10 years of Baltimore Green Space

It’s hard for us to believe…but Baltimore Green Space is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! What do we have to show for it?

We’ve preserved 9 community-managed open spaces in neighborhoods from East Baltimore to Pigtown to Hanlon Park to Remington…and more. Our sites are directly connected to more than 180 hands-on community members and benefit many more. Residents in these neighborhoods know that their beloved green spaces are secure from development and have liability insurance. Click here for a map of our sites.

We work to keep updated records on more than 200 community-managed open spaces on land that can be bought and sold. Since 2012 we’ve provided assistance to more than 114 sites. We regularly map these sites so we can attest to the impact that caring community members have on the landscape of Baltimore City. Click here to see the current map.

Over the years we have pushed for the need for access to water. This helped lead to the to the meter pit program, in which community green space projects can access water for $120 per year, as well as a fund for installation of water underground.

Our Forest Stewardship Network brings together residents who care for neighborhood forest patches with nonprofit partners and foresters. Best we can tell, it’s the only group like it in the country. Our forest workshops have served 641 people to date.

Our original research with UMBC and the Office of Sustainability revealed that 20% of Baltimore City’s tree canopy is in forest patches outside of parks. And we have visited 100 of them to complete on-the-ground surveys.

We work regularly with Forest Stewards in 10 patches which are connected to more than 80 community members.

More technical research in 22 of Baltimore’s forest patches is establishing that they provide important environmental benefits: healthier than expected soils, native tree species, and unexpected diversity. Our forester colleagues tell us that this is pioneering research.

We partner with the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, the U.S. Forest Service, four area universities, and a multitude of city agencies and nonprofits.

Our annual celebration brings together more than 100 green space creators and their admirers from all over the city. Join us on April 23, 2017!

BGS was awarded the One Park Award, by the Parks & People Foundation, 2014.

Miriam Avins received the Aileen Hughes Award for Leadership in Land Conservation, from the Maryland Environmental Trust, 2010.

Other Little-Known Facts

Gardens like the Duncan Street Miracle Garden, which have been loved for decades, were the inspiration for the founding of Baltimore Green Space.

3 of 13 our board members are community garden leaders. 12 of 13 board members live in Baltimore City.

Where are we headed next?

We will work to continue to provide for the preservation needs of the Baltimore City’s residents who create and care for green space, and we advocate for the causes that support their work. We are currently working toward protecting our first playground, creating a process for forest preservation, and researching farm preservation. We hope you will support shaping the green future of a Baltimore.

10 years of Baltimore Green Space

Where are we headed next?

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