, PLC, for continued unauthorized discharge of toxic pollutants into the Jones Falls from its facility just north of W. Cold Spring Lane and west of the JFX.
From Blue Water’s website: “In October 2022, residents once again reported dead fish in the Jones Falls and a strong odor of vinegar near Fleischmann’s. Blue Water Baltimore documented acidic discharge flowing through cracks in the concrete walls at the facility directly into the Jones Falls. Testing revealed that the discharge contained acetic acid, and pH levels as low as 3.72, much more acidic than the baseline level of the stream (around pH 7.5).”
FTJF President Sandy Sparks first addressed our alarm about toxic discharge from this plant in a formal letter to the Maryland Department of the Environment two years ago.
A longtime Blue Water Baltimore member and FTJF Board member has volunteered to become a standing declarant for the Blue Water case. The requirements include providing a statement to the court about how that person has been “negatively impacted by the fish kills or acid discharges from the plant.” In writing the statement, he has been counseled by a Chesapeake Legal Alliance attorney which is representing Blue Water Baltimore in the matter.
-The Editors
Beyond the Jones Falls: Sustainable Science, Environmental Engineering, and Community Greening
Hosted in partnership with:
Date: Friday, September 23, 2022, Conference 8:00am – 4:00pm / Networking / Happy Hour 4:00 – 6:00pm
Saturday, September 24, 2022, Outfall Screening / Stream Walk, 9:00am – Noon
Location: Union Craft Brewing, Main Hall, 1700 W. 41st St, Baltimore, MD 21211. Free on-site parking.
Registration
Includes one-day conference attendance, continental breakfast, boxed lunch by The Lunchbox Lady, coffee, tea and light fare from Vent Coffee, and Happy Hour beverages from Union Craft Brewery, treats the Charmery (ice cream) and more. Up to 7 PDH’s are available through ASCE with conference attendance.
Community Volunteers and Non-Profit Staff – $100
Government Employees – $125
Professionals – $150
Outfall Screening Field Walk on Saturday (additional – limited to 25) – $25
Description
Friday, September 23, 2022, Conference 8:00am – 4:00pm
Networking / Happy Hour 4:00 – 6:00pm
Join fellow environmental professionals and practitioners, community activists and greening volunteers to learn about the science and strategies driving policy and practices of sustainability in our waterway ecosystems. Listen to and question more than 15 expert speakers about the health of local waterways, the future of storm water management and green infrastructure and how flood control policy is evolving with climate change. Throughout the conference day, meet storm water technology organizations/vendors.
During Networking / Happy Hour from 4pm to 6pm, connect with the great diversity of conference participants.
Saturday, September 24, 2022, Outfall Screening / Stream Walk, 9:00am – 12:00pm
Find out first-hand the state of the Jones Falls flowing alongside the Union Craft property and adjoining the JFX. (Additional cost —limited to 25 participants) during a stream walk led by Blue Water Baltimore staff.
Program
Friday, September 23 (8am – 6pm)
8am – 9am: Attendee check-in, coffee, tea and light fare
9am – 9:15am: Welcome and logistics
9:15am – 9:45am: Keynote speaker – Del. Tony Bridges, Executive Director, Blue Water Baltimore
9:45am – 10:45am: Environmental Science Panel
Moderator: Tanaira Cullens (Biohabitats)
Wolf Pecher (University of Baltimore)
Bob Summers (Ecologix)
Stan Kemp (University of Baltimore)
10:45am – 11am: Break
11am – 12pm: Engineering Green Panel
Moderator: Nick Lindow (Cityscape Engineering)
Chris Streb (Biohabitats)
Dong Hee Kang (Morgan State University)
Stewart Comstock (MDE)
12pm – 1pm: Lunch and Jones Falls Drone Video
Presenter: Katie O’Meara (MICA)
1pm – 2pm: Environmental Sustainability and Policy Panel, Part 1
Moderator: Mac McComas (JHU)
Dr. Ela-Sita Carpenter (USFWS)
Ashley Traut (GBWC)
Alice Volpitta (BWB)
2pm – 2:30pm: Break
2:30pm – 3:30pm: Environmental Sustainability and Policy Panel, Part 2
Moderator: Jessica Krueger (AECOM)
Melissa Miklus (RKK)
Kimberly Grove (BC DPW)
Carmera Thomas (Conservation Fund)
3:30pm – 4pm: Closing Remarks
Eric Schott – (University of Maryland)
4pm – 6pm: Happy Hour and Networking at Union Craft Brewing
Saturday, September 24 (additional cost, limited to 25 participants)
9am – 12pm: Stream Walk at Union Craft Brewing: Outfall Screening on The Jones Falls
Alice Volpitta (Blue Water Baltimore) and/or Barbara Johnson (BWB)
Email questions to thejonesfalls@gmail.com.
Jones Falls Gateway Project
In a collaborative effort, Midtown Community Benefits District and the Friends of The Jones Falls were awarded a Goldseker Foundation grant to create a conceptual design plan for the Falls Gateway. This area at Falls Road and Maryland Avenue is a key corridor for cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders and motorists. It connects multiple neighborhoods to the assets found in and around Midtown, such as Penn Station, Station North Arts & Entertainment District, MICA, University of Baltimore, and multiple cultural, restaurant, and nightlife assets.
