nature dechets verts

SAVAGE RIVER - Watershed Association

Mission

The Savage River Watershed Association (SRWA) is a group of individuals, families, and land owners dedicated to protecting, restoring, and enhancing the natural resources of the Savage River watershed through stewardship, assistance to interested landowners and public land managers, water quality monitoring, and educational outreach.

Tagged brook trout reveal the pristine health of Maryland's Savage River
Follow biologists as they track native brook trout in western Maryland's Savage River, and learn why these fish are used to monitor the health of the freshwater streams that flow to the Chesapeake Bay.

The WatershedA map of the Savage River

The Savage River watershed or drainage basin covers all of the land from which water drains into the Savage River and its tributaries.

Arts Camp Returns

This year, Savage River Arts will offer a five-day art and poetry summer camp at the New Germany State Park in Garrett County Maryland for children ages 8 to 12 from July 27 to 31, 2015, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Savage River Arts camp is staffed by professional writers, artists and naturalists, including Park Rangers. Activities include water painting, drawing, stone sculpture, print-making, clay, photography and drawing, fishing, nature walks, journaling, story telling, and poetry. Click here for more information.

Leadership On The Move – In the Savage River Watershed

To help protect the pristine local water quality and address increasing threats to the Savage River watershed, the Board of Directors is pleased to announce the addition of several new community leaders and scientists to its board of directors and advisory board. Over the past few months, three new members have joined the Savage River Watershed Association (SRWA) board of directors including: Frank Fotia, Dr. Keith Eshleman, and Hana Yoder.
Two individuals have also recently joined SRWA’s newly created advisory board. These include Dr. Robert Hilderbrand and Jerri Dell. Other important leadership developments include the appointment of SRWA Board Member, Dr. J. Edward Gates to Garrett County’s Mountain Maryland Energy Advisory Committee. Board Treasurer, Dr. Ann Bristow has also been recently appointed to the Governor’s Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Advisory Commission. Read More about Leadership in the Savage River...

Marcellus Shale Notes, Reports, Monitoring, etc.

Marcellus Shale drilling news, notes, reports, monitoring, and other information can be found on the Marcellus Shale Communications page.

Broyeurs de vététaux professionnels Mecacraft

broyeur de branches thermique mecacraft professionnel
Pour pouvoir disposer plus facilement de ses déchets verts du jardin et réduire le volume des branches et des feuilles, un broyeur de branches et plus sécifiquement un broyeur thermique Mecacraft est conseillé de part sa puissance en Watts et ses lames de broyages qui permettent de produire un broyat et donc du compost de manière très efficace.
Le broyeur de vegetaux thermique offre de nombreux avantages d'efficacité par rapport à un broyeur électrique.
broyeur mecacraft

The Watershed

The Savage River is a headwater tributary for the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay that includes both coldwater and highland streams. As Maryland’s premier brook trout fishery, the Savage River has been identified as a conservation priority because it is one of the few watersheds that still contain intact populations of native brook trout in Maryland. Located mainly in Garrett County, the Savage River watershed occupies over 74,000 acres of mostly forested land in western Maryland. The Savage River and its tributaries are located in a sparsely populated area and flow through only a few communities. Lack of development in the watershed has allowed for the survival of brook trout and other species which are extremely sensitive to the impacts of many types of pollution and disturbance. The watershed is comprised of a mixture of private and public lands including many working farms and several designated ‘wildlands.’ Within the watershed there are abundant recreational opportunities and local economies that draw people from around the area during all seasons.

While the Savage River watershed maintains a high level of biological integrity, it is still very susceptible to a myriad of negative impacts including: acid mine drainage (AMD), storm water runoff, thermal pollution, sediment pollution, atmospheric deposition of acids and toxic metals, extractive industries, and exotic invasive species. SRWA is now working to identify specific impacts and generate a plan for remediation.

watershed

Who we are

The Savage River Watershed Association (SRWA) is a group of individuals, families, and land owners dedicated to protecting, restoring, and enhancing the natural resources of the Savage River watershed through stewardship, assistance to interested landowners and public land managers, water quality monitoring, and educational outreach.

Board of Directors

Advisory Board Members

the river

The river was first "discovered" by John Savage while surveying for a boundary dispute between Lord Fairfax and the English Privy Council regarding the extent of the Northern Neck Land Grant.

In 1736, survey expeditions were organized by both the Colony of Virginia and Lord Fairfax. John Savage was the person who mapped what is now the Savage River.

For more information, the Wikipedia article on John Savage is suggested.

Projects

Arts Camp for 2015

This year, Savage River Arts will offer a five-day art and poetry summer camp at the New Germany State Park in Garrett County Maryland for children ages 8 to 12 from July 27 to 31, 2015, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Savage River Arts camp is staffed by professional writers, artists and naturalists, including Park Rangers. Activities include water painting, drawing, stone sculpture, print-making, clay, photography and drawing, fishing, nature walks, journaling, story telling, and poetry. Click here for more information.
Watershed Assessment and Planning
In partnership with SRWA, the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) is leading a two-year Savage River Watershed assessment project that includes the following activities:

Baseline Stream Assessment

Volunteers testing for conductivity, temperature, and dissolved solids.
In anticipation of Marcellus Shale drilling and extraction, SRWA, in partnership with Maryland DNR has volunteers doing water assessment on streams in the watershed. Volunteers monitor conductivity, temperature, appearance, and dissolved solids. The intent is to have readings on water quality before drilling actually occurs to be able to determine whether drilling/extraction actually has affected some of the most pristine streams in Maryland.

