See a problem? Report it:

Sediment runoff, Critical Area violations
Anne Arundel County Environmental Hotline
410 222-7777

Fish Kills, Algal blooms, illegal fishing, oil or hazardous materials spills, critical area or wetlands violations
Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake Bay Safety & Environmental Hotline
877 224-7229

Dredging, clearing in wetlands, illegal piers
Maryland Department of the Environment Water Management Compliance Office
410 537-3510

Oil spills and hazards to navigation
US Coast Guard
877 249-2824

Sick or injured wild animals
Department of Natural Resources
877 463-6497

1000 Friends of Maryland is An organization that supports a new pattern of development that we can afford - socially, economically, environmentally. 1000 Friends is committed to: Preserve the rich array of our natural resources; Maintain and revitalize our existing communities; Protect historic resources and integrate them into the life of the community; Assure efficient, effective transportation choices for all citizens; Support development which takes into account the public's interest; Fully realize the goals of smart growth.

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is a regional nonprofit organization that builds and fosters partnerships to protect and to restore the Bay and its rivers. The Alliance does not lobby or litigate. Instead, they do the slow, hard work of bridging dialogue between groups that don't see eye-to-eye, forming strategies for joint solutions, and building the capacity of communities for local-level action.

Chesapeake Conservancy - The Conservancy is edicated to ensuring conservation, stewardship and access of the Chesapeake Bay, its lands and rivers. The Conservancy was created out of a merger between the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail and Friends of Chesapeake Gateways. 

Chesapeake Environmental Protection Association - CEPA works to restore the Chesapeake Bay by affecting environmental
policy and action. Its goal is sustainable growth in the region — a future where our precious natural resources are in balance with their use.

Annapolis Conservancy Board - City of Annapolis Board of seven residents with interest in the preservation and conservation of land & water resources. Duties: Solicit the dedication of properties, real and personal, to the City; administer and manage said properties; encourage the preservation of environmentally sensitive land; further implement the goals for improving water quality; provide for the development of additional recreational resources of the City.

Annapolis Neighborhood & Environmental Programs Department is the "quality of life" department in the City of Annapolis' government. It is made up of two divisions: Code Enforcement and Environmental Programs. Code Enforcement is responsible for licensing, permitting and inspections relating to all facets of code enforcement including, but not limited to, construction, rental housing, zoning, construction trades and wastewater pretreatment. Environmental Programs is responsible for the enhancement of the environment through projects and programs including, but not limited to, urban forest, "Clean Air Initiatives," "Keep It Clean" campaign, storm water management and trail systems.
Green Annapolis Magazine 2009 | Sustainable Annapolis

Annapolis Environmental Commission - Nine residents who have a demonstrated sincere interest in protection and improvement of the environment. Mission: To promote the protection and improvement of the natural health and welfare of the environment of the City of Annapolis through public education, community service and participation in city environmental policy.

Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association (ARTMA) advocates the value of a sound transportation infrastructure and promotes commuter options that save money, time, and quality of life while reducing congestion and pollution.

Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center - This is the Outdoor Education Program of Anne Arundel County Public Schools which, for 33 years, has provided an interdisciplinary outdoor education program for Anne Arundel County teachers, students, and parents, using its site in Millersville as well as other satellite sites throughout the county. Each school year it serves over 25,000 students and 8,000 adults.

Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper & Blue Water Baltimore - The mission of Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper is to protect and restore Baltimore Harbor and the greater Patapsco River and itstributaries through enforcement, fieldwork, and citizen action in order to make the river suitable for recreation, including fishing and swimming, to improve public health, and to improve the health of the river ecosystem.

Being in Place: Alliance for Sustainable Communities - Its purpose is to design a human life-style that follows natural patterns and inspires creative problem solving by engaging people as part of the multitude of extraordinary species of life whose richness inspires the spirit and nourishes existence. The guiding principle is that sound environmental policies create jobs, make industry more efficient, help people identify their personal needs with those of their neighbors and those of the earth, provide leadership toward social and environmental justice.

Biophilia Foundation - The primary mission of the Biophilia Foundation is to support efforts that protect, restore, enhance, and preserve wildlife habitat for all species of native plants and animals. It's secondary mission is to help reconnect individuals with nature.

