Page 25 - Port of Baltimore - Issue 3 - 2024

Clockwise from top left: Captain Trash Wheel at Masonville Cove (photo by MES); participants in a community cleanup event at Benjamin Franklin High School (photo by MES); volunteers at a Filbert Street Community Garden event (photo by Dan Spack/EcoLogix).
Trash Wheel Family Goes Global
The Trash Wheel family was accepted into the International Trash Trap Network (ITTN), led by the Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto.
The ITTN increases global cleanup efforts and quantifies the collective impact of marine debris interception. The Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore will share collection totals from the Trash Wheel family with the ITTN, including the debris trapped by Captain Trash Wheel at Masonville Cove.
10th Anniversary of the Nation’s First Urban Wildlife Refuge
In December, partners celebrated
the 10th anniversary of Masonville Cove’s designation as the nation’s first USFWS Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership. USFWS Director Martha Williams joined the celebration of one of Maryland’s greatest environmental restoration stories. MPA led a massive cleanup effort in 2007 that included the removal of 61,000 tons of trash and debris dating back to the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.
COMMUNITIES
Connecting Communities
Masonville Cove offers outdoor
green space and many amenities for neighboring communities, such as birdwatching trails, a fishing pier, a boat dock and an education center, but it can be hard to get to without
a car. Partners, including MPA, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Park Service and USFWS, are working to create safe and equitable access to Masonville Cove. Currently in development, the Masonville
Cove Connector will provide access to the waterfront for neighboring communities and link with the existing Gwynns Falls Trail and the proposed Baybrook Connector to form over 20 miles of trails.
Earth Month Volunteers
The Baltimore Port Alliance (BPA) partnered with the St. Helena Community Association for a commu- nity-wide Earth Day cleanup powered by more than 60 volunteers from several BPA member companies, including MPA, PAC, C. Steinweg, Vane Brothers, Belts Logistics,
Terminal Corporation, MES and Moran Towing. Their efforts filled two 30-yard dumpsters with refuse weighing 6.5 tons.
In April, over 800 pounds of trash were collected at Masonville Cove, showcasing the community’s commitment to maintaining a clean and sustainable environment. Masonville Cove staff also collaborated with Liberty’s Promise, a nonprofit that supports young immigrants in need, on a community cleanup event at Benjamin Franklin High School that attracted 29 volunteers, including 27 youth.
Lending a Hand
In 2010, an overgrown and trash-filled one-acre plot was transformed into a cherished community garden through the City of Baltimore’s Adopt-a-Lot Program. Today, it is Filbert Street Community Garden, managed by a nonprofit organization that welcomed the help of 12 volunteers from BPA member companies.
In October, representatives of MPA, MES, Vane Brothers, B&D Environmental, Whiteford Law
and the Baltimore Development Corporation helped spread mulch, paint a sign and prepare the garden for winter and future spring plantings.
To subscribe or renew, visit www.marylandports.com [23]