Chesapeake Conservation Corps Host Organization Cover Sheet 2013 – 2014

Chesapeake Conservation Corps
Host Organization Cover Sheet
2013 – 2014
www.chesapeakebaytrust.org / 410-974-2941
1.
Applicant Information
Name of Organization/Legal Applicant:
Phillips Wharf Environmental Center (PWEC)
Street Address:
21604 Chicken Point Road, PO Box C
City/State/Zip:
Tilghman, MD 21671
County:
Talbot
Main Telephone:
410-888-312-7847
Web Page:
www.pwec.org
Legal Applicant Federal I.D. Number:
20-4519973
State Legislative District:
Legislative District #37
U.S. Congressional District:
First Congressional District
Executive Director:
Kelley Cox
Executive Director’s Telephone:
410-886-2643
Executive Director’s Email:
Kelcox62@gmail.com
Name of Application Writer/Initial Contact:
Carol McCollough / Kelley Cox
Contact’s Title:
Executive Director
Contact’s Telephone:
Cox: 410-886-2643; McCollough 410-745-6540
Contact’s Email:
kelcox62@gmail.com; oysters@pwec.org
Name of Corps Volunteer Mentor:
Kelley Cox; Carol McCollough; George Yurek
Mentor’s Title:
Executive Director; Vice President; Board Member
Mentor’s Telephone:
410-886-2643; 410-745-6540; 410-886-2803
kelcox62@gmail.com; oysters@pwec.org;
geoyurek@gmail.com
One
Mentor’s Email:
Number of Corps Volunteers Sought
2. Type of Organization (check one):
Non-profit organization
School
Community associations
Service, Youth, or Civic Groups
Institutions of Higher Education
Local government (county or municipality)
Unit of State Government
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x
3. Organization Mission:
Phillips Wharf Environmental Center seeks to educate and create understanding and appreciation about
the ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay and the heritage and life of the Chesapeake Bay waterman. We
foster stewardship of the Bay itself through hands-on educational experiences, special events, and
research projects aimed at revealing the effects of natural and human forces upon the Chesapeake’s flora
and fauna.
4. Types of Activities in which a Volunteer Corps Member will be engaged (see “Corps Volunteer
Eligible Activities” section above for description of each activity type. Check all that apply.
Watershed Restoration
Energy Conservation
Agricultural
Forestry
Environmental Education
x
x
5. General Liability Insurance: Does your agency currently have general liability insurance for its
volunteers?
Yes
x
No
Partnership Application Electronic Signatures
In submitting this partnership application to become a Chesapeake Conservation Corps Host
Organization, we attest that all information provided is true to the best of our knowledge.
1/29/13
Signature of Legal Applicant Director
Date
1/29/13
Date
Signature of the Host Organization Mentor
Thank you for applying to be a Chesapeake Conservation Corps Host Organization!
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Chesapeake Conservation Corps
Host Organization Narrative Instructions
2013 – 2014
www.chesapeakebaytrust.org / 410-974-2941
Please include a narrative, not to exceed 4 pages, addressing the following:
1) Activities: Please describe the types of watershed restoration, energy conservation, agricultural and
forestry, infrastructure, AND/OR education activities in which the Corps Volunteer(s) will be engaged.
2) Outcomes: Provide a list of quantifiable outcomes to be accomplished by the Corps Volunteer(s).
Examples might include number of rain gardens installed, number of volunteers engaged, number of
energy audits accomplished, number of green schools engaged, number of students reached, etc.
3) Advancement of mission: Describe how the service of the Corps Volunteer will advance the mission
of the organization.
4) Key Staff: Describe the staff members who will work most closely with the Corps Volunteer. What
roles and responsibilities will these key staff have in supporting the Corps Volunteer’s activities?
5) Work Skills Training: Please describe any formal or informal work skills training your organization
can provide to a Corps Volunteer.
6) Budget of Matching Resources: Please provide a table indicating resources the organization
anticipates providing. Note that desk/office space, computer access, free or reimbursed parking on-site,
mileage reimbursement for program-related travel, and coverage under the organization’s general
liability policy for volunteers are requirements of participation in the program and should be listed as
match. Host Organizations are encouraged, but not required, to provide costs for the Volunteer to attend
one professional conference during the service term. If you plan to do so, please list those costs under
“Conference attendance costs” below. Host Organizations that have been matched with a Volunteer for
the past two consecutive years must provide 10% of the Volunteer Stipend in the second to last line of
the budget table. Please note that listing a resource below represents a commitment to provide that
resource.
