[MAIPC] FW: A Year for Maryland to Be Proud Of

[Imlay, Marc]

From: Marc Imlay [mailto:ialm at erols.com]
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2017 6:49 PM
To: Westby, Brooke <Brooke.Westby at pgparks.com>; Ellis, Michael <Michael.Ellis at Pgparks.com>; Lowe, Kyle <Kyle.Lowe at pgparks.com>; Abellera, Jon Paolo <JonPaolo.Abellera at pgparks.com>; Abrams, Amanda <Amanda.Abrams at pgparks.com>; Adams, Michelle <Michelle.adams at Pgparks.com>; Dillon, John <John.Dillon at pgparks.com>; Dolesh, Mike <Mike.Dolesh at pgparks.com>; Garrett, Chris <Chris.Garrett at pgparks.com>; Harley, George <George.Harley at pgparks.com>; Lee, Jill <Jill.Lee at pgparks.com>; Mills, Devin <Devin.Mills at pgparks.com>; Simmonds, Tanya <Tanya.Simmonds at pgparks.com>; Sweet, Benjamin <Benjamin.Sweet at pgparks.com>; Imlay, Marc <Marc.Imlay at pgparks.com>
Subject: FW: A Year for Maryland to Be Proud Of

Protecting Endangered Species, Evicting Invasive Ones, and Dealing with Deer Ticks
[Volunteer Jeanelle Tyson bags up invasive garlic mustard at Magruder Park in Hyattsville.]
What do the Baltimore Checkerspot, the Grey Petaltail, and the Eastern Hellbender have in common? All have great names--and all are threatened in Maryland. In 2017 the Maryland Sierra Club's Endangered Species team began compiling data on which to base a statewide strategy for promoting biodiversity.

Some species, on the other hand, are quite the opposite of endangered. In fact, invasive plants are the biggest threat to biodiversity after loss of habitat and water pollution. Enter our interns, who work alongside Sierra Club leaders and Park personnel learning to identify native plants versus invasive weeds, how to remove them, and how to run an invasive plant removal outing. In 2017, 45 interns and volunteers from the Chapter's College Park office put in 620 hours to fill over 96 bags with invasive weeds such as bush asiatic honeysuckle, garlic mustard, multiflora rose, and wavyleaf basketgrass, saving hundreds of types of native plants and animals.

Interns also helped develop a process to assess and publicize which parks are safest to hike in during peak Lyme disease season. Based on the fact that deer ticks are scarce where deer density is the naturally occuring twenty per square mile or less, this process has now been adopted in Pennsylvania and other states. The students followed up by creating a brochure<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8418c0e15328107c595cc54a2e9a4a9add0951cc8ef486d8cae12d088c6809bfa2371b213627860d8e18315bd81d52d0bb> to educate the public about the connection between deer overpopulation and Lyme disease.

In 2017, 26 interns worked hard side by side with staff and volunteer leaders, protecting our local parks and gaining real-world experience in other aspects of running a grassroots nonprofit<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8438a98148dfcd0d0aa0458bbb2cb613cc251a51cbf4597f917fb4dc7245abc646b9818d82b65cd46dfbecc894a7b68dd6>. For some, the experience is life-changing, helping to form the next generation of activist leaders. Meet some of our summer interns  here<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84e4834bac04b6092ce4595b77228476343c6abd41eb8c8b8d6bac0dff15d2cd50cf23388c018ecfe776ed79674ed3b6ec>. We appreciate their efforts on behalf of Maryland's wild places.
________________________________


From: Sierra Club Maryland Chapter [mailto:reply at emails.sierraclub.org]
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2017 3:21 PM
To: ialm at erols.com<mailto:ialm at erols.com>
Sub

ject: A Year for Maryland to Be Proud Of
And How YOU Made It Happen
[Maryland Chapter]<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84a3e5e7b0288d08a441fbc804b5cc40bdf129f3d89d25fd13bb16d265aa11a54611d8b1a4b09aa44d3d7997322a5857eb>


A Year to Remember: A Message from The Director

[Capture Fracking Ban croppoed]

Dear Alice Lee,

I am thrilled to share with you the Maryland Sierra Club's 2017 year-in-review. In looking back over the past year, we found plenty of doom and gloom, but I think we've all had enough of that to last a lifetime. Instead, I want to share with you inspiring stories of how thousands of everyday Marylanders like you came together to respond.

