If you aren't sure what watershed protection strategy your congregation should do, start with a site assessment!

Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC) is committed to supporting you to take action within your own community through our Action Kit resources; step-by-step guides for carrying out actions that promote clean water resources and healthy ecosystems through responsible land and water management.

We're excited to announce our newest kit, perfect to help your congregation plan your environmental efforts for the upcoming year. Our Site Assessment Action Kit starts by introducing the reasons why this is the first step in helping us to protect our sacred watershed before finding funding for your projects.

Site Assessment Spotlight: Christ Church Forest Hill, Rock Spring Parish

Right after attending IPC's Faithful Green Leaders Training in October 2021, Christ Church Forest Hill, Rock Spring Parish scheduled a site assessment with their IPC regional outreach coordinator. Their congregational property had been plagued with runoff and flooding that their newly formed green team wanted a professional opinion on. Following the site assessment, they discovered that there were multiple locations where conservation landscaping would be appropriate. In 2022 Christ Church's green team hosted three tree plantings and one invasive species removal on their congregational grounds. If you are familiar with conservation landscaping, you may have asked yourself: "why didn't they install a rain barrel to capture and harvest the rainwater to reduce flooding?" After their thorough assessment, it was deemed that there were not many opportunities on their property for rain barrels. While many of the congregation's downspouts are connected, there was not sufficient space to install a rain barrel without removing crucial vegetation, or blocking pathways. This is why a site assessment is a crucial starting point to determine what watershed protection efforts are best for your congregation, based on professional recommendations.

Take this first crucial step towards environmental stewardship! Don't end the summer without reaching out to your regional coordinator to schedule a site assessment for your congregation:

Bonnie Sorak Director of Outreach (Baltimore City & Co., Howard, Harford, & Lancaster, PA)	Taylor Swanson Outreach Coordinator (Anne Arundel, Charles, Queen Anne's, Kent, St. Mary's, Calvert Co.)	Mollie Rudow Outreach Coordinator (Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester, Caroline, Talbot Co.'s)	Sarah Redden Outreach Coordinator (Montgomery, Frederick, Prince George's Co.'s, DMV)

If you haven't taken a look at our library of Action Kits yet, come take a peek! We have more than 10 kits ready to support you with everything from Rain Garden Maintenance to Faithful Lawn Care. IPC is looking to grow the movement of faithful stewards caring for sacred waters, so we are always updating our resource library!