9
February 2013
Narrative Statement submitted to Chesapeake Bay Trust by PWEC
1)
Activities
During the 8 years since its founding, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center (PWEC) continues to
develop significant education/stewardship programs that serve the local Bay Hundred community, plus
numerous groups in and beyond Talbot County, Maryland. We seek a volunteer to work alongside an
active volunteer cohort that supports PWEC’s stewardship efforts. The Conservation Corps Volunteer’s
primary task will be supporting our oyster restoration and citizen science program on Tilghman Island
and Bay Hundred, in partnership with Marylander’s Grow Oysters (MGO) (see 1. below). The Corps
Volunteer will also engage in educational outreach centered on our Fishmobile, a converted bookmobile
that serves as a rolling educational aquarium (see 2. below). In addition, the Corps volunteer will assist
in the development and implementation of a Conservation Landscaping program designed to improve
water quality in the Chesapeake Bay through active participation on the part of property owners in
implementing restoration techniques (see 3. below). Finally, the Corps Volunteer will assist the PWEC
Executive Director with daily Center operations, including year-round animal husbandry, and spring-fall
exhibit maintenance and visitor interaction (see 4. below).
1. The Conservation Corps Volunteer will focus primarily on our Tilghman’s Islanders Grow Oysters
(TIGO) program in cooperation with MD-DNR’s Marylanders Grow Oysters (MGO) (contact Chris Judy
at cjudy@dnr.state.md.us). The Volunteer will assist PWEC to retain current and recruit new
participation from waterfront property owners and residents of Tilghman’s Island and adjacent Bay
Hundred. The Volunteer will maintain a database of participating property owners, with name and
address information as well as a list of non-participants that may be recruited in the future; assist with
the delivery of cages to participating growers; write and distribute our electronic newsletter to
participating growers and interested parties; and prepare semi-annual performance reports to DNR.
Because many of our growers are part-time residents, the Volunteer will tend a certain portion of the
cages at various times, and will make site visits to 82+ growers multiple times during the season. The
Volunteer will participate in our rigorous and scientifically valid growth, mortality, and disease testing
program associated with the cages. At the end of the 2012-2013 cycle the Volunteer will organize an
oyster planting day, including recruiting watermen to transport oysters, and arranging and managing the
return or pick-up of cages and oysters from volunteer growers. Anticipating an extensive collaboration
with Southern Maryland Oyster Cultivation Society (SMOCS) during 2013-14, the Volunteer may have
the opportunity to participate in the evolution of a Maryland Master Oyster Gardener program. Our
ultimate objective is to contribute oyster biomass to restoration efforts; to provide useful data on
measurable outcomes (mortality, growth, disease acquisition, progression, prevalence and intensity) that
will allow MGO to quantify the success of our project in particular and MGO as a whole; and to improve
cooperation between multiple MGO coordinator organizations.
2. PWEC began its mobile education program in 2009 when it converted a used bookmobile into a
rolling aquarium and touch tank. Aquaria and displays on board deliver live Bay animals and hands-on
experiences, along with environmental concepts, to school children and adults. The Fishmobile offers
specimens live and close up for clients who cannot access natural settings. Bonds that encourage
stewardship and understanding about living organisms and their habitats are developed when people –
youth and adults – interact and engage with our animals.
10
The Volunteer will serve as the primary docent aboard the Fishmobile at public events, and will work
closely with the Executive Director to develop, customize, and present curricula and experiences for
school visits to meet specific teacher requests and learning goals. The Volunteer will help to transport
animals safely and humanely; set up and secure the Fishmobile at various venues; and interact with adult
and youth visitors to share information about life history, anatomy, taxonomy, status, ecological roles,
and economic and ecological value of the animals on board. Between Fishmobile events, the Volunteer
will assist with the daily care and husbandry of Fishmobile specimens housed at the Center, including
fish, turtles, crabs, bivalves, and other aquatic animals.
3. The Volunteer will promote the establishment of native demonstration gardens and landscapes, along
with associated educational programs to enable property owners to improve water quality in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed. Through extensive collaboration, the Conservation Landscaping Program
will be a strategic hub in the network of Chesapeake Bay environmental organizations. The Volunteer
will work with the Conservation Landscaping Chair, volunteers, and collaborators to provide services
and consultation with property owners on restoration techniques, demonstration site development,
funding, and implementation, education, and field trip excursions.