Moments of crisis can reveal a lot about a person--and an organization. In the response to the challenges of the year, I witnessed thousands of Sierra Club volunteers and staff join together to defend our planet and sustain this important movement we are building. I couldn't be prouder of the Sierra Club that was revealed this year.

The Sierra Club's biggest asset is its people power. In Maryland, almost 5,000 new activists joined our ranks, for a total of 18,674 members and supporters. We marched in the streets of Annapolis and Washington DC to demand action on climate. Our county groups organized over a hundred outings to help thousands of Marylanders get outdoors. We planned film screenings and lectures to educate our communities, and held trainings to give us the skills we need to be agents of change.

[DirectorsPic 3thumbnail]This focus on people is why thousands of new members joined the Maryland Sierra Club this year. They, too, wanted to be part of an organization that is facing these challenges head-on. Renewed energy gave us the inspiration and capacity not only to fight against federal rollbacks, but also to permanently ban fracking and win other huge environmental victories here in Maryland.
Out of adversity, we have created a stronger, more resilient community. And we're just getting started. I am thankful to be part of such an amazing organization and surrounded by passionate staff and volunteers. I'm inspired by the tireless effort and endless spirit of our team. I'm looking forward to working toward our shared vision in 2018.

Josh Tulkin

Director, Sierra Club Maryland Chapter

________________________________

Climate Action Marches Forward, Advances Social Justice
[New partners came together in Baltimore and across Maryland to plan for the Climate March.]On April 29th, 25 busloads of Sierrans from every corner of Maryland converged on Washington to demand climate action. Our local Groups undertook a massive effort<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84572202706c864033797118917f4293730af1aa49fb98d3ca449753e53d1610f2bb5c7cb503a9877829cd22b39192f598>  to coordinate the transportation, while also creating important connections with other local organizations. Together, these teams distributed flyers, phone banked, and posted on social media for weeks ahead of the March to spread the word.

Our organizing embodied the theme of the event, "To Change Everything, We Need Everyone." The alliances that were forged during Climate March planning will continue to pay dividends. In Baltimore, the Sierra Club joined two dozen other community groups--advocating for issues from public health to fair housing and workers' rights--to form the "Baltimore Table" of the People's Climate Movement. The partners decided that the March would mark a beginning, rather than an end--that they would work together long after April 29th to build "the new energy and economic future by undoing environmental racism."

Since so many social justice issues have an environmental component--incinerators are often sited in poor neighborhoods, for instance--being part of the Baltimore Table will allow the Sierra Club to receive and share expertise as part of equity campaigns throughout the city, multiplying the Club's reach many times over. In June, losing no time, the Table persuaded the City Council to pass a resolution supporting the Paris Climate accords. Although nonbinding, the resolution lays out specific steps to take toward an equitable, clean-energy future.
________________________________
Advancing Clean Energy in Maryland and our Region

[Clean Energy]In the absence of federal leadership, climate action closer to home took on vital importance in 2017. The Maryland General Assembly took a step forward in February by overriding Governor Hogan's veto of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, so that Maryland will continue to increase its financial support for renewable energy generation. Later in session, the General Assembly took another important step passing legislation to ensure continuation of our state's ambitious energy efficiency program.

Progress continued in August, when the nine states--including Maryland--that make up the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) agreed to extend that program from 2020 to 2030 and to cut power plant emissions by an additional 30%. To do so, Maryland will need to significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuel power plants, embrace clean energy, and increase energy efficiency. Each RGGI state will now take the proposal through its individual regulatory update process.

Originally implemented in 2009, the RGGI's cap-and-invest program requires polluting power plants to pay for the carbon they emit, and then reinvests the proceeds in clean energy and energy efficiency. David Barrow of the Catoctin Group knows firsthand how families can benefit from RGGI funding. An RGGI grant allowed him to install solar panels, upgrade insulation, and replace his HVAC system with geothermal-- changes that slashed his energy bill from $6,000 per year to about $60. Grants like these foster thousands of jobs for home energy technicians and insulation installers, driving significant economic growth.