Results of stream monitoring are being posted for public review by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. You can view results directly!

Biological Monitoring

SRWA conducted biological monitoring using Save Our Streams (SOS) methodology. SRWA volunteers collected benthic macroinvertebrates with a net; sorted and identified the catch; and used easy calculations to determine the ecological score for water quality.

Stream Corridor Assessment

The stream corridor assessment (SCA) was developed by the MD Department of Natural Resources Watershed Restoration Division. Volunteers walked the entire stream network of the watershed to collect information and map environmental disturbances. The results are used to prioritize restoration efforts within the watershed. The Maryland Conservation Corps provided volunteer support for this project.

Exotic Invasive Species Management

Japanese Spiraea
SRWA continues control efforts of Japanese Spiraea in the Bear Pen Run area of Savage River State Forest. Bear Pen is designated as a Type 1 Wildland and like other natural areas around the State is threatened by a variety of exotic invasive species. SRWA coordinates two volunteer work days in the Bear Pen Run Wildlands each year to remove Japanese spiraea, garlic mustard and other invasive plants that reduce regional biodiversity.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

This exotic invasive insect threatens native hemlocks, an evergreen tree found along many streams in the Savage River watershed. Hemlocks help shade streams, keeping water temperatures low, a critical factor for native brook trout survival. In an effort to mitigate impacts from this invasive insect, SRWA volunteers planted 2,000 red spruce in 2009, 1,000 trees in 2010, and 500 trees in 2011. It is hoped that this native evergreen tree will ultimately fill in gaps where hemlocks are lost, maintaining shaded streams for brook trout.

Invasive Species

General information on invasive species can be found at EDDMaps.org along with reporting tools and suggestions for control.

Headwater Brook Trout Barrier Removal

SRWA partnered with the Canaan Valley Institute (CVI), the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the City of Frostburg to remove an impoundment that is a remnant of a decommissioned Frostburg water source. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the major funder for this project, awarded SRWA $120,000 for this project. An additional $25,000 was granted to SRWA by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Fish America Foundation. Other partners providing funding are the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

This project:

OSM/VISTA Watershed Coordinator

SRWA has placed three volunteer watershed coordinators and two interns through the Office of Surface Mining/AmeriCorps*Volunteers in Service to America program since 2006. OSM VISTA watershed coordinators throughout the region form the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team (ACCWT) which provides community organizations and watershed-based projects with the training, tools, and volunteer support necessary to help local citizens become effective environmental stewards, community leaders, and accelerators of change in places indelibly marked by the environmental legacy of pre-regulatory coal mining.

Education and Outreach

At SRWA meetings guest speakers share information on a variety of topics such as grants for landowners to conserve habitat; techniques for battling invasive species; and impacts to ground and surface waters. Each year SRWA holds workshops to train volunteers interested in learning Save Our Streams biological monitoring techniques. SRWA also offers conservation landscaping classes such "Harvesting Rain in Gardens & Barrels" and "Wildflower ID for Beginners.”

The Future Depends on You!

Savage River Arts and Poetry Camp


Savage River Arts is a collaborative program of the Savage River Watershed Association (SRWA), the Frostburg Center for Creative Writing, the Frostburg Museum, and the Allegany and Garrett County Arts Councils to promote environmental literacy and appreciation for the Savage River watershed through the arts.

This year, Savage River Arts will offer a five-day art and poetry summer camp at the New Germany State Park in Garrett County Maryland for children ages 8 to 12 from July 27 to 31, 2015, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Savage River Arts camp is staffed by professional writers, artists and naturalists, including Park Rangers. Activities include water painting, drawing, stone sculpture, print-making, clay, photography and drawing, fishing, nature walks, journaling, story telling, and poetry.

All campers will be encouraged to exhibit their paintings and poems at the Frostburg Museum’s “Savage River Reflections” exhibition in September 2015.

They will also be eligible to submit their poetry and artwork to the international “River of Words” competition (www.riverofwords.org) organized by St. Mary’s College of California.
Last year’s summer camp was a great success and we are thrilled to be able to run the camp again this year.
Camp costs $150.00 per week. A discount of $25.00 for “Early Bird” registrations received by April 15, 2015; and a discount of $25.00 for campers whose parents are SRWA members. A non-refundable deposit of $75.00 must accompany each registration form, and must be received not later than June 1, 2015, with balance due July 1, 2015.

For questions or more information, please contact Jerri Dell, Director, Savage River Arts Camp: jerriarteco@yahoo.com or 301-707-3717
To register for the Savage River Arts summer camp, please complete the Registration Form and mail with a non-refundable deposit of $75 payable to “SRWA”” (Memo item: Savage River Arts Camp) to:

SRWA
P.O. Box 355
Frostburg, Maryland 21532.