Center for Watershed Protection - CWP believes that the key to maintaining and improving the quality of our valuable water resources is to minimize the collective impacts of urbanization and other land use changes at the local watershed scale. This goal is accomplished through: Partnering with Watershed Groups, Making Regulatory Updates and Conducting Program Reviews, Providing Stormwater Services, Distill Research into Practical Tools, Offer Watershed Assessment and Planning, and Train Others to Manage Watersheds

Chesapeake Bay Foundation - CBF is the only independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated solely to restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers. Founded 40 years ago, CBF's goal has been to improve water quality by reducing pollution. The motto, Save the Bay, has been the battle cry for that goal.

Chesapeake Bay Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) - LGAC is a body of officials appointed by the Governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia to improve the role local governments play in Bayrestoration efforts and develop strategies to broaden local government participation in the Chesapeake Bay Program. Quarterly meetings of LGAC provide the forum for policy development.

Chessapeake Bay Trust is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization chartered in 1985 by the Maryland General Assembly to engage the public in the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. Funding provided by the Trust sparks on-the-ground change in communities throughout Maryland and works to cultivate a new generation of Bay stewards.

Chesapeake Climate Action Network - CCAN is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Its mission is to educate and mobilize citizens of this region in a way that fosters a rapid societal switch to clean energy and energy-efficient products, thus joining similar efforts worldwide to slow and perhaps halt the dangerous trend of global warming.

Chesapeake Covenant Community is an interfaith organization, engaging people of faith and congregations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Chesapeake Interfaith Environmental Group is an assembly of faith institutions within the Annapolis and Chesapeake Region and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  Its mission is to celebrate the gifts of God's creation through worship and putting faith into action for the care of the Earth. It sponsors a yearly Earth Day event.

Chesapeake Ecology Center - The non-profit Center is dedicated to promoting and educating the public about community greening and conservation landscaping practices for the Chesapeake Bay watershed that result in a healthier and more beautiful environment benefiting residents and the region's biological diversity.

Chesapeake Legal Alliance, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to using the law to improve the quality of the Chesapeake. It grew out of the perceptions that (1) there is a large unmet need for legal resources to enforce and strengthen the laws that govern pollution and development that adversely affects the Bay, and (2) there exists a substantial and largely untapped resource of private lawyers who care about the health of the Bay and are consequently willing to contribute time and effort, pro bono publico, toward its improvement. The goal is to match this resource to the need for legal services to create a network of attorneys with the hope of making a significant contribution toward restoring the Chesapeake to health. It was founded in February 2009.

Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance - Educates the public on the importance of supporting the local economy, and encourages businesses and consumers to be environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. We envision a sustainable global economy as a network of Local Living Economies, building long-term economic empowerment and prosperity in communities through local business ownership, economic justice, cultural diversity and a healthy natural environment. Independent businesses create wealth by engaging local people in the production, marketing, and consumption of goods, they pay taxes, and reinvest in our communities.

Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays - Oversees the development and implementation of local land use programs directed toward the Critical Area that met the following goals: Minimize adverse impacts on water quality that result from pollutants that are discharged from structures or conveyances or that have run off from surrounding lands; Conserve fish, wildlife, and plant habitat in the Critical Area; and Establish land use policies for development in the Critical Area which accommodate growth and also address the fact that, even if pollution is controlled, the number, movement, and activities of persons in the Critical Area can create adverse environmental impacts.

Davidsonville Wildlife Sanctuary - A non-proft organization dedicated to helping animals. They take in injured or orphaned wildlife to raise them and treat their wounds, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. When release is not an option, the sanctuary provides them with a permanent home. The sanctuary also takes in a limited number of exotic or non-traditional pets such as emus, pot-bellied pigs, llamas, parrots, burros, etc., who, through no fault of their own, have been given up. Some are placed into new homes. The sanctuary is on a 10.5-acre site wtih a pond, free-running stream, open fields, woods, flat lands and steep hills where many different species an live and interact in as free an environment as possible.

Eastport EcoAction! is a group of involved residents who are seeking to implement environmental improvements in our community. Our goal is to initiate and complete environmental projects that benefit Eastport and also to partner with and support other organizations with similar goals. These initiatives will help stop the introduction of pollutants into our neighboring waters, mitigate shoreline erosion and enhance our public spaces. Our mission is to create a sustainable and vibrant community action group that will actively look for and implement solutions to our environmental problems.

Environment Maryland is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization. Its professional staff combines independent research, practical ideas and tough-minded advocacy to overcome the opposition of powerful special interests and win real results for Maryland's environment. Environment Maryland draws on 30 years of success in tackling our state's top environmental problems.

EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office: A Watershed Partnership - The Chesapeake Bay Program is a unique regional partnership that has led and directed the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983. Program partners include the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia; the District of Columbia; the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative body; the Environmental Protection Agency, representing the federal government; and participating citizen advisory groups.

Greater Severna Park Watershed Action Group - The GSPWAG was organized to to engage, educate, and empower the residents, communities, councils, schools, businesses, and local and state government, through outreach programs and events for the purpose of working together through partnerships and networks to restore and preserve the land and water resources within the greater Severna Park area that flow into the Magothy and Severn rivers and ultimately into the Chesapeake Bay.

Green Building Institute - Its mission is to foster sustainable building practices through education and example, working toward our vision of a world where the built enviornmeent enhances the natural enviornment. the Institute proides classes on a number of topics.

Green Drinks Annapolis - Our goal is to bring together all of us who share a passion for the environment and concern for our Chesapeake Bay in a casual, fun, unstructured say .... with drinks and great green ideas! Green Drinks is part of Green Drinks International, which began in the U.K. several years ago. Green Drinks Annapolis follows the original format: We have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you'll be made welcome. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new connections. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network.

Green Meeting Industry Council - Leading the meeting industry in improving meeting management by supporting collaboration and the development and dissemination of resources and opportunities that improve the environmental performance of meetings and events. The GMIC is the central location for information and tools to provide you with the green edge in creating meetings and events that: achieve economic objectives, tread lightly on the earth, and contribute to host communities.

Institute for Conservation Leadership
The ICL empowers leaders with training and we build volunteer institutions that protect and conserve the Earth's environment. We do this by helping leaders lead better, by building connections between groups with similar goals, and by supporting groups' progress with fundraising, board development, and other activities.

Lower Western Shore Tributary Team - Funding has ended for this team, that was part of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources organization whose mission is to reduce nutrient and sediment inputs and to restore habitat in the Lower Western Shore Watershed through community participation. The team was composed of representatives from citizens' groups, watershed organizations, the business community, environmental groups, agriculture, and federal, state, and country governments. This diversity of representation led to a wide variety of interests in the team's work efforts from notable successes in influencing policy to outreach and educational endeavors to hand-on projects in the water or on the land.

Magothy River Association is an all-volunteer group representing about 46 communities along the Magothy River Watershed. It devotes its efforts to projects that protect the welfare of the river and its inhabitants, such as:
* Maintaining an oyster nursery at Downs Park
* Restoring an oyster bar
* Monitoring water quality
* Helping to restore seagrasses

Magothy River Land Trust - We are a non-profit organization composed of concerned Magothy River area residents. Our mission is to preserve the environment and protect the land within the Magothy River watershed by accepting donations of conservation easements, acquiring property through gift or purchase, and by fostering an increased understanding of our natural resources.

Maryland Department of the Environment -- The mission of the MDE is to protect and restore the quality of Maryland’s air, water, and land resources, while fostering smart growth, economic development, healthy and safe communities, and quality environmental education for the benefit of the environment, public health, and future generations. MDE's vision is to ensure a clean environment and excellent quality of life for Marylanders. The website contains a lot of useful "how-to" information along with reports, regulations, and more.

Maryland Department of the Environment & Environmental Sustainability - Information for Businesses: Greening Your Facility
Improve Your Environmental Performance and Save Money -
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is responsible for a wide range of regulatory programs that protect our state’s air, land and water resources. Many Maryland businesses, however, aim to go beyond what is required by law to ensure that future generations enjoy the high quality of life and natural environment that our state offers. MDE supports this proactive approach to environmental management and offers information and services to help citizens and organizations set and meet their own goals on the path to sustainability. The website includes links to much useful information.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Vision Statement
In a sustainable Maryland, we recognize that the health of our society and our economy are dependent on the health of our environment. Therefore, we choose to act both collectively and individually to preserve, protect, restore, and enhance our environment for this and future generations.
Mission Statement
The Department of Natural Resources leads Maryland in securing a sustainable future for our environment, society, and economy by preserving, protecting, restoring, and enhancing the State’s natural resources.
DNR-Wide Objectives
* Healthy Terrestrial & Aquatic Ecosystems
* Efficient Use of Energy & Resources
* Citizen Stewardship, Outdoor Recreation, & Opportunities to Take Action
* Vibrant Communities & Neighborhoods
* Long-Term Economic Prosperity
* Professional Commitment

Maryland Environmental Trust
is a statewide land trust governed by a citizen Board of Trustees. It was created by the General Assembly in 1967. Its goal is the preservation of open land, such as farmland, forest land, and significant natural resources. Its primary tool for doing this is the conservation easement, a voluntary agreement between a landowner and MET. MET also endeavors to promote the protection of open land through the Local Land Trust Assistance Program. In addition, MET gives grants to environmental education projects through the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program.