What RGGI has been to power plants, the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) may soon be to fossil-fueled trains, planes, and automobiles. In November, at the Bonn Climate Change Summit, Maryland, six other states, and the District of Columbia announced plans to develop regional policies to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. With transportation poised to become the state's largest source of greenhouse gases, the announcement comes none too soon. In 2018, as TCI begins seeking public input on potential policies, our Chapter's new Clean Transportation team will be there, urging the modernization of our transportation systems through the rapid deployment of public transit, electric vehicles, and walkable/bikeable communities.
________________________________
Fracking Ban Becomes Law, though Gas Pipeline Still Threatens the Potomac

[Fracking Ban]In its 2017 session, the General Assembly acted to make the 2015 fracking moratorium permanent, and Governor Hogan signed it into law. This victory was the culmination of years of work by the Sierra Club, dozens of other organizations, and  thousands of activists. As part of the "Don't Frack Maryland" Coalition, the Sierra Club worked hand in hand with partners from Western Maryland and across the state. Chapter volunteers worked tirelessly to promote the permanent ban--for instance, gathering a hefty 5,500 petition signatures. This law has made history by making Maryland the third state to officially ban fracking, and offered a much-needed reminder of what is possible when our communities work together.

Since this victory, the Beyond Gas Committee has continued its fight by organizing and informing Marylanders regarding the proposed Potomac Pipeline--a gas pipeline that would threaten Maryland's drinking water supply, the C&O Canal National Historical Park, property rights, and more. In October, the newly formed No Potomac Pipeline Coalition<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8405adb84a0b95b3b0b1fcd60dde66866d1169d914f3ae889ffcce121a76ae45f97bef38ce6677079764cebffe8a1710bd>  brought people throughout the entire DC-Maryland-Virginia area to join hands across the James Rumsey Bridge connecting West Virginia and Maryland to protest the building of this pipeline. Meanwhile, the Southern Maryland Group is working hard with coalition partners against infrastructure permits that would allow the export of natural gas from Cove Point.

To support the movement and ask Governor Hogan to prevent this dangerous project, please sign the petition<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8409ea8546e37f31e63ee0608e7d16051b116c5e0d73e827f7761075ad9d61cc376c10602e6dd64ba1b58f1d93f0c0d310> against the Potomac Pipeline.
________________________________
Real Protections Established for the Mattawoman Creek after 25-Year Fight: Focus Increases on Reducing Runoff

[A recent outing on the Mattawoman Creek.]It took a generation--but the Chesapeake tributary of Mattawoman Creek was worth the fight. "It's Maryland's most productive fish hatchery," says veteran activist Bonnie Bick, "with ideal conditions that cannot be duplicated." In 1990, Bick and others discovered that the area in Charles County known as Chapman Forest was slated to be bisected by the Outer Beltway and developed into a town the size of Annapolis. An epic battle ensued, which came to victory in June when the Charles County Board of Commissioners voted to establish the Watershed Conservation District (WCD), rezoning more than 30,000 acres in the Mattawoman Creek and Port Tobacco River watersheds to prevent further development.

The Southern Maryland Group worked for years to win county residents and commissioners to the cause. Bick's favorite way to win converts was to arrange canoeing trips: "Simply paddling the creek was enough. People saw it was special and fell in love with it." (Note: A proposal to create a National Marine Sanctuary including the creek--the first Sanctuary in the Chesapeake Bay--has collected many hundreds of of favorable comments on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, but under the Trump administration, action is unlikely.)

Bulldozing forests, and paving ground that could otherwise absorb and filter water, has created stormwater runoff problems that ultimately threaten the Potomac and the region's drinking-water reservoirs. In December, the Montgomery County Group and the Clean Water team welcomed a standing-room-only crowd to an Educational Forum, "Where Does my Drinking Water Come From<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac844cb4439bafe2f99c76aebc31cce46a290d5e27b540fc2dba7d9be331c60b2e38b593de293d90e909e9dfac32d23f1fe7>?" Representatives from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission , Montgomery County Parks, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac discussed the challenges and increased water treatment costs posed by runoff and opportunities to improve stream maintenance and restoration. Four 2018 candidates for County Executive spoke on their plans for water management if elected, proving that, yes, politicians are well aware of the importance of clean water to their constituents.