4. Because PWEC has limited staff, the Volunteer will have opportunities to work on additional projects
within the organization. Specifically, he/she will assist with Center-based outreach events and
environmental education programming, including PWEC Critter Release Day, Tilghman Island Days,
Tilghman Island Harvest Festival, PWEC Spring Open House, and on-site school / summer camp visits.
2)
Outcomes
1. PWEC anticipates retaining the majority of the 82 volunteer growers responsible for 400 cages that
participated in 2012-2013, and recruiting an additional 25 growers. The Volunteer will assist with filling
and delivery of 400+ cages, and will attempt to recruit additional volunteer growers if all available spat
are not immediately deployed. During the winter, he/she will take an active role in recruiting new
growers by searching on-line property databases and identifying waterfront property owners in Bay
Hundred and on Harris Creek. The Volunteer will work with growers, volunteer watermen, and
Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources to plant our seed oysters locally, in the Harris Creek oyster
sanctuary. The Volunteer will recruit 3-4 watermen or other private boat owners to transport oysters to
planting areas during early summer of 2014. Depending upon spat setting success in the hatchery, each
cage produces 200 to 500 oysters. MGO has tracked about a 70 percent survival rate of seed oysters and
noted a 6:1 ratio of seed oysters to natural oysters in planted sanctuary areas.
PWEC’s associated research will track oyster disease, mortality, and growth monthly at 5 growers. On
Delivery Day the Volunteer will collect data on size and disease status at deployment and prepare 5 sets
of spat for monthly mortality counts. Each month, the Volunteer will collect and prepare 150 disease
samples and analyze them for the prevalence and intensity of dermo disease, collect size/growth data
from ca. 500 individual oysters, and perform 5 mortality counts. The Volunteer will maintain an Excel
database containing these data and will learn to calculate and graph basic measures of growth, survival,
and disease performance.
The Volunteer will draft mid-season and final reports detailing number of participants, number of cages,
monthly and annual growth and survival, monthly dermo disease prevalence and mean intensity, average
number of spat/cage, bushels of spat planted, and planting coordinates, which will be provided to DNR.
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The Volunteer will prepare 9-10 monthly e-newsletters to volunteer growers, which may include
information about significant milestones, reminders of how to care for their cages, information about the
diversity of life that will develop in and on the cages, results of disease analyses, and other material that
may be of interest as the project progresses.
2. The Volunteer will staff 12+ Fishmobile events, including school visits and regional festivals. For
2013, at the time of this application, we have entered contracts with six elementary schools and six
festivals, most of which are outside Talbot County. During 2012, the Fishmobile hosted approximately
10,000 visitors and we expect increasing numbers in our 2013 season.
3. The Volunteer will assist with Conservation Landscaping restoration technique consultations to
identify sites for installation of demonstration projects. The volunteer will then assist in the design,
funding, and implementation of 1-2 demonstration gardens, including site preparation, plant sourcing
and installation.
3)
Advancement of Mission
PWEC’s mission states:
Phillips Wharf Environmental Center seeks to educate and create understanding and appreciation
about the ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay and the heritage and life of the Chesapeake Bay
waterman. We foster stewardship of the Bay itself through hands-on educational experiences,
special events, and research projects aimed at revealing the effects of natural and human forces
upon the Chesapeake’s flora and fauna.
The MGO program is a stewardship program that uses those hands-on activities that we believe foster a
sense of personal responsibility for the condition of the Bay and its resources, and the desire to protect
them. The Volunteer’s activities will advance the mission by providing volunteers the opportunity and
means to participate in MGO, providing information about the progress of our program, prompting
growers to take specific actions to protect their spat from adverse environmental conditions, supplying
information about challenges oysters face during their first year of life, and providing information about
the benefits of increasing oyster populations and their associated habitat.
The Volunteer’s activities in support of the Fishmobile will ensure that the program is available
throughout the winter to bring our message to our clients year-round.
The Volunteer’s activities in support of the Conservation Landscaping program will foster stewardship
by providing means for individuals to take personal action to directly improve water quality and by
removing roadblocks to the implementation of conservation landscaping best practices.
4)
Key Staff
PWEC has limited paid staff. At present, the only paid employee is funded through Chesapeake
Conservation Corps.
The Conservation Corps Volunteer will be under the direct supervision of Kelley Cox, PWEC’s Founder
and Executive Director, who will work with the Volunteer on a daily basis to provide organizational
12
support (office space, computer and software access, animal husbandry training, Fishmobile operations)
and to prioritize tasks.
