By Stacey Coles
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Only a few blocks from her home in West Baltimore, Lanae Jackson walked onto a vacant lot on Riggs Avenue on Sept. 26 ready to make a difference.
Jackson was one of several volunteers who were replacing the asphalt where an old apartment complex once stood with topsoil.
Once the soil had been laid, Jackson began to plant one of the many trees and shrubs that flourish in the garden today.
“It’s nice to have something like that be put in my neighborhood,” Jackson said. “It’s rare to have the work that you do benefit your own neighborhood.”
The Riggs Avenue Project is one example of the type of events the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has and will be hosting to combat rising temperatures and sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay.
“These are serious problems that need to be fixed,” said Tom Zolper, the communications coordinator for the foundation.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization that focuses on efforts to help the bay. Primary events include oyster gardening and tree planting, where volunteers have the opportunity to add filter feeders and carbon absorbers to the environment, Zolper said.
“It’s important that people understand that they can make a difference even though it’s (climate change) a big scary issue,” Zolper said.
An upcoming tree planting event will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Little Gun Powder Falls Watershed. During this event, volunteers will help the foundation plant 800 trees to restore four acres of farmland, Zolper said.
In addition to the gardening events, the Baltimore Initiative, a branch of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, is working with the Baltimore Lab School to conduct a series of workshops with disabled students. During these workshops, the students learn about topics like oysters and how they help the environment, Jackson said.
“Knowledge is power,” Zolper said. “We want people to get inspired, make a difference and learn how they can help.”
The workshops are scheduled to run from October to May at Nick’s Fish House at 2600 Insulator Drive in Baltimore.
“It’s been a great experience so far working with these kids and seeing how knowledgeable they are,” said Jackson, an assistant to the director of the Baltimore Initiative. “I’m looking forward to diversifying our audience.”
A similar event is the Waterfowl Festival from Nov. 13 to Nov.15 at the Eastern Shore, where volunteers will teach visitors about the foundation’s efforts and spread awareness about the work that they do in the area. The festival is free and the foundation welcomes all, including pets.
While Jackson was at the Riggs Avenue lot, she was not only a part of an environmental project, but a social experience. Sharing the experience with Jackson were students from the University of Maryland and the University of Baltimore.
“Everyone got to chat and relate,” Jackson said. “We all came together for a common goal. It was a very tranquil experience.”