Both strong stormwater remediation techniques and smart development principles are essential to protect the valuable resources of our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. In 2018, the Clean Water team plans to continue public education efforts with a focus on Howard, Montgomery, and Charles Counties. Meanwhile, in Annapolis, the Chapter will be working to strengthen overall protections for Maryland's forests, which will bring cleaner air and help mitigate climate change at the same time they protect our waterways.

________________________________
Public Health Meets Responsible Agriculture: Legislators Pass 'Not One, but Two Offshore Wind Projects Get Green Light
[When the Maryland Public Services Commission held two public hearings, more than 160 people turned out to support offshore wind and clean energy jobs.]
For five years, thousands of Maryland members have rallied, written, emailed, and crowded hearings and community meetings in support of the offshore wind revolution. Their dedication and enthusiasm paid off this year as the Maryland Public Service Commission approved financing for a pair of offshore installations that will produce 368 MW of clean power and create an estimated 9,700 direct and indirect jobs. Though it's news to celebrate, more work lies ahead: We need to continue educating the public on the benefits of offshore turbines, defend against any rollbacks threatening the projects, and monitor construction plans to minimize the impact to ocean life.
________________________________
Public Health Meets Responsible Agriculture: Legislators Pass 'Keep Antibiotics Effective' Act
[Keep Antibiotics Effective]
This year marked the launch of the MD Sierra Club's Public Health Committee. As its first coordinated effort, our team joined a multi-organization effort to address antibiotic overuse in livestock. The prophylactic use of antibiotics in many food animals--not occasionally, to treat illness, but as often as daily, to prevent disease--is contributing to the development of "superbugs" that are resistant to antibiotic treatment. Some 23,000 Americans die each year from infections that can no longer be treated effectively.

The Keep Antibiotics Effective Act of 2017 limits most agricultural antibiotic treatment to sick animals only. As part of an impressive coalition that included the Maryland Nurses Association, Fair Farms, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, members of our Public Health Committee lobbied, offered testimony, and sponsored several public education events in service of this important bill. It passed the legislature in April, becoming law without Governor Hogan's signature, and the Public Health Committee is now turning its focus to pesticide overuse and the risks of artificial turf.
________________________________
Chapter Study Offers Path to More Solar in Maryland
[More Solar]
If you want to build a solar farm, you'll need somewhere to put it. That means getting the okay from your county, which controls land use. "As solar has moved off roofs and onto the ground, residents raised concerns and counties came out with moratoriums and restrictions," says Al Bartlett, who gathered a team to study the ins and outs of solar siting. They listened to the questions raised and worked to find responsible answers, then developed a formal policy and tools to help citizens encourage solar on the scale that is needed for a clean-energy future. Now, Bartlett says, local volunteers are needed to take the discussion to their communities. His short slide show<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8409f176d55d67d725947aac1c63aacb9e4a112abee1f94ca0d83e7a6bec6c6d864bda1f0bd452d5fddfeb887cbe356501> clarifies the issue.
________________________________
Maryland Volunteer Wins National Recognition

[Martha Ainsworth accepts her Special Service Award from and Executive Director Michael Brune.]In September, the National Sierra Club honored Prince George's Group Chair Martha Ainsworth with a Special Service Award "for strong and consistent commitment to conservation over an extended period of time." Sierra Club President Loren Blackford cited Ainsworth's "outstanding leadership skills, sharp intellect, fierce tenacity, and organizational savvy on behalf of the Sierra Club in Maryland." Under Ainsworth's tenure, the Group has re-engaged members and attracted new volunteers by expanding its activities and launching field surveys around reusable shopping bags and foam food containers, in support of local and state environmental legislation.

________________________________
Foam Ban:  Let's Take it Statewide
[Foam Ban]
In recent years, local Sierra Club Groups worked successfully to ban food containers made of EPS (expanded polystyrene, often referred to incorrectly as Styrofoam) in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. After bans were passed, the groups helped businesses comply with the new laws. In 2017, for instance, PGSC and MoCo volunteers intensified their outreach, conducting face-to-face education outreach with over 500 food service businesses and retailers in 50 shopping centers. As a result, compliance with the ban rose from 76% to 91%.