Carol McCollough, 2nd Vice-President, is a professional shellfish research biologist/pathologist, and
will provide training and supervision in scientific study design, MGO procedures, the performance of
dermo disease assays and mortality counts, and scientific report writing.
George Yurek, Board Member, Conservation Landscaping Committee Chair, Maryland Master
Gardener, will provide supervise and provide supervision and support for conservation landscape
techniques, along with demonstration garden design, implementation, and maintenance.
5)
Work Skills Training
The Volunteer will acquire skills in
1)
scientific study design;
2)
oyster disease diagnostic techniques and interpretation of disease assays,
including light microscopy and basic microbiological techniques;
3)
Excel database design, maintenance, and manipulation;
4)
technical report writing;
5)
public communication;
6)
aquatic animal husbandry;
7)
aquarium maintenance;
8)
identification of aquatic species associated with oyster bars, and additional
aquatic species on display at the Center and aboard the Fishmobile.
9)
conservation landscape techniques that improve Chesapeake Bay water quality including
demonstration garden design, implementation, and maintenance.
6)
Budget
You are encouraged to use the following format:
Example Budget Lines
Value
Type of Match (Cash or In-kind)
Parking - required
FREE
n/a
Mileage Reimbursement - required
$500.00
cash, also in-kind company vehicle
Conference attendance costs - optional
$1000.00
MAEOE, MAMEA, others as interest
warrants
Telephone/Internet - required
$650.00
in-kind
Office Space - required
$1200.00
in-kind
Volunteer training supplies - optional
$1000.00
in-kind
Liability Insurance
$3330.00
in-kind
10% of the Volunteer stipend ($1500) required for three-consecutive-year Hosts
$1550.00
cash
Other: Housing
$5200.00
in-kind
TOTAL
$14,430.00
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Phillips Wharf Environmental Center
Board of Directors
Kelley Cox - President
P.O. Box 122
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
kelcox62@gmail.com
410-886-2643
Jeffrey Harrison
21404 Wharf Road
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
harrison2413@verizon.net
410-886-2413
Gary Crawford –Vice President
P.O. Box 336
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
bookbank2@bluecrab.org
410-886-2418
Debra H. Rich
P.O. Box 269
St. Michaels, MD 21663
debrahrich@gmail.com
717-598-6639
Carol B. McCollough –Vice President
7570 Ryders Rest Lane
St. Michaels, Maryland 21663
oysters@pwec.org
410-745-6540
Eric Schott
4605 Wilmslow Road
Baltimore, Maryland 21210
e_schott@hotmail.com
443-220-7254
Karen Smith – Treasurer
5141 Feather Lane
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
ksmith5141@gmail.com
410-829-4848
George Yurek
21392 Ferry Landing Road
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
geoyurek@gmail.com
410-886-2803
Nancy H. Garner
21729 Camper Circle
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
nhgarner@verizon.net
410-886-2169
Carl Griebel – Honorary Board
P.O. Box 198
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
sev@dmv.com
410-886-2159
Staff
Matthew Felperin
CCC Volunteer
P.O. Box C
Tilghman, Maryland 21671
phillipswharfec@gmail.com
410-886-9200
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2013 Unrestricted (Operating) Fund Approved Budget
Revenue
Tilghman Island Discovery Park
Fishmobile Fees
General Donations
Annual Appeal
Memberships
Education Programs
Retail Sales
Admission Fees
Fundraising
Total Revenues
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
18,000.00
8,000.00
4,000.00
4,000.00
6,500.00
3,500.00
1,500.00
900.00
46,900.00
93,300.00
Expenses
Tilghman Island Discovery Park Lease pymts
Fundraising
Fishmobile
Center Operations
Advertising/Marketing
Annual Appeal
Administrative Assistance
Office/Admin
Retail item purchases
Insurance
Professional fees
Education Programs
TIGO
Travel/Entertainment
Utilities
Professional Dev
Board/Membership Dev
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
18,000.00
7,500.00
6,000.00
10,000.00
5,000.00
2,500.00
6,000.00
3,000.00
1,000.00
8,000.00
750.00
3,000.00
6,800.00
750.00
5,500.00
5,000.00
3,000.00
Misc
Total Expenses
Net Profit/(Loss)
$
$
$
1,500.00
93,300.00
-
15