Salisbury Kicks Off Environmental Summer At Schumaker Pond With Local And State Partners

Mayor James Ireton, Jr. is pleased to announce and invite the public to “Salisbury’s Environmental Summer Kickoff” this Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 1:00 p.m., on Schumaker Pond in Salisbury. The City is embarking on several environmental initiatives designed to reduce the municipality’s carbon footprint, reduce energy costs, and improve the health of the Wicomico River.

The following organizations will be joining the mayor in Salisbury:

Creekwatchers – Wicomico Creekwatchers will present their annual Wicomico River Report card. The Water Quality Report for the Upper and Lower Wicomico and area ponds in the river watershed will be presented by SU Professor and Creekwatcher Dr. Judith Stribling.

Sierra Club – Through the “Cool Cities Initiative” with Sierra Club, the municipality works to reduce our carbon footprint by lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Sierra Club intern, Kelly Shanahan, will present the 2009 Carbon Footprint data that will establish a baseline for the city to use in determining reductions. Ms. Shanahan completed a comprehensive list of ways the city has already reduced its carbon footprint.

Maryland Clean Energy Center – Administrator Deborah Parrish will join Salisbury Fire Chief, Jeff Simpson to present an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act check for retrofitting Fire Station #2 with Clean Energy Technology.

Center for Watershed Protection – Watershed Ecologist Lori Lilly will announce that the City of Salisbury and the Center for Watershed Protection have jointly applied to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the Watershed assistance grant that will result in the development of a watershed plan for the Wicomico. Ms. Lilly will also report on the recent CWP/Salisbury partnership, “Salisbury’s Illicit Discharge, Detection and Elimination Program” which studies the many outfall pipes that directly affect the Wicomico River.

University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (EFC) and with the support of the Department of Natural Resources Watershed Assistance Collaborative (WAC) – the City is being considered as one of the first pilot communities to receive technical assistance in the new Stormwater Unit at EFC that supports DNR activities. The City is a Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) community and intends to be a model for developing a comprehensive stormwater financing strategy for the state of Maryland.

The location of the press conference is on Schumaker Pond in Salisbury. The pedestrian bridge that spans the pond behind the Ward Museum (on Beaglin Park Drive) can be accessed from either N. Schumaker or S. Schumaker Drive.

The following guests will be in attendance: Carrie Decker, Department of National Resources, Katherine Magruder of Maryland Clean Energy Center, Dr. Judith Stribling of Creekwatchers and Salisbury University, Karen Lukacs, Executive Director of Wicomico Environmental Trust, Erik Fisher of Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Lori Lilly from the Center for Watershed Protection.