Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society
Restoring and promoting the health of all life in the Chesapeake Watershed
through education and action projects organized by volunteers
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CHEARS Filled Greetings to All!
Thanks for the Many Good Seeds you Sowed in 2014!
In this season we celebrate the dark quiet of the winter holiday season and recommit for the returning of the light of the 2015 year. We thank, appreciate, and support each other in our efforts to help create a more healthy planet for all critters
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University of Maryland Student Volunteers in Three Sisters Garden Send the Milkweed Seeds Far and Wide!.
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Thanks for all you Do! We Can Do it Together!
Warmest Wishes for the New Year from:
Jeannie Bellina (CHEARS Executive Director), Erin Josephitis, (Volunteer Maryland Co-ordinator), and the the CHEARS Volunteer Board of Stewards:Carolyn Lambright-Davis (Convener), Bob Cahalan (Vice Convener), Kate Prager (Treasurer), Joan Clement (Secretary), Chandra Taylor-Smith, Maggie Cahalan, Bennie Smith, Marcia Freeman, Eugenia Kalnay)
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Visit the calendar for a full listing of our events.
Did you know...you can update your contact information and CHEARS eNews preferences? Click here!
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...or text CHEARS to 22828
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Thank You for All You Do and Will Do!
 Thanks to the 17 volunteers and the Mayor of Greenbelt who participated in the November 15th Tree Pruning and Organic Land Care Fall Garden Maintenance workshop Our volunteers learned how to prune the City's trees outside of the Community Center, as well as performed fall garden maintenance on the Three Sisters Demonstration Garden. Thanks also to the returning volunteers from the University of Maryland who helped educate the public about watershed best management practice at the Farmers Market on November 23rd. Over 50 community members watched the watershed demonstration models and a total of 8 rain barrels were sold!
Thanks to the GCAN volunteers and activists for the many activities they do all the time (see below facing block) and for hosting the session in December on the topic of "Twenty-Four Reasons for Hope!".
Thanks also to the organizers and participants in the Alternative Gift Fair at National Education Association on December 10
Mark Your Calendars--Upcoming Events
CHEARS annual Solstice Party--Saturday December 20, 2014 at home of Eugenia Kalnay, 56 Lakeside Drive, Greenbelt MD 20770; 5:30 PM Mindful Walk around Greenbelt Lake; 6:30 PM Potluck and Fire Circle. Come for all or part!
GCAN Meeting Wed, Jan 7, 7-9:15 pm. The topic is "Annapolis Legislative Preview 2015". You will receive a separate email with more details in late-December
Garden and Food Forest Monthly Second Fridays--January 9--6:30-8:30 ---Room 114 Community Center (see facing block for details)
Dynamic Governance Starting January 13, 2015 --INTENSIVE TRAINING: EMPOWERING PEOPLE & ORGANIZATIONS (see block below for details)
 Upcoming 2015 Community Service Opportunities sponsored by the City of Greenbelt Department of Public Works in partnership with Chesapeake Education, Arts & Research Society (CHEARS)
EARN SERVICE HOURS! HAVE FUN OUTSIDE!
Individuals and groups are welcome to help with...
- Beaver Caging Tree Protection
- Butterfly Garden Monitoring
- Earth Day / Green Man Festival Event Planning
- Eco Discovery Days
- Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.)
- Native Landscape Restoration
- Trails, Gardens & Food Forest Maintenance
- Walk / Bike to School Day Event Planning
A copy of the 2015 upcoming schedule is available at:
http://chears.org/publications/fulltext/Volunteer_Event_Schedule.pdf
Interested in volunteering? Contact: Erin Josephitis: Volunteer@CHEARS.org
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FUTURE HARVEST CASA'S 16th ANNUAL
CULTIVATE THE CHESAPEAKE FOODSHED CONFERENCE
January 15-17, 2015 | College Park, MD
Early-bird pricing ends 12/31!
Farmers, food activists, and locavores from all corners of the Chesapeake region will be gathering for the largest local and sustainable agriculture event in the lower Mid-Atlantic, January 15-17, 2015!