Maryland Green Registry is a free, voluntary, self-certification program offering tips and resources to help organizations set and meet their own goals on the path to sustainability. The checklists provided suggest dozens of opportunities for organizations to minimize their impact on the environment. Many are simple, common-sense operational changes and almost all of them can save money. Maryland Green Registry members are listed on the website and invited to use the Maryland Green Registry logo to promote their participation in the program.

Maryland Green Travel is a free, voluntary program that reviews, certifies and recognizes tourism businesses committed to improving their operations in order to reduce their environmental impact. The program helps businesses evaluate their procedures, set goals and take specific actions towards environmental sustainability.

Maryland League of Conservation Voters - Known as the "Environmental Watchdog" in Annapolis, the non-partisan Maryland League of Conservation Voters (LCV) serves as the political voice of the environment in our state. It was founded in 1979 as a volunteer organization and has since grown to a full-time, staffed organization. The Maryland LCV is a 501 (c)(4) organization and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. There is an Anne Arundel Chapter as well.

Maryland Smart, Green & Growing - The new website at green.maryland.gov helps citizens, businesses and local governments more easily find their way to an increasing number of sustainable programs, services and ideas. The SGG team has put together great green programs from multiple state agencies in one place where you can access some really useful stuff that can save you money, get you statewide recognition for the green things you are doing and give you the upper hand in keeping up with innovations from Maryland's businesses. SGG brings together state agencies, local governments, businesses and citizens to create more livable communities, improve transportation options, reduce the state's carbon footprint, support resource based industry, invest in green technologies, preserve valuable resource lands and restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland Pesticide Network is a grassroots coalition of organizations in Maryland dedicated to protecting the public and the environment from toxic pesticides and promoting healthy alternatives.  Founded in 1994, MPN's diverse membership includes health care provider, consumer, environmental, parent, labor, agricultural and religious organizations.

National Wildlife Federation - Mid-Atlantic Regional Center works with affiliates and partners across the region to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay; the Appalachian forests, rivers and flyways; and the extensive shoreline and coastal bay habitats of the Mid-Atlantic.

Oyster Recovery Partnership
- For more than 15 years, the Oyster Recovery Partnership with its coalition of partners, has been planting hundreds of millions of disease-free oysters back into the Chesapeake Bay. Costing only a few cents to produce and plant, a small donation can plant thousands of oysters and help restore the Chesapeake Bay.

Patuxent Research Refuge is one of over 540 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Established in 1936 by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Patuxent Research Refuge is the Nation's only National Wildlife Refuge established to support wildlife research. The Refuge is world renowned for its research on endangered species such as the Whooping Crane. Today most of the research on the refuge is conducted by the US Geological Survey (USGS) through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

Patuxent Riverkeeper works full time to improve, protect and preserve the river pulling from a variety of resources to provide advocacy. The Patuxent Riverkeeper uses, science, activism, legal skills and a mixed bag of tools, tactics and resources to champion the causes of the river. The riverkeeper patrols the river and the watershed on foot and by boat in order to facilitate first hand monitoring, organizing, intervention and advocacy to assure that existing preservation laws are complied with. The riverkeeper also works with other public and private sector organizations to build coalitions and strategies that pool the efforts of all the stakeholders throughout the watershed who wish to help preserve and enhance the river and its surrounding watershed.

Potomac Conservancy protects the health, beauty, and enjoyment of the Potomac River and its tributaries. The Conservancy's primary focus is protection of water quality through land protection and sound land use practices. Because clean water alone is not enough, the Conservancy also works to preserve and restore the Potomac's scenic landscapes, and to enhance river-based recreational opportunities.

