Thanksgiving Day as a time to Justice in the World

Thanksging is a warm Holiday of Remembrances as we fill our stomachs with a standard menu (not to be touched with),then sit back in soft armchairs and doze off to short periods of sleep as we watch endless football games of little significance.......but it is also a Time to reflect and think about those Not So Blessed.......those Struggling,many times through no fault of their own.......Poverty is a real issue in America today.....it is often said that for many Americans,they still live in a third world country........in some way or other,our Humaness needs to reach out to these fellow Americans and World People. How we do it and how often will depend on many factors and has to be individualized........but we need to do so for these needy people....not just for them.....but to restore our own Humanity.

Perhaps,another thought that needs to come to mind is that "bad things happen to poor people"....... and this is something that we do wrong and need to correct. This should not happen,and when it does we need to quickly speak up and speak out to the wrongful actions. I am talking here about Environmental Injustice. Affected communities are taken advantage of and lose TRUST and become suspicious when even good programs for their communities are presented. This is what we found when we tried to develop. a Watershed Stormwater Project to reduce Trash and Pollution flowing into the Baltimore Harbor.

Enough said,we concluded that before we could develop the Stormwater Project,we must first find out from the residents the true issues confronting them and work to improve these conditions as well. Strong neighborhoods and stakeholders are needed so when challenged will be a factor in restoring Baltimore. The Improvement in the Quality of Life for residents in these neighborhoods will then enable a successful Stormwater Project,such as the Harris Creek Watershed Plan ,to become a reality.

This is what we are finding in this "Work in Progress". What are your Thoughts?

Raymond D.Bahr MD Coordinator Harris Creek Watershed (246) Project BHWA

Recognition of Patterson Park Top 12 Great Parks in the United States

Congratulations to Tim Almaguer and the Friends of Patterson Park for getting on the Forbes List for the Top 12 Great Parks in the United States. What an Achievement! WOW! The amount of Time, Effort and Commitment over the last 10 years has been Phenomenal. Citizens of Baltimore need to take time to recognize this,stand and applaud.

The Harris Creek Watershed Association is Proud that Patterson Park lies within its Watershed. Not only is it in it,but in many days long ago,it had a more intimate relationship. It was at the Northern part of Harris Creek that William Patterson had a six acre farm. There were two large steams that met just North of the Park to form a Major Stream that gave way to the Harris Creek that eventually flowed into the Baltimore Harbor along Boston Street in Canton. Harris Creek in 1797 had two large Boat Yards and it was at the Stodder Boat Yard where the famous Frigate Constillation was built as well as many Clipper Ships that played havoc with the British in the War of 1812.

We are trying to clean up the Harris Creek Watershed these days with a Stormwater Project that aims to reduce Trash and Pollution from going into the Baltimore Harbor. We are Proud of our Heritage....Proud of Harris Creek.....and even more Proud of Patterson Park after getting this recognition. Thanks Tim and Friends of Patterson Park. We appreciate your Effort.

Best,Raymond D.Bahr MD Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association

Moving ahead with the Harris Creek Watershed Project

The easiest part of doing this Project is to Educate about Trash and Implement Best Management Practices for dealing with excessive runoff from Stormwater. There are 17 neighborhoods in the Harris Creek Watershed that goes from Clifton Park to the Baltimore Harbor in Canton at the Outflow Drain located just across from the Safeway. However doing the Project this way only would wind up as a Failure. There are a lot of Issues in these neighborhoods that are more Important than Stormwater Management. These Issues need to part of the Equation in solving the Trash and Pollution Problem.

The medium earned Income is about $45,000 in the Canton area and this decreases to about $10,000 as one goes North. The Unemployment Rate is about 6% in the Canton area and rises to about 30% as one goes North. This translates to neighborhoods having Poverty Issues that results in an increase in the Illegal Drug Trading and the Violence and Homicide that goes with this trend. Humanity gets lost and there is a sense of Hopelessness. Homes become neglected and vacant. Dumping of trash in alleys and on vacant lots occur, setting the scene for rat infestation.

Residents become suspicious of outsiders,especially developers and urban planners. Trust is lost and becomes an obstacle preventing any meaningful discussion about a Stormwater Project.
Yet despite these shortcomings,all is not lost. Residents are still fellow human beings that seemingly have lost temporarily their humanity. Needed is a developing fellowship based on an understanding that Projects become sensitive in working to become more aware of the many issues confronting a neighborhood.

Yes,we will continue in the Watershed 246 Project or the Harris Creek Watershed Project,but we will tread lightly as we attempt to find ways to get back this Community Trust, so very much needed to engage deeply the Stakeholders that will help us in connecting Neighborhoods ......and use this as a Bridging Force to bring back a Live Baltimore.

Help us to understand what we have to do to unite and ignite the Neighborhoods in this Effort.

Respectfully,Raymond D.Bahr Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association

Survey Questionnaire for residents of Watershed 246

This has been a Tough Week for the Harris Creek Watershed (246). It is hard enough to controil the things that you can,but even worse when things come your way totally unprepared for. The only you can is to have "tenacity to the Vision" and keep moving on.

