CHESTORY — Center for the Chesapeake Story Project Coordinator —
Joan Clement
IAFN Partnership — CHEARS Partnership with International Analog Forestry Network: Courses & Internship Projects Project Coordinator —
Maggie Cahalan
In 2024, CHEARS became a partner in the International Analog Forestry Network (IAFN). THrough this partneship CHEARS has sponsored Mid Atlantic Analog Forestry Courses and in 2025 sponsored an internship program with 13 internships. Copies of the set of designs can be accessed from the Project Page.
CCCCS — Cheasapeake Countdown Climate Citizen Science Project Coordinator —
Maggie Cahalan
Countdown Citizen Science Modeling and Measuring Stream, Soil, and Person Health in the Great Transition to a Fair and Healthy Food System:
Reconnecting to Our Food and Water with Heritage Seeds and Tree Crops
CHEL — Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Project Coordinator —
Joan Clement
CHIO-SQ — Chesapeake Intergenerational Open Seed Quest (CHIO-SQ) Project Coordinator —
Maggie Cahalan
CHEARS and partners School of Living Heathcote Education launched a new initiative in 2020 focused on co-learning and citizen science to help foster seed literacy. We are looking for volunteers to help propagate and grow native plants, save open pollinated seeds and establish one or more seed exchange libraries. This will help provide a source of locally adapted seed and promote local food security.
Home Salons/Parties — Films, Community discussions & Good Chear Parties Project Coordinator —
Eugenia Kalnay
Since its start in 2006, CHEARS has been involved in organizing community building and informational events through films, discussions and parties. Some of these are organized as potlucks with film or shared activities such as the annual Solstice party with a mindful walk and fire circle. See the CHEARS newsletters for information.
GCAN — Greenbelt Climate Action Network Project Coordinator —
Lore Rosenthal
GCAN's mission is to educate residents about climate change, how they can change their behavior and take political action. From September to June monthly meetings are held at the Greenbelt Community Center on the Second Wednesday of the month.
The Green Man — Greenman Annual Festival in Greenbelt Project Coordinator —
RavenEyes Cagle
The Green Man Festival in Greenbelt started in May of 2005. It has been held on Mother's Day Weekend for the last seven years. The Green Man came to life in many cultures from the shadowy, forested world of early man. He made his way through the ages in folklore, songs, stone carvings in cathedrals and art in humble cottages. The Green Man is known to many as the Spirit of the Natural World, but takes on many different roles.
HEYCO — Healthy Eco-Yards Co-op Project Coordinator —
Maggie Cahalan
Healthy Eco Yards Cooperative (HEYCO!)
HEYCO is a new co-op that CHEARS is incubating. with a mission to promote the health of all life in the Watershed through implementation of organic Best Management Practices (BMP)and organic land care in residences, businesses and public lands in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. We want to co-learn and help create landscapes which are beautiful to live in, that provide wildlife habitat and a community food harvest in the context of climate change.
Many Streams Farm — Implementing Project Drawdown Climate Solutions at Many Streams Farm: Tree Intercropping, Multi-strata Agroforestry, and Plant Based Diet Project Coordinator —
Maggie Cahalan
This CHEARS project, has a goal to implement, model, and measure, the impact of Project Drawdown solutions: Tree Intercropping/alley cropping and fostering a Plant Based Diet. The Partners in the project are: School of Living Heathcote Education Center, Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, and Forested. The project is part of a Pennsylvania Society for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) project to demonstrate alley cropping in 3 PA farms.
Earth Squad — Springhill Lake Earth Squad Project Coordinator —
Carolyn Lambright-Davis
The Earth Squad is a co-learning tutoring and mentoring project that practices stewardship for the Three Sisters Gardens and Food Forest. The project was begun in 2015 and after school sessions are held at the Springhill Lake Recreation Center and in the Gardens. In fall 2021, the Earth Squad began meeting 3 days a week (Mon. Wed. and Friday) in the Springhill Lake Recreation Center and in the Three Sisters Gardens and Food Forest outdoor classroom.
GFT Project — The Great Food Transition GFT for Climate Food Justice, Health, and Equity Project Coordinator —
Geraldine Adams
The project has a primary goal to support the Great Food Transition (GFT) for climate justice, better health, and equity. Major project activities will include supporting Save Serve certification training to enable volunteers to use the Greenbelt Community Kitchen, holding workshops to co-learn to preserve, prepare, and eat foods grown using heritage seeds, supporting education workshops, measuring our impact with an interactive Stella Model, and holding a Climate Food Justice Community Summit
Three Sisters Gardens & Food Forest Project Coordinator —
Carolyn Lambright-Davis
CHEARS volunteers, work to demonstrate sustainable growing practices and healthy food options for a healthier watershed. To volunteer, contact Carolyn Lambright-Davis for the Springhill Lake Garden; Maggie Cahalan for the Center Garden; and Jenifer Dudley for the Schrom Park Garden.
Flows — Water Quality Tracing Project Coordinator —
Robert Cahalan
Study water quality in the Chesapeake watershed, and in a Guatemalan watershed of Lago Atitlán, linked to the Chesapeake by migration and climate change.