Save Mill Creek is an informal group of concerned citizens working toward understanding, restoring and maintaining the health of Mill Creek on the Magothy River in Arnosld, aryland. Its mission is to act as stewards of the health of Mill Creek, restoring the creek to an ecologically functional water system that is enjoyed for both its beauty and recreational use. Its objective is to have Anne Arundel County initiate a special task force with authority to orchestrate and implement a fast-track environmental restoration plan for Mill Creek that can serve as a model for other watersheds in the County.

Scenic Rivers Land Trust is a private, non-profit, non-governmental corporation chartered in 1988 to protect land through voluntary methods such as conservation easements and educating landholders on issues of conservation and stewardship. The SRLT can accept conservation easements within Anne Arundel County. Its focus is the Severn, South, Patuxent, Rhode, and West River watersheds. It works cooperatively with the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) as an authorized MET easement agency. We are also in compliance with the Standards and Practices of the national Land Trust Alliance.

Severn River Association - Founded in 1911, SRA is the oldest organization dedicated to the preservation of a river in America and Anne Arundel County's largest and oldest civic group with over 70 communities represented. SRA has many activities and is always on the lookout for new people with talents of nearly any kind. It has activities including outings that put members in close touch with the river and watershed we love, legislative and regulatory action to improve protection for the Severn River watershed, cleanup and restoration projects, and more.

Severn Riverkeeper - The Riverkeeper's purpose is to promote, preserve, and restore the environmental health of the Severn River and its surrounding watershed through advocacy and promoting enforcement of environmental laws.  Formally speaking, our objective is to improve the Severn’s water quality by reducing the levels of nutrients, sediment, sewage, and toxic chemicals entering the Severn to the point where it can be removed from Maryland Department of the Environment's Impaired Waterways List (Section 303d of the Clean Water Act).

Sierra Club - Maryland Chapter
The Maryland Chapter oversees Sierra Club activities in Maryland, and has around 15,000 members. It is divided into ten groups who organize local Sierra Club activities, including the Anne Arundel Group.
                     Anne Arundel County Group

South River Federation, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect, restore and celebrate the South River and its ecosystem. Behind this mission is growing movement to create a new mindset about the behavior and involvement of every individual who impacts the South River: how we live on the land affects the health of our waterways. The Federation is a growing, healthy, grass-roots nonprofit environmental organization with some 500 members and volunteers, four staff and a board of directors comprised of dedicated community leaders. Home of the South Riverkeeper.

Spa Creek Conservancy - The non-profit organization fulfills its mission of stewardship of the Spa Creek watershed through education, preservation, mitigation, and restoration. Its vision is to be a model organization for restoring and protecting urban watersheds. Its goal is to keep Spa Creek clean and alive so that it is fishable and swimable, from the headwaters to Annapolis Harbor and the Severn River.

String of Pearls Project honors those who have contributed lands for preservation in six states and the District of Columbia of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Its founders believe that the preservation of land leaves a perpetual legacy for the greater good and deserves to be recognized. To protect the water, land must be preserved. “Pearls” are lands throughout the watershed that are preserved forever. Like knots in a mesh net, they keep together the mosaic of patches and corridor networks to hold the landscape together. They tie together land, water, wildlife, and people, in harmony. That synergy is necessary for sustainability and it is a challenge for this region.

Sustainable Annapolis - A City of Annapolis program designed to gather input for the creation of a Community Action Plan that will address sustainability and climate issues confronting the city. Citizen input is being solicited to create a plan that best fits the community.

Unity Gardens - Its mission is to empower local groups to build leadership and partnership through the creation of neighborhood greening projects that enhance the quality of life throughout Anne Arundel County.

Watershed Stewards Academy - The Academy trains and supports community leaders to serve as Master Watershed Stewards in the protection, restoration and conservation of our watersheds, working to reduce the negative impacts of stormwater runoff in Anne Arundel County. If you live in Anne Arundel County, you can make a difference in the health of our waterways.

Weems Creek Conservancy works to protect, preserve, and improve the Weems Creek Watershed from its non-tidal branches (Moreland and Cowhide Branches) through the tidal creek to its confluence with the Severn River. It works with City, County, State, and Federal Agencies, as well as other environmental and civic organizations, to mitigate the effects of development, educate residents and businesses in the Watershed, and perform restoration projects for the creek.

West/Rhode Riverkeeper - A community-supported conservation organization affiliated with the Waterkeeper Alliance. It focuses on enforcement of environmental laws by patrolling the rivers to identify and stop illegal sources of pollution and we hold those responsible accountable. We work to reduce legal pollution through advocacy, education and restoration of habitat.