Cape St. Claire is one of several communities where a long-term Watershed Steward presence has built incredible momentum for change. The Cape's first Watershed Steward, Brad Knopf, has penned a watershed Tip of the Month cartoon for over 13 years, giving humorous monthly inspiration to Stewards and residents alike. There are now six active Watershed Stewards, working together to lead specific community restoration initiatives focused on controlling invasives, planting natives and reducing pollution sources.
Cape Conservation Corps
Led by Watershed Stewards Stacey Wildberger and Jeanne Martin, the Cape Conservation Corps (CCC) “ignites community pride in our native landscape through projects that promote stewardship, create healthy natural spaces and champion swimmable, fishable waterways.” CCC’s active communications, projects and volunteer events ensure that environmental stewardship is at the forefront throughout the year.
The Serene Ravine
The Serene Ravine, is a “sometimes forgotten” area that intermittently feeds into Lake Claire. The process of removing invasive plants has been ongoing since 2012.
Today, the Serene Ravine is an oasis filled with flowering native plants, trees and shrubs. Stewards Stacy Wildberger and Jeanne Martin marked Earth Day with a children’s event at the Serene Ravine, a location they and other CCC members have worked hard to restore.
They presented Water Savers info, led a bird feeder craft project, and held a book swap, all geared to the youngest environmentalists, ages 3 to 12! High school students led the little ones in the craft creation, passing on their environmental care and passion to the next generation.
Using Behavior Change Science to Affect Change
During the Habits that Help session of the WSA Certification Course, Steward Jeanne Martin learned about helping community members overcome barriers to adopting new, beneficial behaviors. Once she identified her priority behavior (protecting tree canopy by removing english ivy) she needed to learn about her community’s barriers to adopting this behavior so, right during class, she launched a survey to Cape St. Claire residents asking what help they needed to protect their trees.
Steward Stacy Wildberger did the same thing in Fall 2020 to help her community replace invasive shrubs with native ones. She learned that community members needed (1) someone to identify their invasive shrubs and choose appropriate native replacements (2) help procuring the right natives and (3) help removing the stubborn invasive shrubs. This resulted in a very successful invasive/native plant swap that has been ongoing for two seasons. This spring, Cape St. Claire residents who pledged to remove invasives such as nandina, burning bush and Japanese barberry, were given free native shrubs (ninebark, gro-low or red chokeberry). The result was the removal of 50 invasives and planting of 90 natives!
When it comes to behavior change, helping community members overcome their barriers such as access to native plants and knowing which plants to plant, is key to helping people take positive actions. When it comes to planting natives, Cape Stewards make it easy for residents! Each fall, the Cape Conservation Corps native plant sale brings thousands of natives right to the community! In addition to Stacey’s shrub swap, 84 native trees were delivered to the Cape St. Claire clubhouse for residents to plant in their yards.
Recognizing Great Stewardship
The enthusiasm for native plants is catching on in Cape St Claire. The Habitat Hero award recognizes Cape neighbors who create exceptional wildlife habitat in their yard.
Engaging Community Volunteers
Steward Stacey says volunteers are essential. In fact, that’s the title of her latest Cape Conservation Corps blog. She explains the work this way: “Volunteers are the backbone of the work Cape Conservation Corps does in the community. We have been so fortunate over the years to have so many students, community members, board members and families come to support us and create healthy natural areas through invasive species control and planting native plants, champion healthy waterways for clean, swimmable and fishable areas through storm water management and take pride in healthier ecosystems.” Of course, none of this can be successful without leadership and that is what Stacey provides… along with wisdom, inspiration, a kind word, and experience.
The Newest Steward in the Cape
This fall Steward Candidate Lydia McPherson (Class 14) will lead an expansion of an invasive removal project begun by Jeanne Martin (Class 13) last year at the Cape boat ramp. Because her planting won’t go in until the fall, she is using the “already replanted” area compared to the “still overgrown with invasives” area as a teaching tool for the community this summer. The juxtaposition is the perfect “before and after” illustration.