After the Bus Tour of the Harris Creek Watershed,we sat down to complete the Questionnaire that we could then use to do the Survey in the upper part of the Harris Creek Watershed.The Pan is to use this information in part of a Workshop being put together that will help in developing a Stormwater plan for the Watershed. To do this,we need people or residents to come together and share their experiences so that "problems of the neighborhoods" can be worked out in this setting. For these,we need to reach out and identify such individuals,but we are having trouble getting cooperation from those in authority that is needed to do this effectively.

Despite this setback,we are determined to modify our strategy and reach these people necessary to write a stormwater plan. "Tenacity to the Vision will be our Battlecry"

Respectfully,Raymond D.Bahr MD BHWA

Hoop Dreams: Sustainable agriculture comes to Lake Clifton Park | Baltimore City Paper

Hoop Dreams: Sustainable agriculture comes to Lake Clifton Park Baltimore City Paper

This will be part of our Stormwater Plan for the Harris Creek Watershed. We will try and promote Community Green Gardens,both the Standard ones as well as the "more intensive ones" as described here throughout the many unused acres in our Urban area for Agriculture. Read about this and give us some of your ideas how this can be successful in our GIS 246 Watershed. Ray Bahr MD BHWA

Harris Creek Watershed Game Plan

Game Plan

The Stormwater Project of the Harris Creek Watershed can only be successfully accomplished if there is Community Buy-in and that will require more than just Education about Trash and implementing best management practices for stormwater management. It will require an entire mindset change for this cultural change to take place.It will involve getting to know what the residents in these 17 neighborhoods feel are more pressing issues and how to go about achieving both objectives. Areas with concentrated poverty makes it difficult for residents to lead a more normal existence. To help neutralize this,we will try our best to promote,enhance and expand Community Gardens and Community Gathering Places. We will try and work with the Churches as well as the many groups already involved in cleaning and greening activities (see previous e-blog) in this watershed. Networking (never having to re-invent the wheel) will be a major strategy in trying to connect the people and the places in this watershed.There are many fine people living in these areas that at times become strangulated with the crime,violence and illegal drugs. Our Plan for the Harris Creek Watershed will get nowhere unless we find ways to improve the Quality of Life for all living in the watershed. We need to provide this Hope for them

With these Thoughts in Mind,we will incorporate the Humane Metropolis Baltimore Initiative that recently unrolled in a Conference Workshop sponsored by the Maryland Historical Society and the Parks and People Foundation. The Initiative highlights new initiatives to become more:

Green: Protect and restore urban biodiversity and ecological services.

Healthy: Promote outdoor exercises and fitness,reduce respiratory threats.

Safe: Reduce crime rates;lower risk of fire,floods and other hazards.

Efficient: Employ a better use of water,energy,materials (green buildings,light rail etc).

Equitable: Embrace environmental and social justice,affordable housing,access to jobs.

Neighborly: Foster pride of place and sense of Community



To these six, Dr.Lenneal Henderson added three more to improve even moreso the above. These are Creativity,Communication and Artistic........and to gel this Plan even moreso,Scott Spencer added "diversity" has to be included in every discussion.

Creating Community through Horticulture and adding Gathering Places for the needed Converstations to take place that will highlight Humanity as the most important aspect in our Stormwater Plan for the Harris Creek Watershed.

Respectfully,Raymond D.Bahr MD BHWA

The Harris Creek Watershed Plan for Stormwater Management
"Moving Along"

(3)-What makes this a viable Plan and gives it Hope is what is going on in the "greening" parts of the Watershed. Let's take a Look!

Banner Neighborhood's Garden

Duncan Block Community Garden

Montford and McElderry Garden

600 N.Rose Garden

God's Glory to Glover Street

Milton Montford Garden

Garden of Eden

Eager and Milton Garden

Faith Garden/Chess Park

Mura Street Garden

Lanvale Garden

Duncan Miracle Garden

North and Wolfe Garden

Darley Park Community Garden

Madeira Street Garden


Community Humane Groups working together

HEBCAC

Civic Works Americorp Program

Baltimore Green Space

B'more Green

Tree Baltimore

Cleaner,Greener Baltimore Initiative

OSI Fellows

University of Maryland Cooperative Gardens

Parks and Recreation

CARE

Baltimore Green Mapping

Master Gardener Program

Environmental Justice Partnership

Habitat for Humanity






Not to be forgotten are the Two Parks, Patterson Park and Clifton Park and the many vacant lots being turned into green spaces. Also to be included are the many Churches and Schools. Connecting these green points of lights and increasing the Gathering Spaces are part of the Humane Metropolis Initiative that serves as our Strategy for improving the Quality of Life in these impoverished areas. We can not expect to develop an effective Stormwater Plan for this Watershed unless we show an attempt to change the Culture of Despair that exists. Finding and Identifying Effective Stakeholders in each of the 17 Neighborhoods will be a Tool that we will seek to employ. Stay tuned in..............best,BHWA