National Aquarium at Baltimore: The National Aquarium recruits volunteers to assist with the planting of wetland grasses on sites associated with the Port. For example, the Aquarium and its volunteers restored the Swan Creek wetland at Cox Creek. They also restored and now maintain the Fort McHenry wetland. Wetland construction at Poplar Island is an ongoing effort and 370 Aquarium volunteers have contributed to the restoration by planting two sites with almost 200,000 grass plants. In the near future, the Aquarium will restore a wetland at Masonville Cove, adjacent to the newest dredged material placement site in the Baltimore Harbor.

Visit the National Aquarium at http://www.aqua.org/conservation.html to learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Living Classrooms Foundation: Masonville Cove is a shoreline property adjacent to one of the Port's newest dredged material placement sites. For the past several years, Living Classrooms has worked on-site at Masonville and with the BayBrook Community organization, designing and building an education program to serve ten nearby schools. Living Classrooms staff now teaches schoolchildren at the new Masonville Environmental Education Center on a daily basis. Outdoor areas serve as surrogate laboratories to engage children with nature in their own communities.

Living Classrooms is also engaged with Port partners in a three-year effort designed to engage middle school kids in the nationally recognized Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program. Living Classrooms is focusing on the Port of Baltimore as its STEM laboratory. Partners from the private sector shippers, terminal operators, tugboat captains, and marine suppliers are helping to develop site visits for students that illustrate the principles they learn in the classroom.

Visit Living Classrooms Foundation at http://www.livingclassrooms.org  for information about their programs.

Baltimore Port Alliance: Members of the Baltimore Port Alliance companies and individuals who make their living in Port-related jobs within the maritime industry are providing field experiences for students, exhibiting at various events, participating in career days, and offering their services as guest speakers to a variety of organizations.

 Contact: Maryland Port Administration Outreach Coordinator at mpasafepassage@marylandports.com or 410-385-4438.

Terrapin Connection Program: This program teaches students about the lifecycles and habitats of the diamondback terrapin as they raise terrapin hatchlings for eight months at their schools. The turtles are used in many areas of study including math, music, English, and science. The students track growth and other changes and then release the terrapins in the spring on Poplar Island. They also learn about the Chesapeake Bay through a series of classroom-based observations combined with activities that send the message of stewardship and conservation home to any grade level.  This program is currently underway in Baltimore area schools, as well as Anne Arundel, Talbot, and Dorchester Counties. Partners include the MPA, Arlington Echo, Maryland Environmental Services, and the National Aquarium at Baltimore.

Environmental Education in the Classroom: The Maryland Environmental Service offers classroom-based environmental education on the important roles of wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay, erosion, water quality, dredging, the impact of Port economics, and the Port-driven environmental restoration work at Poplar Island. Programs can be tailored to fit any group or age level.