For 2018, the Chapter has prioritized achieving a full statewide ban of foam containers and packing material by passing legislation in the General Assembly. Closing down Maryland's two remaining trash incinerators--which burn "renewable" supplies of garbage, but which also emit toxic ash and fumes--is another important focus of the Chapter's Zero Waste Committee.
________________________________
Pushing the Pledge for Pesticide-Free Yards
[Pesticide-free yard]
As the populations of bees and other pollinators throughout the world have declined, food production and other important ecosystem components face decline as well. Because pollinators are so crucial, the Maryland Chapter started the campaign for Pesticide-Free Yards, educating homeowners on options that let them easily yet effectively improve the health of bees and other pollinators. By eliminating insecticides, herbicides (weed-killers, "weed and feed"), fungicides, and other chemical pesticides, home gardeners decrease the chemical runoff from their yards into local streams and waterways, and limit the exposure of pets, bees, pollinators, and even humans to negative health risks associated with these chemicals. Click here<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac845aba7c34a88595ed299284d1a43bd2630c22ecd7f1908d98a28d433650a5184e9f28aa4609ab8fcd99f2155106655a07> to take the pesticide-free pledge! If you'd like a free sign to proudly display in your yard, email pesticidefree at mdsierra.org<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84b6d6248d7292bf1dfc17aa7084ba4edc3af1d0fe1f3ed7bf2ea95646a681582ee98e7bbdcb874c7dcb4729dc66532d9f>.
________________________________
Outings Galore
[In August, hikers viewed the Chalk Point power plant, source of arsenic, selenium, and other toxic runoff.]
Enriching on many levels, Sierra Club outings combine engagement in nature with education and activism. The Chapter and local Groups held 137 outdoor hikes, walks, kayak trips, and stewardship field days in 2017. Some were primarily treks to learn from and connect with nature; others were issues-focused, such as the hike to view the Chalk Point coal plant<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84862d2e93fd7bd773a25cc76d8521cd557bd12dc69185129b3390b854fc90522fd5af3f0cd4285e1663d9afc6beff6357>,  source of arsenic- and selenium-laden runoff.

The granddaddy of Chapter outings is the biennial Jamboree<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac841e1dfcc2fabf4a86f3358c15d5748c8dca8608d7842cecda5690fe3fa5b199ebd50c4a089b73f9a7cd532c7b3b0d6888>- -a family-friendly weekend of hikes, discussions, nature study, workshops, karaoke, live bluegrass, and s'mores. In October, some 150 Sierra Club members, friends, and kids convened in Sharpsburg to explore this year's theme, "Where do we go from here? Engaging together for a greener tomorrow." National Sierra Club President Loren Blackford gave the keynote address; other activists spoke on ways to turn the current environmental and political upheavals into community-building, movement-strengthening opportunities. Over the weekend, during the "Bioblitz," participants identified over 150 plant and animal species within the park, including a threatened Glade Fern.

Outings don't hold themselves, of course, and so the Chapter held two trainings this year to teach the skills needed to plan and conduct them. Kudos and welcome to the rising class of outings leaders, who will ensure Maryland members continue to savor and learn from our wild spaces. Join us on the trail! Events are posted regularly on the calendar<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8406867ac762624a3a4d79a69346dde93b01f6311da0b5aca1c5ae544b8d82a7e9f44498b898928a180617dd31f0d7d51f>.
________________________________
Protecting Endangered Species, Evicting Invasive Ones, and Dealing with Deer Ticks
[Volunteer Jeanelle Tyson bags up invasive garlic mustard at Magruder Park in Hyattsville.]
What do the Baltimore Checkerspot, the Grey Petaltail, and the Eastern Hellbender have in common? All have great names--and all are threatened in Maryland. In 2017 the Maryland Sierra Club's Endangered Species team began compiling data on which to base a statewide strategy for promoting biodiversity.

Some species, on the other hand, are quite the opposite of endangered. In fact, invasive plants are the biggest threat to biodiversity after loss of habitat and water pollution. Enter our interns, who work alongside Sierra Club leaders and Park personnel learning to identify native plants versus invasive weeds, how to remove them, and how to run an invasive plant removal outing. In 2017, 45 interns and volunteers from the Chapter's College Park office put in 620 hours to fill over 96 bags with invasive weeds such as bush asiatic honeysuckle, garlic mustard, multiflora rose, and wavyleaf basketgrass, saving hundreds of types of native plants and animals.