Mahan Rykiel Associates and RK&K Engineering’s proposed plan considers projects already in motion, and, after reviewing with the stakeholders and Baltimore City representatives, recommends much needed improvements that focus on improving the overall experience and navigability of this pivotal area.
Multiple projects are already underway to expand tree pits and plant new trees and native plants, add historical signage, and install a mural along the Falls Road, just west of the Maryland Avenue intersection on a chain link fence overlooking the rail lines. Additional funding will be sought for the larger scale projects, and the group will work closely with the Baltimore City DOT to complete the efforts.
FTJF Letter to the Maryland DPW re. Illegal Discharges at the Fleischmann’s Vinegar Plant
Member Post – The Jones Falls is a Treasure
The Jones Falls is a Baltimore City treasure. I love gliding down Falls Rd. on my bike in the late summer, feeling the warm breeze on my face, and smelling the sweet air from the flora and the Falls itself. For me, the Jones Falls Trail is how I leave the sounds of the city to reach the tranquility of Druid Hill Park’s Mountain Pass. This Trail restores me to nature and reminds me of how much peace nature (even a little nature) can bring to the soul.
As a new member of the Friends of The Jones Falls, I am here to help keep the trail maintained and beautiful so that it can be a safe and welcoming place for all who visit. Two immediate areas in Station North that can use improvement are at Falls Rd. and W. Trenton St., and Falls Rd. and Maryland Ave. One of these locations can have a gateway mural to the Trail. In addition, there is the need for some trash cleanup, and a large native planting area that would provide erosion control and encourage pollinator species to thrive.
I can tell this is a welcoming organization based on the warm welcome I’ve received, and I am very grateful for all of you. I hope we can meet soon. Stay safe and hopefully we will be out of this pandemic soon.
-Jessica Turrin (pictured with her husband, Eduardo)
Come this Saturday, It’ll Be 100 Leaching Tires Removed!
One of our FTJF Board members put her waders on at the edge of this pond to retrieve 3 rotting, toxin-leaching tires from this bioretention pond near the Jones Falls. She was assisted by two others members.
As those of you who read our Facebook page might know, in four separate efforts in two locations along embankments of the Jones Falls Trail, beginning mid-December, 2020, a group of four FTJF members have extracted more than 100 discarded tires in all.
Thankfully, we’ve found that DPW Solid Waste has defined procedures entailing responsible disposition of discarded tires.
-The Editors
Good Deeds Day: Stream Clean Up
Saturday, April 11 | 12:00 pm
Join us on Good Deeds Day Sunday, April 11th at 12:00 PM for a stream clean-up with the Friends Of The Jones Falls. We will work together to pick up trash and remove invasive species from the area. We will gather in the parking lot of Union Craft Brewery and then walk to the location of the clean-up. If you need any accommodations to make this event accessible to you, please reach out to Harry at harry.marek@werepair.org.
Intro to Bay-Wise Gardening and Invasives
Thursday, April 8 | 12:00 pm | Free
The Friends of The Jones Falls is hosting special virtual presentation to get you buzzing for spring gardening, and the start of our Jones Falls cleanups! Consider making a donation to the Friends of The Jones Falls to support programs like this and initiatives that steward the Jones Falls watershed.
You’ll learn about the top 10 alien invasives afflicting the Jones Falls watershed and how to spot and eradicate them.
We will be joined by master gardener Debbie Swartz. Debbie co-chairs the Bay Wise Master Gardening program in Baltimore City through the University of Maryland Extension, and coordinates the Bay-Wise Maryland Yard Stick — the rating system for how gardens and landscapes benefit local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.
Books recommended are: Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed (free download) Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, by Douglas W. Tallamy (updated and expanded version); Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer; The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, by Peter Wohlleben; Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines by William Cullina.
“The Falls” – A Poem
I grew up in Baltimore and though I was an outdoorsy child, I must admit that in my youth I believed the Jones Falls was just the name of an expressway. Having done more exploration, trail navigation and sightseeing as I’ve gotten older, I realize the Jones Falls is really a hidden gem. While it can be missed by those whizzing by in a vehicle, its charms are best captured when observing it while on foot. I’ve captured my thoughts in a poem below, titled “The Falls.”
Water rushing, leaves rustling
A siren wails in the air.
Your charms hidden away from plain view,
But when found, one must stop and stare.
With exposed rock and variable drops,
your waters dance with ease.
For biker, runner, paddler and walker,
your babbling aims to please.
Whether tunnels graced with graffiti
or bedrock marred with time,
your lapping never ceases
to take a chance and wind.
Around and over and under you go,
your flood waters are respected by all.
In Baltimore there can only be,
one place we call “The Jones Falls.”
Aside forested buffer and channeled concrete,
you greet the city lover.
Tis recognized there is no other
and so your praise, we must usher.
By Tanaira Cullens. Tanaira serves as Board Secretary for the Friends of The Jones Falls. She works as an environmental scientist for Biohabitats and lives in Loch Raven.
Friends of The Jones Falls 