Future Harvest - A Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (CASA), will host its 16th annual conference: 3 full days with 8 pre-conference workshops, 42 conference sessions, and keynotes from Lindsey Lusher-Shute, Executive Director of the Young Farmers Coalition and Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen. See the full program and register at www.futureharvestcasa.org/conference
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Sarah Sohn Program Coordinator
Jan 15-17, 2015 | College Park Marriott
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Dynamic Governance Starting January 13, 2015
INTENSIVE TRAINING:
EMPOWERING PEOPLE & ORGANIZATIONS
CHEARS is excited and honored to present JOHN BUCK of Sociocracy Consulting Group and AILEEN KROLL, Greenbelt activist. Using Tools from Dynamic Governance, John and Aileen offer a highly interactive and engaging training designed for everyone who's ever been in a meeting and wondered, "How can we do this better?"
Location: Greenbelt, MD
Dates: January 13, 2015 through February 24, 2015.
Six sessions on Jan. 13th, 20th, Feb. 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th.
(January 27th intentionally skipped.)
Time: Tuesdays, 7:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Contact us for scholarship opportunities
How: It's easy! Go to http://chears.org/. or http://www.governancealive.com/register/ for more information and to register. Cost: $185 for all 6 sessions, workbooks, learning aids.
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Monitoring for Climate Change in Maryland's Non-Tidal Streams A Workshop Sponsored by the Maryland Water-Monitoring Council---January 27, 2015
The Maryland Water-Monitoring Council (MWMC) provides a forum for communication among agencies and organizations that collect water data in Maryland. The Council serves to document and enhance monitoring activities and supports watershed-based strategies that are developed by multiple agencies and based on high-quality data. In 2009, the MWMC sponsored a workshop to design and implement a monitoring network that includes documentation of the effects of climate change in Maryland streams. Climate change is now a broadly accepted phenomenon, and the strategy for Maryland's freshwater stream ecosystems is to monitor changing stressors and to enhance adaptations where possible. Non-tidal streams and headwaters are important ecosystems for many organisms, and timing for ephemeral streams and vernal pools is intimately tied to aquatic life cycles. The Monitoring and Assessment Committee of the MWMC is sponsoring a second workshop to focus monitoring efforts in Maryland on adaptation and mitigation for non-tidal streams in a changing climate.
The Goals of this Workshop are:
1. Explore issues of climate change for non-tidal streams in Maryland.
2. Information sharing among agencies that collect data on non-tidal streams in Maryland, with focus on monitoring strategies for adaptation and mitigation of climate change.
3. Build on the results of the October 2009 MWMC workshop: Planning for the Future: Designing and Implementing a Climate Change Monitoring Network in Maryland's Nontidal Waters.
Mark Your Calendars!
- USFWS National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel, MD
- January 27, 2015; 9:30 - 4:00
- Seating for the conference is limited.
Details can be found on the MWMC Announcement page http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/MWMC/MWMC2010/announcements.asp#ClimateChangeInStreams
Dan Boward
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      Three Sisters Demonstration Gardens and Food Forest
Bay-friendly Gardening ~ Growing food, community, and healthy ecosystems in our watershed
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Franklin Park Environmental Student Stewards learn about and care for their local watershed. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2014 the Environmental Student Stewards group has helped maintain the rain gardens, Three Sisters Outdoor Classroom Gardens, and the Food Forest at the Springhill Lake Recreation Center. They look forward to collaborating with Greenbelt Public Works for field trips to each of the other garden sites with Erin Josephitis, Volunteer Maryland Co-ordinator
Garden and Food Forest Monthly Second Fridays--January 9--6:30-8:30 ---Interested in working for and learning about food security, and increasing opportunities for eco-friendly healthy food growing and wildlife support in Greenbelt in the face of climate change? All are invited to join us for a Pot-Luck and Meeting Room 114 in Greenbelt Community Center. Bring easy food to share at 6:30 or join us at 7PM for the meeting. Zero waste dishes, napkins, and glasses provided
If you would like to volunteer to work in the gardens, please contact one of our Garden Volunteer Project Coordinators to arrange times to have fun and help in the gardens.
