Howard County Group

The Howard County Group is part of the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, a national environmental organization. Ravaging Runoff Tuesday, April 29, 7:00pm, at the James Rouse Theater in Wilde Lake High School, 5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia. The consortium of groups known as HoCoH2O is organizing this talk about the serious challenges facing this county water-wise, particularly runoff. Free. To reserve a seat please email RSVP@HoCoH2O.com. Why is the Patuxent River rated a "D-" and the Patapsco River a "D"? How does unchecked runoff affect us? How will global warming impact our waterways? What actions can we take to improve and protect our lakes, streams, rivers, and the Bay? Featured speakers: Mike Tidwell, founder & director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network; author The Ravaging Tide: Strange Weather, Future Katrinas, & the Coming Death of America's Coastal Cities. Fred Tutman, Patuxent Riverkeeper; active on state and county boards, task forces, and commissions; lifelong environmental activist with deep ties to the land and people along the Patuxent River. Event organized by HoCoH2O, an alliance of local organizations and institutions concerned about the health of our local and regional waterways. For more information, visit www.HoCoH2O.com. Invasive Plant Removal in Laurel Sat. and/or Sun. May 3, 4 at 1:00. The Patuxent Basin Natural Resource Area need some attention! Remove exotic invasive plants so that our own dear natives can thrive - like the Mountain Laurel, for which the City of Laurel is named! Spend a little time in nature, spotting wildflowers, hawks, turtles, and pileated woodpeckers. We can meet by the Municipal Swimming Pool at 9th and Main Streets at 1 pm on either day and work for a couple of hours at the site along Riverfront Park in Laurel. Please let Brigitte know which day you can attend, 240-506-8976, bfzaidan@safe-mail.net. Help Wanted We are looking for a new secretary for the executive committee; the position mostly requires attending 5-6 meetings per year and recording the minutes. If you can help, contact Ken Clark, 301-725-3306, kenclark7@comcast.net. Additional Plastic Recycling Residents of Howard County are now able to add more plastic materials to their recycling container. These new materials are: #2 and #5 Tubs (i.e., margarine, sour cream, ricotta cheese, yogurt, pudding, etc.) #2 and #5 Jars (i.e., peanut butter, tomato sauce, mayonnaise) #2 and #5 Trays (i.e., microwaveable meal trays) As before, plastic bottles of all recycle numbers are recyclable (but not motor oil, pesticide or solvent bottles). See the Howard County web page for a full list of recyclables. The Sierra Club organizes tours of the Waste Management Recycle America recycling sorting plant in Elkridge, once every month or two, on weekdays at 10:00am. The next one is on Tuesday May 6. To sign up, contact Susan Hartsfield, 202-498-2640, susanhartsfield@msn.com (put "WM Recycle tour" in the subject line). Featured Outing Explore Wolf Rock at Catoctin Mountain Park on our April 26 hike, one of many trips on our outings schedule. See more photos on our pictures page.