Maryland
List of Sustainability-Focused Extension Programs
Program: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Outreach Program
Institution: University of Maryland
Category: Food, Water, Energy
Range: National
Description: SARE Outreach is the national communications arm of SARE, located in College Park, MD. SARE Outreach works with SARE’s regions to share grantee research results with farmers, ranchers, educators, consumers and others. Visit the Learning Center to see the treasure trove of information products produced by SARE Outreach and regional offices. These products cover the gamut of sustainable agriculture practices, from books on cover crops and building soil health to bulletins on managing rangeland and water resources to online courses for ag. educators around the country.
Program Offerings: Website, Information
Program: Bay-Wise Landscape Management
Institution: University of Maryland Extension
Category: Land, Air Quality/ Climate Change, Water
Range: Maryland statewide
Description: The Bay-Wise Landscape Management program trains Maryland Master Gardeners to teach local residents in rural, suburban and urban settings how to maintain their landscapes using homemade compost, native plants and researched-based nutrient management, IPM, and stormwater management techniques. Master Gardener volunteers also certify properties that homeowners maintain as sustainable landscapes.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Information, Certification
Program: Building Soil Health
Institution: University of Maryland Extension
Category: Food, Land, Air Quality/ Climate Change, Water, Energy
Range: Maryland statewide
Description: This project will offer comprehensive education to agricultural service providers in soil health to enable them to help farmers understand the value of healthy soil and adopt the best production practices for increasing the health of farm soil.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Website, Information
Program: Forest Stewardship
Institution: University of Maryland
Category: Land, Air Quality/ Climate Change, Water, Energy
Range: Regional
Description: The Woodland Stewardship Education (WSE) program uses a variety of Extension offerings (workshops, webinars, newsletters, and website resources) to enable woodland property owners to make sound and informed decisions about managing their land.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Website, Information, Certification
Program: Home & Garden Information Center
Institution: University of Maryland Extension
Category: Land, Air Quality/ Climate Change, Water
Range: Statewide
Description: Develop and deliver science-based, sustainable gardening and integrated pest management education for residents and communities. Coordinate the Maryland Master Gardener and Grow It Eat It programs.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Information, Certification, Social Media
Program: MD-DE Master Logger Program
Institution: University of Maryland
Category: Land, Air Quality/ Climate Change, Water, Energy
Range: Regional
Description: The Maryland/Delaware Master Logger Program is a voluntary training program for forest harvest operators who work in Maryland and Delaware. Participation in the program makes contract loggers eligible to work on SFI-certified forest lands. Courses are offered live and online, providing information about current environmental regulations, forestry principles, and safe work practices.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Website, Information, Certification
Program: Maryland Master Naturalist Program
Institution: University of Maryland
Category: Land, Air Quality/ Climate Change, Water
Range: Maryland statewide
Description: The Maryland Master Naturalist Program engages volunteer citizens as stewards of Maryland’s natural resources and ecosystems through science-based education and volunteer service in their communities. The natural resource training program is jointly sponsored by University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, other state and local agencies, and environmental education organizations.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Certification
Program: Organic Vegetable Production
Institution: University of Maryland
Category: Air Quality/ Climate Change, Food, Water
Range: Regional
Description: Public awareness and interest in how food is produced is an increasing concern for today’s society. Growing organically is an ever increasing trend that has evolved to address society’s concerns about food production. Organic production requires a different approach to traditional farming production methods. It requires more sustainable inputs and critical thinking when approaching pest management and soil fertility problems. The Organic Program at UMD hopes to supply growers with the information and techniques needed to successfully develop a viable and sustainable organic vegetable system.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Website, Information
Program: Oyster Aquaculture Education & Training Program
Institution: University of Maryland
Category: Food, Water
Range: Regional; Tidewater, Chesapeake and coastal bays
Description: The Oyster Aquaculture and Education Program provides programs and materials to watermen and other growers to develop profitable shellfish aquaculture businesses. The goal is to rebuild the shellfish industry, provide employment in our rural counties and aid in restoring this keystone bivalve population that is so important to our bay environment.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Website, Information
Program: Riparian Buffer Systems
Institution: University of Maryland College Park
Category: Water
Range: Regional
Program Offerings: Website, Information
Program: Watershed Stewards Academy
Institution: University of Maryland, College Park
Category: Water
Range: Maryland statewide
Description: Watershed Stewards Academies train and sustain volunteer Master Watershed Stewards who will educate community members about the negative impacts of stormwater pollution and design, install, and maintain small-scale stormwater management practices in their neighborhoods and communities.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings
Program: Watershed Protection and Restoration Program
Institution: University of Maryland
Category: Water
Range: Maryland statewide
Description: Improving water quality through stormwater management and watershed restoration techniques, the Sea Grant Watershed Protection and Restoration Program works with local and state governments, watershed organizations, and community groups in Maryland to build partnerships, identify funding sources, and advise/assist in the planning, implementation and monitoring of restoration projects. Watershed Restoration Specialists facilitate measurable reductions in water pollution in the following ways: Classes and workshops teach homeowners how to improve water quality in their own backyard with practices like rain barrels, rain gardens, and tree planting
Technical Assistance Programs help communities address Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) regulations and requirements
Watershed Restoration Projects emerge from collaborative partnerships and effective funding techniques to reduce nutrient and sediment loads.
Watershed Restoration Specialists also connect watershed science to policy makers and community leaders to make the most effective water quality decisions.
The Sea Grant Watershed Protection and Restoration Program is a member of the Watershed Assistance Collaborative with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Environmental Finance Center.
Program Offerings: Face-to-face trainings, Website, Information, Certification