Interns also helped develop a process to assess and publicize which parks are safest to hike in during peak Lyme disease season. Based on the fact that deer ticks are scarce where deer density is the naturally occuring twenty per square mile or less, this process has now been adopted in Pennsylvania and other states. The students followed up by creating a brochure<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8418c0e15328107c595cc54a2e9a4a9add0951cc8ef486d8cae12d088c6809bfa2371b213627860d8e18315bd81d52d0bb> to educate the public about the connection between deer overpopulation and Lyme disease.

In 2017, 26 interns worked hard side by side with staff and volunteer leaders, protecting our local parks and gaining real-world experience in other aspects of running a grassroots nonprofit<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac8438a98148dfcd0d0aa0458bbb2cb613cc251a51cbf4597f917fb4dc7245abc646b9818d82b65cd46dfbecc894a7b68dd6>. For some, the experience is life-changing, helping to form the next generation of activist leaders. Meet some of our summer interns  here<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84e4834bac04b6092ce4595b77228476343c6abd41eb8c8b8d6bac0dff15d2cd50cf23388c018ecfe776ed79674ed3b6ec>. We appreciate their efforts on behalf of Maryland's wild places.
________________________________
2018 General Assembly Convenes in Two Weeks
[Record turnout! Lobby Night 2017]
We enjoyed amazing success in the General Assembly's 2017 session, enacting all four of our priority bills. This included (as discussed above) overriding Governor Hogan's 2016 veto of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, supporting the state's energy efficiency program, banning fracking, and prohibiting the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals. In February, a record turnout (over 400 people!) attended the Chapter's Lobby Night in Annapolis municipal.

Our legislative efforts are being led by Mark Posner (who also serves on the Chapter Executive Committee and is the Chapter's delegate to the Club's national Council of Club Leaders). During the legislative session, he coordinates our tracking of myriad bills as they move through the legislative process. His team developed and submitted testimony on more than 70 bills in 2017, on subjects ranging from remedying food deserts to protecting Chesapeake Bay oyster sanctuaries.

The team is now preparing for an equally busy 2018. Legislative priorities this coming session include protecting Maryland's forests; taking the ban on EPS foam statewide; reforming how the Public Service Commission reviews proposals for new gas infrastructure; and securing dedicated funding for the DC area's Metro system. Make a resolution now to get involved. Contact your legislators asking them to support our priority bills, volunteer, and join us February 26<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84573bfc5b06cb8b4c37b9cfd0929fc45940ca6288d29c56bba33fcf0409e774d998d1aaf6de4d6d2f5df3cf3e2e1130c8>  to make Lobby Night 2018 another record-breaker.
________________________________
Elections: 2018 Endorsements Underway!
[Vote!]
Although poll action was limited in Maryland in 2017, there were solid victories. The Anne Arundel and Catoctin Groups endorsed winning candidates in Annapolis and Frederick municipal elections--and the Howard County Group helped pass a referendum creating public financing of elections in that county. With Montgomery, Maryland now has two counties with small-donor public financing programs for county elections. The Prince George's County Group is working toward passage of a similar program in 2018.

Because Sierra Club endorsements make a difference to so many voters, our local and state teams are already hard at work vetting an unusually long list of candidates for 2018, and plans to Get Out the Vote and work the polls are already on the table. Want to add your energy to this important effort? Contact your local Group<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84b4ec61a0fdaf8bf55326fad40b9b06240c5da9dfc338eabbad11e8d0852535678da56c15aa6d3d777d167b4335589c6d> or email state-level lead Betsy Johnson<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84a0e6af277a76e0250a51de1c08d8fca46c2b34cfc8d7f7534bffff81219a41c3a5485f9e0dd2f394ab2868666a9bdf71>.

To learn more about the work of the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter, visit our website<http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac843891adbd1b1d939e22028f91be3649345aef5a392182cfff99a6f5bf8cc6c116e2ac4f53c9984cf1e1de3bacb064bd20> and our  Facebook <http://click.emails.sierraclub.org/?qs=5650b682a19fac84c3451c1330601b4f22b0c20f78798af779016edf57f5369c2bc1f7f14a5372f13156b0f1bceff44f7f3c9508960ef8f5>  page.

A special thanks to  Anne O'Donnell, Savannah Acosta, David Dreisigmeyer, and everyone else that contributed to this wonderful collection.






This email was sent to: ialm at erols.com<mailto:ialm at erols.com>

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