Goodwin Stream Clean Up 04.2021

 

What’s in a name? A lot, says Tom Melito, a science resource teacher for Baltimore County Public Schools who worked in environmental education for more than 20 years.

 

“I find that when you tell people the name of something — whether it be the name of a species or the name of a waterway — people (especially kids) make more of a personal connection with that item,” says Melito, who serves on the PVVWCA board nominating committee and helps orchestrate our community’s participation in Project Clean Stream.

 

The stream that starts in Mayfair, runs underneath and through the neighborhood and empties in the basin near Pinewood Elementary School is called Goodwin Run. It’s named after the family that originally owned the land that later was sold to the developers that built Mays Chapel.

 

Besides not littering, here are seven ways neighbors can take care of our community waterway:

 

1. Eliminate yard waste in the street. Never leave grass clippings in the road or blow leaves into the street.

 

 

 

4. Reduce — or even better, eliminate — the use of lawn chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides.

 

5. Wash your car at a professional car wash that filters the wastewater.

 

 

7. Landscape with native plants. They are hardier and increase water infiltration and decrease lawn maintenance