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MEETINGS
Our next GCAN Meeting is on Wed, Jan 7, 7-9:15 pm. The topic is "Annapolis Legislative Preview 2015". You will receive a separate email with more details in late-December.
DISCUSSION CIRCLES
We plan to start a new discussion circle in January. For more info, visit http://chears.org/gcan/discussion-circles/ . The most likely topic will be "Voluntary Simplicity" (back by popular demand!) If you are interested, please let Lore know what nights of the week work best for you.
GCAN "ACTIVISTS"
We continue to have a broad-spectrum focus.
CITY: We will ask the City Council to write a letter to the 22nd District Delegation in support of the RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) bill, to encourage them all to sign on as co-sponsors. We also continue to monitor the process of the Homes Improvement Project at GHI.
COUNTY: We have been working with Susan Ungar of PG-OFA to lobby our representatives on the county level. We have collected signatures and attended rallies about Coal Powered Plants. We have attended presentations about Solar Energy. This winter, we hope to co-sponsor several events. 
Click here to read about civil disobedience actions that took place in Lusby, MD on Dec 1-3, http://www.wearecovepoint.org/we-are-cove-point-gets-attention-and-support-in-lusbysolomons-island/
Additionally, we are supporting the work of "Get Money Out of Maryland" and "Move To Amend". We encourage you to sign this state-wide petition:http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/maryland-says-dont-let
FEDERAL: We are continuing to fight the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Some GCAN Members have signed the CREDO Pledge of Resistance and seven of us have attended a one-day Civil Disobedience Training. Fortunately, on Nov 18, the US Senate vote *not* to proceed with the pipeline. CREDO is still considering next steps, based on the President and State Dept. actions. http://act.credoaction.com/survey/lameduck_keystone_p/?t=1&akid=12232.3868718.i83mkH
SPECIAL PROJECTS Our Greenbelt Time Bank is now up and running at www.greenbelttimebank.org with 79 members and 264 hours exchanged. Orientations took place in April, May, July & Dec. The next training will be on Sat, Feb 7, 1-2:30 pm. . Email Greenbelt.Timebank@gmail.com . You can join our next Core Team meeting on Tues, Dec 16 at 7 pm. T he Greenbelt Cooperative "Incubator" Group continues to meet. Some of the most popular ideas are an Early Learning Center in Franklin Park, a Composting Co-op to make organic soil, A Worker Co-op for the Old Greenbelt Theater, A Kids Co-op to sell Smoothies at the Farmers Market, a Thrift Store, and an Edible Landscaping Co-op. The Incubator just received a $5,000 grant from the Greenbelt Community Foundation to learn about writing bylaws, articles of incorporation, and how to register as a coop. Our second workshop will take place on Dec 14th. Our next general Incubator Meeting will take place on Sun, January 11, 2-4 pm. You can also support the work of the Greenbelt Cinema Cooperative/Friends of Greenbelt Theater by attending the City Council Meeting on Mon, Dec 15th at 8 pm. Contact greenbeltcoopincubator@gmail.com for more info. Re-Skilling Workshop Committee - nothing scheduled. We had to cancel Mr. Vecchiarelli, the blade and reel mower sharpener, in October because it was too cold for him to work in his truck. We will try again in the spring, when the weather gets warmer than 45 degrees. Salon Night - Judy Hamburg is continuing to show monthly movies at her house in Seabrook. The movies are always about some aspect of climate change or eco-system collapse .The next date is in January (tba). The movie will be "Gasland II". Contact Lore for more details. For more info on any of these listings, contact lore@simplicity-matters.org Lore Rosenthal 301-345-2234, Greenbelt Climate Action Network. Also visit our Website www.chears.org/gcan/ , our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/chearsorg and the calendar on the CHEARS website for a full listing of events 
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Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society
P.O. Box 1841 | Greenbelt, MD 20768
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